Chapter 143

Yesenia's face fell the moment she saw Selah. At the office, she was used to throwing her weight around, and even Ziven had to tread carefully around her. But Selah was different; she completely ignored Yesenia's posturing. In Yesenia's mind, Selah and Latisha were in the same category: public enemy number one.

Selah acted as if Yesenia wasn't even in the room, not sparing her a single glance. The blatant dismissal made Yesenia's anger flare.

"Clifford, you're taking her but not me?"

Only then did Selah turn her gaze to Yesenia. “Ms. Winslet, if you feel you can handle my responsibilities, I'd be more than happy to step aside. Mr. Lambert, perhaps Ms. Winslet should lead the negotiations this time?"

Yesenia was speechless. She didn't know the first thing about negotiations.

Clifford stood and ruffled Yesenia's hair. "Alright, stop it. You stay home and rest. I'll only be gone for three days."

Yesenia pouted and shot a venomous glare at Selah, who simply met her gaze with a polite, professional smile. The calm response felt like the ultimate provocation.

Without another word, Clifford walked out, Selah following close behind.

Yesenia turned to Ziven, her voice sharp. "Why aren't you going?"

"I'm not needed on this trip," he replied.

Yesenia's brow furrowed, deepening her foul mood. "So you're telling me it's just the two of them?"

Ziven nodded. "That's right."

"Vixen," Yesenia muttered under her breath.

She was the type to bully the weak and fear the strong. She didn't dare confront Selah directly; Selah was far too competent and highly valued by Clifford. If Yesenia caused too much of a scene, she knew Clifford wouldn't take her side.

Ziven's eyelid twitched, and he couldn't help but stare at her. Every time he saw Yesenia, he questioned his boss's taste. The woman was all beauty and no brains, utterly lacking in self-awareness and completely ignorant of her own position. There were countless women in the world more beautiful and more intelligent than her. Why her?

He privately thought that even Selah was a better match. Then again, if Clifford eyer did get together with Selah, Latisha wouldn't stand a chance He'd worked with Selab for years and knew she was

Sarillant,

strategic, and emotional

intelligent—a master manipulator you couldn't beat unless you were one yourself.

So maybe, Ziven mused, Yesenia's assessment of her as a 'vixen' wasn't entirely wrong.

Clifford was gone for three days, and for three days, Latisha remained locked away. Fear was no longer the primary concern. Hunger had taken over.

For a healthy person, a day without food is agony; for someone as frail as Latisha, it was a death sentence.

By the second day, she had lost consciousness.

When she slowly opened her eyes

again, the gnawing hunger was gone, but she couldn't move her arms or legs. She tried to shake her

head to clear the fog, and as her surroundings came into focus, realized she was in a bright, unfamiliar bedroom.

Panic seized her. She tried to stand but found she was bound tightly to a chair. The ropes cut into her skin, and as she struggled, she felt them break the skin on her wrists and arkles, but they wouldn't give.

It finally dawned on her. She'd been kidnapped.

But by who?

She scanned the room. It was unnervingly silent. If not for the sound of her own ragged breathing, she might have thought she'd gone deaf as well.

Meanwhile, Clifford returned from his trip and went straight to the storage closet.

When he reached the door, he found it hanging crookedly on its hinges, splintered and broken.

A beam of light cut through the doorway, illuminating the scene inside. The dusty floor was marked by a clean patch, an irregular circle wiped clear, perfectly outlining the spot where Latisha had been curled up.