Chapter 128 Shadows in the Warehouse
"I'm not sure. She still hasn't come back—what if something's happened to her?" Paxton's voice cracked with panic, his eyes darting anxiously toward Bianca.
Bianca pressed her lips into a thin line, forcing herself to stay calm.
"Don't panic yet. Let's check the security footage first."
They'd barely taken a step when a phone rang, the sound cutting through the hallway like a knife. It stopped them both cold.
Bianca looked down at her phone.
Her instincts screamed that this call had everything to do with Jasmine's disappearance.
She stopped walking and answered.
Static crackled on the other end, followed by a voice—androgynous, distorted by electronic modulation—that exploded in their ears.
"Bianca. I have Jasmine."
Seven words. Naked threat wrapped in smug satisfaction.
"What do you want? Money?" Bianca's voice remained steady, betraying nothing.
Paxton paced beside her, his face tight with anxiety. He opened his mouth several times to speak, but each time Bianca silenced him with a single look.
"I can meet your demands, but I need proof that Jasmine hasn't been harmed." Her tone stayed level, controlled.
Silence stretched for several seconds. Then came a low laugh.
"Bianca, are you trying to negotiate with me? She's mine now."
The voice remained warped by the electronic filter, but Bianca caught something underneath it—something familiar.
Her eyes narrowed.
She didn't have many enemies. A handful of faces flashed through her mind.
"If you don't want to negotiate, then her fate is in your hands." Bianca's voice was flat, as if discussing something completely inconsequential.
"You're bluff—"
The distorted voice cut off abruptly. The dial tone droned in the silence, and Paxton's heart plummeted.
He nearly lost it. "Are you really Jasmine's cousin? She could be dying right now, and you're just letting them do whatever they want with her?"
Bianca didn't explain. She simply tapped her fingers against her thigh, counting silently in her head.
Whoever called her was clearly after her specifically.
If she was the target, that made things easier.
Time crawled by, each second stretching into agony.
Just as Paxton opened his mouth to speak again, the phone rang.
Bianca's lips curved upward. Her expression remained composed.
This time, the voice on the other end carried obvious irritation.
"Seems like you two aren't as close as the rumors suggest. Jasmine knows you're abandoning her. She's crying her eyes out."
They were trying to provoke her.
But Bianca knew Jasmine's personality too well to fall for it.
Before she could respond, Paxton snapped.
"I'm warning you—don't you dare terrorize Jasmine, or I swear I'll make you pay!" His voice shook with fury and fear.
He raised his hand as if to snatch the phone from Bianca, but froze under her icy stare, his arm suspended in midair.
"Your friend has better sense than you do."
Bianca turned to Paxton, her eyes cold. "I'm the one negotiating here. Or would you prefer to deal with them? After all, you care about Jasmine's life more than I do."
Long silence.
Neither the person on the phone nor Paxton had expected such ruthless words from Bianca.
Weren't Bianca and Jasmine supposed to be close? Why did she seem so indifferent?
Melissa looked helplessly at Blair.
Blair clenched her jaw, her eyes bloodshot, hatred practically spilling out of them. She forced the words through gritted teeth.
"Don't believe her. Stick to the plan."
"If you want Jasmine to live, come alone. I'll guide you by phone." Melissa removed her hand from the mouthpiece and read exactly what Blair had written.
The moment she finished speaking, Blair lunged forward and ended the call.
A vicious smile twisted her lips.
"Bianca, you destroyed me. There's no way in hell I'm letting you off. I'm going to tear apart everything you care about, piece by piece."
Dead silence.
Paxton looked up at Bianca, then quickly dropped his gaze.
The caller's intentions were crystal clear. He couldn't bring himself to demand that Bianca risk her life anymore.
This was a trade—one life for another.
What would she do?
"Don't follow me. I'll bring Jasmine back."
Bianca threw the words over her shoulder and strode toward the exit, checking the location on her phone as she walked.
After several turns, an abandoned warehouse came into view, its crumbling walls stark against the sunlight.
This place was deserted—no surveillance cameras, no passersby.
Could she really do this alone?
She'd have to take it one step at a time.
She'd considered calling for backup, but the risk was too high. If they noticed, Jasmine might pay the price.
She couldn't take that chance.
At least their target was her. They probably wouldn't hurt Jasmine.
Bianca drew a deep breath and walked toward the warehouse with steady steps.
The iron door stood ajar. She shoved it open, the rusted metal groaning under her hands.
Darkness swallowed the interior. Only a few beams of light filtered through holes in the roof, illuminating the dust-covered floor.
"Jasmine." Bianca called out tentatively. No response.
The air reeked of decay.
"Bianca, don't… don't come any closer."
A familiar voice rang out, trembling with emotion—enough to make Bianca miss the subtle electronic distortion underneath.
She ran toward the sound, calling out reassurances. "Don't be scared, Jasmine. I'm here."
The dim light barely penetrated the warehouse's depths.
The voice's source was hidden behind piles of debris, swallowed by shadow.
"Bianca, don't… don't come any closer."
The repetition was identical—same tone, same inflection, no variation in emotion. Bianca's footsteps halted.
Something was wrong.
"Bianca, don't… don't come any closer."
The exact same sentence again. Her urgency evaporated, replaced by cold alertness as she stared into the darkness.
Before she could move, a heavy metallic crash erupted behind her.
The iron door slammed shut, rusted metal shrieking against metal.
Then came the unmistakable sound of a lock clicking into place, thunderous in the warehouse's silence.
"Bianca, don't—"
The voice cut off. A piercing screech of static tore through the air, nearly rupturing her eardrums. Jasmine's voice vanished completely.