After their tense lunch with Gabriel, Emily, Mindy, and Camille stepped out of L'Esprit de Gigi and into the bustling streets of Paris. The sun was shining, but the warmth did little to chase away the cold dread that clung to them like a shadow. As they made their way back to Mindy's apartment, they tried to focus on anything other than the looming threat of Doug and the strange men who seemed to be appearing out of nowhere.

The city around them felt different—less vibrant, more menacing. Every passerby, every parked car, seemed like a potential danger. The three women stayed close together, their senses heightened, eyes darting at every sound.

As they approached Mindy's building, her phone buzzed. She glanced down and saw a text message from Benoît and Étienne, her bandmates from the cabaret club.

"Mindy, something strange is going on," Benoît's message read. "A manager named Mahmood, who says he has connections to Eurovision, came to the club today. He asked to speak with you."

Étienne's message followed: "He seemed really insistent. Said it was important."

Mindy furrowed her brow as she read the messages. "Mahmood?" she muttered to herself, confusion lacing her voice. "I don't know anyone named Mahmood."

Emily, overhearing, looked at her with a frown. "Mahmood? That name doesn't ring a bell for me either. Why would someone with Eurovision connections want to speak to you out of the blue?"

Mindy shook her head, her suspicion growing. "I have no idea. I mean, I love Eurovision, but this feels… off. Why now, in the middle of all this?"

As they entered Mindy's apartment building, Emily's phone rang. The number was unknown, but Emily had a sinking feeling she knew who it was. She hesitated for a moment, but the urge to confront this menace once and for all pushed her to answer.

"Hello?" Emily said, her voice tense.

"Emily," Doug's voice oozed through the line, sending a shiver down her spine. "How are you holding up? Must be tough, losing your job like that. And Camille too. Such a shame."

Emily's heart pounded in her chest. "How do you know about Savoir?" she demanded, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and anger.

Doug chuckled darkly. "Oh, I know more than you think, Emily. I have eyes everywhere. Savoir was just the beginning. But don't worry, I'll be seeing you very soon."

"Doug, stop this!" Emily shouted into the phone, but the line had already gone dead. She stared at her phone, her hands shaking.

Mindy and Camille, sensing something was wrong, quickly gathered around her. "What did he say?" Camille asked, her voice filled with concern.

Emily took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "He knows about us getting fired from Savoir. He said he has eyes everywhere… and he'll be seeing us soon."

Mindy's face paled. "How does he know all this? Who's feeding him information?"

Emily shook her head, the fear tightening in her chest. "I don't know. But this isn't just him stalking us. He's orchestrating something, something bigger than we realized."

As they reached Mindy's apartment, Mindy's earlier concern about Mahmood resurfaced. "And now this Mahmood guy shows up out of nowhere, asking to speak to me? What if he's connected to Doug somehow? What if he's another one of these lookalikes, like Ross and Derek?"

Camille bit her lip, her mind racing. "It's possible. Doug could be using different people to get to us, to throw us off. We can't trust anyone."

Emily nodded, her suspicion mounting. "We need to be extra careful. Mahmood could be just another pawn in Doug's game. But why would someone with connections to Eurovision be involved?"

Mindy shrugged, feeling increasingly uneasy. "Maybe it's a cover, or maybe Doug has found a way to manipulate people into helping him. Either way, I don't like it."

They entered Mindy's apartment, locking the door behind them as if that could keep the outside world at bay. The three women sat down, the weight of the situation pressing down on them.

"So, what do we do about this Mahmood?" Camille asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Mindy sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I could go meet him, find out what he wants. But… what if it's a trap?"

Emily frowned, considering their options. "Maybe we should investigate him first. See if he's legit or if there's something more sinister going on."

Camille nodded in agreement. "We can't take any chances. We need to find out who Mahmood is, and how he might be connected to Doug."

Mindy looked at her friends, determination in her eyes. "Okay. We'll dig into this Mahmood character. And in the meantime, we stick together. No one goes anywhere alone, and we keep our guard up. Doug's playing a dangerous game, but we're not going to let him win."

Emily and Camille nodded in unison, a silent pact forming between them. They had come too far to let fear tear them apart now. Whatever Doug had planned, they would face it together.

But even as they resolved to fight back, the sense of dread lingered. The stakes were higher than ever, and they knew that the worst was yet to come.