Jeffrey was lying in his hospital bed, his face pale and drawn from the ordeal of surgery. The sterile smell of antiseptic filled the private room, and the steady beeping of monitors was the only sound accompanying his shallow breathing.He had been in and out of consciousness, recovering slowly, and his thoughts drifted aimlessly between pain and the surreal feeling of helplessness.The door opened quietly, and Maria, his new wife, walked in. She was dressed impeccably in a tailored designer suit, her high heels clicking softly against the tiled floor.Her demeanor was composed, her face set in an expression of forced concern, but there was a sharpness in her eyes that betrayed her true nature. Maria carried herself with the kind of authority that demanded obedience—like a queen entering her court.The two guards she had stationed outside stepped aside reluctantly as she ordered, “Stay here. I need privacy with my husband.” Her tone brooked no argument.Inside, Maria sat down beside
Caroline paced the length of her bedroom, her phone pressed tightly against her ear. The line rang endlessly, each unanswered tone slicing through her already frazzled nerves. She had called Jeffrey five times now, and still, there was no response.Her heels clicked sharply against the hardwood floor as she made her way to the window, peering out at the quiet street below. She tapped the phone to her palm and let out a frustrated sigh. “Jeffrey, pick up,” she muttered under her breath, dialing his number again.When it went straight to voicemail this time, her heart sank. “Why aren’t you answering?” she said aloud, gripping the phone so tightly her knuckles turned white. “Is it because of Maria? Did she—” She stopped herself mid-sentence, shaking her head.Turning away from the window, she began pacing again, her mind racing with possibilities. What if something’s happened? she thought, her chest tightening. What if he’s worse than they said?The room felt suffocating. She threw her p
Caroline paced the living room, her phone clutched tightly in her hand. "Jane, we need to go. Jeffrey hasn’t answered any of my calls today. This isn’t like him."Jane, lounging on the couch with her legs crossed, glanced up with a tired sigh. "Caroline, maybe he’s just busy. It’s late, and I’m exhausted. Can’t this wait until tomorrow?""No, it can’t," Caroline said firmly, her voice edged with worry. "Jeffrey doesn’t just ignore us like this. What if something’s wrong? What if he needs help?"Jane groaned, stretching her arms over her head. "Fine. But if we’re going, you’re driving. I don’t have the energy for this.""Deal," Caroline said quickly, grabbing the car keys from the coffee table. She was already at the door before Jane could protest further.Outside, the night air was crisp, and the neighborhood was silent except for the faint hum of streetlights. Caroline unlocked the car and slid into the driver’s seat while Jane reluctantly climbed into the passenger seat.As Caroline
Caroline tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her heart hammering against her ribs. The city lights flickered past, blurring as she sped through the near-empty streets. Jane sat beside her, arms folded, her face set in a skeptical frown."Jane, this isn’t normal," Caroline said, her voice quieter now. "Detective Rourke wouldn’t be here unless something was seriously wrong."Jane shifted in her seat, sighing. "Okay, but what does that mean? That Jeffrey just… vanished? That someone took him?"Caroline swallowed hard. "I don’t know. But I do know that if the police are looking at me, I need to figure out what really happened—before they decide I did something I didn’t."Jane exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples. "This whole thing is insane. First, Rourke ambushes you at your own house, now Jeffrey’s missing? And let’s not even talk about Maria stirring up trouble. You know she’s behind all this, right?"Caroline clenched her jaw. "I wouldn’t be surprised."Maria had been a thorn in
The police dudes were gone, finally! But the noise outside was even worse now. Those reporters were like a pack of wild dogs, barking questions about me. "Is Miss Caroline a suspect?" they yelled. "Did she hire a hitman?" Ugh, it was like a really bad soap opera. I pressed my head against the door, trying to block out the sound of them saying my name with that nasty, suspicious tone."I didn't do this," I whispered, tears dripping onto the wood. I felt like I was starring in some horrible crime movie, and everyone thought I was the bad guy! Even those detectives, Rourke and Lane, looked at me like they didn't believe a word I said. Like, hello, I used to babysit kids, not plan murders!I needed to prove I was innocent, pronto. I couldn't just sit here and wait for everyone to decide I was a criminal. I had to find the real shooter. Like in a Nancy Drew book, but way scarier.Then, my phone buzzed. It was Jake, Jeffrey’s friend. He picked up right away. "Any news?" he said, his voice a
My heart practically jumped out of my chest and started tap-dancing. Someone was definitely outside the door, and it was not Jeffrey. We had to think fast. Jane dove behind the overflowing laundry hamper, almost knocking over a stack of dirty socks.I quickly shoved the metal box under the bed, hoping no one would look there. I grabbed the USB drive and shoved it into my back pocket, making sure it wouldn’t fall out if I moved around.The keys jingled again, and this time, the door started to open. I scrambled behind the bookcase, trying to make myself as small as possible. I could see the front of the door from the small gap behind the books. It creaked open slowly, and a man walked in. But it wasn't just any man. It was Detective Rourke!My stomach did a triple flip. What was he doing here? Had he followed us? Did he know we broke in? I held my breath, trying not to make a sound. He stepped inside, his face all serious and… I don’t know, kind of tired looking. He didn’t seem to noti
