Chapter 167
Chapter 168
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After several minutes of driving, Mr. Whitfield finally parked his car beside a small dry-cleaning shop located just a short distance from his own residence. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary family business, but the moment he stepped out of the car, a smile spread across his face.
Inside the shop stood a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard and warm brown eyes. The moment he noticed Mr. Whitfield approaching, his face lit up.
Mr. Whitfield raised his hand with a broad smile. “Assalamu alaikum p>
The greeting came out with such a thick but cheerful accent that Ryan almost laughed.
The man immediately bowed his head respectfully before replying with a wide grin, “Wa alaikum assalam! “He then began speaking rapidly in Arabic, his hands moving animatedly as though teasing an old friend.
Mr. Whitfield laughed loudly.
“I only understand half of what you’re saying,” he replied in broken Arabic, mixing in a few English words.
The man burst into laughter, correcting his pronunciation before saying something else that made Mr. Whitfield laugh even harder.
Watching the exchange, Ryan could instantly tell they were close friends. Their conversation wasn’t formal in the slightest. They joked, interrupted each other, and laughed like people who had known each other for years.
When they finally finished laughing, Ryan politely bowed his head.
“It’s nice meeting you, sir p>
The man smiled warmly and returned the greeting before looking toward Mr. Whitfield curiously
Mr. Whitfield scratched his head before speaking slowly in very simple English. “CCTV… old video we need look p>
The man frowned for a second before blinking in understanding.
“Ohhh… CCTV p>
Mr. whitified nodded and pleaded that need it very urgently.
He immediately nodded before disappearing into a small storage room. A minute later, he returned carrying a large transparent jar.
Ryan’s eyes widened. The jar was completely filled with memory cards. Not five or ten Hundreds of them
Even more surprising, every single one was carefully arranged and labeled. Each memory card had its year written clearly on it.
Even inside each year’s section, every card had its month written neatly across it January February
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March p>
Everything was perfectly organized.
Mr. Whitfield chuckled as he noticed Ryan’s expression.
“Shocking, right?” he said with a grin. “He’s probably the most organized man I’ve ever met. Instead of deleting old recordings and reusing memory cards like everyone else, he buys a brand-new card every month, labels it, and stores it inside this jar according to the year p>
Ryan stared at the collection in amazement.
“That’s… incredible p>
The shop owner smiled proudly before handing the jar over. Mr. Whitfield rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“If I remember correctly, that incident happened sometime around February p>
He searched through the labeled cards before pulling out one marked February.
“There it is.” He smiled gratefully at the shop owner. “Thank you p>
The man simply waved his hand with another cheerful smile.
The three of them then connected the memory card to a computer inside the shop. Immediately, hours
of surveillance footage appeared on the screen.
Ryan and Mr. Whitfield sat side by side, carefully watching everything. They had no shortcut.
They started from the first day of February.
Hour after hour, they watched people walking past the shop. Sometimes Eden appeared with his wife, carrying groceries. Sometimes they walked past while chatting and laughing. Everything looked completely ordinary.
They spent hours watching each day. just fast wording it a little. Still nothing.
Ryan’s eyes never left the screen despite the exhaustion beginning to set in. Every few minutes, Mr. Whitfield would pause the footage, rewind slightly, then continue watching again.
They refused to miss even the smallest detail. Finally… They reached the recording from the night of February 25th.
As usual, the footage showed an ordinary evening.
Ryan and Mr. Whitfield watched in silence as Mr. Eden and his wife appeared on the screen. The couple walked toward their house side by side, laughing about something. Eden carried a small shopping bag while his wife lightly nudged his shoulder, making him laugh even harder. There wasn’t the slightest sign that anything was wrong. They looked exactly like a happy couple returning home after spending time
together.
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Mr. Whitfield smiled faintly as he watched the scene. “See? They looked perfectly happy. Nothing about them suggested something terrible was about to happen p>
Ryan nodded without taking his eyes off the monitor.
The couple entered the house, and for the next several minutes, the street remained peaceful. A few pedestrians walked past, a motorcycle crossed the road, and another vehicle drove by before disappearing into the distance.
Then, suddenly… A red sedan slowly pulled up in front of the house.
Mr. Whitfield immediately leaned forward in his chair, his eyes widening. “Wait… yes! This is it! This is the car that arrived that night. I remember it now. I was wondering who was inside p>
Ryan quickly grabbed the mouse and slowed the footage to half speed.
“Let’s see p>
The video became much slower.
The red car remained parked for several seconds before the driver’s door gradually swung open. A man stepped out carefully, looked to his left, then to his right as though making sure nobody was watching. The moment his face turned directly toward the CCTV camera, Ryan instantly paused the recording.
Neither of them spoke. Ryan slowly zoomed in.
Once. Then again. untill it reached it maximum.
Then one final time until the man’s face completely filled the screen. Ryan frowned deeply. “No…” he muttered quietly. “That can’t be p>
Thinking the image had become blurry because of the zoom, he adjusted the resolution and sharpened it before enlarging the face once more.
Mr. Whitfield suddenly inhaled sharply.
“Isn’t… isn’t that Mr. Eden p>
Ryan stared at the frozen image for several seconds before slowly nodding.
“Yeah… I saw it too p>
He looked back toward the earlier part of the recording before returning to the frozen frame.
“But what the heck is going on here? Mr. Eden literally entered the house with his wife just a few minutes ago. When did he come back outside p>
“Did he use the back door?” Ryan immediately looked at him as he asked.
Mr. Whitfield answered without hesitation. “I designed that house myself. There isn’t any back door”
Ryan felt goosebumps spread across his body.
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“Then what exactly are we looking at p>
Mr Whitfield suddenly pointed toward the screen.
“Look closely at his hair”
Ryan narrowed his eyes.
It was messy Very messy. Completely different from the neatly combed hair Mr. Eden had only minutes
earlier
“And his clothes,” Mr. Whitfield continued, his voice becoming heavier. “They’re old… wrinkled… almost ragged. Mr. Eden never dressed like this p>
Ryan slowly nodded. The difference was impossible to ignore. Without saying another word, he resumed the footage.
The identical man calmly walked toward the front door before disappearing inside the house.
Several long minutes passed.
Neither Ryan nor Mr. Whitfield said a single word as they continued watching.
Then, without warning, the front door burst open.
The same man rushed outside, dragging Mr. Eden’s wife behind him by the arm. She struggled desperately, trying to break free, but he forcefully pulled her toward the waiting red car.
Ryan’s eyes suddenly widened.
The man’s right hand was completely stained with fresh blood.
Blood dripped from his fingers onto the pavement as he continued forcing the terrified woman toward the vehicle, while she screamed and fought with everything she had.
P
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Cedella
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.