But if the knot on Evangeline was a slipknot, why was the one on Poppy a dead knot?


    As the thought crossed his mind, Soren was ovee with such a violent wave of distress that he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.


    "Soren!"


    "Mr. Fawkes!"


    Gregory didn''t have time to think. He immediately called for an ambnce and had the bodyguards help a shaky Poppy get Soren to the hospital.


    With Poppy apanying Soren, Gregory stayed behind to coordinate with the rescue team and the police, trying to figure out a way to search for Evangeline and Finn at the bottom of the cliff.


    The scene devolved into chaos.


    And in the confusion, no one noticed a lone figure quietly slipping away in the distance, quickly turning to disappear.


    By the sea, the salty, damp wind whipped through the air.


    Glenn Carlisle stood in a ck trench coat that pped wildly in the gale. Behind him, Victor Lockridge and hisrge retinue of bodyguards followed in a formidable procession.


    Suddenly, as if sensing something, Victor stopped and raised a hand. A bodyguard hurried to his side and whispered in his ear. Victor narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping from the horizon where the sea met the sky to the surrounding area. "We''ve been here before," Victor stated tly. "Glenn, are you ying me?"


    For more than twenty days, Glenn had been leading them in circles. Victor''s patience had worn thin; if Glenn hadn''t sworn he knew


    Theresa Carlisle''s whereabol


    Victor would have snapped long ago Just a moment before, he had actually believed Theresa was nearby. But now, he was almost certain Glenn was just wasting his time.


    The realization made Victor lick his teeth. His fingers toyed with the gun at his waist before he drew it, spinning it once with practiced ease and aiming it squarely at Glenn.


    Unlike others who would have screamed in terror, Glenn merely met his gaze, his expression unruffled. The area was deserted, a fight here would cause no stir. Besides, he knew that for all of Victor''s madness, his obsession with Theresa was absolute. He wouldn''t dare do anything to jeopardize his only lead.


    As if reading his mind, Victor''s lips twisted into a dangerous smile. "Don''t think I


    won''t touch you just because you''re Tessa''s brother."


    Glenn offered a cool, thin smile in return. "Since you remember that, let me give you a piece of advice."


    "What is it?" Victor asked.


    "Just assume Tessa is already dead," Glenn said, each word deliberate and clear.


    Victor''s yfulsmirk vanished, his


    face turning to stone. "Dead?" He let


    out augh, but it was devoid of


    humor,ced only with menace. He closed the distance between then in slow, deliberate steps. Before Glenn could react, Victor''s fist shot out, burying itself in Glenn''s stomach.


    Glenn grunted in pain, but before he could recover, Victor grabbed him by the cor, yanking him forward until they were face to face. Victor''s eyes were bloodshot, burning with a murderous rage. "Tessa is alive!" he hissed, his voice a low, guttural promise. "She can''t be dead!"


    He spoke with such conviction, as if the sheer force of his will could make it true.


    Ignoring the throbbing pain in his gut, Glenn didn''t correct him. Instead, he asked, "So she''s alive, but she refuses to see you. She sees you as an obstacle, fears you like a monster. How is that any different from her being dead?"


    The words hit their mark. A vein pulsed in Victor''s temple, his crimson eyes churning with fury.