Chapter 144 – The Name on the List
I stood outside Elara’s door long after the others had walked away. Not exactly at her door but close. Close enough to hear their conversation.
My face was calm. My hands were relaxed at my sides. Anyone who looked at me would think I was simply waiting. Or maybe giving Edward and Elara privacy.
But my ears were sharp. Every word she said, I heard them all.
When I finally stepped away from the door, I walked down the hallway slowly. My footwear made no sound against the polished floor.
By the time I reached my room and closed the door behind me, I had already made my first decision.
I pulled out my phone. My thumb hovered over Damien’s name.
My first instinct was simple. Call him and tell him they plan to raid earlier than expected so he makes sure the warehouse goes down in flames before then.
But I didn’t press the call button immediately.
Instead, I sat down on the edge of my bed and leaned forward, elbows on my knees.Think.
If Edward’s team arrived and found the place already burning, what would that mean? The place becomes history. They might not go into a deep investigation.
But if they get there earlier and start a proper investigation, they could discover ownership papers, history and records of that warehouse.
The land belonged to Edward’s late father.
The operations there began long before my father ever got involved.
My father had always been careful. He never directly signed any documents. Never kept what didn’t need keeping. He stayed clean.
Edward’s father did not.
And Damien…
I let out a slow breath.
Damien never had a choice.
His late father’s debt had tied him to my family like a chain. Helping me run the place was the only way to clear it. That was the deal. That was survival.
If the warehouse survived the raid, if Edward’s team stopped the fire and uncovered documents, it wouldn’t lead to me.
It would lead to Edward’s family name.
The irony almost made me laugh.
So no.
I would not interfere.
Let things play out.
Let fate do what it wanted.
If the warehouse burned, it burned.
If it didn’t, the blame would not fall on me.
I leaned back slowly against the bed.
But then the thought of the girl returned to my mind.
The young girl Elara talked about.
My jaw tightened.
What if she was one of the slaves who escaped?
Damien had hired hunters for.
And what if Elara saw her because she was important?
Why did that part of the vision bother me more than the fire?
I stood up again, pacing now.
Silverpine Ravine.
Old stone bridge.
Deep river.
If the girl reached there, she would have nowhere else to go.
Was she one of ours?
Or something more?
I grabbed my phone again and finally pressed Damien’s name.
It rang. Once. Twice. Three times. No answer.
I frowned and ended the call.
I tried again immediately. Ring. Ring. Nothing.
“Pick up,” I muttered under my breath.
Still nothing. I called again. And again.
By the fifth attempt, irritation began creeping into my chest.
By the seventh, my jaw was tight.
Seven times. No answer. I lowered the phone slowly.
Damien would never ignore my calls without reason unless Kian and the raid team were already near.
That meant things were already moving.
I scrolled down and tapped Garrett’s name.
He answered on the second ring.
“Boss.”
“What’s the situation?” I asked calmly.
“We’ve recovered nine out of the fourteen.”
"So five are missing." I said.
I forced my tone to remain even.
“And the warehouse?”
A short pause.
“We cleared what we could. I’m about to light it up now.”
"Alright." I said. “And Garrett.”
“Yes boss?”
“Send me the full details of the five still missing.”
“Okay Sir, I’ll forward everything right after this call.”
“Don’t delay.”
“I won’t.”
The line disconnected.
For a moment, I just stared at the dark screen.
Then I exhaled slowly.
It was happening.
Exactly like she said.
The warehouse would burn.
The hunters were chasing a bleeding girl near the northern forest. I'm convinced she's one of my slaves.
My phone buzzed in my hand. A message from Garrett.
I opened it immediately.
A document.
Five names.
Basic descriptions.
I scanned the first quickly. Male. Twenty-three.
Second. Female. Nineteen.
Third. Male. Seventeen.
Fourth. Female. Fifteen.
Then my eyes moved to the fifth.
And everything inside me froze. Felix.
The name Felix hit me like a punch to the chest.
I stared at it again, making sure I wasn’t imagining it.
Felix, Elara’s brother is one of the five missing.
My fingers tightened around the phone so hard my knuckles turned white.
“No,” I whispered. Out of everyone. Him?
My mind started racing. I needed to keep Felix for leverage in case of my future plans and now he was one of the missing five.
I felt anger rising fast and hot inside me.
At Damien. At the situation.
I threw the phone onto the bed, running my hands through my hair.
“Damn it,” I hissed.
How could Damien let this happen?
Why wasn’t he answering?
Did he even know Felix was among the escapees?
Or did he think I wouldn't find out?
Felix was not just another number.
He was Elara’s weakness.
And now I've lost him.
My thoughts were spiraling now.
I grabbed my phone again and tried Damien one more time.
Straight to ringing.
No answer.
I wanted to smash the phone against the wall.
Instead, I forced myself to breathe. Think.
If Felix was still missing, he was likely running and hiding well.
I felt something cold settle in my stomach.
I looked down at the phone screen again.
Felix’s name stared back at me. My jaw clenched so tightly it hurt.
And in that moment, I knew one thing clearly.
The warehouse was about to become ash. But I need to find Felix before anyone does.