At that moment Maria stepped out of her sleek black car, her heels clicking sharply against the cracked pavement.
The air was thick with the scent of damp rot and burning trash, making her wrinkle her nose in disgust. This place was nothing short of a cesspool—a forgotten corner of the city where the desperate and lawless thrived.
The dimly lit alleyways were lined with graffiti-covered walls, the neon signs flickering like dying embers. Stray dogs rummaged through overflowing dumpsters, and a group of men loitered near a rusted-out car, their eyes tracking her every movement.
However she ignored them. This was not her world, but she had stepped into it willingly.
Without being told Maria despised this place. The filth. The stench. The desperation clinging to the air like a sickness.
But hatred had led her here.
