Both Elliana and Cole understood with perfect clarity that the scar-faced man meant every single word he had just spoken. Men who operated this far outside the boundaries of human decency had no limits to the evil they were willing to commit.
Cole pressed his lips together in a hard, thin line. His eyes lifted to look at Taylor, who continued to stare blankly into the dark abyss below as if his mind had completely disconnected from reality.
Cole had never been a coward, not even for a single day of his life. Protecting his family members was not just his responsibility — it was his sacred duty. If the situation truly demanded it, he would trade his own life for Taylor’s without a moment’s hesitation. He would gladly die for any of the people he loved. But he would never allow himself to be manipulated by the empty promises of a monster like this man. To leap into that deadly chasm because of nothing more than this man’s word would make him the worst kind of fool imaginable.
The scar-faced man let out a cold chuckle. “And since we’re well aware of how deeply you care for each other, we won’t make you die alone, Mr. Evans. We’ll have both of you jump together at the same time.”
When only his own life had been at stake, Cole had managed to remain relatively calm while his mind raced to find a way out of this nightmare. But the instant they dragged Elliana into their sick game, something inside him completely shattered. A blazing, white-hot rage erupted in his chest like a volcano.
“You’re signing your own death warrant!” he snarled through clenched teeth. Follow current nov?ls on Find~Novel.net
Cole would never allow anyone to harm Elliana or the precious unborn children she carried. Not even with threats. He would burn this entire world to ashes before he let that happen.
Elliana reached over and gently squeezed Cole’s hand, sending him a silent message of warning through her touch. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but…
It carried urgent intensity. “You need to calm down right now. He’s deliberately trying to provoke you into doing something stupid. This is all part of his trap.”
LΑττ chαρτ?rs ιn glov?l.
Cole took a deep breath and fought to push the murderous rage back down into the depths of his soul where it belonged.
While Cole battled to control his fury, Elliana showed no signs of anger whatsoever. Instead, a faint, mocking smile began to curve her lips. It was an exact mirror of the cruel expression the scar-faced man had been wearing.
“If you really want us to jump off this cliff to our deaths, the least you could do is tell us why we have to die,” she said in a voice that sounded almost conversational. “Who sent you? Who hates us enough to go to all this trouble?”
The scar-faced man hesitated for just a moment before answering. “That information is classified. I can’t tell you that.”
Elliana tilted her head slightly in the direction of the mounted smartphone. “That device isn’t just recording, is it? You’re actually on a live video call right now. The person on the other end of that connection is your real leader, aren’t they?”
The scar-faced man’s entire body went rigid with tension. He didn’t say a word, but his silence was as good as a complete confession.
Elliana took two deliberate steps forward until she was standing directly in front of the camera. She stared straight into the lens as if she could see through it to the person hiding on the other side.
.
.
.