Chapter 5

Audrey watched the man disappear behind the bathroom door. She gently tugged at the torn collar and sat up on the bed.

After hesitating for a moment, she tiptoed off the bed and walked barefoot to the door. She held her breath, grasped the doorknob, and turned it lightly. It opened.

Thank goodness. She nearly cried with relief.

Her entire body was so tense that she barely dared to breathe. She escaped the club with her face half-hidden by her scarf before finally allowing herself to relax.

Once seated in the taxi, she stared out the window, certain that Rylee had vanished from that very spot.

Following her mother's dying wish, she traveled to Jefferson City to find the father she'd never met.

When she stepped off the plane, a man around her age met her and introduced himself as her half-brother.

He took her to a hotel and promised to introduce her to their father once he finished his business.

But Audrey waited at the hotel for over a month. He never showed up again.

Then, a week ago, she received a frantic call from Rylee. Her voice was frantic and hurried; she was clearly being chased. She quickly gave her location before the line cut out.

After the call ended abruptly, Audrey contacted the local police, who told her that no one had been found at that club.

Jefferson City's immigration records also showed no trace of Rylee.

Unable to seek help through the embassy, Audrey infiltrated the club as an undocumented worker, searching for clues.

She was young and had never expected to encounter such a situation.

She dared not imagine what would have happened if she hadn't escaped tonight. Would she also vanish without a trace in a foreign land?

That club was definitely up to no good, perhaps even involved in human trafficking.

Audrey didn't dare rashly report it to the police. She feared that, if the police were involved in such activities, she might find herself in even greater danger.

But what other options did she have now?

Roy never imagined he'd be outmaneuvered by a woman.

When he emerged from the bathroom to find the room empty, his face darkened with anger. His jaw clenched and his eyes glazed over with coldness.

When the manager was summoned, he trembled all over.

He knew nothing about the woman who had escaped.

Audrey had been at the club for less than a week and was merely a temporary worker on the black market. They knew only the most basic details about her.

Kevin's forehead was covered in cold sweat. He cautiously glanced up to gauge the man's shifting expression; his heart pounded with anxiety.

Roy sat on the sofa, fingering documents that had obviously been left behind in someone's haste.

Audrey had fled so frantically that she hadn't noticed items falling from her bag.

His long fingers flipped through the papers.

Inside were assorted materials: name, age, address, school name, student ID, and a photo.

The photo looked almost exactly like her, as if it had been taken recently.

Staring at the innocent face in the photo, Roy felt a tinge of irritation.

This woman seemed harmless, but she was cunning and scheming.

Trying to slip away at such a critical moment didn't match the timid, simple persona she put on.

In Roy's eyes, though, she was just overly naive.

Did she think that escaping here meant that he couldn't find her?

Tucked inside the student ID was another photo.

The woman in the picture looked strangely familiar.

Roy's expression darkened. He hadn't found any valid information about her. Clearly, her records had been tampered with; traces had been deliberately erased.

This confirmed that she had someone backing her. If she was sent by a competitor...

"Keep digging."

Roy's tone was casual as he tapped the photo lightly on the desk, deep in thought. Suddenly, a flicker of interest crossed his face as if he had grasped something.

"Retrieve the surveillance footage from that day."

Interesting. It seems this woman's identity isn't as straightforward as her student ID suggests.

Late at night, Audrey jolted awake from a nightmare.

Sitting up, she glanced at her bedside phone—only 1:30 a.m. The empty hotel room made her uneasy for some reason, as if a pair of eyes lurked in the shadows, watching her.

She flicked on every light in the room and only felt slightly calmer once every corner was brightly illuminated.

Just as she lay back down, her phone rang with an unknown number.

Unsure if it was her half-brother calling, she answered without speaking.

Soon, a voice both familiar and strange came through, startling Audrey so much that she nearly dropped the phone.

"You sure got out of here fast."

It was him.

Her breath caught. Clutching the phone tightly, she dared not make a sound.

"You left something with me. Not planning on coming back for it?"

She couldn't spare the mental energy to parse his words.

Only one thought occupied her mind: If he knew her phone number, did that mean he knew where she lived?

No, because if he truly knew, he would have come looking for her directly instead of making this call.

Terrifying possibilities sent a chill down her spine.

Just as she moved to hang up, as if reading her intent, she heard another sentence that froze her in place: "Who is Rylee to you?"

Audrey's grip on the phone tightened violently.

He knew.

How did he know about Rylee?

"Your classmate? Best friend? Or your sister? You said you were here working, but you're really here as an undercover agent, right?”

The man's voice was deep and tinged with mockery.

But Audrey only felt terror. Her throat tightened, and she couldn't make a sound. Yet she felt even more certain that Rylee hadn't just disappeared from that club. Perhaps it was connected to this man.

"Not saying anything?"

There was no response for a long time. Roy frowned, his expression turning impatient. This woman had some nerve.

His gaze instantly turned cold again. He didn't like her habit of playing dumb.

"Is she in your hands?"

A slightly trembling female voice came through the receiver. Hearing her finally speak, Roy raised an eyebrow slightly.

This time, it was his turn to deliberately not respond.

Audrey took his silence as confirmation, her breathing quickening. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Why should I believe you?"

Maybe this was just an excuse to lure her back. She couldn't gauge how much truth was in his words and dared not trust him easily.

"Hmph."

A cold laugh echoed through the receiver, sending a shiver through her heart.

"Come back quietly and kneel before me. Satisfy my whims, and I might consider sparing your life. Don't make me come find you myself!"

"Roy, we've located her. She's at the SL Hotel..."

A faint voice from the other end of the line was barely audible, but she caught it.

It instantly clicked—he was using the call to track her location!

Audrey immediately hung up, leaped off the bed, and began packing her suitcase, preparing to rush to the airport.

While hastily packing, she dialed a number saved in her phone—once, twice—but there was no answer.

She hurriedly typed a text message and sent it. Then, she slammed the suitcase shut and rushed out of the hotel.

On the other end, Roy stared at the disconnected screen, his expression darkening to a terrifying shade of grim. He lifted his gaze to the henchman beside him, his eyes cold and sharp.

The man trembled under his gaze. Seeing Roy raise his hand, he immediately crouched closer. The next moment, a crystal ashtray smashed down hard on his head.

Roy's large hand clamped down on the man's bloodied jaw with such force that he couldn't utter a sound.

"Louder. Repeat what you just said."

The subordinate trembled violently and barely managed to squeeze the words out through gritted teeth.

Then came the dull thud of a dislocated jaw.

He collapsed to the floor, a searing pain blurring his vision. He could only vaguely make out the man's retreating back.

Roy cast a cold glance at the figure writhing in agony on the floor. Then he waved to his two black-clad henchmen, signaling them to drag the man away.

How had such an idiot gotten this far?

It had been a long time since Roy had bothered to play such a meticulously planned game of chase with anyone.

Once he caught the fox who had tried to escape, what kind of punishment should he give her?

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