Chapter 171

Sebastian slammed his palms on the mahogany desk, the sound echoing through the spacious office like a gunshot. His weathered face was contorted in a mask of raw panic, his eyes burning with a chilling mix of fear and resolve. ‘You have to help me!’ His voice crackled with a manic energy, his words tumbling out in a frantic rush. ‘Help you with what?’ Ari asked. Sebastian leaned forward, his elbows digging into the polished wood. ‘Elodie’s back. She’s digging into her parents’ deaths, and she won’t stop!’ He paused, his gaze flickering to the phone nestled in his pocket, before continuing, ‘I tried to get her to back off, I swear I did. I even…’ He trailed off, his hand instinctively reaching for the phone. The frantically misspelt message he received twenty minutes ago confirmed yet another failure – the kidnapping attempt. But then, he ought to have anticipated such an outcome; after all, his own daughter Vivienne tried the same feat and met her demise. The memory of his only daughte