Chapter 194

The person at the door hadn't even finished speaking before their voice was drowned out by Vespera and Rebecca's hall-volume screams. They bolted into the bathroom. Inside, both of them were gasping for breath, hearts pounding. Outside, it suddenly went quiet.

Then, Rebecca started tagging frantically at Vespera, urging her to look toward a door across the room. The bathroom had another exit to the balcony, and right now, it was slowly creaking open. Beyond it was pitch black—nothing was visible.

They swore they weren't superstitious people. They didn't believe in the supernatural. But right now? This was blood-chilling. A terrifying thought began to take shape in both their minds—what if talking about that missing boy so late at night had actually drawn him to them?

And as that thought landed, a face slowly leaned into view. A close-up of a handsome face appeared right in front of them. Their hearts nearly stopped…

“Hey, it’s just me! Don’t!” came a quiet voice from the other side. It was Calvert. He kept his tone low and gentle, hoping they wouldn’t scream and bolt again. The last thing he wanted was to scare them even more.

Vespera and Rebecca, however, wanted nothing more than to end him right there with a team combo attack. Vespera snapped, “Do you even know what time it is? You can’t just pop out of nowhere like that; people can literally be scared to death!”

“Mr. Reid sent me to protect you guys,” Calvert replied sheepishly, sneaking a glance at Rebecca as he added the “guys” part.

Not long after, the police arrived. Rebecca told them it was just their friend at the door. As for the blackout? Just a power trip. Nothing more. To help them feel safer, the officers checked every corner of the apartment. There was nothing suspicious, no one hiding. Only then did they leave.

Later that night, Calvert crashed on the couch. Vespera and Rebecca stayed in bed. Neither of them could sleep.

“I mean… maybe you should just ask Dominic to handle the Soule family. At this rate, we’ll be dead before we even get the damn evidence,” Rebecca mumbled, defeated.

Vespera turned onto her side, thinking for a moment. “Let’s not even talk about whether he’s willing to help. If he does say yes… what if he asks for something inappropriate in return? Do I agree or not? If yes, doesn’t that make it a transaction?”

“I mean maybe I’m overthinking it. But even if he doesn’t ask for anything—after accepting that kind of favor, if he asks for something later, how could I say no? Isn’t that just another kind of trade?”

Rebecca replied. “You make offering your heart sound like some kind of horror story.”

Vespera sighed. “Because it is. Offering yourself is just another form of transactional exchange. And I don’t want to be in any kind of trade with him. If I’m going to sell myself, I might as well sell to someone like Luke—that sorry excuse for a man who’s barely better than an animal.”

“All Lae wants is to marry Ti and have kids. Fine. Let him. If he wants to bring a demon into his life, then let him marry her.”

Rebecca thought it over. “Honestly? Fine. Let them enjoy their little victory while it lasts. Once we have solid evidence, we’ll expose everything, including that release agreement. It’s a murder. A major crime. If we have hard proof, we’ll sway public opinion too. No way the Munoz family or the Soule ally can cover that up.”

Vespera didn’t answer. She closed her eyes. Taberna glanced over at her, thinking she was asleep. She smiled quietly to herself.

Some people talk like they’ve got it all figured out but don’t even realize when they’ve already fallen for someone. People could trade and buy anything in the world except genuine feelings.

The next morning, with Rebecca by her side, Vespera went to the police station and signed the release agreement. Luke rushed over as soon as he heard. By the time he arrived, Vespera had already signed and was walking out. They ran into each other at the entrance.

“Vespera, I’m glad you decided to sign. I know you’re angry, and I understand. If there’s anything you want, anything at all, just say it. I’ll do anything to make it up to you,” Luke said, looking at her carefully, pain and desperation written all over his face.

“Lalor, you’ve got some seriously thick skin! You honestly make me sick!” Rebecca glared at him, ready to grab a rock and smash it over his head.

Vespera didn’t even look at him. She walked past like he was nothing. Luke, unwilling to give up, followed after her.

Mat, far off, a car slowly pulled up to the entrance.