The files on the USB drive were a mess. Like, seriously disorganized. There were Word documents with weird titles like "Project Nightingale" and "Operation Sunset," a bunch of photos of random places I didn’t recognize, and a couple of video files with names like "Meeting 1" and "Meeting 2." It was like Jeffrey was trying to make his own spy movie.“Okay, let’s start with the documents,” I said, clicking on "Project Nightingale." A Word file opened up, filled with super technical stuff about some kind of… well, I wasn’t totally sure what it was, but it involved weird chemical formulas and codes. It looked like something out of a science fiction movie.“Ugh, this is boring,” Jane groaned, tapping her pen on her notebook. “Is this all about science? Where’s the action?”I scrolled through it quickly. It mentioned something about "a new compound," "enhanced performance," and "high-risk investment." That’s when I saw a name, hidden in a paragraph: "Dr. Albright." The name sounded vaguely
We packed up everything – the USB drive, the metal box, the photos, and the weird envelope with the symbol.It was like we were getting ready for some kind of covert operation. I even found an old backpack of my brother's that was totally black and looked like something a spy would use.I grabbed my flashlight again, and Jane insisted on bringing a bag of gummy bears, "for emergency energy," she said. I secretly thought she just really liked gummy bears.We met Jake at the park, near the old gazebo. He looked super freaked out, like he hadn't slept all night. His hair was all messy, and he kept looking around, like he expected Dr. Albright to pop out from behind a tree.He was a good friend of Jeffrey’s, he kept telling us he knew they had to do something, and that he wished he had noticed that something was going on. I could see that he was upset."Okay, show me everything," he said, his voice all shaky. I handed him the USB drive and the photos, and he started looking through them,
We packed up everything – the USB drive, the metal box, the photos, and the weird envelope with the symbol.It was like we were getting ready for some kind of covert operation. I even found an old backpack of my brother's that was totally black and looked like something a spy would use.I grabbed my flashlight again, and Jane insisted on bringing a bag of gummy bears, "for emergency energy," she said. I secretly thought she just really liked gummy bears.We met Jake at the park, near the old gazebo. He looked super freaked out, like he hadn't slept all night. His hair was all messy, and he kept looking around, like he expected Dr. Albright to pop out from behind a tree.He was a good friend of Jeffrey’s, he kept telling us he knew they had to do something, and that he wished he had noticed that something was going on. I could see that he was upset."Okay, show me everything," he said, his voice all shaky. I handed him the USB drive and the photos, and he started looking through them,
The files on the USB drive were a mess. Like, seriously disorganized. There were Word documents with weird titles like "Project Nightingale" and "Operation Sunset," a bunch of photos of random places I didn’t recognize, and a couple of video files with names like "Meeting 1" and "Meeting 2." It was like Jeffrey was trying to make his own spy movie.“Okay, let’s start with the documents,” I said, clicking on "Project Nightingale." A Word file opened up, filled with super technical stuff about some kind of… well, I wasn’t totally sure what it was, but it involved weird chemical formulas and codes. It looked like something out of a science fiction movie.“Ugh, this is boring,” Jane groaned, tapping her pen on her notebook. “Is this all about science? Where’s the action?”I scrolled through it quickly. It mentioned something about "a new compound," "enhanced performance," and "high-risk investment." That’s when I saw a name, hidden in a paragraph: "Dr. Albright." The name sounded vaguely
My heart practically jumped out of my chest and started tap-dancing. Someone was definitely outside the door, and it was not Jeffrey. We had to think fast. Jane dove behind the overflowing laundry hamper, almost knocking over a stack of dirty socks.I quickly shoved the metal box under the bed, hoping no one would look there. I grabbed the USB drive and shoved it into my back pocket, making sure it wouldn’t fall out if I moved around.The keys jingled again, and this time, the door started to open. I scrambled behind the bookcase, trying to make myself as small as possible. I could see the front of the door from the small gap behind the books. It creaked open slowly, and a man walked in. But it wasn't just any man. It was Detective Rourke!My stomach did a triple flip. What was he doing here? Had he followed us? Did he know we broke in? I held my breath, trying not to make a sound. He stepped inside, his face all serious and… I don’t know, kind of tired looking. He didn’t seem to noti
