Chapter 287

Latisha's heart seized when she saw the man at the door. Her breath caught in her throat, and her fingers instinctively tightened on Santino's arm.

"Are you trying to crush my arm?" Santino murmured.

Realizing what she was doing, Latisha quickly let go and stepped back, putting distance between them.

Santino just chuckled at her reaction.

"So naive," he said, then looked up at Clifford. "Mr. Lambert, what a coincidence."

Clifford's eyes were fixed on Santino, completely ignoring Latisha. He walked slowly toward them. "Not a coincidence. I was waiting for you."

Santino laughed. "And what if I hadn't shown up? Were you just going to leave her here?"

Clifford didn't answer, his cold gaze unwavering.

His silence was another stab to Latisha's heart. Had he known she was in here? Had he known what those men were doing to her?

She stared at him, at his tightly pressed lips, hoping for some kind of explanation. But none came.

After a long, tense silence, Clifford turned and walked out of the room without a backward glance.

"Take him," he commanded.

That was all he said.

Latisha watched his indifferent back, her heart plummeting into a dark, bottomless abyss. Two bodyguards entered, grabbed Santino, and took the gun from his hand. Santino didn't resist as they led him away.

They came and left in a flash, leaving Latisha standing alone in the empty room. She stared blankly at the doorway, suddenly lost. She had come here filled with worry for him, only to be used as bait.

For a long time, she stood there, questioning everything. She

questioned what had happened the night before, questioned who that man was who had jumped off a ch£f after her. It was all a tangled mess in her mind.

A sharp pain shot through her head. Latisha clutched her temples and slowly sank to the floor. The room was a disaster zone, and she felt just like the trash scattered around her discarded without a second thought.

She stayed on the floor until the throbbing in her head subsided. Leaning on a table

for support, she forced herself to her feet and dragged her heavy limbs toward the

exit.

Outside Mystic Cube, a cold wind whipped against her, chasing away the heat from the club and clearing her head slightly.

"Ma'am," Ziven's voice called out from beside her.

Latisha turned, her face haggard. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again.

"Please, get in the car. Mr. Lambert asked me to take you home," Ziven said, gesturing to a car parked at the curb.

She lowered her head and silently

door.

got in. Ziven drove her to Aqua Harmony Haven and walked her to the door. He was about to leave after reminding her to lock up when he felt a tug on his sleeve.

Ziven paused, turning back to look at her. "Is there something else, ma'am?"

Latisha kept her head down, her messy hair hiding her face. After a long moment, she looked up and typed on her phone: [Will he be back tonight?]

Ziven read the words and was at a loss. "Um, ma'am, perhaps you should ask Mr. Lambert yourself? I'm not really sure."

She typed again: [What will happen to Santino?]

Ziven frowned, clearly uncomfortable with the name. "I don't know. You could ask Mr. Lambert personally."

He deflected every question back to Clifford, afraid of saying the wrong thing. Latisha fell silent. Seeing she had nothing more to ask, Ziven turned and left.