"Winnie, don't look, please!"

I followed Winnie into the villa.

This was supposed to be my and Matt's home, but in reality, it was more like a secret place he used to keep someone hidden.

Matt hadn't been here in ages.

Winnie looked around and finally spotted the black box on the table. She was just about to approach it when footsteps sounded outside. When she turned, she saw it was Matt.

"How dare you, Winnie!" Matt shouted. His face darkened at the sight of the broken glass on the floor.

I hurried to his side. "Matt, you—"

"Catherina stole my data and then went into hiding. Stop putting on an act! Tell her to come back and apologize, and I might go easy on her. If I find her myself, she'll face the consequences!"

I was stunned. "Matt, it wasn't me! I didn't do it!"

I turned to Winnie. "Winnie, it wasn't me!"

Winnie scoffed. "The mighty CEO of a company could even bring back his first love. But somehow, he can't locate his wife! Matt, are you out of your mind? Catherina is your wife! Why would she betray you?"

Matt replied coldly, "You'll have to ask her why she was meeting with Yarick! Tell her to come back. I won't go easy on her otherwise."

No matter how much Winnie tried to explain, Matt wouldn't listen. He signaled his guards to drag her out.

Winnie yelled, "Matt, I will find her and prove it to you!"

I was frantic upon seeing this. "Matt, Yarick kidnapped me to get to you! As for the data leak, I didn't do it!

"Oh, right. It was your birthday that day. I did go to see you!"

As I remembered that suddenly, I reached out for Matt, only to grasp at thin air.

Matt scanned the room before his gaze landed on the box.

My heart sank.

"Don't look! I'm begging you; don't look!"

Matt stepped forward and reached out to touch it when he was interrupted by a shrill ringtone.

It was Rachel calling. Her name stood out prominently on the screen. By comparison, my contact name on his phone seemed so cold and distant.

"Matt, are you busy? I'm scared; there's a man in black outside, and I—"

"I'll be right back!" He hung up and left without a second thought.

My soul was forced to follow him.

When we reached the villa on the hillside, I couldn't help but laugh. Security here was everywhere, with guards stationed every few steps.

No wonder Yarick targeted me; my place was much easier to access in comparison.

The thought of Yarick sent a shiver down my spine. Even though I was dead, remembering what he did to me made me shudder all over.

He had hung me up and sliced my body bit by bit, watching as the blood flowed. He called me his "Beautiful Flower".

As the pain vividly stabbed at me, I hugged myself. The marks on my fingers were still there. Every inch of my fingers and knees, too, had been broken.

Yarick had said that using a real person as a doll made it more lifelike. He had dislocated every joint, manipulating my body like a puppet.

A gust of wind brushed past, and I felt a wave of dizziness.

Just then, Rachel, dressed all in white, delicately flung herself into Matt's arms.

"Matt, I was so scared!" Her eyes shimmered with tears.

Matt patted her shoulders. "Don't worry. I'm here."

"Matt, have they found Catherina? Please don't be too hard on her. She must have her reasons for doing what she did."

Stunned, I looked up at her. I happened to catch a glimpse of a faint smirk in her eyes.

Matt's expression darkened slightly. "She'd better have a good reason!"

Then he turned to his assistant and asked, "Any updates?"

"No news yet, sir. Her last known location was in the south of the city."

Looking at Rachel, the assistant asked, "Ms. Saffron, are you sure you saw her in the west?"

Rachel tensed up instantly upon hearing that. "Matt, maybe I was mistaken."

Matt's gaze was conflicted. He coldly said, "I'm sure you're not. Catherina is a cunning woman."

Afterward, he ordered his assistant, "Keep investigating until you find her! And make sure to check all surveillance along the route. Don't miss anything!"

Rachel grew visibly tense.

As I watched Rachel, I couldn't help finding her suspicious.

I recalled two days before I was kidnapped.

I had gone to Matt's office to see him. As his assistant told me he wasn't there, I went to wait for him in his office.

Coincidentally, I caught Rachel coming out of the room. She looked visibly startled when she saw me.

Now that I thought about it, she seemed to be holding an exquisite silver keyring. As I connected the dots, I realized how suspicious she was.

Rachel made an excuse that she wasn't feeling well and retreated to her room.

Seeing this, I followed her and saw her quickly pull out her phone.

"You said this plan was foolproof! Now Matt's starting to check the surveillance along the route. What if he finds out about us?

"Damn it! She's just a stand-in! I can't believe he's so attached to her!"

After a pause, she asked. "Is that woman really dead?"

Rachel's face twisted, and she chuckled as she listened to the voice on the other end of the line.

"Got it. Once it's done, Matt will be mine. You can do as you wish with the rest!"

After hanging up, she hopped excitedly. "He's mine! All of it is mine! How could any of you compete with me?"

I was taken aback.

Rachel was the culprit, after all! She had gone mad!

Matt, look! It was her! She was involved with the people who kidnapped me!

…

Meanwhile, Winnie was sitting in front of her computer, making calls tirelessly until her eyes were red with exhaustion. Finally, a smile appeared on her face.

"Wait for me, Catherina!"

Winnie had found a lead on the man in black!

She had asked some influential contacts to help find him, and unexpectedly, a lead had come through. As she drove to the location, an assistant sent by one of those contacts also arrived.

"Ms. Hamilton, Ms. Lopez mentioned that she has now returned the favor," the assistant said.

"Thank Ms. Lopez for me!" Winnie replied, following the assistant. On the way, her phone rang—it was Sean Coal.

"Winnie, where did you go? Are you looking for Catherina again? She leaked company secrets. Can you stop getting involved!"

"Shut up!" Winnie snapped. "Catherina didn't do it, and you're not the police, so don't pull that nonsense with me. Also, where I go has nothing to do with you!"

"Just come back." Sean sounded impatient. "Where did you put that orchid brooch I bought? Rachel likes it. Where is it?"

Winnie's heart missed a beat, but she managed to calm down when she warned him, "Sean, I'm not letting some stranger touch my belongings. If you give it to her, we're done."

She hung up and took a deep breath. Just as she arrived at her destination, she received a photo from Rachel.

Rachel had messaged. "Sorry, Winnie. Sean said the orchid suits me well, so he gave it to me. Hope you don't mind."

Winnie was disappointed when she saw the brooch. She replied coldly, "I do mind. Orchids symbolize purity; they don't suit a shameless woman like you."

She then blocked Rachel and, in a final move, blocked Sean as well.

When Winnie got out of the car, she frowned upon seeing the abandoned factory. "Are you sure it's here?"

"Yes, the trail led us here. The tire tracks and blood stains match. Let's check it out."

The closer they got, the more anxious Winnie felt, as if something terrible was looming. Her legs began to tremble as the thick scent of blood filled the air.

Weeds were overgrown everywhere. Her fear grew with each step.

As they reached the entrance, Winnie suddenly couldn't bring herself to go in. However, the assistant, being braver than her, entered.

After about 20 minutes, a horrific scream echoed from inside, and the assistant came stumbling out.

"A body! There's a dead body! Call the police!"

Trembling, Winnie felt a surge of courage and walked in. As she entered, she spotted a woman's corpse hanging from a pillar in the dim corner.

A sharp pain tore through her chest.