LOGINA week passed before Anthony called to check on her.
Ren had spent those seven days alone in the small apartment Diane had arranged for her temporarily, fielding calls from people who wanted to know how she was feeling, what the due date was, whether the rumors about the wedding night were true, and through all of it, the man whose child she was carrying had remained almost entirely silent.
She had imagined this differently.
 
Months had passed since Dianne was taken to prison.Life had continued.Valerie had returned home. Miranda had resumed her normal routine. Adrian had thrown himself into his marriage and the company. Even Harold seemed to have moved on.Everyone had.Everyone except Anthony.He had disappeared after the trial, but he hadn't forgotten anything.He had spent months watching from a distance, waiting.Waiting for the right moment.Harold sat behind his desk, going through some documents while his PA stood nearby.His phone rang.He glanced at the screen.Unknown number.He ignored it.It rang again.He pressed decline.Again.He ignored it.By the fifth call, his PA glanced at him.“Sir, perhaps it's urgent.”“Then they'll leave a message.”The phone rang again.Harold ignored it.
Two days had passed.Still nothing.Valerie and Miranda had vanished without leaving a trace.The police had searched their homes, checked their phones, questioned security guards, reviewed CCTV footage and searched the surrounding areas.Nothing.Adrian had barely slept.Every time his phone rang, he grabbed it, hoping it was news about Valerie.Every time it wasn't, the disappointment hit harder.Valerie was pregnant.The thought of her somewhere in Anthony's hands made his chest tighten.He sat in the living room with Cecelia when his phone suddenly rang.Unknown number.Adrian stared at the screen.He normally ignored calls like this.Not now.He answered.“Hello?”Silence.Then a familiar laugh came through.Adrian froze.“Anthony?”“Finally.”Adrian shot to his feet.“
Anthony's phone vibrated on his desk.He picked it up and opened the message.There is still hope.His eyes narrowed.He immediately called the number.The call connected.“What's this about?”“I told you there's still a chance.”“Stop wasting my time. What chance?”“The chairman's PA's son-in-law.”Anthony sat upright.“What about him?”“He has connections. The right ones. He may be able to get your mother's case dismissed or at least reduce her penalty.”“Where is he?”“I'll send you the address.”The call ended.A second later, the address came in.Anthony grabbed his car keys and stood.“Finally.”Less than an hour later, Anthony walked into the building and approached the secretary's desk.“I want to see Mr. Joel.”The secretary looked up.“Do you have an appointment?”
One week had passed since Ren's death.Anthony's mansion no longer felt like a home.The curtains remained shut.Empty whiskey bottles littered the living room floor.Anthony sat on the cold tiles with another bottle dangling loosely from his hand, staring blankly at the ceiling.Everything had fallen apart within a week.His wife was dead.The child he had believed was his wasn't.His mother was in police custody.For the first time in his life...Anthony Lead had nothing left.A knock echoed through the house.He ignored it.Another followed.Still nothing.The front door slowly opened.Brian stepped inside.The smell of alcohol almost forced him back outside.His eyes searched the room before finding Anthony sitting against the sofa."My God..."Brian hurried over."What happened to you?"
The atmosphere inside Adrian's house had become much lighter after Cecelia's arrival.Miranda was still exchanging messages with Harold while Valerie and Cecelia cleared the dining table.Just then...Adrain's phone rang.He glanced at the caller ID before answering."What is it?"His expression changed."What?"Without another word, he grabbed his car keys and rushed out of the house.For the first time in a long while, Anthony finally felt like everything was going according to plan.He walked into the living room holding an expensive bottle of red wine.Diane looked up and smiled."So, we're celebrating already?"Anthony nodded."I think we deserve it."He uncorked the bottle and filled three glasses.One for himself.One for Diane.One for Ren.Anthony lifted his glass."To victory."
Six months had passed since the kidnapping.Surprisingly...Nothing happened.The investigation had gone unusually quiet.No new arrests.No fresh evidence.No answers.Life had slowly returned to normal for everyone...Except Ren.She had become a familiar face at the police station.Every week, she was called in for questioning because the two prime suspects were her own brothers.Daniel.Marcus.Only for the entire investigation to take an unexpected turn.The brothers escaped from police custody before they could stand trial.The case immediately became a national headline.Rumors spread in every direction.Some believed they had outside help.Others believed powerful people were involved.But no one could prove anything.Harold Lead personally took over the investigation the moment he heard about the escape.With his influence, the matter was transferred to a special investigative unit.Anthony wanted nothing more to do with it.His only concern was protecting the Lead family's r
Valerie did not sleep.She lay beside Anthony in the dark of their apartment bedroom, her eyes tracking the slow crawl of shadows across the ceiling while his breathing deepened into the heavy, untroubled rhythm of a man with a clean conscience.Which was remarkable, she thought, given that he had
Valerie read the message three times.Each time, the words arranged themselves the same way, clean, deliberate, stripped of anything accidental. Whoever sent it had chosen every word with precision. Not I know what you did. Not I'm watching you.I know what you're planning.Present tense. Active. A
The morning after her wedding, Valerie woke up before Anthony.She lay still for exactly thirty seconds, staring at the ceiling of the hotel suite, listening to his breathing beside her, slow and even and completely unaware.Then she rose without a sound, wrapped herself in the robe hanging behind
Adrian Lead was still watching her.Valerie felt his gaze on the side of her face the way you feel sunlight through glass, present, warm, slightly probing. She kept her eyes on the window, on the darkening sky beyond it, and worked to slow her breathing down to something that did not resemble a wom







