Chapter 918:
Ella’s breaths grew shallow. Rylie leaned close, her voice soft but urgent. “Ella, your father and Shaba are waiting for you outside. If you can just stay awake a little longer… I’ll buy this entire reserve and give it to you. Would you like that?”
Too weak to speak, Ella blinked slowly, her eyes locking onto Rylie’s.
With blood-streaked fingers, Rylie gently brushed the girl’s hair back. “Then you’ll be the guardian of this forest. You and Shaba—together forever. Doesn’t that sound nice?”
A faint spark returned to Ella’s eyes. Her tiny hand moved, curling around the edge of Rylie’s sleeve.
Rylie smiled softly. She could feel the girl’s will to live burning stubbornly within her.
Then she heard footsteps approaching the door.
“I’ll be right back,” she whispered. “Time to take care of those bad guys for you.”
Back at the main house, Kailee stood behind Felipe as he scrolled rapidly through surveillance feeds. They suspected the intruder had hitched a ride on a vehicle, so they focused on footage of all incoming traffic.
Finally, a camera mounted high in a tree captured two figures moving through the brush: a man with a weathered face and a hunting rifle slung over his shoulder, and a young woman at his side.
The woman clearly wasn’t from South Verdania. Something about her face tugged at Kailee’s memory.
“Zoom in on her,” Kailee ordered.
Felipe enhanced the image. As the high-resolution frame filled the screen, Kailee’s composure shattered.
At that exact moment, the backup generator kicked on, flooding the room with light. The candle slipped from Kailee’s hand and clattered to the floor, wax splattering across the tiles.
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Jennifer frowned. “Why do you look so pale all of a sudden? Do you know her? She looks like she’s from your country.”
Kailee stared at the screen, stunned.
Of course she recognized that face—Rylie’s face. But how… how had she ended up here, and with a local? What was she planning?
Kailee’s skin prickled as she watched the woman roll beneath the vehicle with fluid, practiced precision—clinging to the undercarriage like a shadow.
“This isn’t how a billionaire’s heiress moves,” Kailee muttered, her voice tight with disbelief. “Who is this woman, really?”
Felipe blinked. “A billionaire’s heiress? Are you talking about her?”
Jennifer cut in sharply. “She slipped in by crawling under a staff member’s car—and took the girl.”
Kailee snapped back into focus. “She’s Rylie Owen—the granddaughter of the wealthiest family in our country. And she has three older brothers, each more formidable than the last.”
Felipe nodded slowly. He’d heard of the Owens. “Their global operations are massive. I know one name—Felix Owen. He’s built quite a reputation.”
Kailee’s voice dropped, low and grim. “He’s her brother. I don’t know why she’s here… but if she uncovers what I’ve been doing, it’s over—for me, for everything.”
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