The Fuller family, Khogend's wealthiest household, took their security seriously. Every car in their garage was equipped with a GPS tracking system for emergency location, such as in the event of a carjacking. Dexter nodded at Felicia's suggestion. "Yeah," he said casually, "Have security pull up the GPS data and locate the car."

"Dad, isn't that a bit excessive?" Kayla asked, her tone light but nervous.

Before she could elaborate, Dexter's assistant, Jonathan Peyton, arrived to escort him to a meeting. This minor issue wouldn't distract him.

"I'll leave this to you all," he said, rising and giving Myra a quick peck on the cheek, a gesture he'd faithfully maintained for years.

Myra chuckled, playfully pushing him away. "Go on ahead! And drive carefully, Jonathan," she said.

"Of course, Mrs. Fuller," Jonathan replied, nodding politely as he carried Dexter's briefcase.

Once Dexter left, Mina remained nearby, restless and unwilling to cause a scene. She anxiously awaited the security team's report.

...

Kayla absentmindedly bit into bacon at the dining table, her brow furrowed. She didn't hear Myra speaking.

"Kayla? Did you hear me?" Myra asked impatiently.

"Huh? Sorry, Mom, what did you say?" Kayla replied, snapping out of her thoughts.

"I asked if you've sent out invitations for your birthday party. It's coming up soon," Myra repeated, slightly exasperated.

"Yes, I have!" Kayla said brightly, though her palms were slick with sweat.

Her mind raced. She'd been so confident after "cleaning up" last night. Yet, in her haste, she'd overlooked the car's GPS tracking system. If the security team traced the car's route, it would lead them straight to the beach. Suddenly, Kayla stood abruptly. "I'm full. You all enjoy your meal."

Without waiting for a response, she hurried away.

Myra soon left for her beauty salon, leaving only Felicia and Sebastian at the table. The venture capital conference was scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m.

After finishing breakfast, Sebastian checked his watch. "I'm going to get changed. Be ready to leave in fifteen minutes."

When Sebastian left the dining room, only Felicia and Mina remained. Mina sat in a corner, her nerves frayed, her mind consumed by worry about Ruben's whereabouts.

"Call the police," Felicia said suddenly.

Mina looked up, startled. "What?"

"Call the police," Felicia repeated calmly. "You're not going to find anything through GPS. It's been erased."

Mina blinked, confused. "Erased? How do you know that?"

Felicia leaned back, her expression thoughtful. "Kayla's probably already in the surveillance room, concocting an excuse to send the security team away. Afterward, she'll delete all the GPS data from that car—and likely from all the others, to cover her tracks. She'll claim it was an accident, something like, 'Oops, I hit the wrong button.'"

Mina gasped. "Why would she do that? Do you know where Ruben is? Please, tell me!"

Felicia didn't answer immediately. Her silence was heavy, her gaze distant. She thought back to the missed calls from Lance. The timing had been perfect—or, rather, perfectly wrong. While she'd been speaking with Mina last night, Ruben had been, in his final moments, strangled by Shawn's belt.

Felicia's voice was steady but cold. "Did Ruben have something on Kayla? Something significant?"

"If so," she said bluntly, "then he's gone because Kayla discovered it, and she silenced him."

The word "silenced" hung heavy in the air.