At that moment, Lorenzo felt a fear unlike anything he’d known. His scalp prickled, and every hair on his body stood on end. It was as if he were prey, trapped under the unwavering eyes of a predator. He knew Felix couldn’t possibly see him, yet instinctively, terror coursed through him, shaking him to his core.
Clinging desperately to the car’s underside, Lorenzo <b>barely </b>dared to breathe.
He <b>had </b>spent years <b>studying </b>Felix’s every move, thought, and ruthless decision. He understood Felix’s methods better <b>than </b>anyone. And he knew one thing with certainty: if Felix caught <b>him </b>after today’s betrayal and attempted escape, there would be no mercy–only death.
Lorenzo thought, “Sometimes, the most dangerous ce was <b>the </b>safest ce!
With nothing left to lose, Lorenzo took a desperate gamble.
Lorenzo suddenly heard footsteps approaching the car, and his mind raced with tension. Felix was walking out of <b>the </b>vi, his pace measured <b>and </b>deliberate.
M
Lorenzo was getting closer to the car, his heart pounding in his <b>throat </b>as he held his breath, terrified of making the slightest
noise.
One of the men nearby quickly opened the car door, and Felix slid into the back seat with his usual unhurried grace. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.
The driver asked, “Shall we go, Mr. Quaid?”
Felix leaned back, his striking features taking on an almost otherworldly charm, his mysterious and unsettling smile leaving no clue about what was going <b>through </b>his <b>mind</b>.
The car’s engine roared to life, and the vehicle began to move.
Beneath it, Lorenzo clung <b>tightly </b>to the undercarriage<b>, </b>his muscles straining as he braced himself against every bump and jolt of the <b>road</b><b>. </b>He couldn’t afford to lose his grip–not now, not ever.
But then, just as he thought he might go unnoticed, a voice broke through the engine’s hum. Smooth, low, and carrying a sinister <b>amusement </b>that made his blood run cold.
“Are youfortable down there?”
<b>The </b>words were a taunt<b>, </b>a <b>warning</b>,ced with the promise of death.
The chilling presence of death loomed closer.
Lorenzo nearly lost <b>his </b>grip in terror. He jerked his head up, staring nkly at the car’s undercarriage<b>, </b>and yet, it was as though he could see Felix’s face through the metal–shadowed, cruel, and smiling like a devil.
Lorenzo thought, Was that remark meant for me? Had I been discovered from the start?”
Panic surged, but Lorenzo forced himself to calm down. No. That was impossible.
Felix was powerful, but there was <b>no </b>way he could see through solid metal <b>and </b>know where he was hiding. Indeed, this <b>was </b>just his paranoia.
But as Lorenzo convinced himself of his safety, a loud crash shattered his thoughts.
A steel fist punched straight through the car’s undercarriage, grasping his throat <b>with </b>an iron grip.
Uph
Lorenzo froze, terror, <b>flooding </b>every <b>nerve </b>as the sheer strength of the hand threatened to crush his windpipe and shat his bones in one brutal squeeze.
Whether it was fear or despair, Lorenzo didn’t know–but in that moment, the truth struck him with horrifying rity. was nothing more than an insect. He had never been more than <b>an </b>insect. And escaping Felix’s grasp had always been a foolish dream.
“Mr. Quaid… please… <b>have </b>mercy!” he gasped, the words barely escaping his lips. “I was wrong, Please, for the years I’ve served you. Spare me this once! I beg you, Mr. Quaid!”
I’ll never disobey again!
“I won’t dare to do it again, Mr. Quaid. I’ve worked for you for many years, so please spare me this time. I really <b>won’t </b>dar do it again. Mr. Quaid, please!”
Felix finally released him, but the cold gleam in his dark eyes made Lorenzo’s stomach drop. His relief was fleeting, re by dread as Felix casually wiped his hands, his expression unreadable. Then he spoke in a measured, icy tone
“Wrap him up. Send him to the Kelley family.”
Lorenzo’s heart plummeted. Felix’s intent was unmistakable. By betraying him and acting against Tiffany, Lorenzo had sealed his fate. A disloyal dog had no ce by Felix’s side. Delivering <b>him </b>to Tiffany <b>was </b>not just punishment but a calcted gesture<b>, </b>leaving her to exact justice as she saw fit
“Yes, Mr. Quaid.”
