Chapter 97

Sophia Lowell fought against her heavy eyelids, struggling to stay awake. The man beside her breathed steadily, but she didn’t dare relax for even a second.

Time ticked by.

Exhaustion eventually overpowered her will. Her head tilted uncontrollably to the side, her cheek lightly brushing against Ethan Roscente’s forehead.

In the darkness, the man slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze was sharp and alert, devoid of any drowsiness. His long fingers grazed the tip of her delicate nose as he murmured in a low voice, "You heartless little thing. Always finding ways to provoke me."

In her sleep, Sophia wrinkled her nose and unconsciously nuzzled against his shoulder, mumbling incoherently, "Ethan Roscente... bastard..."

The man chuckled silently.

Even in her dreams, she was cursing him.

He rose carefully, lifting her into his arms. In the bedroom, he tucked her in gently, pressing a kiss to the corner of her lips before leaving with his phone.

"Mr. Roscente."

A respectful male voice answered the call.

"Any leads?" Ethan swirled his glass of red wine, watching the crimson liquid swirl.

"Not yet. The target was last seen near the police station before vanishing without a trace." The voice hesitated. "It’s likely... they’re already dead."

"Expected." Ethan stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, his lips curling into a cold smile as he gazed into the night. "William Valentine’s methods are no less ruthless than the old man’s."

The history between the Valentines and the Roscentes was something he knew all too well.

Once mere underlings clinging to the Roscentes, the Valentines had climbed their way into high society solely through the old man’s patronage. That was precisely why the old man insisted on his engagement to Isabella Valentine—loyalty mattered more than power.

"Keep searching." Ethan’s voice was icy. "I want them found, dead or alive."

"Understood."

"Any movement from Daniel Clementson?"

"After Miss Valentine’s visit to the hospital, he completely lost it."

Ethan smirked disdainfully. "Then I suppose I should thank her."

Silence filled the other end of the line.

He downed the remaining wine in one gulp, his Adam’s apple bobbing. "Release Vivian Ashcroft first thing tomorrow."

"Will do."

Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains.

Sophia jolted awake to the shrill ring of her phone. The moment she heard Vivian had been released, she leaped out of bed and rushed to the police station.

At the entrance, Attorney Lin was finalizing the paperwork. Vivian stepped out, her face pale, dark circles heavy under her eyes.

"Vivian!" Sophia sprinted forward, gripping her friend’s shoulders. "Did they hurt you?"

She frantically inspected every inch of Vivian’s skin, terrified of finding any signs of abuse. With a madman like Ethan, who knew what underhanded tricks he might have pulled?