Chapter 257

At the same time, Santino's eyes opened, and he beamed at her.

Latisha lay sprawled awkwardly on the ground. She pressed her lips together, then silently crawled back to sit obediently beside him.

Santino watched her for a moment, smiled, and closed his eyes again. She sat quietly next to him, glancing down at the rope on her ankle. It wasn't thick, just a thin cord, like a shoelace. But it was tied in a dead knot. After struggling for a long time without success, she gave up, exhausted, and leaned back against the tree. Once she stopped fighting, she quickly fell asleep.

When she woke up again, she was in the car. She looked up to see Santino sitting beside her. He was still in his traditional silk suit, with strands of hair falling across his face, obscuring his expression.

She sat up and looked outside. A torrential downpour had started, the rain hammering against the windows and blurring the world into an indistinguishable

mess.

Latisha bit her lip. She had no idea where she was. With a sigh, she turned her gaze away from the window.

Elsewhere, Clifford was visiting Renata. As soon as she saw him, she rushed forward, wanting to grab him, but was held back by the guards.

"Bro!"

Clifford gestured for her to sit down. Renata managed to calm herself slightly and took a seat across from him. She had visibly withered in just a short time. Her eyes were dull, but a flicker of hope remained.

"Bro, Santino... he..."

"He's gone," Clifford said flatly.

Renata's shoulders slumped. "Gone?"

"Yes."

Her already pale face turned ghostly white. "What about... what about Jaden?"

"He's still at the Lambert estate."

Tears welled up in Renata's eyes, and she hastily wiped them away. Although she had braced herself for this the moment she saw the file, hearing the words from Clifford's own lips shattered her hearto completely.

"Did he really... abandon Jaden too?"

Clifford watched her without blinking, offering no reply. But the answer was clear enough.

Renata stared blankly at the table, then a new thought seemed to strike her. She looked up at Clifford. "Bro, will I... will I be able to get out?"

"Yes."

No word had ever sounded so sweet. The knot of fear in Renata's stomach loosened. “Then at the trial, what... what should I say?"

"Don't worry about it. You'll have a lawyer."

“Oh...” Renata opened her mouth to say more, but Clifford stood up. "I'm leaving. Take care of yourself."

She closed her mouth, her gaze fixed on him.

Clifford walked a few steps, then paused, turning his head slightly to see Renata's retreating back. An unreadable emotion flashed in his eyes before his expression returned to normal and he left without

another glance.

Ziven pulled up in the car to pick him up, holding an umbrella over his head. “Mr. Lambert."

"Have they found her?" Clifford asked, his voice low and toneless, almost lost in the roar of the rain.

Ziven hesitated. "N-not yet. But we believe they're still within Etherea City."

Clifford said nothing more and walked toward the Bentley. Ziven hurried to open the door for him.

Inside the car, Clifford stared out at the torrential downpour that

enveloped the city, his view

obscured by the streams of water

running down the glass.

Miles away, Santino, with Latisha in tow, finally brought the car to a stop as the rain

began to subside. He unbuckled his seatbelt. "Get out."