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.

gravel drive, he punched in another number, calling one of

line connected

Jedrick demanded, his voice low and simmering

"We haven't seen him since he

muscle in his body

darkness he'd sensed wasn't

— and so was everything Jedrick had staked

phone, Jedrick stared out into the night, the fire inside him growing into

had

to cross him

***

[Hidden Base]

maps and tactical plans, his arms

Rick for helping us," he said, his voice cutting through the tense air

exchanged a look, both

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

the stakes. Jedrick

details to limit exposure. It was a rare slip — and they had seized

been lying in wait halfway along the route. The ambush had

truck was seized, the cargo secured, and the trail wiped

hidden, their leverage firm in

the clock was

managed to outmaneuver Jedrick, Eveline couldn't shake the gnawing unease clawing at her insides. Her instincts screamed

— her phone

screen lit up with a name that sent ice down her spine:

Stefan gave a slight nod, signaling her to answer but stay

breath, steadying her racing heart, and

Eveline," Jedrick's voice slithered through the line, low and mocking. "But you still can't

gripping the phone tighter, refusing to rise to