It was a situation none of the Hales had ever prepared for.Elsa was gone—completely gone—and as the days stretched into weeks, her absence began to ripple outward. At first, it was subtle. A missed appearance here, a delayed response there. But eventually, people started to notice.The Hale family moved quickly.A carefully crafted explanation was released: Elsa Hale had traveled for an isolated, high-level medical seminar—private, intensive, and confidential. It was believable enough. After all, she was a doctor. A respected one.And so, for a while, the world accepted it.But inside the Hale mansion, no one was at ease.Because they knew the truth.She hadn’t gone to a seminar.She had walked away.While the Hales wrestled with unease and silence, Claire lived in an entirely different reality.To her, everything was finally falling into place.The week Levi had promised her a bigger house—and a business of her own—had arrived. The future she had always imagined was finally within r

Everything Claire did was caught on camera.Every scream.Every humiliation.Every desperate attempt to cling to Levi Hale.The videos spread through the Pyramid like wildfire, and with each repost came more mockery, more insults, more laughter at her downfall.One moment she had been walking around believing she was untouchable.The next?She had no house.No money.No food.No Levi.And now, no dignity.Desperation slowly drove her back to the only person she believed she could still manipulate.Tommy.---It was evening by the time Claire arrived at the mall district.The sky had darkened into deep shades of orange and grey, workers pouring out from different stores after closing hours. The atmosphere buzzed with tired conversations, footsteps, car horns, and distant music from nearby restaurants.Claire stood near the entrance looking terrible compared to her usual glamorous appearance.Her makeup was uneven.Her hair messy.Her clothes wrinkled.And yet, she still tried carrying

Another day passed.And still, Elsa was nowhere to be found.At first, the Hales had convinced themselves she only needed space. Elsa had always been someone who disappeared into herself whenever life became too loud. She loved quiet places, isolated seminars, silent retreats away from the noise of society.But now?Three weeks had passed.And for the first time since she entered the Hale family, even they were beginning to fear the worst.What if she had truly been taken? What if something had happened to her?Unfortunately for them, another problem arrived before they could properly investigate further.Eli had finally noticed.At first, he asked Iris casually, expecting her usual reassuring smile and a simple explanation.Instead, she hesitated.That hesitation alone was enough to alarm him.He questioned her repeatedly until she could no longer avoid the truth. And once Eli found out the Hales had no idea where his sister was...Everything exploded.---HALE MANSIONIt was barely

ON THE ROADThe ride home was unusually lively.For the first time in weeks, Levi heard laughter. Arleen practically bounced in his seat, unable to contain his excitement after what had happened at school.“Wow… you were so cool!” he exclaimed, eyes wide with admiration. “Did you see their faces? Everyone froze!”Levi glanced at him, the corner of his lips lifting faintly.“Does that happen often?” he asked calmly.“Not to me,” Arleen replied quickly. “But that girl has been bothering Astrid for a long time. Every time she sees her, she laughs or says something annoying.”Astrid looked down quietly before speaking.“She’s just bitter,” she muttered softly. “The other kids say her dad married his mistress, and have step siblings her father favours over her, so she takes it out on me.”Levi’s brows rose slightly.“And why exactly are you her target?”Astrid hesitated.“She says Arleen and I aren’t really part of the Hale family.”Arleen immediately sat upright in outrage.“She said that

AETHELRED MECHANICSFriday morning at Aethelred Mechanics was as chaotic and alive as ever.Employees moved through the massive building carrying files, answering calls, rushing from department to department, while large screens displayed market trends and company rankings in real time.The pressure in the business world had intensified recently.Another national ranking season was approaching.Every major corporation was clawing desperately for higher placement.Normally, many companies would have seen Levi Hale’s recent family troubles as the perfect opportunity to advance past the Hale Conglomerate.But strangely—No matter what they tried…The Hales refused to fall.It was almost terrifying.Even distracted, Levi Hale still remained untouchable.Inside the executive office on the highest floor, Julian sat reviewing reports when suddenly—BANG!The office doors burst open.“Julian!”Bianca stormed inside hurriedly.Julian looked up immediately, irritated.“What are you doing here?”