Rio cleared his throat, pulling Liana out of her internal thoughts. Her head snapped toward him, and she shifted uneasily in her chair.
"Mark… what made you suspect Alex?" Her voice was soft but laced with confusion.
"When you blamed Char, we were all shocked… but Alex was smirking," Mark said, his gaze steady and sure.
Liana's eyes widened, and she leaned back against the chair as if needing its support. She couldn't deny it. She had noticed little things about Alex from the start, but she'd brushed them off, convincing herself they were nothing.
Now Mark's words made her replay every moment in her mind that she'd tried to forget. Those tiny lapses in her security… the way her attackers always seemed to know her whereabouts, her weaknesses, and how to strike. Had she been blind to it all this time?
Her fingers curled into fists on her lap. She drew in deep, uneven breaths, trying to calm the racing beat of her heart. Slowly, she pushed herself up, but her knees buckled.
Rio and Mark instinctively stepped forward, but she shook her head quickly, clutching the edge of the desk to steady herself.
"Keep an eye on Mom and Alena… I need some time alone," she whispered, her voice almost breaking as she turned toward the door.
Mark and Rio exchanged a glance, but didn't stop her. They could see how hurt she was.
Why is it always me? Every time I trust someone, they break me until I can't trust anyone…
A tear slid down her cheek as she entered her bedroom. Closing the door behind her, she slid down against it and pulled her knees to her chest. She buried her face in them, her shoulders shaking as quiet sobs escaped.
Her sobs filled the room until Char's ringtone cut through the silence. Liana's head lifted. She wiped her face with the back of her hand and forced herself to stand.
Her legs felt unsteady as she followed the sound. "It's coming from…" she muttered, scanning the room before stepping behind the couch.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips. She knelt and picked up a half-broken phone, her gaze catching on drops of blood beside it. Cold sweat ran down her spine, and her hands trembled violently.
"If Char… is behind all this, then how is her phone here, broken? She loves her phone more than her life…" Liana murmured, tracing the cracked surface with her thumb.
She swallowed hard, pressing a hand to her chest as her breathing turned shallow. She stumbled onto the couch and shut her eyes tightly, trying to focus on any sound and anything she could, to ground herself. Minutes passed before her heartbeat steadied enough to move.
When she finally stood up, she stormed out toward Alex's room without another glance at the phone. She wasn't hurt but angry this time. On herself for trusting anyone, knowing deep down it was someone she knew. Her mind spun with the words she'd ignored for too long.
"It's someone from inside, Liana. Someone you trust the most. That's why they were able to plant a recorder in your room."
"Only the person you've given your phone to could set that tracking device."
"It feels like they already knew you'd be there. That's why they attacked so easily."
"Alex, can you please buy me a new phone? I feel like someone is listening and maybe even watching me through this one."
"Sure, boss… I obey you only.
Her eyes blurred with fresh tears. Her fists clenched at her sides as anger mixed with heartbreak. She slammed open the door of Alex's room and stepped inside.
Without wasting a moment, she began searching the room. Under the bed, inside the closet, rifling through drawers.
"If he's behind all this… or even if he helped Char… maybe he has left..." She paused and smirked, "Some evidence."
She picked up the photo she got from his closet, nestled under his shirts. Her eyes narrowed, and her brow furrowed.
It was a group picture. She tilted her head; something about it felt familiar. She was certain she'd seen it before, though she couldn't place where.
Her curiosity sharpened, and she continued searching. That's when her fingers closed around a small pendrive.
She bit her lip and shoved it into her pocket without hesitation, scanning the closet once more. There was nothing else. Taking a deep breath, she slammed the closet shut and stepped toward the door.
She paused on her way back to her room. Her lips pressed together, and her brow furrowed as her gaze swept the house. If he could do all this, could he also have hidden cameras all over the house?
A heavy sigh escaped her lips. Her hands felt icy with fear, her eyes burning with quiet anger. Without another word, she made her way toward her mother's room.
"Mom… we need to get out of here. Soon…" she murmured. She scooped Alena into her arms, rubbing her back gently while the child slept peacefully, unaware of the storm building around them.
Her mother nodded and walked behind her, "But what happened?" she asked, her eyes darting around nervously.
Liana shook her head without answering and kept walking. Rio and Mark followed quietly, without any questions. They made their way to the car parked outside and settled inside. Liana handed Alena to her mother before sliding into the driver's seat.
No one dared to ask her any questions. Her tight grip on the steering wheel was obvious to all. Her jaw was clenched as she drove toward her father's office, where she knew her dad would be.
Her mother glanced at Rio and Mark, but they shook their heads, a silent signal that they had no answers either.
Liana parked the car in front of the main building and led them inside without hesitation. She walked directly toward her father's office with firm steps.
Her father was one of the most influential businessmen in the country. She knew no harm could come to Alena or her mother here, not while his strict security surrounded the office.
Her father looked up and frowned as she entered his cabin. "Liana? Why are you here?"
Liana bit her lip, her fingers twisting together as she wrestled with whether to say or not. In the end, she decided against it.
She shook her head. "Nothing, Dad… I just need some of your… trusted guards. And your gun."
Her mother gasped softly, but her father didn't question her. He simply nodded and handed her the gun. Her hands trembled slightly as she took it.
I will only use this if needed… I'm a respected citizen, not a criminal. Just for self-defense, she thought, her jaw tightening.
She nodded once to her father and stepped out with three of his most trusted guards trailing her.
Once inside the car again, she looked at them steadily. "Tell me something… Is there anywhere nearby that's completely shut down?"
The youngest of them, Richard, nodded. "The college garage. It was a café before, but it went bankrupt. The owner had to sell it, and the new owner never used it."
Liana hummed softly and pulled the pendrive from her pocket. She handed it to the man in the passenger seat. "I see you have the bag. I assume it has a laptop. See what's inside."