Chapter 96 The Eagle’s Gaze

Chapter 96 The Eagle’s Gaze
The car finally came to a halt in front of The Abyss, a nightclub whose name perfectly captured the darkness within.

River didn't turn off the engine immediately. He gripped the steering wheel tightly. The silence inside the cabin felt suffocating after his last question had gone unanswered.

"Emily, I’m asking you one more time," River turned to her, his voice lower now, more dangerous. "What do you mean by Aunt Helena working with Rudolf?"

Emily stared straight at the club’s entrance, guarded by two massive men. Their eyes, though swollen from crying, now flickered with a cold, sharp light.

"Yes, the owner of this nightclub is Helena, and she’s the one who forced me to become a dancer here. All this time, she’s been lying to our father."

River gasped. He wanted to argue, but he knew Emily wasn't the type to hallucinate.

"Let me out here," Emily said flatly as she reached for the door handle.

"Wait!" River snapped. "Think about this, Emily. If you go back in there, you and Louei will only suffer more and Ethan definitely won't just sit back and watch."

"That’s the problem, River," Emily exhaled heavily. "Ethan will destroy everything with his temper. Meanwhile, I need proof of Helena’s crimes and that mysterious man. Oh, and one more thing Helena holds secret meetings on the top floor of this club every Friday night. And tonight is the night."

"You’re crazy," River whispered in frustration. "You’re risking your life for evidence that might not even be there. Just go back to Ethan. Let him handle the rest. He loves you, despite that suffocating possessiveness of his."

Emily gave a bitter smile, one that didn't reach her eyes. "Love me? He loves me the way a collector loves a pricey antique. He locks me in a beautiful glass box while the people who destroyed my life laugh freely outside. If I go back to him without the heads of those who made me suffer and without proof of Helena’s betrayal toward my father, I’ll just be a weak trophy forever. I don’t want Louei to grow up seeing his mother as a helpless victim."

River slammed his hand against the steering wheel. "And if you die in there? Who’s going to look after Louei?"

"I won't die," Emily answered firmly. "I already died the night they threw me over that cliff. All that’s left now is the remnants of a rage demanding closure."

Emily opened the car door while cradling Louei in her arms. The cold night air and the pungent smell of cigarette smoke immediately rushed in. She stepped out, standing tall even though her thin dress offered no protection against the bone chilling wind.

River got out as well and intercepted her on the sidewalk. "Emily, please. At least let me go in as your bodyguard."

"No," Emily refused firmly. "Your face is too well known as Ethan’s right hand. If you walk in, alarms will go off in Rudolf's head. I’m going in as 'Laurance,' the identity they've known all along."

River looked at Emily with an unreadable expression a mix of admiration for his sister's resolve and deep seated fear. He watched the transformation of the woman before him. The once soft and shy Emily was gone, replaced by someone as hard as steel.

"I’ll wait nearby," River said finally, giving in to her stubbornness. "If they so much as lay a finger on you, I’m storming in with all my men. I don't care if it starts an all out war tonight."

Emily nodded slightly. "Thank you, River. I trust you to watch my back."

Without looking back, Emily headed toward the back entrance used by the staff. She slipped into the shadows, merging with the noise that began to swallow her whole.

Emily walked slowly through a narrow, cramped hallway where the scents of cheap perfume and spilled alcohol fought for space. She tightened her hold on Louei, who was fast asleep, wrapped in a thin blanket.

"I'm sorry, my darling ... Mommy promises we’ll get out of this hell soon."

Just as Emily was about to open her room door, a sharp, familiar voice pierced through the noise.

"Emily! Where have you been?"

Emily froze. She turned around to find Helena standing behind her with a terrifying glare. Although the woman looked elegant in a black silk gown, in Emily's eyes, every inch of jewelry Helena wore felt like a sham.

"None of your business," Emily replied, trying to keep her voice level.

Helena approached, gripping Emily’s chin with her long, red painted nails. "None of my business? You’ve been gone all day! Don’t forget who gave you a place to stay, Emily."

Helena released her grip roughly and pointed toward the main stage, where the bass was starting to throb. "No more excuses. Get changed and get on that stage. The VIP guests are waiting, and Mr. Othega wants to see you dance tonight. If you disappoint me again, you know the consequences."

Emily nodded slowly. She needed access to the top floor, and the only way to move without suspicion was to play Helena’s game.

"Don't worry, I know exactly when to repay your 'kindness,' Helena," she countered flatly. With that, Emily entered her room and locked the door behind her.

"Helena ... just wait. Your day of ruin is coming."

Emily gently laid Louei on the bed, her eyes fixed on her sleeping son.

"Be patient, sweetheart ... we’ll be out of here soon."

Emily quickly changed into a sexy outfit and covered her beautiful face with a mask of deception.

"Emily, tonight you end it all."

With determined steps, she left the room and entered the stage hall where high class men were already waiting for her.

Spotlights began to sweep across the stage. Heavy techno music pounded in her chest, triggering both adrenaline and a wave of nausea. She stepped into the center of the stage, wearing a black lace mask that covered half her face. Down below, among the crowd of people hungry for entertainment, cigarette smoke hung thick like fog.

Emily’s body began to move seductively, but her eyes constantly scanned the corners of the room, looking for Rudolf or the door to the secret staircase.

Suddenly, her gaze locked onto a man at a dimly lit corner table. The man wore a black leather jacket and a cap pulled low, a sharp contrast to the other bourgeois guests. He looked like a bodyguard or a low level worker spending his wages.

However, as the man tilted his head slightly to take a sip of his drink, Emily nearly lost her footing.

That sharp jawline. That gaze as piercing as an eagle’s.

"Ethan ..."