17
Passing a crossroads, Annalise suddenly yanked off her seatbelt:“Rufus! What the hell is wrong with you? You’ve been distracted all day!
The man in the driver’s seat tightened his grip on the steering wheel abruptly
In memory, Annalise was always gentle and soft–spoken, with a sweet, trailing tone, but now she seemed a bit off.
He turned his head and met her eyes directly.
“Annalise?” Rufus was taken aback.
Annalise quickly realized her lapse in composure and hurriedly adjusted her expression “I’m sorry, I was just startled and not in a good mood.”
She lowered her head, her long eyelashes casting shadows under her eyes, “Don’t take it to heart.”
Rufus stared at her lowered profile and suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
But the unread detective message on his phone pulled his attention back, and he restarted the car My oversight. Let me take you home to rest
Annalise’s fingers gripping her skirt turned white at the knuckles. Only when the car stopped at the Thwaites family villa’s entrance did she force a weak smile. I’ll go upstairs first Drive carefully.”
The moment the car door closed, her smile instantly collapsed, and the warmth in her eyes vanished.
Pushing open the door, the living room’s atmosphere was so tense it felt almost suffocating
Her adoptive parents sat on the sofa, with a few crumpled papers on the coffee table–Carice’s severance letter.
Mrs. Thwaites looked up with reddened eyes:“Annalise, your sister is missing. Her phone’s unreachable, and she’s nowhere to be found…
“It’s been days already.”
Annalise heart skipped a beat, her nails digging into her palms to suppress the rising corners of her mouth.
She rushed over and grabbed Mrs. Thwaites hand:“How could this happen? Did something dangerous occur?”
mount of panic
Her voice camed just the right amount
Mr. and Mrs. Thwaites shook their heads, their eyes filled with helplessness.
After all, if even Rufus couldn’t find her, what could the Thwaites family do?
Back in her room, Annalise locked the door and immediately dialed Rufuç’s number.
Tise call was answered after just one ring. Her voice trembled:“Rufus, I heard Carice is kissing. What should we do? I’m so scared. Did she leave because she was upset about the divorce?”
“Don’t panic.”
Rufus’s voice crackled with static, the background noise hinting at engine sounds, “I’m looking into it. Stay at home.”
“But I can’t sleep at
Annalise bit her lower lip. In the mirror, her eyes were red at the corners, but the excitement in them was unmistakable.
*Should I come help? I know a lot of people–maybe they could find our where Carice is
“No need.”
Rufus’s tope furned cold, just take care of your parents.”
The dial tone left Annalise’s hand holding the phone frozen mid–air.
She couldn’t wait for Carice to disappear, preferably forever. Only then could she firmly grasp control over Rufus and the Thwaites family.
Downstairs came the anxious voices of her adoptive parents. Annalise pretended to be worried as she went down to ask, “Still no news of
