Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Escape

Serena had been walking down the dim, twisty path for a while now. No lights, just turns and more turns. She passed what seemed like a pond, a basketball court, maybe even a swimming pool and a gazebo...

Good grief, rich folks really live in another dimension of luxury.

She'd been running for at least ten minutes straight, her breath was coming in sharp gasps when she finally stopped.

Looking up, she saw a small, traditional-style house nearby. Only two faint lights glowed by the front door.

"Small" was relative - it only looked small compared to the Quinns' mansion. Compared to her own place? Yeah, this thing was massive.

She figured that after running that long, she must've finally made it out of the Quinns' main estate.

It was super late already, and cabs would probably be impossible to flag down around this private area, so she decided to try her luck and knocked on the door.

No one answered. After knocking for a good while and feeling completely worn out from the whole day, Serena just slumped onto the doorstep and dozed off.

The nights in Westbridge were starting to get chilly. Wearing nothing but a simple dress, the cold made her instinctively curl into herself for warmth.

Meanwhile, back at the Quinn mansion, in the study...

"Any... news about Austin?" Matthew asked with a deep frown.

Talking about Vivian had stirred up memories of his little brother who got lost at an amusement park when they were kids. Austin's disappearance had completely turned their whole family upside down.

Vivian had blamed Matthew for it, accusing him of purposefully losing his three-year-old brother out of spite. She even used her own life to press the fifteen-year-old Matthew into leaving for Veloria, strictly banning him from returning without her permission.

Ever since then, the name "Austin" had become a taboo no one in the Quinn household dared to bring up.

David shuddered slightly, then gave a slow shake of his head. "Just bits and pieces. Heard he was kidnapped and sold off to some remote mountain village. We've never stopped searching all these years."

Matthew leaned forward, rubbing his temples with both hands, his face etched with pain. "Got it. Keep looking."

Right then, a flurry of noise erupted outside the study.

He swiftly opened the door and stepped out. "What happened?"

Susan rushed over, panic written all over her face. "Mr. Quinn, your wife is missing."

Matthew blinked. "Missing? Wasn't she just with you by the study window?"

He tried calling Serena's phone - straight to voicemail.

"She was. Then she said her bracelet fell off and went back to look for it. I came to the dining room to prep dinner, waited and waited, but she never showed. I checked outside the study too and... nothing."

Susan's eyes were tearing up in anxiety.

Matthew's expression instantly darkened, a storm brewing behind his eyes. But noticing Vivian nearby, he quickly forced a neutral face. "She probably got lost. Turn on all the lights and start searching."

The Quinn mansion was instantly thrown into chaos.

Matthew turned to Vivian with a nod. "Dinner's ready. You go ahead."

Vivian gracefully took a seat at the dining table, smiling. "It's her first night here, right? It'd be awkward to eat without her. You all go look, I'll wait. No rush."

He just gave a cool "Sure" in return, but inside, he was burning up with worry.

He pulled aside one of the staff rushing around and asked quietly, "You checked the side villa?"

The maid hesitated, "N-Not yet... I'll go now."

Matthew gave a sharp smile and held her back. "No need. I'll take care of it. Tell Susan to go ahead with dinner."

They had already searched the entire mansion thoroughly. Given that the place sat halfway up a mountain with security at every exit and no reports of Serena leaving, that only left one possibility-she must be at the side villa.

This villa was tucked at the base of the mountain, kind of isolated but peaceful. The old man had used it as a recovery spot back in the day.

Matthew hopped on his motorbike and headed straight there.

Hearing the low rumble of the engine, Serena, still curled on the steps, perked up fast. Finally! Someone from the house was back. She might just be saved after all.