2025-11-14 18:15:44Three days had passed since Ryan left the house.
The mansion felt lighter without him, or at least that’s what Mrs. Harrison told herself.
But at night, the house seemed too quiet.
Clara sat by her window, staring at the street.
Every time she heard footsteps outside, her heart jumped a little — though she didn’t know why.
“Stop thinking about him,” she muttered. “He’s gone. That’s all.”
She tried to focus on her phone, scrolling through messages, but her mind kept going back to the moment he walked out without looking back.
---
Downstairs, Eric was pacing in the study, sweat on his forehead.
He hadn’t slept properly in two nights.
That video still haunted him — the one showing his man sneaking into Ryan’s room.
He deleted it, broke his laptop, and even changed his SIM card, yet he couldn’t relax.
“What if he tells the family?” he whispered to himself.
“What if he’s still around?”
He looked through the window and saw nothing but shadows.
“Impossible,” he said, forcing a laugh. “He’s gone for good.”
But deep down, he wasn’t sure.
---
That evening, Mrs. Harrison walked into the living room and found a brown envelope on the table.
No one knew how it got there.
When she opened it, there were a few receipts — all in Eric’s name.
She frowned. “What’s this?”
Eric walked in just then, pretending to be calm.
“Auntie, you’re still up?”
She showed him the papers. “Eric, are these yours?”
His eyes widened for a second before he forced a smile. “No, of course not! Maybe Ryan left them behind.”
She sighed. “That man again. He just won’t stop bringing trouble.”
Eric nodded quickly. “Exactly. You see what I mean?”
He grabbed the papers and stuffed them into his pocket before she could say more.
But outside, across the street, a man in a black jacket watched quietly, phone in hand.
He murmured, “Commander, he took the bait.”
A calm voice replied from the other end,
“Good. Keep watching. Don’t act until I say so.”
---
The next morning, Clara was getting ready for work when she noticed something strange.
The broken light near the front door — the one Ryan had promised to fix — was glowing softly.
Perfectly repaired.
Her breath caught for a second.
“Who fixed this?” she asked one of the maids.
“I don’t know, ma’am. It was working when we woke up.”
Clara stared at it, her heart suddenly uneasy.
She whispered, “Ryan?”
Then she shook her head quickly. “No, it can’t be.”
---
Meanwhile, Ryan sat inside a quiet roadside café, his black cap pulled low.
A cup of coffee sat untouched on the table as he read a report on his phone.
“Eric’s debts have reached the main city lenders,” his man’s message said.
“Soon they’ll come for him.”
Ryan typed back: **“Let them. But no harm to the family. Only fear.”**
He leaned back in his chair, eyes calm.
His phone buzzed again — another message, this time from an unknown number.
**“She still doesn’t believe in you, Commander.”**
Ryan smiled faintly. “She will. In time.”
---
That night, thunder rolled across the sky.
The lights in the mansion flickered.
Clara lay awake, staring at the ceiling.
When lightning flashed through the window, she thought she saw a shadow move past the garden gate — tall, familiar, still.
She sat up quickly, heart racing.
But when she ran to the window, the gate was empty, and the rain had already started to fall.
She pressed her palm to the glass and whispered,
“Ryan… was that you?”
