Chapter One Hundred-Fifty Four

Karina sighed, looking between the two men, feeling the weight of their tension. "Please, both of you, stop. This isn't helping."

Lucas turned to her, his tone softening. "Karina, come with me. You need to rest."

Aidan interjected, “Don't feel pressured, Karina."

Karina took a deep breath, her eyes filled with conflict. "I appreciate both of you, but right now, I need to focus on Sophie. But…” she trailed off and shifted her gaze to Lucas. “I will follow you.”

Aidan's face hardened, but he stepped back, reluctantly releasing her hand. "Fine. Just…be careful and uh…have a good rest."

She nodded and Lucas started pulling her away to his car.

**** ***** ****

At the Salvatore Mansion, Anita descended the stairs rapidly as she saw the two men who had taken Sophie earlier. Their clothes were scratched and stained, telling a story of a struggle. She hurried down, her voice rising in anger. "Why are you back? What happened?"

One of the men, breathless, explained, "Someone was trailing us. We