Chapter 57 Finding The Wrong Answers
Chapter 57 Finding The Wrong Answers
Elena
By the time it was noon and the sun was already out to its highest point, I couldn't keep still anymore.
I know I had been trying to act all tough and shit, but that was a little bit of a lie.
I was beyond bothered…no matter how hard I tried to remove it from my mind.
Alexander hadn’t come to check on me.
Victoria’s smile still slithered in my mind like poison.
And the message… that cursed message wouldn’t stop haunting me.
If you want to know the truth about your father… call me.
The text had read.
The unknown number hadn't texted me again since then, but they had already given me the location. I just had to go there and hear things for myself.
I stared at the address until the letters blurred. Something about this message filled me with so much dread; it was not like anything else. It didn't feel this way when I was trailing after John West. I wanted to believe that it was as a result of the pregnancy and its hormones, but then every instinct in my being screamed danger, but my heart… my heart kept whispering to me that my answers were right here. I had to make up my mind to get those answers.
And I was done living in the dark.
I dressed up in a black hoodie over black denim jeans and slipped into the garage, forcing my emotions deep down into the pit of my stomach.
I met a few guards at the garage, and they looked inquisitively at me. I had to clear my throat to sound confident.
“I took permission from Alexander," I said in a surprisingly calm voice. “I'm stepping out of the estate for some fresh air." I lied without blinking.
The two guards exchanged glances before reluctantly nodding.
Relieved, I let out a silent breath and slipped into one of Alexander's latest cars, which was an Audi, and as soon as I got in, I inhaled deeply.
The car smelled faintly of Alexander, reminding me of the night before, the way he had held me, touched me… used me.
Because that was what he had done, and I was too emotional to realize it then.
No. I wouldn’t think about him, I told myself.
Especially not when he had sat there silently and watched Victoria mock me like I was nothing. Even though I knew I was nothing to him.
I clenched the steering wheel.
“But I’m not nothing,” I muttered to myself and ignited the engine of the car.
The drive to the location felt endless. I thought I was actually driving into the heart of the city, but my GPS seemed to have a mind of its own. I had to cross-check to make sure it wasn't malfunctioning, because the farther I went, the more civilisation seemed to fade. The city's glamorous cafés vanished, replaced by narrow roads and abandoned buildings.
I was beginning to become skeptical about coming here all by myself.
When I finally pulled up, confusion knotted my brows.
This was the address?
I looked around the place and saw that it was a broken-down structure that was now made of half glass and half rust. The building was surrounded by weeds and…. silence.
The Glasshouse.
This was the glasshouse café?
Nothing about it looked remotely like a café. It looked more like a place where criminals hid bodies.
My breath hitched.
Maybe I should turn back…
But turning back meant remaining ignorant. That meant weakness.
And I was no weakling.
“No,” I muttered to myself and stepped forward.
I walked into the unfinished structure with my footsteps echoing behind me. My heart kept thrashing against my ribs as I brought out my phone and dialled the number.
It rang. Thank goodness.
But no one picked up.
That felt odd.
They were supposed to be expecting me, but why was no one picking up?
I kept calling the line, but still no one picked up, and that made me more confused.
Then I heard a faint sound. It was coming from deeper inside the building.
The sound of a phone ringing.
My blood chilled.
That meant two things:
Firstly, the phone number I was calling was right inside the building, so I had arrived at the right place.
And secondly, the person was probably in there but was refusing to answer, which made me more curious to know why.
Still, I followed the noise. I kept hearing the phone ring till I got around a concrete pillar…
Past some shattered glass… and into a deeper corner of the building…
And once I got there, I froze.
A man lay sprawled on the dusty floor, lifelessly. His eyes were glassy with his mouth slightly open.
He was….dead.
The ringing phone was right beside his limp hand.
“No… no no no…” I whispered, stumbling back and feeling really scared now.
Yet another dead end.
Just like John West.
My stomach lurched.
God no!
This wasn't supposed to be. My knees threatened to buckle under me.
This had to have been a definite clue to what happened to my father. And my enemies were one step ahead of me. They had succeeded in getting yet another witness off the chart. Again.
I stepped forward on shaky feet, wondering whether it was okay to remain here with the dead body, and reached for his pocket. Maybe there was a clue… some note hinting at what happened to my father or something…
But then I immediately jerked back when I heard a loud sound!
BANG!
The sound of a gunshot exploded in the air.
I instinctively screamed and dove behind a pile of debris, scared.
More shots followed. They were rapid and ruthless. And shooting in different directions. I just knew whoever was behind this was after me.
Soon I heard the sound of shouting voices clashing together, accompanied by the loud gunshots.
These weren’t just random gunshots, they were looking for something.
They were looking for me.
My hands flew to my stomach instinctively and I tried to shield the life inside.
No,no, no, no.
This wasn't supposed to be the end!
Hot tears streaked down my face and my breath refused to obey me, it kept coming out in sharp and terrified gasps.
This was the first time I was genuinely terrified. Not even the last attack came close to this.
I just knew that this was the end for me.
After everything, this was how I would die, hunted, trapped, alone. Without finding out the truth about my father.
“Please God…” I sobbed under my breath as I hid. “Please… I can’t… my baby…”
The gunfire continued and I shut my eyes to shut the sound out, but that clearly wasn't working. Each gunshot sent me shrieking in shock and it seemed like the sound was drawing closer to where I was.
Holy shit!
My eyes flew open and I gripped my hoodie tightly.
Suddenly, the gunfire stopped. Everywhere became silent. I dared not make a move but my heart kept thudding frantically in my chest.
Had they found out my hiding place?
Footsteps began to approach slowly.
They had found out where I was hiding.
The footsteps grew closer.
And Closer.
Closer.
I bit into my palm to stop myself from screaming and squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the final shot.
Then, a single gunshot.
It was so close that the sound shook through me.
I flinched, believing I had been hit, and believing that the world would fade into darkness at any second…
This was the end for me.
“Elena!” I heard a familiar voice call and my eyes flew open.
“Elena!” The voice again, it was frantic, raw and breathless.
Alexander!
I peeked out from behind the rubble even as my vision was blurred with tears.
He was standing there, chest heaving with a weapon still smoking in his hand, and eyes that were wild as if he had been to hell and fought his way back.
He looked like a man seconds away from losing his sanity.
“Alexander!” I choked out a sob and stumbled to my feet. I didn’t care how pathetic I sounded.