โค๏ธ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ 9: ๐ป๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐ โค๏ธ
475 Words
The morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, but Aria barely noticed.
She hadn't slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the black SUV... the masked men... and Adrian standing in front of her, shielding her from danger.
A soft knock came at the door.
"Miss Aria?" a maid called gently. "Breakfast is ready."
Aria took a deep breath.
"I'm coming."
---
Downstairs, the dining table was already set.
Adrian sat at the head of the table, reading a business report while sipping his coffee.
"Good morning," Aria said quietly.
He looked up.
"Did you sleep well?"
She forced a smile.
"I've had better nights."
"I expected as much."
Before either of them could continue, Ethan hurried into the dining room.
His face was unusually serious.
"Sir..."
Adrian immediately stood.
"What happened?"
Ethan placed a phone on the table.
"We received this an hour ago."
Adrian picked it up.
His expression darkened.
Aria noticed.
"What is it?"
He hesitated.
"It's a video."
He pressed play.
The screen showed a dark room. A masked man stepped into view.
His voice was calm... almost amused.
"Mr. Knight... if you want the girl to stay alive, stop looking for me."
The man slowly held up another photograph.
Aria gasped.
It was her mother.
"One wrong move..." the masked man continued, "and she'll pay the price."
The video ended.
Silence filled the room.
Aria's hands began to shake.
"My... my mother..."
She reached for her phone and quickly dialed her mother's number.
No answer.
She tried again.
Still nothing.
Panic rushed through her.
"No... no, she always answers."
Tears filled her eyes.
Adrian gently took the phone from her trembling hands.
"Listen to me."
"What if they've taken her?"
"We don't know that."
"I have to go!"
She turned toward the door, but Adrian caught her wrist.
"If you run out now, you'll be walking into exactly what they want."
"I can't just stay here!"
"I know."
His voice softened.
"But I promise you..."
"I will find your mother."
For a moment, Aria searched his eyes.
She saw determination.
Not pity.
Not fear.
A promise.
She slowly nodded.
"I trust you."
Adrian looked at Ethan.
"Lock down the estate."
"And send every available team to Mrs. Collins' house."
"Yes, sir."
---
Meanwhile...
At an abandoned warehouse on the edge of the city, the masked man watched the security camera feed with a satisfied smile.
One of his men approached.
"Boss... do we take the mother now?"
The masked man shook his head.
"Not yet."
He picked up an old photograph from the desk.
It showed two children smiling together years ago.
One of them was Adrian.
The other child's face had been torn from the picture.
The masked man's eyes filled with hatred.
"This isn't just about the girl..."
"It's about revenge."
โก๏ธ ๐ป๐ ๐ฉ๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
... โก๏ธ
- Writer
