Chapter 142

The door, which had been broken before, was now repaired, standing wide open as if beckoning her. It looked like the gaping maw of a demon, waiting for her to walk

right into its trap.

She forced herself forward, but the moment she crossed the threshold, a wave of terror washed over her. Her entire body began to shake, and fear rooted her to the spot, screaming at her to turn and run.

But before she could move, Ziven slammed the door shut behind her. With a final, deafening “bang", the last sliver of light was extinguished.

Latisha's legs gave out, and she crumpled to the floor. The small, suffocating space closed in around her, a crushing weight of darkness and silence. She sat on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest, trying to convince herself she was anywhere but here.

Her lips moved, forming silent words of comfort. "Don't be afraid... It's okay..."

Someone had said that to her once. He had held her close, his voice a soft murmur against her ear, "It's okay, Latisha. Don't be afraid."

She curled into a tight ball, speaking silently to the ghost of that memory, "I'm not afraid."

He had told her that if she just kept repeating it, the fear would go away.

After leaving the villa, Clifford went straight to the office. Ziven followed close behind, catching up just in time to ride the elevator with him.

"Mr. Lambert, Thorin has been taken into custody. Once they finish going through the books, he's looking at serious jail time."

Clifford leaned against the elevator wall, his hands in his pockets, and said nothing.

Ziven hesitated before continuing. "Also, I've booked the flights for your business trip tonight. Should I cancel Mrs. Lambert's ticket?"

At this, Clifford finally showed a flicker of expression, casting a chilling sideways glance at Ziven.

"Cancel it."

"Right away," Ziven confirmed. A thought occurred to him, and he added cautiously, "And... should we make any arrangements for Mrs. Lambert?"

"It's only three days. She won't die," Clifford replied coldly. The elevator doors slid open, and he strode out.

Ziven frowned. Three days? Without food or water? He had never tried it himself, but he knew how miserable he felt after just one busy day of forgetting to eat. And hatisha was so much more fragile

He sighed. There was no point in arguing. Clifford was furious, and

when he was like this, no one

get through to him. Ziven had

could

Qu

worked for him long enough to know that when his anger reached its peak, he became calmer and more ruthless than ever. Contént

When Yesenia heard about the trip, she limped into the office as fast as her injured leg would allow, clinging to Clifford and begging to go with him.

"Clifford, please take me with you! My foot is still healing, so I can't work anyway. It would be the perfect chance to get away."

Clifford yanked at his tie in irritation. "This is a business trip, not a vacation."

"I know that. I just want to be with you," she whined, hugging his arm. "You work, I'll relax. It's perfect."

He sat on the sofa and glanced at her injured foot. It had been so swollen they'd had to drain it at the hospital. The swelling had gone down, but a faint redness remained.

He gave a dry chuckle. "You're in that condition and all you can think about is having fun? Do you want to lose that leg?"

Yesenia snuggled up beside him, smiling sweetly. "I just want to be with you. It's not really about having

fun. If you're gone for three days, that's three whole days I won't get to

see you.

"

Before Clifford could reply, the office door opened, and Selah walked in on sharp

heels.

“Mr. Lambert, it's time to leave for the airport."