Chapter 10

Cedric stared at his comm device. He was frozen. "The heiress? Here?" He whispered, disbelief lacing his voice.

The sky darkened. Not with clouds. With the shadows of massive aircraft. A fleet of sleek, black helicopters. They converged on our position.

Each helicopter bore a distinctive crest. A falcon, mid-flight, clutching a lightning bolt. The Curry Group emblem.

Cassidy gasped, pointing. "Look at that! Their private army! So impressive!" Her voice was tinged with envy.

Cedric' s eyes scanned the scene. He saw the precision. The power. He understood. The heiress was here. And something had gone wrong. Very wrong.

"Imagine being that powerful," Cassidy murmured, her eyes gleaming. "To command such loyalty. And a name like Curry. Sounds so strong. Not like... some people." She shot a glance at me. "Poor Eleanor, always so ordinary."

Cedric's gaze lingered on the crest. "Curry," he repeated. A strange echo in his mind.

His encrypted comms device vibrated. It was a direct line. He answered.

"Hopkins! What the hell is going on down there?!" General Thompson's voice roared. "The Curry Group is furious! They're accusing us of negligence! Of endangering their heir!"

Cedric stiffened. "Sir, I... I don't understand."

"You don't understand, Hopkins?! They're saying their heiress was in your sector! And she's been compromised! If anything happens to her, your career, your unit, your life, is over!"

Cassidy, emboldened, grabbed the comm device. "It's not his fault, sir! The heiress was reckless! She wandered into a dangerous zone!" She shrieked, "She tried to sabotage us!"

Cedric ripped the device from her hand. His face was thunderous. "Shut up, Cassidy!" His voice was low. Dangerous.

He turned back to the comms. "Sir, with all due respect, the Curry Group is known for its... extreme protectiveness. Their heiress is practically untouchable."

Cassidy's face drained of color. She realized her mistake. The Curry Group. Untouchable.

Cedric ended the call. He rubbed his temples. He was clearly rattled.

"We need to get to the command center. Now." He grabbed Cassidy's arm. "You're coming with me."

His mind, however, kept drifting back to me. Eleanor. My face, bruised. My body, hurt.

He needed to find me. He needed to make sense of this. This divorce. This accusation.

He would go to the hospital first. He needed to talk to me. He needed answers.

A knot tightened in his stomach. A sense of dread.

He pushed open the door to my hospital room. The room was empty. The bed was stripped.

A chill ran through him. The room was cold. Sterile. A dark stain marred the pristine white floor.

"Eleanor!" His voice was a strangled cry. He rushed in. "Eleanor! Where are you?"

Cassidy, standing behind him, noticed something. "Cedric, look!" She pointed to a small, glowing device on the bedside table. A voice recorder.

She pressed play.