Chapter 7
1192words
That brief pause, the hesitation in her eyes—she noticed something. Perhaps it was just professional social instinct, but enough to put me on alert.
It doesn't matter. Even if she recognized me, what could she do? I am no longer the helpless Sophia Chen I once was.
I picked up my phone and sent Julian a text: "Met her tonight. Everything is going according to plan."
A few seconds later, my phone vibrated: "Be careful. She's more dangerous than you think."
I smiled. Dangerous? I came here precisely for the danger.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city.
With less than twelve hours before his flight to Dubai, Leo Martens sat in his dilapidated apartment, counting the cash Ella had given him. Fifty thousand dollars, neatly arranged on the coffee table, gleaming seductively in the dim light.
"Stupid woman." He laughed mockingly as he lit a cigarette. "Thinks this money is enough to buy my silence?"
He took out an old phone from the drawer, searching for Serafina's number. This would be his last performance in New York, and it would also be the most brilliant one.
After the call connected, Serafina's cold voice came through: "What else do you want, Rio?"
"Don't be so cold, darling." Rio took a deep drag of his cigarette, "I want to see you one last time. Just as... a farewell."
"I already gave you money."
"Oh, no, no, no." Rio's voice carried malicious pleasure, "That was just the appetizer. Tonight at nine, meet me at Jax's place. I have some... more interesting things to share with you. About little Evelynn."
There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds.
"What do you mean?" Serafina's voice turned dangerous.
"Nine o'clock, darling. Don't make me wait too long."
Rio hung up the phone, leaning back on the sofa with satisfaction. He could imagine Serafina's expression at this moment—panic, anger, and deep fear. This sense of control made him feel an unprecedented excitement.
A few hours later, Rio pushed open the door to Jax's luxury store. The store was brightly lit, displaying various luxurious goods—Hermès bags, Rolex watches, and things he could never possibly own.
Serafina was already there waiting. She was wearing a black haute couture suit, her face cold as ice. Even in anger, she maintained that natural elegance.
"Speak," she said, getting straight to the point. "What do you want?"
Rio walked slowly toward her, enjoying this psychological dominance. "You know, I've always been curious about something. Evelynn... is she really Damian's daughter?"
Serafina's face instantly turned pale. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Oh, stop pretending." Rio lit another cigarette and exhaled smoke. "That timeline was interesting, wasn't it? The period before you married Damian, you used to come to this store frequently. And Jax... he was always particularly attentive to Evelynn."
"You have no evidence." Serafina's voice was trembling.
"I don't need evidence." Rio sneered, "I just need to make the right people start doubting. Imagine if Damian found out that his precious little princess actually was..."
"Shut up!" Serafina suddenly erupted.
"Or perhaps, you'd like me to keep quiet?" Rio continued to pressure her, "That would cost you extra. Let's say... one million?"
Serafina stared at him intently, her chest heaving violently. In that moment, all the elegance and refinement on her face disappeared, revealing the most primal anger and fear.
"You insatiable parasite!" she said through gritted teeth, "Who do you think you are? A piece of trash from the slums, how dare you threaten me?"
Rio shrugged indifferently. "Trash perhaps, but this trash knows your deepest secret."
He paced to the display case, pretending to casually look at those expensive whiskies. "Tomorrow I'm flying to Dubai. New identity, new life. But if you don't pay..."
"What will you do?" Serafina pressed on.
"I'll make sure all of New York knows that the noble Serafina Braxton is a slut, and her daughter is a bastard."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Serafina's hand was already reaching for the display case. She grabbed a bottle of 1926 Macallan whisky—one of the most expensive collections in the store.
"You dare?" Rio turned around, but it was already too late.
The whiskey bottle crashed heavily against his temple with a dull thud. The aged whiskey splashed all over the floor, mixing with fresh blood, emanating an intoxicating aroma.
Rio staggered a few steps, looking at Serafina in disbelief. "You... you're insane..."
His voice was slurred, blood flowing steadily from the wound on his head. Serafina stood there, still gripping the broken bottle neck, her eyes flickering with madness.
"I'm insane?" she said in a low voice, "You drove me to it."
Rio tried to say something, but his words turned into bloody bubbles. His body swayed a few times before collapsing heavily into the pool of whiskey and blood.
Serafina looked at the corpse on the floor, her expression changing from madness to fear, then to cold composure. She tossed away the bottle neck in her hand and took out her phone to dial a number.
"Jax? It's me. I need you to come to the shop right away."
——
The next morning, I was grading student assignments when I received Maria's call.
"Miss Ella," her voice was trembling, "the news says... Rio has disappeared. He was supposed to board a flight to Dubai last night, but he didn't show up."
I put down the red pen in my hand and slowly leaned back in my chair. "Disappeared?"
"Yes. The police said his luggage and passport were still in his apartment, but he just vanished."
I closed my eyes, quickly calculating the various possibilities in my mind. Rio was a greedy fool, but he wouldn't easily give up a chance to escape. Unless...
"Interesting," I murmured.
"What?" Maria asked.
"Nothing. Keep following this matter, and tell me immediately if there's any news."
After hanging up the phone, I walked to the window and looked out at the campus. Students were laughing and chasing each other on the lawn, everything seemed so harmonious and beautiful. But I knew that the game had escalated.
Rio's disappearance wasn't him running away; he was made to disappear. And in this game, only one person had enough motive and means to silence him forever.
I took out my phone and began composing a group message:
"I heard that Leo Martens went missing last night. It's really concerning. After all, he knows so many secrets about all of us..."
Just as I was about to press send, a call from an unknown number came in.
I answered. The caller remained silent for three seconds, then a voice altered by a voice changer came through:
"Elira Vance, or should I call you Sophia Chen? Stop your game, or you'll be the next one to disappear."
The call ended.
I stared at my phone, then smiled. Interesting. The prey has started to fight back.
I pressed send.
