Derek POV "I tried to tell him that, but he said he trusted you more. He would like you to do it as soon as possible. He mentioned something about a potential buyer being on the line." He continued."Can't you just tell him I'm busy?" I replied as I scratched the back of my head.My grandfather and his problems are the last thing I want to deal with right now."He's just going to keep calling if you don't. I'm sure it won't take long. Might as well get it over and done with." Luke insisted."Fine," I sighed. "I'll be there in half an hour. Tell him to send the location." I answered."Sure thing," he answered. "And also, about the DeLuca contract, you still need to sign it. They want things prepared as soon as possible," he added."Why don't I meet you at the site so I can sign it there?" I suggested."I'll be there," he answered.We then ended our call.I returned to the living room to see my parents still looking worried."I'd love to stay here and argue with you guys, but I have to
Derek POV I wonder why he suddenly stopped the project when they were so close to finishing. Some bricks and cement had also been left here. If it weren't so remote, homeless people would probably camp here."I don't know what he sees in this place," I muttered, looking around the area. It wasn't bad, but I expected more from him.I was beyond surprised to see a woman descending the stairs. She moved closer to the wall, probably to keep herself from falling. I wonder what she was doing up there.I looked closer, realising it was Maddison's mom. What was she doing here?She also noticed us as she stared at us with her eyes widening. The black clothes she wore and the sour look on her face made her look like she was going to a funeral.“Derek? What are you doing here?" she asked."I should ask you the same thing," I replied, putting my hands into my pockets.I guess that explains who the third car belongs to.Maddison was a snake. She probably got it from her mother, which meant I coul
Clara's POVIt's been two days, at least I think it has. My only way of telling time was by how dark it got and the occasional meals they gave me.My hands were tied behind my back to a pole.I tried loosening the rope by wiggling my hands, but it was too tight.The place was dusty, with nothing but sand and concrete around me. I wasn't conscious when they brought me here. If it wasn't some abandoned warehouse, it was most likely some unfinished building. We were definitely on a higher floor. I knew this because of the concrete staircase on the left. The foundation also ended further down, with bricks piled up on the edge.The two guys who kidnapped me had their backs turned on me and were busy wiping the blades of their knives. If I was going to devise an escape plan, now was the time.I noticed a broken glass piece on the floor. I tried stretching my leg out to kick it towards me, but I had no luck. It was too far, and my legs were too short.I sighed in frustration. How else was I
Clara's POV This whole thing was about money? I was fine with being broke but alive."If this is about money, I don't want any. You can take all of it." I pleaded."You've been a nuisance since before you were born. The only way is to eliminate you since it didn't work the first time. I tried to be gentle and had someone run you over. But you couldn't die, so now I have to do this." She smiled."You don't have to do this. I could disappear, and no one would ever see me again. I won't tell anyone about any of this." I continued. Maybe what I needed to do was to buy myself some more time. Hopefully, someone finds me here before she decides to slit my throat."You don't understand how far I've come, all the moves I had to make to get here. I won't let you be the reason my daughter ends up with nothing." She paused."I know you must think I am so cruel, but think about all the favours I've done for you. I allowed you to live as long as you did. Do you know how many secrets I've had to bu
Clara's POV "Now, you will pay for all of this!" Amelia yelled, picking up her gun.She turned off the gun's safety before placing her hand on the trigger."Wait!" Scar yelled in panic. "There is someone here. Standing by a car parked outside, I see another car coming. You can't shoot her now. They will hear the gunshot." Scar warned.I was about to scream when Moustache placed his hand over my mouth.She remained hesitant as she pointed the gun at me.She finally accepted defeat as she pulled the gun down. Maybe if I made enough noise, someone could find me, and I'd finally be freed from this."You got lucky this time, and you won't be so lucky next time." She threatened.We heard footsteps and voices entering the building."I want you to tie her up and wait for me until I return. I have to try and get rid of whoever it is." She announced.She then slipped her gun back into her handbag and walked downstairs.I tried to free myself from Moustache's grip. Scar walked over to me and co
Derek's POVAfter I left my grandfather's construction site, my mind became restless. Something was going on. Clara wouldn't just disappear like that. She loved her family. Everything was just far too crazy. As absurd as Katy sounds, maybe she had a point. Which meant I needed to investigate.The thing about solving a case is that everyone is a suspect—especially the crazy ex-boyfriend. I'd met him before; he seemed too eager to get back at Clara so that I wouldn't put any of this past time.After several threats, he confirmed that he had seen her earlier that morning. The creep followed her from her house without noticing and stopped her at a corner. He assured us that he didn't do anything to her. With the frightened look in his eyes, I might have believed him. It took everything in me not to punch him.This was how we got to our next clue. Luke sent some guys to that street to ask if anyone had seen her. There weren't security cameras in the area. That's what led us to our next clu
Derek POV That left one obvious suspect, her mother. I had never trusted her either. People like Madison don't just magically become that cruel; they are made to become it. With an equally cynical mother, I can picture how Madison became that way.Suddenly, it made sense. It explained why she looked so strange and surprised when she saw us yesterday. It would explain the marks on her arm. Someone attacked her. Those bruises didn't seem like something that happened earlier that day. They looked much more recent. Maybe someone else was in that building."You are not thinking that..." Luke paused. His horrified expression matched mine. I could tell he thought the same thing.I jumped off my seat to search for my car key."Do you think she would be capable of that?" Luke asked."It's 2023. Women are capable of anything," I answered."I'm pretty sure that is only supposed to be used when referring to something good." He answered.I spotted my key on the opposite side of the room. I needed
Clara's POV "Exactly, for more than twenty-five years, she has been on your mind. Don't you think she should suffer? I'd kill her slowly if I were you," Kevin suggested.Right now, I would prefer a bullet to get this over and done with.Amelia remained quiet as she stared into space. That meant she was considering it. "You'll be doing me a favour as well. I've tolerated how annoying she is for far too long. I'll owe you one. You'll see your big rival crumple to her knees." Kevin continued. "Besides, if they find her body with a gun wound, they will investigate. They will know that someone did this and track this back to you." He added."So, what are you suggesting?" she asked, turning towards him."Well, I suggest we give her some drugs. Lots of them. She will suffer a lot. In time, we can make it look like she died from an overdose. People will believe it because they know how depressed she is. We can dump her body in some bad neighbourhood and make it look like she died from a bad