Only the sound of rain answered.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 182
The house felt quiet again after Ryan left his room Clara stayed on the bed for a while Staring at the wall Thinking about the way Ryan looked Tired Angry Lost She sighed and stood up She needed to distract herself She walked out of the room and went to the sitting room Mrs Harrison was there Sitting quietly Her cup of tea untouched “Ma,” Clara called softly Mrs Harrison looked up and smiled faintly “Good morning my dear” Clara sat beside her “You didn’t sleep well too” Mrs Harrison shook her head slowly “No sleep comes easy in this house anymore” They both stayed quiet for a moment Then footsteps came from the hallway Clara uncle walked out again He looked restless He checked his phone Put it back in his pocket Then checked it again Mrs Harrison watched him Her eyes followed every movement “Are you okay,” she asked him Clara uncle forced a smile “Yes, I’m fine” But his voice sounded tight He walked toward the door Th
Chapter 181
Ryan woke up before the sun came out His eyes opened suddenly like he was pushed awake by his thoughts His heart was already heavy He lay on the bed staring at the ceiling So many things were moving inside his head Deputy Cole words Clara uncle face Eric walking free His fathers company Too many questions No answers Ryan sighed and rubbed his face He whispered to himself, “Why would he do that, why would he bail Eric after everything” The room was quiet Clara was sleeping beside him She turned slightly and murmured his name, “Ryan…” He looked at her face She looked tired She had cried too much in recent days Ryan felt guilty He leaned closer and kissed her forehead softly “I’m fine,” he whispered even though she did not hear He carefully got out of bed Trying not to wake her He walked to the window and opened it a little Cold morning air entered the room It did not calm him Instead his mind became louder He remembered Deputy
Chapter 180
The morning was quiet, sunlight spilled into the living room, but inside Ryan’s house, tension was thick, Ryan sat at the table staring at his laptop, his mind was racing, he could not stop thinking about everything that was happening, the kidnappers, Adrian, Clara’s uncle, everything Clara came into the room, her hair messy, still half asleep, she yawned, “Ryan… why are you up so early, you didn’t sleep at all?” Ryan did not look up, his eyes were fixed on the screen, “I can’t, Clara… there is too much to think about, too much to plan, we need to figure out how to handle the company, and the threats, everything…” Clara walked slowly to him, “I know… but you need to rest too, you can’t keep doing this alone, we will figure it out together” Ryan finally looked at her, his eyes heavy, “I know, I know… it’s just, everything is moving fast, I don’t want to lose anyone else, I can’t lose you, or Ava, or my mom…” Clara placed her hand on his shoulder, “We will not let that h
Chapter 179
The morning sun was just peeking through the curtains when the quiet of the house was broken by the sound of a car pulling into the driveway, Clara’s uncle had returned from the general nursing facility, his steps heavy, his face tight with frustration, He entered the house without greeting anyone immediately, his eyes scanning the living room, the walls, the furniture, as if looking for signs, signs of intrusion, signs of something wrong, or maybe someone he did not expectMrs Harrison noticed him first, she was in the kitchen arranging breakfast, the aroma of tea filling the air, She called out softly, “Where have you been? I thought you would be back later today”He did not answer at first, his hands in his pockets, pacing slowly back and forth, muttering under his breath, “Too many things happening, too many people moving around…” Mrs Harrison frowned, stepping closer, “You are acting strange, is everything alright?” Clara’s uncle shook his head slightly, “Nothing i
Chapter 178
The night was heavy, dark, quiet, like it was holding its breath, Ryan sat in his room, the lights dim, staring at the papers on his desk, The files about his father’s company, the plans, the old documents, the notes he had taken, Everything was scattered around him, But his mind was elsewhere, On Clara’s uncle, on Adrian, on the threats, on the note at his mother’s houseClara was already asleep beside him, Her breathing soft, her hand resting lightly on his arm, Ryan looked at her for a moment, then back at the papers, He wanted answers, He wanted to understand who was behind all this, But everything was tangled, complicated, dangerousDownstairs, the house was quiet too, Ava lay in her room, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling, Her thoughts went back to Clara’s uncle, The words she had heard on the phone still ringing in her ears, *We will make sure we kill him*, The fear was thick in her chest, but she said nothing, She did not want to scare anyone, She did not want to show wea
Chapter 177
Morning came slowly, like it did not want to show its face, The night had been long and heavy, and even when the sun started to rise, the house still felt tense, Nobody woke up happy, Nobody woke up restedRyan was already awake before the alarm rang, He sat on the bed, his back against the headboard, his eyes open but empty, His mind was busy, jumping from one thought to another, The note, The footsteps, The warning, Adrian, The company, His mother, Everything mixed togetherBeside him, Clara slept lightly, Her breathing was slow, but her brows were drawn together, even in sleep, Ryan looked at her for a long time, He reached out and gently brushed her hair back“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he whisperedIn the next room, Ava sat on her bed with her knees pulled close to her chest, She had not slept well either, Every time she closed her eyes, she heard that voice again, The low voice, The angry voice, The words that froze her heart*We will make sure we kill him*She sw
You may also like
Rise Of The Sole Heir
Estypen78.6K viewsBack From Prison!
KMyay177.2K viewsThe Gilded Man With A Thousand Lives
Kaiser Ken92.3K viewsSecretly Rich Son in Law
Banin SN194.4K viewsThe Last Blueprint
A.D.O pen.1.1K viewsTHE SUBSTITUTE HUSBAND BECAME HIS WIFE'S BOSS
Al-Razzaq1.3K viewsEX-WIFE, IT WAS YOUR LOSS NOT MINE
Weird ink212 viewsGeneral Rhys Vermillion: Return of The Dark Phoenix
Nova217 views