LOGINChapter 120The wind picked up the moment Davey ended the call, sweeping through the clearing in a sudden, cold gust. It scattered the dry leaves across the floor in a frantic swirl and caught the loose door of the shed, making it creak and groan on its rusted hinges."They're coming," Davey said, his voice low and tight. He slipped his phone back into his pocket, his eyes never leaving the dark interior of the shed. "They said to stay exactly where we are and not to touch anything else. A patrol unit is about ten minutes away."Michael gave a curt nod but did not move from his position in the doorway. His body was rigid, blocking the entrance as if to preserve whatever was inside from the wind itself. His gaze was locked on the dusty floor of the shed, on the disturbing story written there in footprints.They were not large. The smaller set was delicate and narrow, the perfect size for a girl of Daisy's age, the edges of the soles still clearly defined in the thick layer of dust. And
Chapter 119Jayson drove slowly along the narrow road, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. He had been silent for most of the journey, speaking only when necessary to direct his father, Michael, Davey, and Suzzane. Every few seconds, he glanced through the windshield, searching the roadside for anything familiar.The place looked different in the fading evening light. During the day, the trees lining the road would have appeared ordinary, even peaceful. Now, their long shadows stretched across the pavement, and the thick bushes on either side seemed to conceal endless possibilities. The air was unusually still, except for the occasional rustle of leaves stirred by the wind.“This is it,” Jayson finally said, his voice tense.Michael leaned forward from the passenger seat. “Are you certain?”Jayson nodded slowly. “Yes. This is the exact spot. I saw Daisy and her friends walking in that direction.” He pointed toward a narrow path disappea
Chapter 118The moment Michael ended the call with Suzanne, the living room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence.For several seconds, neither father nor son spoke.Jayson, on the other hand, could not remain still.He paced across the living room with frantic, uneven steps, moving from one end of the room to the other and then turning back again. His hands repeatedly clenched and unclenched at his sides. Every few seconds, he dragged his fingers through his hair, pulling at it in frustration, before continuing his restless march.Daisy was missing.The thought circled through his mind like a terrible echo.Missing.The word was too frightening to accept, too dreadful to attach to someone he loved. Daisy was impulsive, stubborn, and occasionally impossible to deal with, but she had always been there. He knew where she was, who she was with, and how to reach her. Even when she stormed out in anger, he had always been able to find her.This was different.There had been no message fro
Chapter 117The struggle back into consciousness was not a gentle drift; it was a violent collision with reality. Daisy’s eyelids fluttered, heavy and coated in a draining weight, like leaden curtains she couldn’t quite pull back. When she finally forced them open, she was met with an abyss of absolute, suffocating darkness.A sharp, metallic tang burned the back of her throat—the lingering residue of the sedative that had turned her world into a void. Every muscle in her body screamed in protest, locked in a state of sluggish paralysis. She tried to shift, to recoil, but her wrists bit into the coarse texture of rope, locked firmly behind the small of her back. The sudden realization of her vulnerability struck her like a physical blow. Her heart, which had been beating in a lethargic rhythm, suddenly spiked into a frantic, erratic thrum against her ribs.Panic, cold and sharp, flooded her veins. She tried to inhale, but her breath hitched, catching in a throat raw from the chemica
Chapter 116The walkway leading to the academic block was crowded, the air thick with the humidity of the afternoon and the ceaseless chatter of students. Sasha trailed a half-step behind Daisy, her hands nervously gripping the strap of her bag. The silence between them had become suffocating, a taut wire waiting to snap."Did… did you really have to remove Hannah from the team?" Sasha ventured, her voice barely rising above a mumble. She kept her eyes averted, afraid of the judgment she knew would follow. "I don’t think it’s… fair. She’s worked just as hard as the rest of us."Daisy stopped so abruptly that Sasha nearly bumped into her. The sudden stillness was like a vacuum, sucking the noise out of the surrounding hallway. Daisy pivoted on her heel, her movements sharp and predatory. A deep, jagged frown etched itself across her brow, her eyes narrowing into cold, crystalline slits.Sasha flinched, instinctively pressing her lips together until they turned white. She looked like a
The silence in the bedroom was shattered by the sharp, rhythmic trill of Suzzane’s phone. She was mid-clasp with a pearl earring, her fingers trembling slightly as she glanced at the caller ID: General Harry. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. She knew what this call meant. This was the final piece of a puzzle she had been desperately trying to avoid assembling.She swiped "Accept" and pressed the device to her ear."The result is out, Mrs. Ashford," General Harry’s voice was clipped, devoid of the usual professional warmth he reserved for the town’s elite. It was cold, clinical, and ominous.Suzzane’s breath hitched. A sudden, chilling clarity washed over her. The vanity mirror reflected a pair of mahogany eyes wide with a frantic, desperate anticipation. Her pupils dilated, darting across the glass as if searching for a lie—anything other than the truth she feared. Her skin went paper-white, and her hands, which had been so steady moments before, now betrayed h
Chapter 16The air in the Dragon Pavilion where the contract bidding was taking place, was thick with anticipation, a palpable tension that hung heavier than the silk banners adorning the jade-green walls.The room, usually a stage for extravagant weddings and corporate galas, had been transformed
Chapter 15 Clarissa hummed softly in the kitchen as she moved around in her skimpy pink house dress. She was making bacon and eggs for dinner. Constantly, she glanced at the wall clock, waiting for the door censor to click. She finished setting the table, got the cutlery ready. She went to the cel
Chapter 13 Suzanne had never been so perplexed all her life. She found it very hard to believe, but she knew it was true. Arlan would not lie against Leah. "How did she do it?" She asked softly, her voice filled with pain for the old man. "It happened early hours of the morning. Two weeks ag
Chapter 12 "Answer me, Clarissa!" Leah questioned once more, loudly this time. "Yes," Clarissa whispered her reply, lowering her gaze. "What the hell? I don't get it. You have a son...and you're to marry my son? What happens to your son over there? Did you abandon him? What sort of a mother







