Chapter 12 One Step Behind

​The Race Against Time

​Alex Swan burst out of the elevator before it even reached the ground floor, his assistant rushing frantically behind him.

"Mr. Swan!" she gasped, trying to keep up.

Without slowing down, Alex barked, "Cancel everything."

"But your meeting with the investors—"

"I said cancel everything!"

​Alex pushed through the revolving doors, climbed into his car, and slammed his foot on the accelerator. On his passenger seat, his phone screen glowed with an anonymous photograph. 

It showed Javier standing outside St. Mary’s Hospital, smiling at a little boy. The timestamp read ten minutes ago.

​Gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white, Alex whispered, "Hold on, Javier... I'm coming."

​A Moment of Relief

​Meanwhile, inside St. Mary’s Hospital, Javier stepped out of the maternity department. Clutching her medical file tightly against her chest, the doctor's reassuring words echoed in her mind: “Your baby is healthy.”

​For the first time in days, a genuine smile reached her eyes. She gently rested her hand on her stomach. "Did you hear that? We're doing just fine."

​Just then, her friend Nina slipped an arm through hers. "So... can I finally take the mother-to-be out for lunch?"

Javier let out a soft laugh. "I suppose you can."

​Shadows in the Parking Lot

​As the two women walked across the sunny hospital parking lot, they had no idea they were being watched. Across the street sat a black SUV with heavily tinted windows. Inside, a man adjusted his camera lens, capturing their every move.

​Click. Click. Click.

​Lowering the camera, the photographer immediately dialed a number. "They're leaving the hospital," he reported in a flat, emotionless voice.

The voice on the other end responded instantly: "Follow them. Do not lose sight of Javier."

"Understood."

​The call ended, and the black SUV quietly slipped into traffic, trailing a safe distance behind Nina’s sedan.

​The Clue in the CCTV

​Twenty minutes later, Alex’s Rolls-Royce screeched into the St. Mary’s parking lot. He threw the door open before the car had even fully stopped and sprinted to the reception desk.

​"My wife. The woman who came in this morning—Javier Swan," he demanded, out of breath.

The receptionist recognized him immediately and sighed apologetically. 

"Sir... Mrs. Swan left about twenty minutes ago."

​Alex's shoulders slumped. He had missed her again.

​As he turned to leave, his eyes caught the hospital's security office. Spurred by instinct, he pushed the door open.

"I'm Alex Swan," he announced, placing his business card on the desk. "I need to see your CCTV footage. This concerns my wife's safety."

Though hesitant, the security supervisor nodded and pulled up the monitor.

​Alex watched the playback. He saw Javier walk out of the hospital—she looked exhausted, but healthy. A wave of relief washed over him, but it was short-lived. 

His expression hardened as he noticed the black SUV parked across the street. The moment Javier left, the SUV pulled out to follow her.

​"Zoom in," Alex ordered.

The supervisor enlarged the image until the license plate became clear. Alex quickly snapped a photo of the screen with his phone. "Can you trace this vehicle?"

The supervisor frowned. "We'll try."

​Trailed to the Safehouse

​Unaware of the developing chase, the photographer kept his distance behind Nina's car as they headed toward the city center. He dialed his handler again. 

"She's heading toward the city center."

"Good," the caller replied. "Keep your distance. We're almost ready."

The photographer frowned. "Ready for what?"

After a brief, chilling silence, the caller answered, "You'll know when the time comes," and hung up.

​Shortly after, inside Nina's apartment, Javier was helping set the table for lunch when she suddenly froze. Looking out the window, her eyes narrowed.

"That black SUV..." Javier whispered, "It followed us from the hospital."

​Nina walked over to look. Across the street, the dark vehicle sat motionless. "You think it's watching us?"

"I don't know," Javier said, "but it hasn't moved."

Nina grabbed her phone. "I'm calling the police."

"No," Javier stopped her gently. "We don't have any proof. If we're wrong, we'll only make things worse."

​Reluctantly, Nina lowered her phone, but neither woman took their eyes off the street.

​Unearthing the Phoenix

​Over at the Swan Group headquarters, Kendall sat alone in his office when his secretary walked in, placing a thick file on his desk.

"Sir, we found something regarding Richard Hale."

​Kendall opened the file, his brows knitting together as he scanned the financial records. "Richard has been transferring millions of dollars overseas? For the last six years?"

As he turned the pages, one specific transaction caught his eye. The recipient's account was registered under a single name: Phoenix Holdings.

Kendall’s heart skipped a beat. "So... they never disappeared."

​Simultaneously, Alex's phone rang in his car. It was his security chief.

"Sir, we traced the SUV. It isn't registered to an individual. It belongs to a shell company."

"The name?" Alex demanded.

"Phoenix Holdings."

​Alex's eyes widened in horror. The Phoenix Circle—a dangerous ghost from their past—was not only alive, but they had targeted his wife.

​The Trap is Set

​Before Alex could process the revelation, a new notification popped up on his phone.

​It wasn't a text message, but an anonymous, live-location link. There was no sender name, nor any explanation—just a blinking red dot on a digital map.

​Alex tapped the link, and as the map loaded, his heart nearly stopped. The blinking red dot was pinned directly on Nina's apartment.

​Someone had just handed him Javier's exact location. But as he slammed his foot on the gas, one terrifying question echoed in his mind: Why did they want him to find her?