Chapter 19: Ex Returns with a Vengeance

Nova was too thrifty to catch a cab, especially after the subway incident. They might still be on the lookout for them. She sighed and trudged over to the bus stop. Mark's call beat the bus there. Seeing "Dad" pop up on her screen felt like a joke. She rolled her eyes and quickly dismissed the call. Strange, hadn't she made herself clear last time? Why was he still ringing her up? Nova tried to think of any reason Mark might be calling her relentlessly but came up empty. She was halfway through blocking his number when his texts came through. Mark: Come home right now! Mark: Are you trying to give me a heart attack by not picking up? It seemed Mark had conveniently forgotten their last encounter. After what seemed like the hundredth call, Nova picked up, ready to cut ties once and for all. She didn't even get a word out before Mark started shouting, "You ungrateful child! What are you up to that you can't answer your own father? Get back here now, there's a crisis!" Nova scoffed. Ungrateful child? What a joke. "We're done here. I have no ties to that house. Please, don’t call me." She was about to hang up, but then Mark mentioned "Margaret," and she hesitated, phone glued back to her ear. "What did you just say?" "If you don't come back, you might never see your grandma again!" Nova shot up from her seat, her heart pounding. Now she could hear more than just Mark's ranting—there were sounds of Evelyn crying and things being smashed. "What's happened?" she demanded. But the line went dead with a string of beeps. "Damn." Mark's phone was probably in pieces. Nova couldn't worry about cab fares at that moment. She quickly hailed a taxi, jumped in, and called her boss to explain she had an emergency and couldn't come in today. Her boss, sensing her urgency, agreed without hesitation. As Nova returned to the Chu residence, her heart dropped. The carefully nurtured plants in the yard were knocked over, and the usually bustling housekeeper was conspicuously absent. All she could think was, "Nothing better have happened to Margaret." As she rushed out of the taxi, the driver shouted, "Miss, you haven't paid!" He worried he'd encountered a fare-dodger today. Frantically, Nova pulled out one hundred bucks and threw them into the front seat, not even waiting for change before she sprinted toward the villa. Inside, the scene was pure chaos. Several strangers were ransacking the place, decked out in black tees, sunglasses, and covered in tattoos. Ashton sat on the sofa, sipping tea, overseeing the mess with a smug look. "Look who's back! Thought you didn't care." Nova's stomach churned. Trouble was written all over this. "What's going on? Where's Margaret?" she demanded, her eyes darting around, but Margaret was nowhere to be seen. "Where is …?" She fell silent. Realization dawned on her—she'd been duped. She wouldn't have come back if Mark hadn't mentioned Margaret. Ashton stretched, a smirk playing on his lips. "Hello, there. Young lady."