Chapter 6: The Escape

Zade kicked the door open and frowned at the sight he saw.. The bathroom was completely empty, with no hint of Simone anywhere. It was obviously impossible for him to have disappeared into thin air, so where did he go?

Zade shoved his hands into his pockets as his eyes zeroed in on the faint droplet of blood on the floor, and a sinister smirk found its way to his pale lips.

Alice walked as fast as her feet could carry her. Her stomach still hurt painfully, but she had to get out of the mansion somehow. Minutes ago, she had called Chiara and explained everything that was happening to her. Chiara, being one of the smartest hackers alive, easily hacked into the CCTV cameras in the mansion and discovered a back door she could use to escape.

Alice had the faintest idea of what she would tell Enzo or Zade the next day, but she couldn't let them see her like this, or her cover would be blown. Chiara sent another text, explaining the routes to the back door. She was currently in a dark hallway with a high ceiling and dark walls; it was clear that no one visited this part of the mansion.

Alice knew this house was worth billions of dollars; it was too breathtaking and luxurious to cost any less. The excruciating pain hit her again, and she instantly fell to her knees. She could finally see the back door, but it seemed that escape was farther away than she had thought. Hot tears streamed down her face as she began to have an episode, reliving the dreadful night of her mother's death.

"No, don't take her away! Mother!" She could hear her helpless little self screaming.

She curled up in a corner as more tears streamed down her face. She was traumatized and had been living that way since her mother's death. She held her head against the striking pain, barely able to think, feeling so weak. She felt like dying, but she couldn't—not when her mother's murderer still roamed freely.

"Alice, Alice, gosh!"

It took everything within her to raise her head, and when she did, she saw Chiara standing in front of her. How she got there was still a mystery, but Alice could barely think about anything at the moment.

"You need to stay strong. We're going to get out of here alive… hopefully," Chiara muttered the last part.

Chiara knew Alice was suffering from severe cramps and had sensed that something would go wrong. Now that she was here, she was relieved she had come; otherwise, things would have gone downhill. Chiara helped Alice to her feet, and thankfully, she managed to get her out of the mansion. Escaping from the guards wasn't easy, but she pulled enough strings to make it happen.

When Chiara successfully tucked Alice into the car, she sighed in relief. She quickly got into the driver's seat and drove away. Forty minutes later, they arrived at Alice's house, and Chiara hurriedly got her inside, laying her on the couch in the small living room. Chiara rushed to Alice's room to get her medication and helped her take it.

It took two more hours for Alice to regain her senses, and she sprang up from the couch. The headache and cramps had completely disappeared, and she was at least thankful for that.

Chiara emerged from the kitchen with two plates of ramen and placed them on the circular dining table.

"The fuck?" Alice muttered as everything sank in. She knew she was dead for sure; when Alfonso found out she had screwed up the mission, he would kill her without hesitation.

"Thanks for coming to get me," Alice said, and Chiara scoffed.

"How could you be so foolish and careless? Your life was on the line because of your carelessness!" Chiara scowled.

"I'm sorry; I messed up and stupidly dragged you into my mess," Alice clenched her fists. "You shouldn't have come. Those people… they're dangerous, and if they find out you trespassed, things won't end well." Alice said worriedly.

She had been careless, and Chiara's safety now hung by a thread; she hadn't meant for things to turn out this way.

"What would you rather have me do? Leave you there to get exposed and face death? At least be glad I hacked into their CCTV camera—there won't be any footage of us, at least. Just calm down and get your brain cells working because you have limited time to brainstorm the lie you're going to tell your boss. Let's eat," Chiara said as she walked over to the dining table.

Alice sighed; she needed to regain her energy to face the battle ahead.

"Your car—if someone saw it, they might be able to track you down," Alice said anxiously as she settled into one of the chairs at the dining table.

"Chill. I got the plate number out before picking you up, and I plan on dumping it anyway," Chiara said, and Alice nodded.

---

Alice now stood in front of the tall and magnificent building, Vclass Mobile. She was dressed in a clean white long-sleeve shirt and black pants, with well-polished black boots. Her black wig was combed neatly, and her mustache and beard were very much intact. She felt a little apprehensive, but she wasn’t scared; that emotion had died long ago. Sergio had always taught her to face everything head-on: what's going to happen will happen; there's no point in stalling.

Alice took confident strides inside the building, as if she hadn't just struck a nerve with the formidable Enzo a night ago. She was bracing herself for the numerous questions from Enzo and his annoying grandson.

Nevertheless, she took the elevator that led straight to Enzo's office. The elevator stopped, and the doors opened, revealing the tall figure standing right outside.

Alice's heart drummed loudly in her ears as she helplessly stared at Collin Marcello—the same guy who was after her life and whom she was madly in love with.