Chapter 55
"Did you capture the assassin?" Lilly's grandfather asked.
She nodded, seeing the dangerous look in his eyes. "Bring him to me so I can execute him for killing my granddaughters. Who sent him?" he demanded, teeth clenched. Though he rarely showed emotion, memories of his granddaughters' deaths always brought him to tears.
"Under severe torture, he confessed and revealed those who hired him."
"Who are they?" he asked, eyes blazing with anger.
Lilly reached into her bag, took out her phone, and played a video of the confession, unable to speak the words herself. Her grandfather's gaze shifted to the screen, where a middle-aged man, covered in scars and blood, winced in pain.
"I... was paid to kill them," the man in the video said.
"Who hired you?" Alexander's voice asked off-camera.
"Two women—one young, the other middle-aged. They didn’t tell me their names."
Alexander showed him two photos, and Lilly's grandfather's expression darkened at the sight of the women.
"Recognize her?" Alexander asked, pointing to a photo of Bella.
"Yes, she’s the older woman who paid me."
"And her?" Alexander showed a photo of Kate.
"She came with the older lady and called her mother."
Lilly's grandfather slammed his fist on the table, his anger boiling over. "How dare they! I should have known they were the culprits. I can't believe I let that scum into our family!"
"Guards!" he yelled, and two men rushed in.
"Yes, sir."
"Find Bella and Kate and bring them to the torture room!"
Lilly stood up quickly. "You won't find them," she informed him, causing the men to halt and turn toward her.
"What do you mean, Lilly? They must pay for their crimes!" her grandfather fumed.
"They’re trying to flee the country. Alexander and his men are pursuing them."
He gritted his teeth. "Then I should send more of my men to speed up the search."
"There's no need. Alexander will capture them."
"Do you expect me to just sit here and do nothing?"
"Of course not, Grandfather. We should head to Alexander’s base. He will bring them there once he catches them."
"What are you waiting for? Get the cars ready!" he barked at his men, who rushed to prepare the vehicles.
Soon, they were on their way to the base. As they drove, Lilly noticed her grandfather staring out the window, lost in thought, his face a mask of pain and anger. His clenched fist revealed his inner turmoil.
"How long have you known?" he finally asked, a question she had dreaded. She knew he wouldn’t forgive her if he found out she had known for a while but kept it from him.
"A few months after I disappeared," she confessed.
His eyes blazed with fury as he turned to her.
"I'm sorry for keeping it from you. Victoria and Shigella had just died, and I didn't want to burden you with more bad news."
"Silence!" he snapped, making her shudder. "So Alexander knew before I did? And I accepted Kate into this family, even making her CEO of one of our companies! You let these murderers walk free after they killed your sisters?"
"I'm sorry," she repeated.
"Give me all the evidence. When we reach the base, I will deal with them myself."
"Alexander won’t let you."
"And why not?"
"Because Bella and Kate caused Sandra's accident. She’s in the hospital fighting for her life because of them. I was their real target, but Sandra was hit instead."
He clenched his fist tighter. "They deserve death for all they've done."
***********
Earlier that day, Kate and her mother had gathered their valuables and money, preparing to board a ship when they were suddenly surrounded. They tried to flee in another direction but were blocked by more men in black.
"Not so fast," a familiar voice said. It was James, one of Alexander's closest associates.
"Damn it, we’re finished," Kate muttered, knowing how close James was to Alexander. He must have been sent after them.
"So you’re trying to escape after all the crimes you’ve committed?" James's calm face turned fierce. "Seize them," he ordered, and the men grabbed Kate and her mother. They were injected with a substance that rendered them unconscious.
Hours later, they were doused with ice-cold water, jolting them awake. They found themselves tied to chairs in a dimly lit room, facing two men they couldn't clearly see. Kate saw her mother tied to a chair beside her. The room was dark and filled with ominous tools and bloodstains on the walls and floor.
Three beaten men were dragged in and tied to chairs across from them. Bella recognized two of them—the assassin and the gang leader.
In a nearby room, Alexander watched the scene on a screen. The room he was in was clean and neat, a stark contrast to the torture chamber. He used it to monitor his captives.
"Alexander, they’ve arrived," James said, entering the room.
Alexander stood and followed him out, taking the elevator up to the warehouse. Lilly and her grandfather had just arrived, stepping out of their car to find an empty, dusty warehouse with hidden guards.
"Is this the place?" her grandfather asked, frowning.
"Is this where he told you to bring us?" Lilly asked Pedro, who nodded. "Yes, ma'am, it's here."
Lilly looked around in confusion until she saw an old door open, and Alexander emerged, heading toward them.
Her grandfather turned at the sound of footsteps.
"Alexander," Lilly called, rushing to hug him.
He embraced her, his eyes on her grandfather. "Did you catch them?"
"Yes, and I’ll let you decide their punishment."
"Thank you," Lilly said, hugging him again. She felt relieved knowing Bella and Kate were captured. Soon, everyone would know what they had done.
Alexander and her grandfather exchanged a few words before heading into the base. Lilly was surprised to find the base was underground. She stared at Alexander, puzzled.
"Why is it..."
"Underground?"
She nodded, exactly what she wanted to ask.
"Story for another time."
"Okay."
Her grandfather’s dark expression and tapping foot showed his impatience as they rode the elevator down. When the door opened, they stepped into a hallway with several doors.
Lilly’s grandfather marveled at the young man’s hidden base, wondering how many more he had.
Alexander led them to his monitoring room, clean and orderly. Lilly wondered if all his torture basements were this clean until she saw the screen showing the captives tied to chairs in a blood-stained room filled with torture tools.
"Take me to them," her grandfather demanded, fists clenched in anger.
Alexander nodded and signaled for a guard to escort him. Lilly wanted to follow, but Alexander held her back. He turned her to face him, wiping away her tears and kissing her forehead.
"Why are you stopping me?" she asked.
"Because you can’t go in there."
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