“Paige… I’m your biological father!” Emmet clutched his stomach, collapsing onto the ground. Blood gushed through his fingers. His face was ghostly pale, drenched in fear.
Paige lowered her gun with eerie calm and slowly stepped closer.
“D-Don’t! Stay back!” Emmet panicked, dragging himself backward. His body smeared a streak of blood along the dirt as he desperately tried to crawl away.
But Paige’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes clear and glowing with satisfaction. She crouched beside him and casually flipped her hair, the picture of elegance twisted into something dark.
“Funny… you remember I’m your daughter now?” she whispered sweetly. “But where were you these past few days, Daddy?”
She lifted the gun again—clumsily, but with purpose.
The barrel traced from his chest to his face… and stopped, cold and firm, against his forehead.
This
“Paige… I’m your biological father!” Emmet clutched his stomach, collapsing onto the ground. Blood gushed through his fingers. His face was ghostly pale, drenched in fear.Paige lowered her gun with eerie calm and slowly stepped closer.“D-Don’t! Stay back!” Emmet panicked, dragging himself backward. His body smeared a streak of blood along the dirt as he desperately tried to crawl away.But Paige’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes clear and glowing with satisfaction. She crouched beside him and casually flipped her hair, the picture of elegance twisted into something dark.“Funny… you remember I’m your daughter now?” she whispered sweetly. “But where were you these past few days, Daddy?”She lifted the gun again—clumsily, but with purpose.The barrel traced from his chest to his face… and stopped, cold and firm, against his forehead.This
“Bosses! I brought the girl, just like you asked! That one over there—heh heh heh…”The man in black sunglasses pulled out a wad of cash from his suit pocket and tossed it onto the ground with a grin.“Now scram,” the lead man said coldly.“Right, right! We’re gone!”The men dropped to their knees, scrambling in the dirt to collect the money like rats. Their dust-covered faces were twisted and grotesque, not the least bit ashamed.Once their greedy hands were full, they scurried out of the alley like vermin.Paige awoke in total darkness, tied to a wooden chair.Her hands were bound behind her back, her ankles tied tight. She struggled, but the ropes only dug deeper into her raw skin.Her wrists were bleeding.Biting her lip, she shouted in panic, “Who told you to kidnap me?! I don’t have any money! The Sawyer family is finished! My father abandoned us!&r
Briella stood on the balcony of the villa, letting the cool night wind brush across her pale face. It wasn’t until droplets of drizzle landed on her cheeks that she finally blinked out of her daze.Slowly, she took out her phone and dialed.“Preston.”“Skye?! Is that really you? Where the hell have you been? Audrey and I were losing our minds! You scared the life out of me!”Preston's voice was frantic—equal parts relief and panic.“Calm down. I’ll call Audrey first and let her know I’m safe. I’ll get back to you in a bit.”“Fine, fine, just don’t vanish again.”She ended the call and immediately dialed again.“Audrey.”“Where the hell have you been?! Do you know how panicked Jules and I were when we got the news?”Audrey’s tone remained mostly steady, but the anger in her voice was unmistakable.
That night, Audrey sat in her study, immersed in tasks—organizing the upcoming launch for Axoryn pill, and preparing to speak with Jules.Her schedule was packed. She barely had time to breathe.Suddenly, loud, frantic knocking rattled the study door—so violent it felt like the wood might splinter.“Audrey! Audrey! Something’s happened in Solandra—something big! Preston’s involved!”The shout sent a chill through her skull.She jumped up from her seat, dazed, and opened the door.Jules stood there, panic etched across his face.“What did you just say?” she asked, her voice shaky.“It’s Preston! The news from Solandra is all over the internet!” he said, thrusting his phone into her hands.Audrey forced herself to calm down as she answered the call. “Preston, what happened?”“…Audrey…”
The head secretary sensed something was wrong and immediately pulled up the security footage, angling the computer screen toward Preston and Briella.Preston rewound the footage to about thirty minutes prior.At first, the sanitation worker’s actions seemed normal. But then, when no one was looking, the figure subtly veered toward the Executive Archive Room.That room was always locked. Without a key or password, it should’ve been inaccessible.On screen, the figure glanced around to make sure the coast was clear, then pulled a small white card from their pocket. With a flick over the digital lock, the control panel flickered—then went dark.The door handle turned easily. The figure slipped inside.Preston’s face darkened. He turned sharply to the secretary.“Get security. Now. Catch that person—call the police!”Briella, calm and composed, slid the laptop closer and switched the camera
Diego abruptly curled his pale fingers, yanking the key back into his palm as he ended the call.The moment he turned around, he saw Briella standing five meters away.His expression didn't shift. He walked toward her slowly, eyes calm, reaching out to touch her pale cheek.“You’re awake?”Briella frowned and turned her head away, avoiding his touch.“Why didn’t you take me inside in the end?” she asked coldly.“Because I’ve never had the heart to truly hurt you.”‘Briella… When you’re stronger, I’ll make sure one day you walk in there on your own… willingly.’‘For now, I’m letting you go—not because I’ve changed, but because you're too fragile. But when that day comes… you’ll pay me back, all of it. Or I’ll lose my mind.’Diego adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses wit