Magnus''s car was parked not far away.
He''d heard Isadora''s voice at the meeting earlier that day, and an impulse he couldn''t exin had drawn him to The Vaughan Group''s headquarters. He hadn''t intended to approach her-just to be nearby, to catch a glimpse of her from a safe distance.
He watched as Isadora walked out of the parking garage, her silhouette as slender and graceful as ever. Magnus''s dark eyes locked onto her, barely daring to blink.
Suddenly, the entire parking lot was plunged into darkness.
A split secondter, Isadora''s scream sliced through the night.
Magnus flung open his door and leapt out, sprinting toward the spot where he''dst seen her, chasing the faint outline of her shadow.
"Isadora? Isadora, are you alright?"
Damn it!
Suddenly, the lights flickered back on.
Security guards burst out of the building, confusion and worry on their faces.
"What happened? Someone cut the main power!"
"I just fixed it—it should be fine now. Hurry up and check if anything''s wrong."
Magnus scanned the area: Isadora''s car was still there, but she was gone.
Then he spotted her phone lying abandoned on the asphalt.
A jolt of fear shot through him.
Could this be Elise Harrison''s doing? Did she have aplices?
No, that was impossible-Elise was locked up.
Magnus''s heart pounded as he broke into a run, shouting, "Someone''s missing! Hurry, help me look for her!"
"Isadora! Isadora! Where are you?"
He tore through the parking lot like a madman, searching every shadow, but found no sign of her.
The security guards seemed frozen in confusion until Magnus rounded on them, fury in his voice. "Don''t just stand there! Your President Vaughan is missing!"
The words finally snapped them into action-some rushed to check the security cameras, others fanned out to search the premises.
***
On the shopping mall''s rooftop terrace, Isadora came to with a splitting headache. She forced her eyes open. The world was dim, but she could make out the metal railing and the neon glow of the city''s skyline beyond.
She instantly recognized where she was: the rooftop pavilion atop the mall.
"Who''s there?" she called, her hands bound behind her back.
"Isadora..." The voice was eerie, almost ghostlike a woman''s voice echoing in the gloom.
Footsteps approached, slow and deliberate, each one ratcheting up the dread inside her.
Isadora lifted her head, and from the shadows emerged Ca, face twisted with malice.
Ca''s eyes were gleaming with venom, fixed on Isadora with a cruel intensity. Isadora''s stomach turned. Ca... she must have gotten out of prison. Swallowing hard, Isadora managed, "What do you want?"
Ca crouched in front of her, yanking her head up by the hair. The pain shot through Isadora''s scalp, forcing her to look at the woman she''d spent a lifetime fearing.
"You''ve been a naughty girl, haven''t you?" Ca sneered. "Your mother''s out of jail, and you didn''te pick me up. Is that any way to treat your mom?"
Isadora''s scalp burned as Ca pulled harder. She red back, defiant. "Let go of me. You''re not my mother."
She shouted as loudly as she could, hoping someone would hear. "Help! Somebody, please! Help me!"
Ca justughed a harsh, chilling sound that made Isadora''s skin crawl.
"I am your mother. If you don''t listen, you need to be taught a lesson. Why are you calling for help?"
Ca reached into her coat and pulled out arge case. When she opened it, Isadora''s blood ran cold: inside, rows and rows of gleaming silver needles.
A wave of childhood memories crashed over her-Ca, angry, pinning her down, sticking those needles deep into her arms and legs whenever she misbehaved.
Isadora thrashed against her restraints, her voice raw with panic. "Let me go! You''re insane!"
But her wrists were bound, and Ca still had a fistful of her hair.
The next moment, Ca drove a needle-ten centimeters long-into Isadora''s arm.
The searing pain nearly made her ck out.
With a desperate cry, Isadorashed out with her foot, kicking Ca as hard as she could.