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.

he strode across the gravel drive, he punched in

line connected almost

demanded, his voice low and simmering

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

in his body

darkness he'd

— and so was everything Jedrick had

night, the fire inside him growing into

empire had been

whoever dared to cross him had just declared

***

[Hidden Base]

cluttered with maps and tactical plans, his arms folded tightly across his chest as he

his voice

a look,

don't have much time," Stefan continued. "Jedrick must already know Rick betrayed him. If we're going to

jaw tightened. Gabriel's hands balled into fists at his sides. They all understood the stakes. Jedrick wasn't known

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

his men had been lying in wait halfway along the route. The

truck was seized, the cargo secured, and the trail

was hidden, their leverage

clock was

to outmaneuver Jedrick, Eveline couldn't shake the gnawing unease clawing

it happened — her phone

as her screen lit up with a name that sent ice

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

in a breath, steadying her racing

slithered through the line, low and mocking.

stayed silent, gripping the phone tighter, refusing to