Chapter 383
THIRD PERSON POV
Miss Rose kept shaking her head slowly, tears rolling down her cheeks as she stared at Adrian. Her whole body trembled, not just from fear, but from the deep shock of seeing the man she trusted standing in front of her like this.
“No… no, this can’t be real,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Adrian, why would you do this to me?”
Adrian stood a few steps away from her, his hands tucked into his pockets like he was calm, like nothing serious was happening. His face was blank, almost cold, and that scared her even more.
“What did I ever do to you?” Miss Rose asked, her voice rising as frustration mixed with fear. “Tell me! What did I do to deserve this?”
He sighed softly and tilted his head, studying her like she was some puzzle he had already solved.
“You didn’t do anything,” he replied casually. “Nothing in particular.”
Her brows knitted together in confusion. “Then why?” she cried. “Why am I here?”
A slow smirk appeared on Adrian’s face, one that made her stomach twist.
“You’re just unfortunate,” he said. “You happened to be on the blacklist.”
She squinted her eyes, trying to understand. “Blacklist?” she repeated slowly. “What blacklist? What are you talking about?”
Adrian chuckled under his breath, as if she had asked something amusing. He took a few steps closer, his shoes echoing softly against the cold floor. Miss Rose flinched but couldn’t move because of the ropes holding her tight.
“You’ll understand soon,” he said calmly. “Everything will make sense to you gradually.”
“Adrian, please,” she begged, tears falling freely now. “If you have any heart at all, let me go. I trusted you. I loved you.”
For a brief second, something flickered in his eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly.
“That’s exactly why I’m being nice to you,” he replied. “If you want to avoid being tortured too much while you’re here, you have to cooperate.”
Her eyes widened in horror. “Tortured?” she whispered.
“Yes,” he said plainly. “This place isn’t meant to be comfortable. But because I care about you, you won’t suffer as much, if you comply.”
Miss Rose shook her head violently.
“No… no, you’re lying. You’re not this person. You can’t be.”
Adrian straightened up, his expression hardening.
“This is who I’ve always been,” he said. “You just didn’t see it.”
Silence filled the basement. Miss Rose’s sobs were the only sound as fear wrapped around her tightly. She didn’t know what he wanted from her, or what this blacklist even meant, but one thing was clear, she was in danger.
Adrian turned and began walking towards the stairs. Before leaving, he stopped and glanced back at her.
“Think carefully,” he said. “Your choices from now on will decide how much pain you feel here.”
Then he walked away, leaving her tied to the chair, shaking and terrified.
~
Over at Ashley’s house, the living room was tense and unusually quiet, despite the number of people gathered there. Ashley, Karen, Roland, Damien, and Jacqueline were all seated in different corners of the room, each lost in their own thoughts.
The earlier plan to rest and stay calm had already failed. None of them looked calm.
Ashley stood near the window, his hands in his pockets, staring outside like he was expecting danger to appear at any moment. Roland sat on the couch, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, his jaw tight. Damien paced back and forth, unable to sit still. Jacqueline sat beside Karen, holding her hand gently, while Karen stared blankly at the floor.
“This silence is killing me,” Damien muttered. “Whoever this person is, they’re enjoying this too much.”
Roland nodded. “That’s what scares me the most. He’s not rushing. He wants us scared.”
Ashley exhaled slowly and turned to face them.
“We can’t let fear control us. That’s exactly what he wants.”
Karen finally lifted her head.
“But how do we fight someone we can’t see?” she asked softly. “He knows where we are. He knows our movements and even knows our children.”
Before anyone could respond, Ashley’s phone buzzed loudly in his hand.
The sound was sharp, sudden, and it made everyone freeze.
Ashley frowned and looked down at his phone screen. His expression changed instantly. The color drained from his face.
“What is it?” Roland asked quickly, standing up.
Ashley didn’t respond. His fingers trembled slightly as he tapped the screen.
“It’s… it’s from that number,” Ashley said, trying to sound firm.
Karen’s heart dropped. “Another message?” she whispered.
Ashley swallowed hard. “It’s a video.”
Jacqueline’s eyes widened. “A video of what?”
Ashley hesitated, then pressed play.
The screen lit up, and within seconds, the room filled with a sound that made everyone’s blood run cold.
Miss Rose.
She was tied to a chair, her hands bound tightly behind her back. Her hair was messy, her eyes swollen and red from crying. Her lips trembled as tears streamed down her face. The background was dark and unfamiliar, like a basement or an abandoned room.
Karen gasped loudly. “No… no, no, no…”
“Please,” Miss Rose sobbed through the screen. “Please, save me. I don’t know where I am. I’m scared.”
Jacqueline screamed and covered her mouth with both hands.
“Rose!” she cried, tears spilling instantly.
Damien felt his legs weaken. “Oh my God… oh my God.”
Roland stood frozen, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
“Who did this to her?” he voiced angrily.
Ashley’s heart was pounding violently in his chest as he held the phone. He felt sick.
“She was with us just yesterday,” he said hoarsely. “She was supposed to come back home.”
Karen rushed closer, staring at the screen like it might disappear.
“Rose,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Oh God…”
On the video, Miss Rose sniffed and tried to steady herself.
“They said I’m on some blacklist,” she cried. “I don’t even understand what that means. Please… please help me.”
The video suddenly glitched for a second.
Then her face disappeared and the screen went black.
Before anyone could react, an automated, cold voice echoed in the room, coming directly from the phone’s speaker.
“This is just the beginning.”
Silence crashed over the room like a heavy weight.
Karen collapsed onto the couch, shaking violently.
“This can’t be happening,” she cried. “This can’t be real.”
Jacqueline dropped to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
“This is my fault,” she cried. “I should have stopped her from going out. I should have gone with her.”
Damien knelt beside her, pulling her into his arms.
“This is not your fault,” he said firmly, though his own voice was shaking. “Don’t blame yourself.”
Roland turned sharply to Ashley.
“This person has crossed a line,” he said darkly. “Now it’s not just threats. It’s kidnapping.”
Ashley nodded slowly, his jaw tight. “He wanted us to see this,” he said. “He wanted us to panic.”
Karen hugged herself tightly. “He knows how to hurt us,” she whispered. “One by one.”
Roland’s eyes burned with anger. “Whoever he is,” he said, “he made a big mistake.”
Ashley looked down at the phone in his hand, replaying the words in his mind.
“This is just the beginning.”
His heart sank, because deep down, he knew the voice wasn’t lying.