hapter 146
Ava, who also heard the noise and footsteps, frowned and said, “Someone’s back.”
My expression changed slightly, and I immediately closed the documents. “Ava, let’s get out of here.” I said.
Ava furrowed her eyebrows, “The person is coming upstairs. If we leave now, we might run into them.”
I quickly surveyed the area, “We can’t hide in the study; they will find it soon. We…”
My gaze fell on the window next to the study, “Let’s go through the window. You go first, hurry!”
Ava glanced at me but didn’t argue. We had to get away before we are seen by whoever came into the Lopez family villa. She quickly climbed out of the window and descended along the water pipe.
I walked to the study’s entrance, locked the door from the inside, and then quickly climbed out of the window.
As Ava was halfway down the water pipe, she saw me climb out of the window, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Neither of us had ever done anything so dangerous before, and Ava, whose body is not conditioned to do extreme physical activities like what we are doing right now, found it difficult to climb down the water pipe. Her hands were cut, and her arms trembled slightly as she climbed down.
I had just climbed onto the water pipe when I heard someone kick the study door.
I suspected that Victoria had returned, as otherwise, other people wouldn’t have headed directly to the study.
As I was thinking this, I suddenly heard someone using a heavy object to hit the study room door.
With a loud thud, my heart pounded, realizing that they were trying to forcibly break open the locked door.
However, I lacked strength in my hands, and like Ava, I lacked the physical strength to be going down through a water pipe. And when I reached the space between the second and first floor, I fell directly from the water pipe.
Although the height wasn’t alarming, I was unprepared, and I twisted my foot. The sudden pain shot through my ankle, causing me to wince in discomfort. Ava’s cold little face changed dramatically, and she worriedly looked at me, whispering, “Skylar, are you okay?”
I shook my head slightly, trying to mask the pain in my voice, “Let’s go through the back door, quickly. She will find the study as soon as she enters.” I knew we had to act swiftly if we were going to escape undetected.
Ava nodded, understanding the urgency in her friend’s words, and turned around to crouch down, “I’ll carry you.” Despite her petite frame, she was determined to help me get out of the Lopez Family villa safely.
I didn’t refuse the offer; I knew that I needed to get out of there, and Ava’s help was my best chance. As long as I left the villa, I still had something to hold against Victoria, something that could protect me from her wrath.
Ava struggled to carry my weight but driven by determination, we quickly made it to the back door and slipped out unnoticed. The cool night air outside brought some relief to me, but I knew we couldn’t relax just yet.
Once we were in the car, Ava started the engine, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief. The adrenaline was still pumping through my veins as we drove away from the Lopez family villa, leaving behind the chaos and danger.
Just as we had left the villa’s premises, I hadn’t even had a chance to look at the letter when my phone rang, interrupting the tense
14:03
Escape From My Step–Brother’s Dangerous Obsession
89.5%
silence. Ava glanced at me with a furrowed brow and asked in a cold tone, “Who is it?”
My face tensed a little as I took a quick glance at my phone screen. “It’s my mom,” I said, my voice trembling slightly from the lingering fear and anxiety.
“Answer it,” Ava urged, her eyes never leaving the road, keeping both of us safe.
I hesitated for a moment before answering the call and turning on the speaker. Victoria’s voice came from the phone, her tone tinged with a hint of irony. “Skylar, was it you who barged into my study just now?” she asked, her question pointed and accusatory.
Ava glanced at me and shook her head slightly.
I was worried that Victoria was setting a trap and remained silent.
Victoria chuckled darkly, “Do you think the matter is over just because you stayed silent? Skylar, my study is surrounded by surveillance cameras. You didn’t know about this, right?” Her revelation sent a chill down my spine.
In the study, Victoria was watching the surveillance footage, her eyes fixed on the screen as she replayed the events that had transpired. She was almost at the party venue when she suddenly felt uneasy and turned back home. Her intuition had proved
correct.
As she watched the two figures in her study room through the replay of the surveillance footage, Victoria’s eyes flickered with a mix
of emotions. She couldn’t believe that I had dared to intrude on her private space. Despite being caught red–handed, I still didn’t
speak,
She sneered, “Skylar, I know you don’t trust my words, fearing I might deceive you. Don’t worry; I have no need to deceive you. I already know who entered my study with you. What if I report to the police that someone broke into my study and stole confidential
documents?”
“You are my daughter,
if you take something from your own home, it’s not considered stealing. But what about your good friend, Ava Smith? She was in my house without my permission, opened my safe, and the surveillance video clearly shows all of it. I’m afraid this matter won’t be so easily settled.”
My face changed drastically, “This matter has nothing to do with Ava; it was all my plan.”
Victoria chuckled, “Whose idea it is to barge in doesn’t matter to me. All I know is that the one I’m going to report is Ava. Skylar, do you understand what I mean?”
My face tightened, and my eyebrows furrowed deeply.
I couldn’t involve Ava in this. Ava was just trying to help me in her predicament.
I took a deep breath, “Do you think that without my father’s letter to threaten me, I won’t bring Bella into Strakovski? I promise you, with or without that letter, I will still help you with this matter.”
To avoid implicating Ava, I would turn to Lukas if needed. If that didn’t work, I would think of another way. In any case, I wouldn’t
drag Ava into this mess.
Victoria scoffed, “Skylar, you are still too naive. I’m afraid you haven’t opened the envelope yet. Let me tell you the truth. The envelope and the letter are placed separately. Did you really think I would let you take that letter that easy?”
Hearing this, Ava suddenly slammed on the brakes, frowning as she looked at me.
My face changed drastically, and I threw my phone onto the center console and quickly took out the envelope from my pocket.
My Cron Brother’s Dangerous Obsession
89.7%
Chapter 146
At that moment, and true to my mother’s words, the envelope was indeed empty, and there was no letter inside. Due to the thickness of the envelope, I hadn’t noticed anything amiss and thought the letter was inside.
My expression turned extremely ugly.
Victoria continued, oblivious to my shock, “By the way, I should thank you. Yesterday, I took the letter out to hurry you up and took photos for you. I didn’t put it back in the envelope at the time. Now, looking back, it’s fortunate I didn’t put it back; otherwise, you really would have stolen it. They say that the thief on the inside is hard to guard against, and you just proved it right today.”
I never expected to go to such lengths only to steal an empty envelope.
Listening to Victoria’s sarcastic tone and her condescending attitude, I suppressed my anger, “Enough! What do you want?”
“Three days,” Victoria asserted firmly. “Within three days, Bella must join Strakovski Jewelry. Otherwise, I’ll send Ava to jail first, and then burn the letter that your father left you, right in front of your own eyes.”
0 (0)
(0)
