Shadows Of A Forgotten Spring

Chapter 158 Annie's eyes frantically searched the opulent hall; her breathing began racing as her eyes desperately searched for Alexander. He had been just a few feet away from her a moment ago, his figure strikingly unmistakable among all the masked faces. But now he was nowhere in sight. And for sweird reason, she searched around the room for Emma, her stomach filled with dread when it dawned on her that Emma, too, was nowhere to be seen.

Panic coursed through Annie as her perfectly manicured nails dug into the palm of her hand, her fists clenched. There was no reason, no plausible explanation for both Alexander and Ena to disappear at the stunless something was terribly wrong. Her mind reeled with possibilities; each worse than the last.

Annie's heels clicked against the marble floor as she made her way down the hall, weaving between groups of guests. Her heart hammered in her chest, her breathing uneven as she pushed past servers and ignored the curious glances of onlookers. Her desperation made her careless. And if fate had decided to toy with her even more, she ran into someone.

"Excuse me." she muttered hastily, not bothering to look up, trying to figure walk pass him. Apologies were not her things, but she had more important things to attend to But before she could move away, he moved his head closer to her, his lips dangerously close to her ear, whispering, "Your attempt to killfailed. The videos will soon be out for the world to see." The color drained from Annie's face, her vision blurring as the words hit her like a freight train. Her heart felt as if it had stopped altogether, her breath catching in her throat. Her fists tightened by her sides, trembling slightly. She knew that voice, How could she not? It was etched into her memory, a voice that had once whispered hot and spicy words to her months ago. A voice she was certain she'd silenced forever.

Her pulse roared in her ears as she whipped around, her mind racing to rationalize what she had just heard. It couldn't be him. There was no way. She has confirmed his death. He couldn't possibly be alive unless... she had being played.

Anger blazed in her eyes and her throat dried of saliva.

Her eyes scanned desperately for the man who had whispered into her ear, her stomach churning with every twist and turn. And there he was: his back turned to her, as he was walking away. He was one of the servers at the event. Her breath hitched. It couldn't be true. It must have been a mistake, a prank.

But deep inside of her, she knew it wasn't.

Even with the tight security, he had found a way in. What if he has attacked her the first chance he got? She watched him confidently walking away, toward the exit, really Jim. Alive. Breathing. And he had just threatened her.

Annie's panic mounted as she realized the enormity of the situation. With Jim still alive, her whole world could ccrashing down in an instant. Everything she had fought so hard to build, the life she had clawed her way to secure would be destroyed. She couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't.

For a moment, the thought of Alexander and Emma was pushed to the back of her mind. It tore her apart, but the idea of them together paled in comparison to the danger of Jim being alive. She couldn't risk drawing security to herself. She could not call them not when it might expose her own dirty secrets out into the open for the world to see. No, she had to handle this alone.

She followed him without thinking, her heart pounding harder with every step. The crowd thinned as they moved further from the main hall, the sounds of merry chatter and music fading into the background. She was in the garden now, and the moonlight cast eerie shadows on the path ahead. Blossoms surrounding her did nothing for her edgy nerves, and she quickened her pace to catch up with him.

11:07 Fri, Jan 24 Chapter 158 Jim's strides were long and calculated, and she was having a harder tnow to keep his pace. Her heels sank into the soft grass, slowing her down, but she pressed on. She couldn't lose him now, not when she was so close.

Her mind was an abyss of questions and fears,

Annie gasped shallowly around a corner as she saw the silhouette of Jim's figure ahead. She shivered and she felt beads of sweat upon her brow. She knew she was playing with fire and th her actions would have dire consequences; but there was no turning back now. She had to silence him once and for all. ААААА

Emma's chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to steady herself, he words clogged in her throat. The fear that coursed through her was no match for the storm brewing inside. She tried to fight back, to reclaim herself but then his scent hit her, that unmistakable cologne, the one that brought back memories of the night where she felt the world was only theirs. Her body betrayed her. Goosebumps was all over her skin as her lips parted, not to speak, but to draw in a shaky breath. She wanted to resist the pull he had over her, but the craving in her heart, the ache she felt for him, was too strong.

Then his voice sliced through the silence, low, raw, with an intensity that sent her shaking down to her m very bones. With one handche removed his mask and did the swith Emma without asking for her permission and he looked straight into her eyes in the darkness. "I cannot keep living without you, Emma. You are all that matters, and I need to be inside you now."