Chapter 141: Hidden Dangers

The car sped through the sprawling streets of Lisbon, a cocoon of forced calm amidst the growing storm raging inside. The city lights blurred into streaks as they raced past, casting fleeting shadows across Mariana's face. Bound by bloodied ropes that chafed at her wrists, she thrashed in the back seat, her movements frantic and desperate. Her primal growls echoed through the confined space, a stark contrast to the practiced cheerfulness she had displayed in the morning trailer. Each twist and turn of the car seemed to tighten the ropes further, biting into her flesh and leaving raw, red marks. Her heart pounded in her chest, a wild drumbeat of fear and defiance. She glared at the people in the car, her eyes burning with a mixture of fury and determination. Despite the pain and the mounting sense of hopelessness, she refused to succumb to the terror that threatened to overwhelm her. Daphne, her steely facade barely masking a tremor of fear, gripped the steering wheel with white k