Chapter 153

Santino's lips curled into a triumphant smirk as he watched her remove her clothes, one piece at a time.

When she was done, she turned to face the wall, her long hair stark against her pale

skin.

"The pants."

Her back stiffened. She hugged herself tighter, her knuckles turning white. She didn't want anyone to save her anymore. She knew no one would. In all the times she had silently prayed for a rescuer, not a single person had ever reached out. She wasn't that little girl anymore, the one who had a protector.

Darby was gone. Clifford no longer cared. She was alone in a barren wasteland. The only person who had shown her kindness was now a captive because of her.

What was the point of dignity? What was the point of fighting?

She surrendered. She would do whatever Santino wanted. If he wanted her to strip, she would strip. If he wanted her to die, she would die. Her life was worthless; no one cared. It didn't matter anymore.

Whether from exhaustion, the cold, or the relentless torture, the world suddenly began to tilt. A familiar wave of dizziness washed over her. She swayed on her feet and then collapsed onto the floor.

It was the third day of Latisha's disappearance, and Ziven still had no leads. He was pacing frantically in the villa's courtyard, at his wits' end.

While everyone else was panicking, Clifford was the picture of calm. He went to work, came home, and followed his routine as if Latisha were still there. In fact, he was coming home more regularly than ever.

No one knew what he was thinking.

As Ziven paced, the front door opened, and Clifford emerged, impeccably dressed. Ziven hurried over to him. Clifford gave him a cool, indifferent glance and walked to the car.

Ziven got into the driver's seat and looked in the rearview mirror. Clifford was

already leaning back with his eyes closed. Not daring to speak, Ziven started the car and drove to the office.

As they walked toward the elevators, they ran into Santino. The two

exchanged a look and a few pleasantries before stepping into elevator together. fo

"Still haven't found your pet, Clifford?" Santino asked casually.

"An animal that can't be tamed isn't worth finding," Clifford replied without looking at him.

"Is that so?"

"It thinks the world outside is so much better. Let it go see for itself."

Santino's smile faltered for a second. "You have a point. Once it's suffered enough,

it might just come running back on its own."

Clifford finally turned his head to look at his brother-in-law. Santino met his gaze without flinching. The silence in the elevator was heavy, broken only by the soft chime as the floors passed.

"Ding."

The doors opened on the 20th floor. As Clifford stepped out, he said, "Don't forget to come get those investment proposals."

Santino blinked, but before he could respond, the doors had closed.

Later that day, Santino went to the CEO's office to retrieve the proposals. He saw that Clifford had already signed them.

"They're approved?"

Clifford rubbed his temples, a rare sign of fatigue showing on his face. "Get it done. Don't let it drag on."

"I'll get right on it."

These investments would tie up

get

nearly fifty percent of the company's

liquits. The longer they took to

materialize the greater the risk