As Chris got back into the car, Sierra glanced at him with a slight frown. **“Is everything alright?”** she asked. Chris flashed her a quick smile. **“Yes, yes, everything’s fine.”** He started the car and continued driving as if nothing had happened. Within five minutes, they approached the ice cream center. Sierra relaxed slightly, expecting him to pull over, but to her surprise, he didn’t stop. Instead, he kept driving past it without a word. Her brows furrowed in confusion. **“Why didn’t you stop? We’ve arrived at the ice cream center.”** She turned to look at him, but he remained silent, his gaze fixed on the road. Sierra’s heartbeat quickened. **“Chris?”** she called, watching his expression. Nothing. Her voice grew more urgent. **“Chris? Chris!”** Suddenly, he snapped. **“Shut up!”** he yelled, his voice sharp and aggressive. Sierra’s breath hitched, panic instantly gripping her.Sierra’s pulse raced as she stared at Chris, her chest tightening with unease. “What’

As she tried again, the same automated response played: “The number you have dialed is not reachable at the moment.” Betty groaned in frustration, gripping her phone tightly. Could it be that Sierra’s battery had run out? She hoped that was the case, but something about it didn’t sit right with her. Sierra would’ve at least borrowed Chris’s phone to text or call if her phone had died—wouldn’t she? She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I should have taken Chris’s contact,” she muttered to herself. Now, she had no way of reaching either of them. Betty leaned back on the couch, forcing herself to stay calm. “Let me wait for a little while,” she mumbled. Maybe Sierra would call soon. Maybe she was just busy. But deep down, an unsettling feeling had already started creeping in. About fifteen minutes later, Betty was still waiting, but there was still nothing—no call, no text, no sign of Sierra. Her fingers tapped anxiously against her phone as she stared at the screen, debatin

They kept watching the footage closely, scanning every second for any sign of Sierra inside the store. But nothing. She never entered.Elijah’s frustration grew. His sharp eyes remained locked onto the screen as the footage played.Then, suddenly—"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Elijah ordered.The manager quickly paused the video."Rewind," Elijah said firmly.The footage was rewound a few seconds back."Zoom in.”The manager followed the command, and as the image enlarged, Elijah's sharp gaze locked onto a vehicle that had just passed by on the street. His body tensed instantly.That car.It wasn’t parked. It didn’t stop. It was only caught briefly as it moved past, but Elijah recognized it immediately.His fingers curled into fists."That’s Chris’s car," he said coldly, pointing at the screen. "I saw it that night. I still remember."The others stared at the blurry image. Since the car was at a distance, the footage wasn’t entirely clear.Elijah turned to the manager. "Is there any camera that

Sierra looked at him with anger in her weak eyes but didn’t say anything.Chris nodded, satisfied. "I take it as you understand what I just said."With that, he pulled out his phone and dialed Betty’s number.Meanwhile, Betty sat in the back of the Uber, her leg bouncing anxiously as she stared out at the road. Her mind raced with worry, her fingers gripping her phone tightly. Just then, her phone screen lit up with an incoming call from an unknown number.She quickly answered, bringing the phone to her ear. "Hello?" she said in a low voice."Hello, Betty. Chris here," came a calm voice from the other end.A shiver ran down Betty’s spine, and she quickly straightened up in her seat. "Chris? Chris? Where’s Sierra? Where is she?" she asked, her voice rising in panic."Oh, seems you’re worried," Chris said smoothly. "Don’t worry, she’s here. Do you want to speak to her?"Betty gulped. She was about to lash out, to accuse him of kidnapping Sierra and threaten him, but the moment Chris off

Instantly, the digital map updated, revealing a moving arrow, tracing Chris’s exact position in real-time. The car was heading northwest, weaving through the streets of New Ember City."Got him," the man murmured, his fingers swiftly typing as he zoomed in on the details. The tracking system displayed the speed of the vehicle, the street names shifting as Chris moved closer to his destination.The man swiftly transferred the location data to Isla, who immediately forwarded it to Elijah.Elijah's phone buzzed, and he quickly checked the screen. A small smirk formed on his face—he could now see Chris's exact location.“We have them,” he muttered, his grip tightening around the phone. Without wasting a second, he tapped a few buttons and mirrored the location onto the car’s built-in screen. A bright red dot marked Chris’s moving position, while their own vehicle was represented by a blue one.“They’re a bit far,” Elijah noted, eyes scanning the distance. “But now that we have the map…” H