Chapter 454:
ð ð ð ð ð
âVriningâs political structure is worlds apart from ours. Their military operates in fragments, so itâs likely that a powerful figure is pulling the strings behind Fleeingland,â Roderick said, his face growing even more severe.
âFor years, whispers have circulated in the black market that Fleeingland is a place from which no one returns.â
Allison felt her veins run cold, the grim reality seeping into her bones. She couldnât let herself imagine the horrors her mother might be facing if she were there.
No, she wouldnât allow herself to fall into that spiral. She needed answers, whether her mother was alive or not, and she wouldnât give up until she found the truth.
Steadying herself with a deep breath, Allison finally spoke, resolve hardening in her voice.
âThank you. Iâll have something investigate further.â
This time, she wouldnât overlook a single clue.
When Allison eventually left the appraisal office, dusk had already settled in.
She paused at the top of the steps, her gaze distant and cold as she stared into the evening sky.
A familiar figure emerged from the fading light beside her.
âLet me drive you home,â Kellan offered, his dark eyes watchful, his expression unreadable.
He had remained silent in the office, but from her conversation with Roderick, he had gathered enough to know her mother could be in real danger.
âAlright,â Allison replied, her voice neutral.
Her mind was a maze of scattered thoughts, each more unsettling than the last.
She allowed Kellan to open the car door for her and lean in to fasten her seatbelt.
As the car pulled away from the cultural center, the buildings and streets blurred by, but Allisonâs thoughts remained locked on a single purpose.
The silence in the car was thick, lingering until they approached the Muisvedo intersection, where the red light began its slow countdown from forty-five.
Kellan glanced at her, his voice cutting through the quiet.
âIf youâre open to it, I can help. We can start with the earring, see what it uncovers. Iâve got a few contacts in the black market, maybe we can get something useful.â
âThank you,â Allison said, her voice steady with resolve, the tension in her chest slowly lifting.
Fleeingland.
The word alone made her blood boil. That dark, lawless island wouldnât escape her reckoning. Sheâd dismantle every corner of it if she had to.
âYouâre planning to head straight to Vrining, arenât you?â Kellanâs statement wasnât really a question. Heâd seen enough to understand her intentions from the start.
âYes.â Her answer came out firm and unwavering.
.
.
.