Chapter 225

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11:25 I awoke to a throbbing pain in my head, a persistent ache that pulsed with the remnants of whatever drug they had injected me with. My vision swam in and out of focus, the room a hazy, unfamiliar blur. Panic gripped me as I struggled to make sense of my surroundings.

As awareness trickled in, I found myself lying on a plush couch in a dimly lit room. My head throbbed, the remnants of the drug’s effects lingering, and my vision remained clouded, as if veiled by a dense fog.

The unfamiliar surroundings heightened my sense of disorientation. Panic surged within me as I struggled to make sense of where I was. This wasn’t Bruce’s place, and the realization shattered the fragile hope I’d clung to moments ago.

My suspicions about Bruce dissipated, replaced by a chilling certainty that I was ensnared in someone’s trap entirely.

The sound of heels clicking on tiled floors snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts. Stella emerged from the shadows, her posture relaxed and a smug smirk gracing her lips.

“Hello, Evie,” she purred, her voice laced with an unsettling satisfaction. “Had a nice nap?”

I tried to sit up, but my body felt heavy, as if weighted down by invisible chains. Fear clawed at my chest as I struggled to lift my limbs. “What have you done to me?” I demanded, my voice trembling.

Stella’s facade of innocence sent a chill down my spine. “Me? Oh, I’ve done nothing but enjoy your company, Evie. You’re such a fascinating person.”

The unnerving calmness in her demeanor only fueled my anxiety. “Stop playing games, Stella!

What do you want from me?”

Her laughter echoed in the room, a hollow sound that sent shivers down my spine. “Oh, Evie, you’re in for quite a ride. But I assure you, you’ll understand soon enough.”

I struggled to push past the fog clouding my thoughts, trying to piece together the events that led me here. But the haze persisted, obscuring my memories like a veil.

“Where am I?” I demanded, my voice betraying a hint of desperation.

Joyread Your dream seo of Emergency calls only 11:25 Stella perched herself elegantly on a nearby chair, crossing her legs with a casual air. “You’re in a safe place, Evie. Just be glad you woke up on a nice, soft couch.”

“Lucky?” I scoffed, leering at her. “Are you serious? What the hell is wrong with you?”

She raised an eyebrow. “I’d watch your tone if I were you. I may be accommodating, but I’m not exactly in a good mood.”

The sinking feeling in my stomach intensified. “Why am I here? What’s your game, Stella?”

Her smile widened, revealing a glint of something unsettling behind her facade. “Oh, my dear, this isn’t a game. This is the consequences of your actions coming back to bite you in the ass.”

My breathing hastened. “Let me go! This is disgusting, even for you, Stella!”

Stella’s expression remained impassive, her gaze unwavering. “As if you ever thought that highly of me, Evie, You never had an ounce of respect for me, and you showed it time and time again.”

Dread coiled within me as I realized the depth of my entanglement in whatever sinister plot Stella had woven. Memories surged forward–Stella’s unexpected appearance, the drink, the limo ride–all pieces of a puzzle that clicked into place.

“Stella, whatever happened between us… between you and Timothy, it’s in the past,” I pleaded, my voice trembling. “We can find a way out of this.”

Her gaze remained steely, unfaltering. “Apologies have run their course, Evie. There’s no turning back now. I have plans for you.”

My heart pounded, the gravity of her words sending a chill down my spine. “Plans? What do you mean?” I pressed, desperation clawing at my chest.

She leaned forward, pointing at me with a shaking finger. “I’m going to take it all from you.

Everything you stole from me and everyone else that’s come in your destructive path, because you are one cold–calculate bitch, Evie Sinclair.”

I scrunched up my face. I couldn’t even believe what I was hearing. “Are you serious? God, just let me go and we can forget about this, okay?”

“Forget,” Stella repeated, and she let the word hang in the air between us. Her eyes grew distant, as though she A Jovread were considering its meaning. “Because that would make things so much easier for you.”

“Stella, please…”

Stella’s lips curled into a twisted smile. “It would be rude to leave before our company returns.”

I struggled to sit up, my muscles protesting against the lingering effects of whatever drug had rendered me powerless. “What do you mean by that?”

Before I could grasp her cryptic words, a sudden coldness grazed the back of my head, sending a shiver down my spine. Fear coiled within me, a suffocating grip tightening around my chest, What followed was a soft “click“.

Stella’s grin widened, a chilling glint in her eyes. “I’m not the only one you’ve wronged, Evie.”

“What’s happening?” I choked out, my voice barely audible.

Stella stood up and smoothed down her dress, her tone casual as she walked toward me. “Don’t worry about the, um, reinforcements. They’re just a precaution for now.”

My lips trembled. “I–Is that a gun? Please, let me go, Stella! I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Stella’s laughter pierced the air, a haunting melody that sent shivers down my spine. “Hurt? Oh, Evie, I’m not hurting anymore. I’m in mourning now.“”

Fear and helplessness consumed me, each passing moment intensifying the suffocating grip of dread.

“You don’t have to do this,” I implored, tears welling in my eyes. “There’s still a chance to make things right.”

Stella’s gaze bore into mine, an unsettling intensity in her eyes. “What’s right, Evie, is me getting justice. You like to boast about “justice” a lot, but never when it applies to you.

“Please, Stella,” I pleaded once more, my voice hoarse. “There has to be another way. We can handle this without resorting to… this.”

Stella’s demeanor remained icy and resolute. “Oh, Evie, you always had a way of making a mess of things. After that day in the hospital, after what you said about someone being out to get you, I had no doubt in my mind you were involved.”

I paused, mulling over the memories from that day. I guess I had admitted it in some way, but I wasn’t sure.

Your dream sea of ៩ Joyread Emergency calls only Scarlett seemed determined that it was Stella, but now that was clearly false.

“I wish it had been you who got shot, not my sister. It’s your fault that she wound up in that hospital bed. Why she gave my niece to you for saving keeping is beyond me.”

The accusation struck me like a dagger to the heart. “Your sister trusted me,” I stammered. “Which is more than she can say for you.”

Stella bristled at that, and she squinted her eyes. “I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else had a hit on you. You’re quite good at pissing people off, Evie.”

Her callous words cut deep, but I kept quiet. The cold object, a gun no doubt, was still pressed against the back of my head. The stranger holding it had yet to speak, likely just reserved to being Stella’s muscle.

She leaned closer, a smug glint in her eyes. “You’re good at pushing people away. It won’t be long before you do the same to Timothy:”

Just the mention of Timothy struck a nerve. My heart ached at the thought of losing him, especially after things had been going so well between us. We could get torn apart in a way that was far worse.

“You have no right to say that,” I retorted, my voice quivering with a mix of hurt and anger. “You don’t know anything about my relationship with Timothy.”

Stella’s laughter filled the room, devoid of empathy. “Oh, but I do. You’re a magnet for chaos, Evie.

And it won’t be long before you drive him away.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. “Enough, Stella!” I choked out. “Let me go. I promise I’ll find a way to make amends.”

But Stella’s expression remained indifferent, her resolve unshaken. “You’ve made your bed, Evie.

Now lie in it. Pick her up.”

“Wait!” I shifted, my movements limited but frantic as the stranger finally came around the couch, gun now visible as it shifted to my forehead.

“Will do,” a voice echoed from behind me, freezing the blood in my veins.

My heart stopped. The voice was unmistakable. His presence only amplified the nightmare that unfolded before me. I turned slowly, dread gnawing at my core.

Joyread DI ULE SWUU UICIC, dll CCHC LOTHIANA HARUDALIE haunted reflection in his dark eyes.

“Hello again, Evie,” he said, and his mouth split into a menacing grin.