CHAPTER 346
Arianna took a steadying breath, her eyes shut tightly.
“Be careful, Ronald,” she said, her voice soft but urgent.
Without wasting another second, she moved to the backseat, carefully helped Renee out of the car, and supported her as they made their way toward the elevator at the far end of the parking lot.
Ronald climbed into the driver’s seat, his jaw set with determination. He manoeuvred the car out of the hidden corner and headed toward the exit of the underground parking lot.
The sound of screeching tyres echoed behind him as the four pursuing cars spotted him and accelerated in his direction, closing the gap rapidly.
Despite his best efforts to outrun them, the damage to the vehicle slowed him down. Within moments, the pursuing cars flanked him from all sides, forcing him to slam on the brakes.
As the vehicles boxed him in, Ronald remained calm. He watched in the rearview mirror as one of the men stepped out of the lead car. It was the bodyguard, looking far more alert than before.
The bodyguard strode toward Ronald’s car with an air of confidence. He yanked open the driver’s door, expecting to find Renee and Arianna inside. Instead, his face darkened when he saw only Ronald sitting there, staring back at him.
“Where are they?” the bodyguard demanded, his voice tight with frustration.
Ronald shrugged, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
“Not here.”
The bodyguard’s eyes narrowed as realization hit him. Furious, he pulled out his phone and called Brian.
“Sir, we’ve been tricked. The women are gone.”
................
Meanwhile, Arianna moved quickly through the mall with Renee by her side. They stopped briefly at a clothing store, where Arianna purchased two sets of plain outfits to help them blend in. After helping Renee with her new clothes, she discarded their old ones in a nearby bin.
Rather than risk calling a taxi, Arianna guided Renee toward the subway station that connected to the mall. The bustling crowd offered them the perfect cover as they moved with the flow of commuters and slipped onto a train heading out of the city.
Arianna exhaled softly, her grip on Renee steady but protective. For now, they were safe.
Arianna spotted an empty seat in the crowded subway train and gently told Renee,
"You can sit here and take a break."
As Renee sat down, Arianna stood in front of her, holding onto the handrail with one hand while she took out her phone with the other. She called Selby again, but once a more robotic voice answered:
“The number you have dialled is currently switched off.”
Renee looked disappointed and worried.
Arianna knelt beside her, took her cold hands, and said firmly,
“Don’t lose hope. I promise we’ll find Professor Cornwell. We will get to him, no matter what.”
After a long hour and a half, Arianna finally helped Renee up the steps to Selby’s villa. When they reached the front door, she rang the doorbell, her heart racing.
Footsteps sounded from inside, growing louder until the door swung open.
Arianna froze, her eyes wide in shock at the man in front of her.
Brian stood there, a wicked smile spreading across his face as he locked eyes with them.
"Well, well," he sneered.
"Looks like you've walked right into the lion’s den."
Arianna's instincts kicked in. She grabbed Renee’s arm and turned to run, but their way out was blocked. Five large bodyguards appeared behind them, preventing any chance of escape.
Soon, they were pushed inside by the men and made to sit on the couch.
Arianna’s sharp gaze swept the room. Empty wine bottles covered the coffee table, and the overflowing ashtray was filled with cigarette butts. The lingering smell of smoke hinted that Selby had been there not long before.
Turning to Brian, her expression hardened.
“Where is Professor Cornwell?” she asked, keeping her voice steady even though dread twisted in her stomach.
Brian lounged casually on the single-seater sofa across from her, his sharp gaze flickering to her face as he responded to her question with a mocking smirk.
“Mrs. King, do you think now is the time to ask about him? Were you expecting my son to come storming in to save you both?”
Just then, a familiar voice came from the staircase. Sarah descended gracefully, a smug expression on her face as she walked toward them.
“Don’t hold your breath. Selby’s upstairs resting. He won’t be coming to your rescue.”
Resting…
Arianna’s lips curled into a faint, bitter smile. She didn’t need to ask to know what that meant. Selby had likely been drugged or forced into submission.
Renee’s breathing grew ragged as she realized the same. Her emotions spiralled out of control, and she leaned forward, glaring at Brian and Sarah.
“What did you do to him?!”
The bodyguards reacted instantly, forcing her back down into the seat. The pressure made her wince, pain flashing across her face as she struggled.
Arianna turned to her urgently. “Please, Renee, stay calm. Selby is their son. They won’t hurt him. Don’t let them use this to hurt you.”
Renee clenched her jaw, trembling, but Arianna’s steady tone helped her regain some composure. She took a shaky breath and forced herself to relax.
Brian’s eyes narrowed on Arianna, a cold smirk tugging at his lips.
“You’re remarkably composed for someone in such a precarious position, Mrs. King.”
Though Brian held no personal grudge against Arianna, he wasn’t blind to the complications she brought. The King family might not hold much power, but as the favoured wife of Xander King, she carried significant weight.
For now, he had to tread carefully—Xander was not a man to cross lightly.
Unfortunately, Brian could not see himself as anything but justified. After all, it was Arianna who had dared to interfere in matters that were better left alone.
Arianna shifted her gaze from Renee to Brian, her lips curling into a faint, defiant smile.
“Let me guess—you wouldn’t spare us even if we begged for our lives, would you?”
Brian’s eyes gleamed with icy malice as he nodded without hesitation.
“You’re right.”
His gaze hardened as it fell on Renee, his voice turning sharp and unyielding.
“The dead are the only ones who can be trusted to keep secrets. I learned that the hard way, and now I have to clean up this mess because of my mistake!”
Sarah stepped closer, her expression twisted with resentment as she addressed Renee directly.
“We were generous the first time. We let you live and gave you food, shelter, and everything you needed. All you had to do was stay in that facility quietly, but you just had to run and try to ruin us. You don’t know how good you had it, do you?”
Arianna chuckled suddenly, the sound cutting through the tense room like a blade. It was sharp and ironic, her laughter dripping with mockery.
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