Emma arrived at the office the next morning with the same sense of unease that had filled her all night. She couldn’t shake the lingering feeling from yesterday. The car incident still replayed in her mind and it made her stomach tighten.As she stepped into the lobby, she immediately noticed something strange. Her assistant, Mia, was already waiting at the reception desk, frowning slightly. Behind her, a few colleagues gathered, casting subtle glances in Emma’s direction. They seemed tense, almost… watchful.“Emma! Are you okay?” Mia asked as she approached, her voice full of concern.Emma blinked. “I’m fine. Really. Why?”Claire hesitated, looking around at the others before answering. “We… heard about what happened on the road yesterday. We just want to make sure you’re alright.”Emma froze. “Heard about what?” she asked, her brow furrowing. “How did you all know?”Her coworkers shifted slightly, avoiding eye contact. The tension in the room was thick. Emma’s heartbeat quickened.

George couldn’t rest after hearing what happened to Emma… and especially not after hearing how strangely the whole situation had unfolded. A broken-down car, a vanishing taxi driver, a mysterious message, and a wiped phone?No.Things like that didn’t “just happen.”By early morning, George was fully dressed and walking toward the estate’s security room with a grim expression. The guards greeted him nervously, they rarely saw him down here.“I need access to last night’s camera feeds,” George said.The head security officer hesitated. “Sir, we already checked—”“I said access.”His tone left no room for discussion.The officer swallowed and nodded, typing into the system. The feeds from around the estate began loading across the monitors, time-stamped from the night before.George leaned in. On-screen, Emma’s car left the gate. Thirty minutes later, the feed glitched and several frames skipped.Then the recording resumed as if nothing happened. George stiffened.“Why is there a gap h

George took a step closer to Liam, “I checked the security footage and I know and I’m so sure that someone hacked the entire estate system.” He paused, observing him closely, “Something like that doesnt just happen, Liam.”Liam stared back at George, not saying a word. He’d learn that even the tiniest bit of reaction always gave people away and he’d mastered the art of having a blank expression on his face.When George saw that his words didnt get a reaction out of Liam, he took a step closer and continued, “There are only two groups of people that can easily hack a system so clean and perfect without leaving a trace.” He paused, waiting for a reaction, then he continued, “it’s only the government intelligence or someone with a high level of skill. So I’ll ask you again, Liam. Who is after Emma?”Liam’s expression remained unreadable but in his mind, he was calculating how George found out about the glitch. Was he suspicious of him?“No one is after Emma.” Liam said seriously, making

Emma wasn’t trying to spy.She only came downstairs because she realized she’d left her laptop charger in the small lounge beside her father’s study. Liam had stepped out earlier for a phone call, Margaret and Victoria were outside in the garden arguing about centerpieces for some charity event, and the hallway was unusually quiet.She expected silence. Instead, she heard low voices. Her father’s study door was closed, but two words stopped her in her tracks.“Liam Clarke.”Her heart pounded hard. Emma froze in place.George wasn’t alone. Another man was with him, and his tone was sharper, someone Emma didn’t recognize.“…I’m telling you, George,” the man said, voice muffled through the door, “the name isn’t fake. It’s blocked.”“Blocked how?” George asked. His voice carried tension she rarely heard in him.“It is restricted. As in only five councils in the world have access. This isn’t normal.”Emma’s stomach twisted.George exhaled. “I already knew something was off. The CCTV hack w

Emma noticed the change the moment her father walked into the house.George Harper was never careless with his appearance. Even when work weighed on him, he usually carried himself with control and authority. But that evening, he didn’t. His shoulders were stiff, his tie was loosened, and his face was tight like he had aged several years in a single afternoon.Emma watched from the staircase as he handed his coat to the staff without a word. He didn’t look up and he didn’t ask about dinner either. He just went straight toward the hallway that led to his study and came out after a while.That alone put her nerves on edge.She waited a few seconds, then followed him into the dining room where Margaret and Victoria were already seated. The table was set, but the food was untouched. Everyone noticed George’s silence, but no one addressed it directly.Emma took her seat across from him as usable and when she couldn’t hold back anymore, she began, “You’ve been busy lately,” she said lightl