Chapter 448
Chapter 448:
“You’re actually alive,” Danica whispered, and the sob she had been holding finally broke free.
Nathan was standing close by. He gave her a gentle nudge — a reminder of why they had called.
Danica pulled herself together. “Kristine, listen. Something serious has happened p>
“Tell me p>
“The deer antler. Have you seen the news p>
“I know about it. What’s wrong p>
“A reporter got hold of security footage from the cultural exchange event. You can be seen going up to the second floor. Now it’s all over the internet — people are saying you deliberately damaged the antler to get back at Elyse for taking your place.” Danica’s voice dropped. “It’s everywhere p>
Kristine’s first thought was immediate and practical. “Does Colton know I’m not actually dead p>
“I’m not certain, but if he checks his phone at all, he’s going to see your face on every screen,” Danica said. “Have you been able to reach Mr. Edwards p>
𝗠𝘰𝗿e 𝗇о𝘃е𝘭𝘴 oո
“Asher p>
“Yes. He’s gone completely silent. We need him back here to contain this p>
“I’ll try him right now,” Kristine said.
They hung up, and she dialed Asher immediately. The line rang out to voicemail. She tried Tripp. Same result.
She took a slow breath, opened her browser, and looked at the damage.
The story had already gone international. Even Evira’s local news outlets were running it.
Kristine obviously did this out of spite. She’s always been jealous of Elyse.
That antler is priceless. If she destroyed it over a personal grudge, she should be prosecuted.
Lock her up.
She needs to face consequences for this.
Kristine’s eyes went cold as she read through it.
A loud knock came at the door.
She walked out of her room. Davin was already there, pulling it open.
Vinson stood in the hallway. He usually carried himself with a quiet, composed ease — now he looked taut with urgency. “Ms. Green, we are no longer safe here. We need to leave immediately p>
“What’s happening p>
“A crowd has gathered downstairs. They’re outside with signs, demanding justice for the artifact p>
Kristine’s frown deepened.
People didn’t mobilize this quickly on their own, and they certainly didn’t find someone’s address this fast without help. This had been arranged. Someone had pointed them here deliberately.
“Where do we go?” she asked.
“We still can’t reach Mr. Edwards,” Vinson said. “I don’t know the destination yet — but we need to move first and figure it out from there p>
Kristine turned to Davin. “What do you think p>
He blinked, visibly surprised to be asked.
As a bodyguard, his role had always been to act, not to be consulted. Being asked for his opinion was unfamiliar — and something about it steadied him.
He considered it for a moment. “Agreed. We leave first p>
“Then let’s go.” Kristine went back to her room, grabbed what mattered, and returned. “Ready p>
Both men moved to flank her as they made their way out of the building. No one stopped them in the corridors or the lobby. They crossed the ground floor without incident and pushed through to the parking lot.