Felix’s men sprang into action without hesitation. They dragged Lorenzo out from under the car, ignoring his frantic struggles and desperate pleas. In moments, they bound him tightly <b>with </b>thick ropes, packing him into a box as though he were nothing more than cargo.
Lorenzo thrashed in desperation, his muffled screams tangled with panic. Felix, however, stood still, cold and unyielding<b>. </b>His expression stayed firm, his resolve unwavering. His eyes held no trace of sympathy–only the weight of <b>judgment </b>and the inevitability of the <b>end</b>.
Late at night, Tiffany suddenly jolted awake.
Ever since her first intimate encounter with Richard, she had felt her body growing stronger with each passing moment- her agility, reflexes, and overall fitness had improved dramatically, almost <b>as </b>if she had leveled up several times.
Even in deep sleep, the slightest noise <b>was </b>enough to stir her from slumber.
She quickly jumped out of bed and crept behind the curtains to peer out the window.
A car had pulled up in the distance. Two men stepped out, opened the trunk, and casually tossed <b>a </brge cardboard box onto the doorstep of the Cedar Ridge Vi before turning and leaving without <b>a </b>second nce.
What was in the box? A bomb? Some dangerous item?
Tiffany furrowed her brow. Throwing on her jacket, she yanked open the window <b>and </b>jumped down.
Shended with a clean roll, her movements swift <b>and </b>sure,
A few lights by the vi’s entrance illuminated the area, casting a <b>soft </b>glow. Everything else was eerily quiet, <b>save </b>for the asional lightfooted dash of a cat–Lucifer–darting across the <b>road</b>.
Tiffany approached the box.
She didn’t rush <b>to </b>open it but instead listened closely for <b>any </b>sound inside. No ticking or ominous beeping of a bomb,
She pulled at the
pe, sealed the box, and tore it <b>open</b><b>. </b>
She intended to find out exactly what those men in ck had left on her doorstep in the dead of night.
A trembling human head emerged from the box as the tape came off.
Lorenzo was tightly bound, his eyes wide with <b>panic </b>as he saw Tany. He tried desperately to recoil but could not move. helplessness and absurdity showed in every strained attempt.
Tiffany blinked, her frown deepening.
Wasn’t this one of Felix’s men? And not <b>just </b>any man–one of his closest and most trusted.
Could it be Felix who sent Lorenzo <b>here </b>on purpose?
The thought lingered as Tiffany’s sharp eyes caught sight of a note taped to Lorenzo’s back. The words, written in bold. elegant script, were simple yetced with intent:
A wedding gift for you.]
Signed, Felix.
Tiffany read the note, crumpled it in her <b>hand</b>, and tossed it into the nearby trash bin without a second thought. When she looked down again, her gaze met Lorenzo’s wide, terrified eyes.
“Scared? Afraid I’ll kill you?” she asked with a smile that was more mocking than kind.
“How could I be? Do I look like someone who’d be cruel?”
Lorenzo’s eyes said it all–yes.
No, it wasn’t just like that; it was precisely that.
Tiffany shot him a disdainful nce, saying nothing, then reached for her phone and dialed Keh.
Thest time she had led a team to surround Felix’s vi, she had personally captured Lorenzo. To repay a favor to Keh she’d sent Lorenzo to the Harper family.
But fate had intervened–Lorenzo had managed to slip away during the transfer.
This time, he wouldn’t be so lucky.
On the other end of the line, Keh had just finished his work and was preparing to turn in for the night when his phone buzzed. Seeing Tiffany’s name, a mix of anticipation and worry stirred within him. He thought, ‘Why was she calling at this hour? Had something happened? Or perhaps something had upset her? But then I realized–who could hurt Tiffany? Even if someone did, she wouldn’t turn to me forfort.
His anxious heart <b>began </b>to steady as he forced himself to remainposed and answered the phone coolly. “Hello?”
“Come to my ce. There’s someone here I <b>think </b>you’ll be very interested in<b>.</b><b>” </b>
Tiffany kept it brief, her tone giving nothing away before casually <b>hanging </b>up.
Fifteen minutester, the low growl of a Rolls–Royce engine echiped through the quiet night, drawing