Chapter 154
Right after Pearl left, her phone began to ring with an incoming message. Her heart sank as she read the
content:
“Help me, Pearl!”
Pearl froze for a moment. Esther’s impulsive nature made it unlikely that she would send such a text.
There were two possibilities: either someone was controlling her and forcing her to send the message, or she was hiding and unable to make a call.
Pearl hesitated to call or text back because doing so might reveal Esther’s location if her phone wasn’t on silent mode, potentially alerting her attackers.
So, Pearl decided to use her hacking skills to locate Esther’s phone. After some quick work, she pinpointed Esther’s whereabouts. It was the same place where she had spoken to Richard just moments ago.
Suspicion gnawed at Pearl as she hurried back to that location. Esther had many connections there, and as an A-list celebrity, her disappearance would surely cause a media frenzy.
When Pearl got back there, Richard was gone. She looked around and even checked under the seats, but found no sign of Esther. Where was she?
She stopped in her tracks, realizing there was a faint knocking sound coming from beneath her. Knock, knock, knock…
Pearl instantly knew where Esther was. She rushed to the entrance of the basement.
The basement contained a wine cellar, secured by a passcode-locked door. An incorrect passcode entry would trigger an alert to the police, potentially putting Esther’s life in danger.
Pearl examined the keypad, knowing that passcodes often had limited variations. Her senior had taught her how to crack these codes. A few lines of code on her tablet, and the passcode to the basement was revealed.
With the door open, Pearl descended into the dark basement. She avoided turning on the lights and moved cautiously, guided only by the faint wall lights.
The knocking grew louder as she approached a door. It was clear that Esther was just behind it, struggling to get her attention.
Pearl had expected this, but she sensed something amiss when the knocking suddenly sped up and then returned to its original pace. It was a signal, and Pearl understood it.
She reached into her sleeve and retrieved a concealed knife, holding it ready in her left hand. With her right, she slowly opened the door.
Inside, Esther was bound to a chair, her hair disheveled. When she saw Pearl, her eyes widened, and she began shaking her head.
Pearl understood that Esther was trying to communicate without alerting her captor. However, Pearl couldn’t pick up the signal immediately. Esther made muffled groans and attempted to rise from the chair, hitting her head on the ceiling in the process.
“Don’t worry, I’m here to save you.” Pearl reassured her with a smile and took a step closer when the door
Chapter 154
suddenly swung open.
“I knew you would fall into my trap!”
Pearl turned to see an unfamiliar masked man standing in the doorway. “Who are you?”
“Not only do I know you, but I have a bone to pick with you!” The man sounded menacing.
“Tell me about it.”
2/2
“If you hadn’t chosen Esther, the Waldorfs would have collaborated with an artist from my agency. But now, not only has she rejected me as her manager, the entire industry has blacklisted me. I can’t even feed my family. Don’t you think you deserve to die?”
Pearl couldn’t fathom the severity of such consequences. Unemployment was one thing, but to wish death upon someone for it was beyond comprehension.
