Darien looked stunned when he heard that.

He glanced at Keira, confused, and asked, "Nine fifty-five? I don't really get what you mean…"

Keira immediately pressed, "I'm asking why you called her to come out at exactly 9:55!"

Darien seemed even more confused. "Did I? I didn't even notice."

He pulled out his phone, checked his call log, and sure enough—it showed he had made the call at 9:55.

Looking baffled, he muttered, "I just called randomly. I had no idea what time it was."

His expression was sincere, not like someone trying to lie.

Still, Keira glanced over at Erin, just to be sure.

"What are you looking at me for?" Erin asked, raising an eyebrow.

Keira replied, "Check if he's been hypnotized."

"Oh," Erin said, stepping closer to check Darien's pupils. After a quick look, she shook her head. "Nope, nothing."

"Then

felt like the trail had

phone. It turned out that during this

was incredibly detailed—it even listed the kindergarten Darien had

an ordinary person, a kid from a small rural town who worked hard in school and made it to college,

world he'd never seen before and was dazzled by the wealth around

he set his sights

his life to save her"

had been no

carefully staged act by him and his

conversations between Darien and his buddies, detailing how he had gradually manipulated

she was, he began

superior—something he didn't experience with Ellie. He created the illusion that Mollie was his fiancée, deceiving Ellie

day, living off Ellie's money while enjoying a lavish lifestyle

Ellie never noticed—until the

his past that indicated anything

what was really going

to Erin and asked, "How did the South family make him call Ellie

chin thoughtfully before responding, "You keep assuming the South family is behind this. But have you ever considered the possibility that Ellie'd been hypnotized to follow Darien's lead? Maybe this is someone targeting the Cobb family—someone out to destroy them—and it has nothing to do with the South family. Maybe the real enemy is just toying with Ellie and planning to kill her… and it just so

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