Chapter 99"Daddy is back!!" Andrew heard Dora scream when he was getting down from the car. As he parked and turned off the engine, Andrew glanced over at the passenger seat. The tub of strawberry ice cream sat there, completely out of place in the middle of the chaos his day had been. He had promised Dora, and despite everything, he had made sure to keep that promise. He grabbed the ice cream and stepped out of the car, but the moment his feet hit the pavement, his exhaustion became evident. His clothes were in tatters—ripped at the sleeves and smeared with dirt, one of his shoes was missing a lace, and he was nursing a fresh cut above his right eyebrow.There was a maid tending to the garden. The moment she saw Andrew alight from the car, she immediately stopped what she was doing and focused her attention on him. Rosa looked up from the garden and gasped, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of Andrew's disheveled appearance. For a moment, she hesitated, stepping toward hi
Andrew tossed and turned in his bed, his mind heavy with the events of the day. His head felt clouded, as if something was tugging at the edge of his consciousness, pulling him deeper into his dream. He found himself standing in an all-too-familiar hospital room. The dim, sterile lights overhead flickered, casting eerie shadows on the pale walls. The faint smell of disinfectant lingered in the air, mingled with the sterile, cold scent of metal and medicine.In the bed before him lay his parents—pale, frail, and tethered to machines. His mother, her once lively eyes dim, turned to him slowly. His father, ever the stoic, looked at Andrew with an expression Andrew couldn’t quite place—a mix of disappointment and pleading. "Andrew, why haven’t you come for us?" his mother’s voice echoed through the quiet room, though her lips barely moved. It was haunting, like a sound carried on the wind.Andrew’s heart seized. "I—I didn’t know…" he stammered, taking a hesitant step toward them, his thr
Andrew could barely feel his limbs. His wrists were tightly bound behind him, and the coarse rope dug into his skin, leaving angry red welts. He could hear the sound of dripping water echoing throughout the cold, damp dungeon. He didn't know how long he'd been there—minutes, hours, days. His mind felt foggy, and his body ached from the struggle he'd put up against his captors. His face was bruised, and his muscles were stiff from being forced into the same uncomfortable position. The darkness was oppressive, wrapping around him like a thick, smothering blanket. He tugged at the ropes again, his arms straining as he tried to break free. The rough surface of the rope only seemed to tighten around his wrists, the pain intensifying with every futile attempt. His breath came out in ragged gasps as his frustration grew. "No, no, no," he whispered, shaking his head, his voice hoarse and barely audible. "I have to get out of here."He could feel his eyes welling up, his vision blurring as t
The young woman crept closer, her eyes darting nervously around the dark, damp dungeon. As she reached Andrew, she crouched down, quickly pulling a knife from her pocket. She began cutting the ropes that bound his wrists, her hands trembling as she worked. "My name is Emilia," she whispered, her voice just above a breath. "I'm here to help you." Andrew blinked, his eyes focusing on her face as she worked. "Why?" he croaked, his voice raw from the pain and the bruises. "Who are you?" Emilia paused, her eyes meeting his. "I'm... Diego's girlfriend," she said, her voice tinged with sadness. "But I can't watch him do this anymore. I'm tired of it—tired of seeing him bring people here just to torture and kill them." The words sent a shiver down Andrew's spine, a cold dread washing over him. Torture and kill? The reality of his situation struck him like a blow to the chest. He had known that Diego was dangerous, but this... this was worse than anything he had imagined. Emilia finis
Lisa opened her eyes groggily to the soft morning light filtering in through the curtains. She blinked, rubbing her eyes, feeling the weight of sleep still pulling at her. She turned to her side, expecting to see Andrew asleep beside her, but the bed was empty. Her gaze drifted to the bedside table, where she saw Andrew's phone and his briefcase still in place."That's strange," Lisa muttered, her brows knitting together. Andrew was usually up and out early, his phone and briefcase in hand as he prepared for the day ahead. She pushed herself up, stretching her arms and yawning, wondering if perhaps he was in the bathroom. "He must be getting ready."But when she went to the bathroom and opened the door, her heart sank—Andrew wasn't there. The bathroom was empty, the lights still off, the air still. A chill ran down her spine, an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach. Lisa's gaze shifted back to the bed, and she noticed Andrew's phone flashing with a notification. Her worry deepened.
Andrew had been gone for at least a week and this got Patrick increasingly worried, he didn't want to imagine what would have happened to Andrew but he was sure that someone must have taken him, that was the only logical thought that was coming to Patrick's mind. He couldn't have gotten lost, a grown man with the kind of wisdom that Andrew possessed could not have gotten lost—that was close to being impossible. Patrick had tried tracking Andrew down. The lady time he had successfully tracked Alec down and they had gotten Lisa back safely was because, he used Alec's mobile phone to track him down but the process couldn't be repeated in Andrew's case because he had left his phone at his house. "What if he had been taken from his house?" Patrick wondered aloud to himself as he continued searching the possible places Andrew could be on his computer. One question that lingered on Patrick's mind unanswered was 'who could have taken Andrew' With his newfound wealth, Patrick had to accep
Patrick rounded a corner and spotted Lisa sitting on the swing in the garden, her shoulders trembling with silent sobs. The sight struck Patrick like a thunderclap, and he quickened his pace, crossing the soft, lush grass until he reached her.“Madam, are you alright?” he asked softly, his voice laced with concern. Lisa looked up, her face streaked with tears, her eyes reflecting a depth of pain that made Patrick’s heart ache. “No, Patrick, I’m not alright,” she said, her voice breaking. “What am I going to do now that Andrew is gone?”“Shh,” he soothed, gently placing a hand on her back as he sat beside her on the swing. “It’s going to be fine. I promise I’ll find him.”“Find him?” she echoed, disbelief coloring her tone. “How can you possibly do that?”The question hung heavy in the air, and Patrick felt a surge of panic at the reality of her words. He hadn’t thought it through. “I—I’ll figure something out. I just need to think clearly.” “Think clearly? He’s been kidnapped, Patri
Patrick was glad that he had at least gotten a lead to where he could begin his search. The car that he had seen through the CCTV was all that he needed to confirm that Andrew indeed had been taken from his home. But he wondered who would have the nerve to break into his home and kidnap Andrew without the notice of any security. As Patrick continued to go through the remaining footage, his flicker of hope was starting to waver. The only thing that he saw was the strange car parked in front of the house and nothing else. He tried checking the camera's footage that was installed inside the house, but there was nothing—everything was gone, totally disappeared. "Something doesn't seem right here!" Patrick said aloud, resting his other hand on his chin as he went through the remaining files. "What doesn't?!" Lisa asked with anxiety in his voice. Patrick turned around to look at Lisa—it was as if he had suddenly forgotten about her presence. He shouldn't have said what he said aloud, i