Juliette ran into the mansion, breathless, her heart racing and her entire body trembling with terror. She knew what had happened to Daisy, but she couldn’t tell anyone what she had seen. Gripping her phone tightly, she entered the living room, where the entire De Lavigne family was gathered.
All eyes were on a forty-nine-year-old woman, Daisy’s mother, Adalyn De Lavigne, the wife of William De Lavigne. She was the daughter of the late Gabriel de Lavigne, grandfather to Robbin, Daisy, and their cousins, and the second sister of the late Anthony. Adalyn sobbed in her husband’s arms, his worry evident on his face. Juliette also noticed the police chief among the family members, seemingly giving search orders to his team.
“Ette,” Meryl whispered with relief. The woman stood up and embraced her daughter tightly, fearing that what had happened to Daisy might happen to her only child. Tears streamed down Meryl’s face as she cupped Juliette’s cheeks, staring into her daughter’s hazel eyes. “Thank goodness you’re okay. Did anything happen while you were on your way? Where were you? I didn’t see you in your room.”
“Mom, I went back to my apartment,” Juliette answered as calmly as possible. “You know I don’t feel comfortable staying here,” she added in a low whisper.
“Julie.” Juliette turned to see Robbin calling her from behind her mother. He stood beside Meryl and gently patted Juliette’s head, a clear look of relief on his face. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”
“What happened? What’s going on?”
Robbin glanced at the police chief, who was speaking to one of their uncles, and replied, “Daisy has suddenly disappeared. Initially, Aunt Tina called Daisy to let her know about the family lunch, but she never answered. You know it’s not like Daisy to ignore her mother’s calls. Growing suspicious, Aunt Tina asked the family security team to track Daisy’s whereabouts. They found her car, along with all her belongings and phone, abandoned on the roadside, but there was no sign of Daisy.”
Juliette clenched her fists, holding her breath as Robbin explained the situation. He gave her a sad smile and continued, “I just spoke to the chief inspector. They’re conducting a search. They’ve checked all the CCTV footage from the area, and it’s been confirmed that Daisy was kidnapped.”
“Bu-but… how could this happen? I just spoke to her this morning and…”
Robbin squeezed Juliette’s shoulder and smiled reassuringly. “Daisy has probably been targeted for a while. You know that’s one of the risks of being part of this family, don’t you, Julie?”
“Of course…” Juliette’s heart ached to reveal what she knew to everyone present, especially Robbin. Still, she restrained herself with all her strength. If she exposed Daisy’s situation, she would also have to reveal her own darkest secret-that a psychopathic stalker was obsessed with her and now seemed to be targeting her loved ones to punish her. “Will Daisy be found?”
“Of course, I’ll make sure of it. I’ve already asked Aldrich to form a search team for Daisy. After all, she’s my cousin.” Juliette breathed a sigh of relief at Robbin’s response. She trusted that Robbin would keep his word.
“For now, you should stay at the mansion, Juliette. I don’t want to take any chances with this happening to you as well.”
Meryl nodded in agreement. “Robbin’s right, Ette. You should stay here until things are safe and the perpetrator is caught. I won’t feel at ease if you’re not here. Just yesterday was Anthony’s funeral, and now this has happened. I need my daughter close.”
“But Mom…”
“Please, Ette, it’s for your safety.”
Juliette sighed heavily and reluctantly agreed, “Alright. I’ll stay here.”
For the rest of the day, they waited in the living room for any updates on Daisy’s whereabouts. Juliette sat beside her mother, wrapped in her embrace, as Meryl seemed traumatized by the tragic events that had followed Anthony’s funeral. Juliette refrained from using her phone, which she had stored away in her bag, feeling the need to distance herself from it for a while. She was relieved by this decision. After the events of the previous night, she needed a break from the man’s messages. However, she feared that his anger might lead to further harm toward Daisy.
Lunch and dinner were served in the dining room, but no one touched the food. They were too anxious about Daisy’s fate to have any appetite.
It wasn’t until bedtime that Juliette checked her phone, which had only 10% battery left. Biting her lower lip, she scrolled through the horrifying photos of Daisy, her condition grotesque and heartbreaking. She prayed that Daisy could be rescued and return to her usual self, though a small, selfish part of Juliette feared what the outcome might be.
Then, Juliette realized she had received two new messages several hours earlier. She didn’t want to look, but she forced herself, and immediately, fear overtook her as she read the man’s words.
“I’m letting you stay with your family today, Kitten.”
Beneath the message was a photo of her, tightly embracing her mother, surrounded by the De Lavigne family members. Though the picture was blurry and taken from a distance, Juliette was sure it was her. She realized it had been captured from a CCTV camera, as she noticed the time and date stamps on the image, just like on a CCTV screen.
Juliette threw her phone to the floor and began to sob. Her eyes were fixed on the phone, lying on the ground as if it were a contaminated object.
“Why? What do you want from me?” Juliette asked, her voice trembling between sobs. “Why? What do you want from me? Why are you hurting my family? Please, stop!”
Her entire body shuddered when her phone chimed again, just minutes after she had voiced all her questions. Juliette stood up and carefully picked up the phone. Her hands shook uncontrollably, and the tears wouldn’t stop flowing. She flipped the phone over to see the screen and tapped the notification.
Juliette braced herself, trying to stay strong, but she collapsed onto the floor when she read his response.
“No. I won’t stop until I get what I want. You. All of you.”
“So be a good kitten. Wait for me.”
.
.
“We’ll meet soon.”
….