The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Chapter 1135

Vivienne flipped through the stack of paperwork in her hands, the runes sprawled across the pages as if whispering ancient secrets.

She was deep in comparison, cross-referencing every detail when Percival stepped out to dispatch a team to track down Carly's whereabouts. As Draven reported, the small town seemed to swallow Carly whole; she had vanished without a trace by the time their team raided the place.

Initially, Draven suspected Carly might have fled or perhaps, tragically, got trapped and buried under debris somewhere in the chaos. After all, his last impression of Carly was nothing more than a mentally disturbed woman causing trouble around town. Having scoured the town early on, Draven noticed a message from Percival about a few survivors they had detained. Upon his arrival, the clamor was impossible to ignore; desperate voices cried for freedom.

"Let us out! Do you even realize this is illegal detention? Once I'm out, I'll make sure you all pay! You monsters, when will you let us go?"

These pleas seemed endless, initially a nuisance to Draven, who now found them unexpectedly useful.

Approaching the source of the commotion, Draven scanned the crowd. "Where's Carly?" he demanded.

The mention of her name caused a ripple of confusion.

Catching their stunned reactions, Draven knew there was more to this. "Speak up about her whereabouts, and you might get out. Stay silent, and you're stuck here for life."

The offer tempted many, but there were also those genuinely clueless. "Why bother with that nutcase? Even you guys can't find her; what chance do we have? She was always a bit off-the-rocker. What if she's dead? How are we supposed to help then?" Draven ignored the lengthy retort, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, searching for any hint of deceit. Yet, the allure of freedom didn't seem to shake the most agitated individuals, who now resumed a facade of indifference.

"Nobody knows her?" Draven pressed, patience wearing thin.

Met with only echoes of his own voice, Draven turned to leave, ignoring the renewed pleas behind him. Before exiting, he cast one last look at the suspects.

"Compile a report on those three men, including their relations within Luck Village and with the locals. I want everything," Draven instructed his subordinate, handing over his notes.

the lab, Vivienne received

odd reactions at Carly's mention. They've crossed paths but

the file, Vivienne noted these individuals were linked to the Torres family.

sharing the Torres surname, there was no recorded blood

research, Vivienne re-entered a series of codes, pulling

yet they posed as strangers in Luck Village. Was Carly

the detention location? None of

set aside the paperwork, her

really untraceable during those

recalling the thorough search. "I checked every possible place in the village. Mentioning her name only made the villagers shun the

"Two days."

sparked a revelation in Vivienne. If someone

properly. It was small, with weapons hidden beneath farming plots, not hypnotic plants as suspected. Each household

"Except Carly's," Vivienne realized,

discrepancy with

land plot.

home due to misplaced trust,

the truth was

fist on the table when Percival gently

your fault. We'll

practically a dead end for Abigail now. Finding a new liaison won't be easy for them. We

He could've been bluffing to unsettle us. Don't stress yourself over it," Percival advised, concern evident in his gaze. Vivienne had been