ADRIAN’S POV
455
55 <b>vouchers </b>
Marcus really thought he was untouchable. He truly believed that his little schemes and connections could shield him from consequences. Now, look where that led him. I let out a small, bitter sigh, shaking my head as I tried to digest the chaos he had caused in his own life. Some people never learn, and Marcus <b>was </b>a perfect example of that. The arrogance, the careless risk–taking, thinking the business world owed him something it was bound toe crashing down eventually.
I had barely let my mind linger on Marcus’s downfall when my phone buzzed sharply on the table. The vibration made me jump slightly, but I quickly reached for it without even checking who it was. My fingers tapped the answer button almost instinctively.
“Yes, James,” I said, my voice calm but with a slight undertone of urgency.
“Good morning, sir,” came the familiar voice on the other end. But as soon as I put the phone to my ear, I realized this wasn’t James, it was someone else, though the voice carried that unmistakable air of authority and formality. I nced at the screen and saw the caller ID: Commissioner.
“Mr. Commissioner, good morning,” I said, quickly correcting myself, putting the phone back to my ear while trying to sound casual.
“Sir,” themissioner began, his tone measured but carrying that unmistakable weight of importance, “remember I told you I would keep you updated at all times when my men got information from the robbers? Well… they finally spoke. They’ve given us information about who’s behind all the attacks.<b>” </b>
I froze mid–step, my hand gripping the edge of the breakfast table. My heart skipped a beat. Another good news today, this was wonderful. Finally, some rity in this chaos? I had spent endless sleepless nights trying to figure out who would target Olivia, who would dare cross her in such a way. Then out of nowhere themissioner just called to inform me about the same matter? It seemed that luck or maybe persistence was finally on my side.
“Okay,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady even though excitement bubbled beneath the surface. “Tell me. Who is this person trying to harm Olivia?”
“We weren’t able <i>to </i>get thest name of the person,” themissioner continued, his tone cautious. “The robbers said they didn’t know herst name. Thatplicates things because there could be several people with the same first name. Plus, their description of her isn’t entirely urate. But still, her name gives us a step forward, a lead we can pursue.”
I felt a sh of disappointment ripple through me. My excitement deted like a punctured balloon. I had been expecting a full dossier – details, addresses, contacts but instead, all I had was a first name. A small step forward, yes, but not nearly enough. He should have just started with this in the beginning though, instead of getting my hopes this high.
I ced the phone on speaker and walked toward the window, my mind racing as I tried to piece this together. The morning sun filtered in through the ss, but I barely noticed it. My grip tightened around the cup of coffee I had poured earlier, and I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration.
“What’s this person’s name?” <b>I </b>asked, pacing slightly, trying to maintainposure.
<b>14:05 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b>Sep <b>22 </b><ul><li></li></ul>
(55)
EL 55 vouchers
“They said her name was… Isadara, I think. It’s the first time I’m hearing a name like that, so it’s hard to pronounce,” themissioner replied.
The words hit me like a physical blow. Isadara. My hand immediately went numb. The cup of coffee slipped through my fingers, shattering on the floor. Dark liquid spread quickly across the marble, but I hardly noticed. My eyes widened in disbelief as shock coursed through my body. My breathing quickened as my mind refused to ept the words.
I turned slowly toward the phone, my heart hammering in my chest. “Do you mean… Isadora<b>?</b>” I asked cautiously, my voice barely above a whisper. I had to confirm this before jumping to any conclusions.
“Yes, that’s the name. Isadora,” themissioner said, his voice confirming my worst fears.
No. No, this couldn’t be possible. Isadora? She…the person I had known, the one who had caused me minor frustrations and petty lies in the past. She couldn’t have escted to something this extreme. I understood she had lied about being pregnant, sure, and perhaps manipted situations to her advantage, but this… this was another level entirely. Attempting to harm Olivia? It seemed surreal, almost unthinkable.
I ran my hand through my hair again, my chest tightening. Why would she go this far? My mind raced through every interaction I had had with her over the years. Every little deceit, every minor betrayal, it never crossed my mind that she was capable of something as sinister as attempting murder.
“Hello?” themissioner’s voice snapped me back to reality, breaking my spiraling thoughts.
Then I started hearing multiple footsteps approaching from the kitchen, my head turned towards that area to find the maids rushing to the dinning where I stood.
They were probably rushing towards the broken coffee ss cup that echoed through the whole ss, each carrying a broomstick and a disposal bin in hand.
“Are you alright sir?” the head maid asked me as she nced between the mess on the floor and me, her eyes scanning if I had sustained any minor cuts, she knew I already had a wound I was recovering from.
“Yes, just clear this ce up,” I said, my voice low and still shocked but firm enough.
“Just… give me a few minutes,” I said again, turning my attention back to themissioner still on the phone, “Olivia and I wille to your station… with the person’s picture… someone we suspect might be behind all this.” I didn’t wait for his reply. My tone left no room for argument.
I ended the call and immediately moved toward the stairs, each step filled with urgency. The maids cleaning the shattered coffee on the floor was thest thing on my mind, my focus was entirely on getting ready, on preparing to confront the nightmare that Isadora had be.