“Alright. I want you to keep an eye on his every move,” Daniel said, his voice low and urgent before ending the call.
Emily quickly closed her eyes as soon as Daniel finished his conversation. She was afraid he would realize she was still awake. Daniel, with his gentle gaze, looked at Emily’s sleeping face. He took a step closer, slowly but sure. His hand reached out, intending to gently caress Emily’s hair, but he stopped himself.
“Forgive me, Emily,” Daniel whispered. “I’ve hurt you and Grace. I hope you both can be happy without me. I want to resolve this quickly, so it no longer endangers your safety and Grace’s.”
Hearing Daniel’s words, Emily held her breath. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she kept her eyes closed, not wanting Daniel to know she had heard everything.
***
Meanwhile, Sean’s bedroom door slammed shut. Sean growled, his hands clenched into fists. He yanked the tie that felt like it was choking him, throwing it to the floor. Emily’s words echoed in his ears, “I don’t love him. I only love you, Daniel.”
Suddenly, the vibration of Sean’s phone broke his reverie, pulling him back to reality. He saw a video message from an unknown number. The video showed his mother with a younger-looking man. His mother looked vulgar and disrespectful. She was wearing a revealing dress and seem intoxicated. They were kissing passionately in a nightclub. Sean felt his blood boil. The pain felt like a heavy stone crushing his chest, making it hard to breathe. How could his mother never think about his feelings or his siblings’ until now?
Sean had left his parents’ house since he became the leader of W Company. He was tired of his parents’ constant fighting, coupled with his mother’s increasingly uncontrollable behavior. He was also forced to leave his two siblings, Noah and Violet, who were now teenagers, in that house.
His phone vibrated again, this time it was a call. Sean immediately pressed the green button to answer the call.
The voice of an elderly man on the other end of the phone sounded cold and threatening. “Have you seen the video?”
Sean tried to stay calm, but curiosity and anger mingled within him. “What do you want? Money? Unfortunately, I don’t care much about that video. Whatever you want to do with it, I won’t care.”
“Too bad. There’s another photo that I’m sure you won’t just ignore,” the man said again, his voice sounding mocking.
Sean gritted his teeth, suppressing the anger burning in his chest. “Don’t play games with me,” he hissed. “Who are you?”
A loud, mocking laugh came from the other end of the call. “I’ll send you the photo. You can check it out for yourself.”
The phone call immediately ended. Soon after, a photo in a message Sean received made him flinch, his body stiffening. His heart pounded, and his eyes widened in shock as he looked at the photo. His mother was sitting in a chair, her head slumped, and wide black tape covered her mouth, making her face look pale and lifeless. Anger exploded in his chest, and with trembling hands, Sean searched for the number again and pressed the call button.
“What did you do?” Sean asked, suppressing his anger until the veins in his neck bulged. “If anything happens to my mother, I won’t let you go!” he hissed, his voice trembling with anger.
“Calm down. I won’t hurt your mother, at least not for now. But I have a condition,” the man said, his voice sounding relaxed yet threatening.
“What’s the condition? Tell me!”
“I’ll give you twenty-four hours, bring Daniel to me,” the man replied. “If you report this to the police, your mother won’t survive.”
“You dare threaten me! Who are you, you bastard!” Sean’s voice trembled with anger.
“I’m the one who destroyed the Winston family. I’m the one who killed your grandfather, framed your two uncles, and killed Daniel’s parents,” the man whispered, his voice sounding cold and threatening.
Sean flinched, his body stiffening. His breath hitched, and his eyes widened in shock. “You… you’re still alive? It’s impossible!”
“I almost died while being chased by the police, and all my men were caught, but God loves me. I was given a chance to live again,” the man replied.
“What’s your goal in doing all this?” Sean growled.
“My goal is to destroy the Winston family, but I’ll make your family an exception if you obey me,” the man said. “I’ll send you my location soon. Remember, your mother’s life is in my hands. If the police find out my location, your mother won’t survive.”
After saying that, the man immediately hung up, leaving Sean in a chilling silence, like someone trapped in a terrifying nightmare. With trembling fingers, Sean wanted to make sure his mother was okay. He quickly dialed his mother’s number, but her phone was off.
Sean then typed Noah’s number on his phone, his oldest brother. He still hoped his mother was at home. The phone rang in the room, but only the voicemail answered. He tried to call Violet, his sister, but the result was the same. Sean looked at his phone screen, it was late at night. Of course, his siblings were asleep.
The next morning, Sean called Noah again, and finally, Noah’s voice came through the phone. “I thought you’d forgotten me and didn’t want to consider me your brother anymore.”
“I’m sorry, Noah. You know I can’t stand being in that house. I can’t stand hearing them always fighting,” Sean replied.
“What are you looking for me for?” Noah asked.
“Is Mom at home?” Sean asked anxiously.
“Why don’t you just call Mom? You can check it out directly,” Noah said.
“Please, Noah. I beg you, make sure if Mom is at home.”
“What’s going on?” Noah asked.
“I’ll explain it to you later,” Sean said.
“Okay, I’m still in my room. I’ll let you know as soon as possible,” Noah replied.
“Thank you, Noah,” Sean replied. “I’ll wait for your news.”
Sean ended the call with Noah, his head feeling heavy, filled with anxiety that gnawed at his mind. He couldn’t sleep all night, constantly thinking about his mother, who might be in danger.
Suddenly, a message on his phone broke his reverie. “Mom isn’t home. Actually, what happened? Can you tell me?” Noah’s message made him flinch, his body immediately stiffening. He quickly got up from his seat, his heart pounding. Without replying to Noah’s message, he rushed out of his apartment and quickly walked towards his car in the parking lot.
***
The morning sunlight streamed through the gap in the window, greeting Emily who had just woken up in her hospital room. Her eyes blinked, adjusting to the incoming light. Her gaze swept across the room, empty, only she was lying on the bed.
“Where’s Daniel?” she mumbled, her voice hoarse from not being fully awake.
Anxiety began to creep into her chest. The memory of Daniel’s conversation last night, about the killer who had returned, haunted her again.
Suddenly, the sound of the door opening from outside made Emily flinch. Her hopes rose, “Daniel!” she shouted, her voice mixed with relief. But the hope immediately vanished as her eyes caught sight of the figure standing at the doorway. It wasn’t Daniel.