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After hanging up on Xanthe, Elise quickly found that familiar number, took a deep breath, and forced a smile before pressing the call button.

The phone rang ten times before it was answered, and the voice on the other end was still masked by a voice changer.

But if you listened closely, you could sense the danger in his tone, low and menacing. "Elise, you’ve got some nerve calling me now. Aren’t you afraid of exposing yourself?"

Elise knew she was in the wrong and didn’t dare to argue. She lowered her tone and tried to sound sweet.

"I just missed you, that’s all. Why are you so mad at me? I’ve been behaving myself lately, haven’t I?"

"Haven’t offended me?"

His voice grew even darker. "Are you saying today’s explosion has nothing to do with you?"

"Of course not!"

Elise’s response was swift and firm, fearing he’d pin the blame on her. "Even if you gave me ten lives, I wouldn’t dare do something like that, especially with someone you care about in the car. I wouldn’t dare..."

Elise wasn’t worried about being traced back to her because Elowen had executed everything. It had nothing to do with her.

But thinking about the person he cared about dying in the fire, she sighed, "I know how much you liked her, but what’s done is done. You should try to move on..."

After all, dead is dead.

They’re never coming back.

But Elise didn’t know that her words sounded like a huge joke to the person on the other end.

"What did you say?"

The voice on the other end seemed confused by her sudden statement, but then it clicked.

The man let out a cold laugh. "Elise, you still claim you weren’t involved? If you knew nothing, how would you know she was in trouble?"

Elise was stunned.

She had been so happy earlier that she forgot about these details.

But his next words froze her in place, making her feel like she was plunged into an ice bath.

"Forgot to tell you, she’s perfectly fine, safe at home. But you... well, that’s another story."

Elise didn’t hear anything after that.

She only heard "perfectly fine," and her mind was about to explode.

How could that be?

She saw the news herself. The explosion had a death toll in the hundreds. No one on that bridge could have survived.

How could she be "perfectly fine"?

Why, in such a massive accident, did she survive? Why...

Then, a voice came through the phone.

"If she hadn’t been unharmed, do you think I’d be this calm? Elise, I warned you not to touch her, but you ignored me."

"My patience is gone. There won’t be a next time, or I won’t hesitate to show you what I can do!"

Elise let out a sarcastic laugh.

Who did he think he was?

He said not to touch her, and she was supposed to listen?

She had nearly lost her life to get back to Lawrence’s side. Her goal was clear: anyone who stood in her way would die.

Especially Emily.

She didn’t know how Emily escaped the accident, but she wouldn’t let it go.

Emily had to die!

But now, she needed this man’s help, so she couldn’t dwell on this.

She quickly changed the subject. "I told you I didn’t do it. If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do. I called to ask for your help finding my mom. She was taken during the transfer, and now she’s missing!"

"This is your responsibility. If your people weren’t so useless, my mom wouldn’t have disappeared halfway..."

Elise’s biggest fear was that the Wilson family had taken Elowen.

"The most important thing now is to rescue my mom. If the Wilson family took her, they’ll kill her, and my identity will be exposed!"

She had worked so hard to regain Lawrence’s love as Elise. If her identity was exposed and she became Olivia again...

She couldn’t accept it!

Even if Lawrence still wanted her, how would the Parker family see her? How would Emily mock her...

Lawrence could never know what she went through in Lumaria.

But her worries meant nothing to the person on the other end.

He replied slowly, "You really like to dramatize things. Don’t forget, you’re Elise now, not Olivia. What does Elowen’s disappearance have to do with you? Do you even know her?"

With that, he hung up.

Elise stared at her phone, stunned.

A moment later, she realized what he meant, and her eyes lit up.

That’s right.

She was Elise now, not Olivia. Her identity was that of a student returning from abroad. No one would suspect her.

Elowen and Olivia were mother and daughter, but Elise was an outsider.

Realizing this, Elise felt much more at ease.

She knew Elowen wouldn’t reveal her identity, and she would find and rescue Elowen before that happened.

She just hoped Elowen wasn’t taken by the Wilson family. They hated Elowen deeply. If she fell into their hands, she’d be tortured, if not killed.

But what Elise didn’t know was that the worst-case scenario she imagined was exactly what Elowen was experiencing.

In a hidden basement.

Elowen was tied to a chair, facing a grim-faced Ezra.

He had a military background and later went into politics, making him experienced in both command and interrogation.

And Elowen was the prime suspect in Alice’s death. There was no way he’d let her go.

So, getting evidence from her to clear Alice’s name was his responsibility.

The room had only one incandescent lamp hanging above Elowen, its harsh light tormenting her.

It had been four hours.

Even an ordinary person would struggle to endure such torture.

Ezra seized the moment and coldly questioned, "Elowen, I’ll give you one chance. Where were you when Alice had her accident in the hospital?"

After hours of bright light, Elowen’s eyes were lifeless.

But even so, hearing Alice’s name made her bite her lip hard.

Looking at the towering figure of Ezra, she let out a faint, mocking laugh.

"You Wilsons are all the same, always blaming the innocent. Don’t you know how Alice died?"

Ezra’s face turned icy. "Not telling the truth, huh? Let’s see how long you can hold out."