Chapter 360

The maid rushed forward immediately, helping Evelyn Hartley rise from the floor. Evelyn's grateful eyes met the servant's, her expression softening with relief. "I owe you my life today. Without your help, I might not have made it."

Her words struck Leonard Grant and Margaret Hayes like physical blows. The maid simply shook her head. "No thanks necessary, Miss Hartley. Let me escort you to your room." Evelyn gave a silent nod of agreement.

Once inside her bedroom, Evelyn collapsed onto the plush mattress. The day's traumatic events had sapped every ounce of her strength, leaving her too exhausted to even consider showering. As her body relaxed against the sheets, overwhelming fatigue consumed her. Within minutes, she was deep in dreamless sleep.

Across town at Black Enterprises, Nathan Black stood rigid behind his mahogany desk, his piercing gaze scanning the intelligence reports spread before him. He'd already mobilized his elite security team to investigate Serena Cole's abduction.

Dylan Reeves sat nearby, his face pale with worry. Opposite him, Serena's distraught friend wept uncontrollably.

"This is all my fault! If only I hadn't insisted on that shopping trip! She...she fought them off so I could run...I should have stayed with her—"

"Silence!" Nathan's sharp command cut through the hysterics like a blade. His glacial stare froze the woman mid-sob. "Your tears solve nothing. Sit down and compose yourself."

The woman's mouth snapped shut, her breath hitching in stunned silence. After what felt like an eternity, Walter Kingsley entered the room with urgent strides.

"Mr. Black, we've confirmed Bradly Stanley orchestrated Miss Cole's kidnapping," Walter reported, his professional tone unable to mask the gravity of the situation.

Nathan's expression darkened at the name. Bradly Stanley—the man who'd dared challenge his authority years ago, only to be left drowning in financial ruin. Had Walter not mentioned him, Nathan might have forgotten the man entirely.

"Bradly? Former CEO of Stanley Industries?" Dylan interjected.

Walter nodded grimly. "The very same."

Dylan fell silent, his own history with Bradly clearly surfacing in his mind.

"But why?" he finally asked, confusion knitting his brow. "What could he possibly gain from taking Serena?"

Walter shook his head. "That remains unclear. We'll need to apprehend Bradly for answers."

"Any leads on Serena's location?" Dylan pressed.

"Not yet," Walter admitted.

Nathan's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Expand the search. And bring me Bradly."

"Yes, sir." Walter exited swiftly to execute the orders.

Time crawled by with agonizing slowness until the breakthrough finally came—Nathan's team had located Serena.

Without hesitation, Nathan, Dylan, and the now-silent woman raced to the location with an armed security detail. Their destination: an abandoned construction site on the city's outskirts.

Inside the skeletal building, Serena lay bound spread-eagle on the concrete floor, her restraints pulled taut in a cruel star pattern.

"Please! Let me go!" Her desperate pleas echoed through the hollow structure, her voice raw with terror.