348 I Will Find Them!
The unforgiving cold mountain air hit ke, sharp and painful. He pulled out his phone and dialed a familiar number.
“Mark,” he said when his assistant answered.
There was a pause. Then the shock in Mark’s voice. “Sir? Is everything alright?”
“My daughter is dead,” ke said simply. “She slit her own wrist.”
Silence followed.
“No…” Mark whispered. “Miss Natalie? That cannot be… I am so sorry, sir. My condolences. But… are you sure? She… she never seemed like someone who would…”
“I know,” ke replied, his voice dangerously calm. “And that is why I want you to investigate. Check the CCTV around the cabin. Every road, every nearby camera. Look into everymunication tied to her name.”
Mark hesitated. “But, sir, you forbade her from having a phone or any gadgets. I remember you only gave her a basic phone that epts calls solely from you and Madam, and she can use it to contact outsiders.”
“Exactly,” ke said. “Which means someone came to the cabin and killed her. You need to find out anything. I want answers, Mark. Everything!”
“I understand, sir,” Mark replied. “I will start immediately.”
ke ended the call and stared at the dark outline of the forest surrounding the cabin, trying to calm his chaotic mind.
Inside the cabin, he heard his wife still crying. Hearing how sad she was, it pierced his heart like a sharp de, wounding him deeply.
Hurriedly, ke returned to the cabin. He saw Grace sitting beside Natalie, holding her hand as if their daughter were only sleeping.
He stood beside his wife and ced a steady hand on her shoulder.
“Grace,” he said softly. “I promise you. If this is not suicide, I will find out who did this to our daughter. And whoever is responsible will also lose their life!”
Grace looked at him through swollen, tear–filled eyes. In his gaze, she saw grief. But
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more than that, she saw steel. She nodded in agreement with him.
“You should! Or I will never forgive you, ke…”
Several hourster, the Martinez convoy rolled through the iron gates of their city residence.
The mansion, usually bright and lively, stood eerily quiet beneath the night sky.
Lights glowed from every
window.
Word of Natalie’s death had traveled faster than grief itself, and by the time ke stepped out of the car, the entire family was already waiting inside.
Aunts, uncles, cousins, and distant rtives filled the grand hall. Some whispered prayers. Others wept openly.
The moment the coffin was carried in, a chorus of cries erupted, wrapping around the mansion like a funeral shroud.
ke stood still for a moment, staring at the scene as if watching someone else’s nightmare.
His daughter was gone. His wife was shattered. His family was grieving.
And yet, he could not afford to fall apart.
He spent only a few minutes among them, offering brief words of acknowledgment, epting condolences with nods instead of tears.
When an elderly aunt squeezed his hand and whispered, “Stay strong,” he simply inclined his head and stepped away.
He excused himself with a quiet apology and walked toward his home office.
No one stopped him.
They all knew ke Martinez grieved differently. He needs to be alone.
Inside his office, the lights were dim.
ke took a deep sigh as he sat behind the desk like a man preparing for war.
Hours passed.
The mansion outside stayed heavy with mourning. Inside the office, only the ticking
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348 I Will Find Them!
clock and the tapping of ke’s fingers broke the silence.
Then, near midnight, his phone rang.
ke answered immediately. “Mark.”
“Sir,” Mark’s voice came through, tired but sharp. “We have traced all CCTV footage along the roads to Pine Mountain and around the private cabin area. There were no irregrities. No unknown vehicles passed within several miles of the cabin. Only the guards and cabin staff entered or left the area.”
ke leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the ceiling.
“So you are telling me my daughter really ended her own life?” he asked. His voice was cold, sharp, andcked any apparent emotion, like freezing, icy winds bursting out as words.
“No, sir,” Mark answered quickly. “I have not concluded that.”
ke’s fingers stopped tapping.
Mark continued, “But I found something… interesting.”
“Interesting?” ke echoed, curiosity piercing his grief.
“We traced the young miss’s digital footprint from her phone, email, and everything…” Mark said. “And found an interesting lead. Before she was sent to the cabin, she instructed her assistant to contact an assassin group. The target… was Axel Knight’s
wife.”
ke froze.
“She what?” he asked slowly, unsure if his ears had betrayed him.
“She ordered her assistant to contact a hitman,” Mark exined. “The conversation was coded, but after further investigation, we confirmed the assistant reached an underground broker. That broker then connected with Shadow Wolf.”
ke coughed sharply, almost choking. His eyes widened, shock mixing with fury. He had warned Natalie countless times to stay away from Axel Knight. That rivalry was a dangerous battlefield. And yet, she had dared to step onto it anyway.
“Sir? Are you alright?” Mark asked when ke did not respond.
ke cleared his throat. “Continue!” he ordered.
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348 I Will Find Them!
“Sir, we discovered that Shadow Wolf passed the job to another assassin unit for
execution. We are currently tracing their identities and movements. I will report again as soon as we obtain solid information.”
ke closed his eyes briefly. A slow breath filled his chest. “Is there any news about Axel Knight’s wife?” he asked.
“No, sir. No reports concerning her. However…” Mark hesitated. “We received information that Axel Knight stayed in the hospital for three days recently.”
ke’s eyes opened, sharp as des. “Sounds suspicious,” he murmured, a dangerous light flickering in his gaze.
There was a brief pause before Mark spoke again. “Sir… do you think Miss Natalie was killed by Axel Knight?”
ke’s grip on the phone tightened.
everyone
“Do not conclude anything,” ke said, his voice low andmanding. “Locate
who received orders from Shadow Wolf. And tomorrow morning, bring Shadow Wolf’s people and Natalie’s assistant to the usual ce. I will interrogate them myself.”
“Yes, sir,” Mark answered immediately.
The call ended.
ke sat still for a long moment, the office silent around him. His daughter’s smiling face flickered in his mind, followed by the horrifying image of her lifeless body in the
bathtub.
Was it suicide?
Or was it revenge?
Either way, someone had yed with forces far beyond control.
ke stood, straightened his shirt, and walked to the door.
When he stepped back into the hallway, the distant sound of Grace’s muffled sobs reached him from the living room.
He paused, closing his eyes for a heartbeat.
Whether Axel Knight was responsible or not, ke Martinez had already made a vow.
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348 I Will Find Them!
‘If someone took my daughter’s life, I will find them and make them pay!‘
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<strong>Olivia Harris</strong> is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.