Chapter 458
The next morning, Tim didn’t waste a second. As soon as he confirmed that Rain and Sanya had left the compound for a quick trip to the mall, he put the next phase of his plan into motion.
Both women were under tight security, in an armored vehicle, with trained escorts and constant communication with headquarters. But Tim had been preparing for this for weeks. He knew their routine, studied their routes, and most importantly, he had someone on the inside feeding him updates.
Rain and Sanya were only supposed to stop by for a few essentials, nothing more than a short, uneventful outing. But by the time they stepped into the shopping mall, everything had already been set in place.
The diversion started at exactly 10:07 AM. A minor explosion in the parking lot triggered chaos, smoke, alarms, and civilians screaming. The security team’s attention fractured.
In the confusion, two members of the escort team were silently taken down by non-lethal darts. By 10:10 AM, the women had been separated from the rest of the team. By 10:13, they were gone.
No trace. No screams. No cameras caught the abduction. Whoever pulled it off had used advanced scrambling tech and false data loops to blind the surveillance systems for just long enough.
By the time the chaos cleared and the guards regrouped, Rain and Sanya had vanished,
without a single clue left behind.
At Tim’s safehouse, Carla burst in, nearly breathless with anticipation.
“Do you have her?” she asked eagerly, eyes wide and glowing with manic excitement. “Please tell me you finally got Rain p>
Tim looked up from the documents, frowning slightly. “They’re here,” he said carefully. “But are you sure you want to go through with this p>
Carla beamed, clasping her hands together as if receiving a long-awaited gift. “I can’t believe it. She’s finally here. You really got her, Tim. You have no idea how long I’ve dreamed of this moment p>
Tim didn’t smile.
“What exactly are you planning to do to her?” he asked, his voice low and wary.
Carla turned toward him with a gleam in her eyes. “Oh, I’m not going to kill her. That would be too easy. Too quick. I want her to suffer p>
She walked closer, almost dancing as she spoke. “I want her to lose everything. I want to destroy that pretty little face everyone loves so much. Rip away the skin she hides behind. Maybe a little fire. Maybe acid. Something poetic p>
Tim’s jaw tightened. “Carla-” he began, concern flashing in his eyes. He wasn’t just hesitating, he was worried. What he truly wanted was for Carla to escape and leave the country before he carried out his final plan against Arlan.
“She’ll scream,” Carla went on, ignoring his hesitation. “She’ll scream like they did. But she’ll live. She’ll look in the mirror every day and remember me. Remember that it was me who took everything from her p>
“You want to torture her p>
“I want to break her,” Carla corrected with a sweet smile. “Not physically. That’s just the start. I want her to go insane. Slowly. Every day she wakes up wishing she had died. That’s what I want p>
Tim let out a deep sigh before saying, “She and Sanya are already locked in the basement p>
In the basement of Tim’s safehouse, the air was damp and cold, the scent of oil and mold lingering heavily. The door creaked open slowly.
Carla stepped inside, her heels clicking softly against the floor. She looked radiant in an unsettling way… calm, almost cheerful, as if walking into a long-awaited reunion. Her eyes lit up as she laid eyes on the two women.
Rain’s eyes fluttered open first, followed moments later by Sanya. They were both tied to wooden chairs, their hands bound tightly behind them and ankles strapped to the legs. A single dim bulb buzzed overhead, casting flickering shadows on the cracked concrete walls.
“There you are,” she said sweetly. “Awake and right where you should be p>
She walked closer, her voice carrying a disturbing warmth. “You two have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment. It’s almost too perfect p>
She circled them slowly, eyes glinting with satisfaction.
“I had a good life once, you know. A perfect mom. She called me her sunshine. Said I was all she ever needed.” Her tone turned wistful, then sharp. “But that didn’t last, did it? No. Because you happened p>
She crouched between the two, her smile tightening.
“My mother, Summer, started spending time at that awful Haven Orphanage. Said she wanted to help the abandoned kids. Said it was her duty. She’d hold them, feed them, smile at them like they were hers. Like I wasn’t enough p>
Carla’s fingers curled into fists.
“I was eight when Tim told me the truth. That I wasn’t her real daughter, that once they found out that I’m not their real daughter, I would be kicked out of the house… Seeing how she shows love and care for every brat in that orphanage, it made me sick p>
Her voice cracked, trembling with hatred. “So I made sure she lost them all p>
She stood slowly, eyes distant. “I set the fire myself. Because I wanted her to lose those children and just see me p>
She let out a soft laugh. “But you ruined it and saved those orphans p>
Carla looked down at the woman tied before her, breathing in deeply, like she was savoring the moment.
“But then Alexander came into the picture, thinking I was the one who saved him from that fire. He’s my only love and I promise myself I’ll be good but you… you came again in the picture and ruined even my relationship with Alexander! I will make you pay for that! Taking everything that’s mine p>
Her smile faded. She tilted her head, staring more closely at Rain. Then at Sanya. She leaned in, her brows furrowing as confusion slowly replaced satisfaction.
She stepped back, looking at them again, really looking.
Something was wrong.
“No,” she muttered. “No, that’s not right p>
She turned, pacing in a small, agitated circle before spinning back toward them.