The police dudes were gone, finally! But the noise outside was even worse now. Those reporters were like a pack of wild dogs, barking questions about me. "Is Miss Caroline a suspect?" they yelled. "Did she hire a hitman?" Ugh, it was like a really bad soap opera. I pressed my head against the door, trying to block out the sound of them saying my name with that nasty, suspicious tone."I didn't do this," I whispered, tears dripping onto the wood. I felt like I was starring in some horrible crime movie, and everyone thought I was the bad guy! Even those detectives, Rourke and Lane, looked at me like they didn't believe a word I said. Like, hello, I used to babysit kids, not plan murders!I needed to prove I was innocent, pronto. I couldn't just sit here and wait for everyone to decide I was a criminal. I had to find the real shooter. Like in a Nancy Drew book, but way scarier.Then, my phone buzzed. It was Jake, Jeffrey’s friend. He picked up right away. "Any news?" he said, his voice a
Caroline tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her heart hammering against her ribs. The city lights flickered past, blurring as she sped through the near-empty streets. Jane sat beside her, arms folded, her face set in a skeptical frown."Jane, this isn’t normal," Caroline said, her voice quieter now. "Detective Rourke wouldn’t be here unless something was seriously wrong."Jane shifted in her seat, sighing. "Okay, but what does that mean? That Jeffrey just… vanished? That someone took him?"Caroline swallowed hard. "I don’t know. But I do know that if the police are looking at me, I need to figure out what really happened—before they decide I did something I didn’t."Jane exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples. "This whole thing is insane. First, Rourke ambushes you at your own house, now Jeffrey’s missing? And let’s not even talk about Maria stirring up trouble. You know she’s behind all this, right?"Caroline clenched her jaw. "I wouldn’t be surprised."Maria had been a thorn in
Caroline paced the living room, her phone clutched tightly in her hand. "Jane, we need to go. Jeffrey hasn’t answered any of my calls today. This isn’t like him."Jane, lounging on the couch with her legs crossed, glanced up with a tired sigh. "Caroline, maybe he’s just busy. It’s late, and I’m exhausted. Can’t this wait until tomorrow?""No, it can’t," Caroline said firmly, her voice edged with worry. "Jeffrey doesn’t just ignore us like this. What if something’s wrong? What if he needs help?"Jane groaned, stretching her arms over her head. "Fine. But if we’re going, you’re driving. I don’t have the energy for this.""Deal," Caroline said quickly, grabbing the car keys from the coffee table. She was already at the door before Jane could protest further.Outside, the night air was crisp, and the neighborhood was silent except for the faint hum of streetlights. Caroline unlocked the car and slid into the driver’s seat while Jane reluctantly climbed into the passenger seat.As Caroline
Caroline paced the length of her bedroom, her phone pressed tightly against her ear. The line rang endlessly, each unanswered tone slicing through her already frazzled nerves. She had called Jeffrey five times now, and still, there was no response.Her heels clicked sharply against the hardwood floor as she made her way to the window, peering out at the quiet street below. She tapped the phone to her palm and let out a frustrated sigh. “Jeffrey, pick up,” she muttered under her breath, dialing his number again.When it went straight to voicemail this time, her heart sank. “Why aren’t you answering?” she said aloud, gripping the phone so tightly her knuckles turned white. “Is it because of Maria? Did she—” She stopped herself mid-sentence, shaking her head.Turning away from the window, she began pacing again, her mind racing with possibilities. What if something’s happened? she thought, her chest tightening. What if he’s worse than they said?The room felt suffocating. She threw her p
Jeffrey was lying in his hospital bed, his face pale and drawn from the ordeal of surgery. The sterile smell of antiseptic filled the private room, and the steady beeping of monitors was the only sound accompanying his shallow breathing.He had been in and out of consciousness, recovering slowly, and his thoughts drifted aimlessly between pain and the surreal feeling of helplessness.The door opened quietly, and Maria, his new wife, walked in. She was dressed impeccably in a tailored designer suit, her high heels clicking softly against the tiled floor.Her demeanor was composed, her face set in an expression of forced concern, but there was a sharpness in her eyes that betrayed her true nature. Maria carried herself with the kind of authority that demanded obedience—like a queen entering her court.The two guards she had stationed outside stepped aside reluctantly as she ordered, “Stay here. I need privacy with my husband.” Her tone brooked no argument.Inside, Maria sat down beside
Caroline stood at the edge of the docks, her arms crossed tightly against the biting night air. The faint sound of waves lapping against the pylons did nothing to soothe her nerves. She could feel the weight of everything she’d endured pressing down on her like a stone, and the soft hum of approaching headlights brought a fresh wave of tension.Ancelotti stood nearby, leaning against the hood of a sleek black car, a glass of whiskey in hand. Marco, ever vigilant, was close by, his sharp eyes scanning the dark streets for any signs of trouble. The three of them had been through so much together, yet the heaviness in the air tonight was different.“I’m not surprised Maralyn kidnapped my twins,” Caroline finally said, her voice quiet but unwavering. The words seemed to echo in the stillness, carrying a sharp edge that made Ancelotti glance at her.He raised an eyebrow, his usually impassive face softening with curiosity. “Your twins? What does Maralyn have against them?”Caroline let out