Chapter 104: NO GOODBYE 2

Mike’s POV

The atmosphere inside the car was suffocatingly heavy. It felt as though every corner of the vehicle was filled with ice-cold air.

Ever since I woke up, Elba had grown entirely cold toward me. I couldn't understand if I had done something wrong. Her mood had drastically changed, and though I tried to strike up a casual conversation to figure out where I stood, she simply insisted she was completely fine.

When Xender finally pulled over to pick us up, I immediately noticed the odd, heavy tension between him and Alda as well. I could tell something was terribly wrong. On top of that, Alda sat in the back seat by the window with her head resting back, looking totally out of it.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I gladly granted Elba’s quiet request to sit in the back beside Alda. I made my way to the front passenger seat and sat beside Xender, keeping silent.

He looked incredibly distressed. Even as he drove, he seemed unfocused, his mind clearly miles away. From the dark circles under his eyes, I could tell he hadn't gotten much sleep last night.

My gaze traveled up to the rearview mirror, resting on Elba. Her eyes were closed, and her long hair fell softly to the side of her face. I could tell she wasn't actually sleeping, but I just couldn't comprehend what was happening between us.

I had hoped to part ways seeing her smile, but it seemed I wouldn't be getting that.

What a wonderful way to start the day.

Siofra's POV

I just couldn't understand it. First, I met Alda, who was crying her eyes out before I could even give her the good news about connecting with my spirit guides—even though I wasn't entirely sure if finding them meant reconnecting to the gemstones' power.

I had tried to assure her that I wasn't going to leave her to die, not after everything we had been through together, but it didn't even begin to shake her out of her depressive state.

But what I absolutely wasn't expecting was meeting Elba in almost the exact same miserable situation.

“Are you both kidding me? What is with this mood?” I grunted out of sheer frustration, sitting squeezed between two ladies who were drowning in feelings I couldn't quite comprehend yet.

“Did you find them?” Elba asked, her voice cold and detached. Anyone who had seen how sweet and affectionate she was around Mike would probably think she was a completely different person right now.

“Fortunately,” I replied. This was definitely not the relieved reaction I had expected from either of them. I sighed, already feeling dejected by the whole thing.

“Alda?” I called out, turning to my left to face her. She ignored me entirely, her gaze glued stubbornly to the window.

I let out another sigh and went quiet, matching the silence of everyone else.

Soon, Xender pulled up in front of a security gate. A guard immediately stepped out to confirm his identity before opening the gates, allowing Xender to drive past the main house and stop at the private parking lot.

We all climbed out of the car, and Xender led us to a massive, open field surrounded by tiered audience seats.

“This should be enough space, right?” Xender asked, turning toward Elba.

“This is more than enough. We won't give the portal a chance to draw a dangerous current,” Elba replied coolly, before turning her back to face Alda and me.

I sighed and turned to Alda. “Are you ready?”

She nodded slowly. “Let's get it over with,” she said, immediately walking past Xender and heading further into the field.

“Alda!” I called, chasing after her. When she finally stopped, she extended her hand toward me.

I stared down at her open hand, refusing to take it. My gaze drifted past her to Xender, who just stood there looking utterly helpless beside Mike.

“What are you waiting for? Take my hand,” she urged, keeping her eyes averted from Xender.

“Are you really going to leave without saying anything to him?” I asked.

“What would you have me say, Siofra? 'Oh, Xender, this might be my final goodbye, please remember me' or something?” she voiced in bitter frustration.

“I don't know. I mean, you're the one who was lecturing me about love, so you should know what to do,” I retorted, feeling helpless.

“If I walk up to him, or even as much as meet his gaze, I might never leave,” she said, her voice cracking with a deep pain that left me with a sudden pang of guilt. “So you better take my hand now, while I'm still willing to do this.”

“Do as she says. Let's get out of here,” Elba interrupted, making me roll my eyes in sheer annoyance.

“Fine. As you wish,” I muttered in total surrender. I had no plans of letting Alda die, anyway. One way or another, I planned to bring her back here alive. She deserved to be happy. We all did.

I gripped her hand tightly, taking deep breaths as the portal slowly began to materialize. The strong, circular wind started to spin, growing wider by the second.

“Okay, I think we need to go now before—” My voice died out as Elba walked right past me, moving magnetically toward the swirling vortex.

“Are you both coming or not?” she called back, standing right at the edge of the portal without looking behind her.

I didn't know why she always had to be so incredibly annoying. Letting out a frustrated groan, Alda and I quickly made our way toward her.

“You two should consider working as one body once we are inside,” Elba warned. “And Alda... grab my hand as tightly as you can.”

Before I could even ask her what she meant by that, she dragged us both forward, pulling us directly into the roaring force of the wild wind storm.

Xender's POV

Mike’s mouth was practically hanging open until the portal that Alda and her friends had conjured completely vanished, taking them with it.

“This is crazy. This is absolutely insane,” Mike breathed, staring at the empty air where they had stood just seconds ago.

“Tell me about it,” I muttered, lacking the energy to show any real wonder. I turned to make my way back to the car, Mike's heavy footsteps falling in sync beside mine.

“You had a fight with her, didn't you?” Mike asked gently once we were both buckled back into the car.

Ignoring his question, I turned the key and kicked the engine to life.

“Please get ready for the autopsy,” I said, my voice cold and focused. “Charles and I have finally gotten Miss Anna to agree to testify. Between her testimony and the autopsy results, I think she might be our key to finally bringing Seth in as a prime suspect.”

I gripped the steering wheel tighter. This was my new mission. Get Seth exactly where he belonged, and expose his real, monstrous identity to the world.

“I already have people looking into his past,” I continued. “Because I refuse to believe Seth just woke up one day and turned against his wife and her family out of nowhere.”

“Okay, Xender,” Mike sighed, leaning back against his seat. “I just hope you're right about Miss Anna actually having evidence that can help us drag Seth down.”

“Don't worry about that. I have multiple traps set for him, just in case he tries to buy his way out of this,” I said, stepping on the gas and driving us out of the compound.

If Alda was fighting her war in her realm, I was going to fight mine here

Our mission now was to drag Seth straight to hell.