Realization dawned on N.
“So Violeta is in league with you.
Lucinda, your cunning knows no bounds.
”
With a dismissive snort, Lucinda effortlessly disarmed N, then encircled her neck with one hand and delivered a resounding p across her face with the other.
N, struck twice in quick session, cried out in agony, “Release me, Lucinda!”
“Why do you cry out?” Lucinda’s gaze was icy.
“Only at the end does the true predator reveal itself.
”
Without another word, Lucinda struck her two more times.
The force split the corner of N’s mouth, blood trickling down.
Her appearance was pitiable.
Desperate for rescue, N’s voice echoed.
“Help! Help! Danilo!”
Her calls faded into the silence, unanswered.
Lucinda’s sneer was a sharp contrast.
“Danilo’s affections are fickle.
Though you’re the vor of the moment, consider your true value to him.
You’ll understand shortly.
”
She then secured N’s hands behind her back with ease and tied them tightly.
Grabbing her hair, Lucinda pulled her up, causing tears to spring from N’s eyes, a testament to her inability to resist.
N’s screams filled the air as she was dragged away by Lucinda.
Upon reaching the door and kicking it open, Lucinda found the guards absent.
Outside, under the night’s embrace, two factions approached.
Lucinda recognized her own, the f
ollowers of the Dark Bell, but the others were shrouded in shadow until they drew near, revealing themselves as Graham’s private forces.
Lucinda’s expression darkened.
“Did Graham send you for my aid or N’s?” she demanded.
The response came after a pause.
“Mr.
Simmons was explicit in his instructions to rescue you.
He’s been fraught with worry since your abduction, orchestrating this operation with utmost urgency.
”
Lucinda remained silent, her expression unreadable.
A member of the Dark Bell stepped forward to report.
“We’ve apprehended the four guards from the entrance.
When we arrived, the minibuses were driving away, and the rest of the enemy has vanished.
”
Lucinda yanked on N’s hair, her voice dripping with scorn.
“Hear that? Danilo didn’t stick around.
He’s off the hook, leaving you to face the music.
You think he loves you very much, huh? His haste to flee screams guilt in the kidnapping.
And you, my dear, were left in the dust.
”This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.
N’s eyes brimmed with tears, not from sorrow but from the acute pain wing at her scalp, forcing tears to spill over.
She offered no retort to Lucinda’s biting remarks, choosing silence instead.
One of the Dark Bell’s members interjected, seeking guidance.
“Should we haul the captured guards to the police, then?”
Lucinda dismissed the idea outright.
“No need.
Release them.
Let them crawl back to Danilo with a message: N’s treachery knows no bounds, and she remains in my grasp.
”