Rebirth of Billionaire's Wife (Eveline)

Chapter 399 399: Time is ticking

A day after the consignment had been dispatched, Jedrick sat leisurely in his room, swirling a glass of amber liquor in his hand. The muted light of the evening slanted across his desk, casting long shadows that danced with each flicker of the fireplace.

The sharp trill of his phone cut through the quiet. Jedrick's calm eyes flicked toward the device, recognizing the caller instantly. A slow, amused smile curved his lips as he answered.

"Mr. Walton," he drawled, his tone rich with feigned pleasantry. "I trust the consignment has reached you."

A strained pause answered him — the kind that prickled at the edges of instinct. Jedrick's fingers tightened slightly around his glass, though the smile remained frozen on his lips.

"That's the thing," Mr. Walton's voice finally grated through the line, clipped and tense. "It hasn't."

Jedrick's smile didn't falter, but the air around him grew razor-sharp.

"Explain," he said, his voice still pleasant, but now edged with steel.

Mr. Walton, a seasoned dealer from the notorious Hitman Gang — the same man who had brokered a lucrative deal promising to bolster Jedrick's empire — sounded unusually rattled.

"The truck never made it to the drop point. Last we heard, the driver called in—said he was being tailed. Then... radio silence. No sign of the shipment. No bodies. No wreckage. It's just... gone."

For a long moment, silence crackled between them. Jedrick leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing into slits as he watched the flames in the fireplace.

But a creeping dread was already coiling around his heart like a noose.

Without a word, he ended the call and immediately dialed Rick — the man entrusted with the consignment. He pressed the phone tightly to his ear, each ring stretching out like a blade drawn across skin.

No answer.

Again, he called. Still nothing.

A shadow flickered across Jedrick's expression. His jaw clenched, and the glass in his hand cracked under the force of his grip. Setting it down with unnecessary force, he shot up from his chair.

Without pausing to grab a coat or even glance back, he stormed out of the house, the heavy door slamming behind him.

The night air was cold and biting, but he barely noticed. A wrongness gnawed at his gut — an all-too-familiar darkness that he knew better than to ignore.

drive, he punched in another number, calling one of

connected

his voice low and simmering

beat of hesitation before the man answered, "We haven't seen him since he took off with the

every muscle in his body

darkness he'd sensed wasn't

so was everything Jedrick had staked on

into the night, the

empire had been

to cross him had just declared

***

[Hidden Base]

table cluttered with maps and tactical plans, his arms folded

helping us," he said, his voice cutting

exchanged a look,

much time," Stefan continued. "Jedrick must already know Rick betrayed him. If we're

his sides. They all understood the stakes. Jedrick wasn't known for forgiveness — he was known for leaving

even critical details to limit exposure. It was a rare slip —

lying in wait halfway along the

seized, the cargo secured, and the trail wiped clean —

shipment was hidden,

clock was

shake the gnawing unease clawing at her insides. Her instincts screamed that

— her phone

up with a name that sent ice down her spine:

slight nod, signaling her

a breath, steadying her racing heart, and put the phone on

low

silent, gripping the phone tighter, refusing to rise