Chapter 123
“Why don’t you have some soup?”
Blanche didn’t answer. She just stared at Loraine, her gaze sharp and unwavering. Loraine, unable to withstand the silent pressure, finally gave in. She told the housekeeper to bring up some hot soup, instructed the staff to look after Blanche carefully, and ordered the security team to keep a close watch on every corner of the estate.
Blanche sipped the soup slowly, her eyes drifting over each of the surveillance cameras perched in the corners of the room.
When she finished, the cook cleared away her bowl and utensils. As the maid came to help her upstairs, Blanche deftly slipped a phone from the maid’s pocket. “Has Healy come back yet?” she asked, her tone casual.
“Young master is in his piano lesson. Should I call him over?” the maid replied.
“No need. I just didn’t want him disturbing my rest. You can stand guard at the door for me,” Blanche said coolly, her instructions leaving no room for argument.
The maid closed the door behind Blanche and took up her post outside, standing like a sentry–far too conspicuous to even think about checking her pockets.
As soon as the door shut, Blanche powered on the phone. The emergency dial
screen flashed on.
She tapped in a long string of numbers and hit call. Instantly, the phone unlocked.
Diving into the backend, she typed in a rapid command sequence. Within seconds, the estate’s security cameras froze, their feeds locked in place.
In the monitoring room, the guards noticed the screens flicker for half a second.
They blinked in confusion, rubbed their eyes, but saw nothing amiss.
Blanche rummaged through her closet, dragged out some knotted bedsheets, and tied them securely to the window frame. She waited until darkness swallowed the world outside, until even outstretched hands disappeared in the thick night. Then she dropped the makeshift rope and climbed out.
She sprinted through the night, leaving Simmons Manor far behind.
Blanche plunged into the dense woods, running until she could hardly breathe. She pulled out the phone and dialed the memorized emergency number.
“Director–General, I need immediate extraction.”
21:4
At that moment, on the campus of Ivycrest University
Fernando, Impeccably dressed in a tailored sult, hadn’t seen any sign of Blanche Instead, he found himself sharing the stage with Eddy.
After the alumni honor speeches, both men were asked to stay behind.
The event host seemed fascinated by them–two men at the very top of their
respective worlds, both formidable, both rivals in every
conse.
Rumors had been swirling: just days ago, word spread that Mrs. Simmons had been unfaithful, and the supposed other man was none other than Fernando.
Colleagues, competitors, and now romantic rivals–the academic and business worlds colliding in a scandal that would set all of Novandria abuzz.
Suddenly, a phone rang on stage.
Eddy and Fernando both answered their calls at the same moment. Their faces changed instantly–eyes sharp, jaws clenched. They locked gazes, then bolted from the stage.
The host leapt up in surprise, waving for the camera crew to follow.
At both front and back gates of Ivycrest, two sports cars roared out into the night.
Wind howled through the trees. Blanche huddled in the darkness, trying to make herself invisible, the shouts and footsteps of pursuers echoing in the distance. Dogs barked, and searchlights flickered, piercing the thick fog and coming ever
closer.
A dozen beams converged on her position. The security team surged forward like a sudden storm. Blanche spun around in panic and plunged deeper into the woods.
A sports car tore through the night.
Eddy leapt from the driver’s seat, his voice nearly a roar. “Where’s my wife?!”
“Sir, we found her slipper and a trail of bloody footprints.” The head bodyguard handed Eddy the slipper.
“That way!”
Blood?
Eddy stared at the bloodstained shoe, his heart twisting painfully at the sight. He followed the direction the guard indicated.
A cliff.
21:41
Chapter 123
“Call the helicopter search team–now!”
Eddy’s furious shout echoed into the night. “Find her! If you don’t, you’ll answer to
me!”
Chapter 124
