The call was from an unfamiliar number. Eva sat rigidly, her posture mirroring the sudden tension that gripped everyone in the car as the ring of the phone sliced through the silence. Her co-worker, Jacob, eyed his own phone with nervous


    anticipation before turning towards Eva.


    "Ms. Hansen, could you put it on speaker when you answer?" he asked tentatively.


    "Sure," Eva responded, her face betraying no emotion as she epted the call and switched to speaker mode, prompting everyone in the vehicle to hold their breath in collective suspense. "Hello?" Eva''s voice was calm, almost detached.


    A low, pleased chuckle emanated from the other end before Michael Cooper''s voice rumbled through. "You made it, and much quicker than I anticipated."


    Eva remained silent. He had obviously been tracking her movements.


    No surprise there, given hiswork and resources. To him, finding out her whereabouts would have been as easy as asking around.


    "He really means a lot to you, doesn''t he?" Michael''s voice held a note of dissatisfaction as he drew out the words. "Otherwise, you wouldn''t be in such a rush."


    At this, Eva couldn''t help but frown, though her expression smoothed over after a brief moment. "The one who should be worried isn''t me, considering you''re so well-informed about my every move."


    Eva had the sneaking suspicion that he could even tell what face she was making.


    "Heh. Fair point. Let''s say I''m the anxious one then," Michael conceded. "Now that you''re here, you''re going to tell me how he is, right?"


    "No rush, Eva. Since you''ve made the effort toe, naturally, I won''t harm him."


    Eva''s brow creased at his arrogance, surprised by the change in Michael Cooper. Taking a deep breath, she pressed, "What will it take for you to release him? And how do you prove he''s with you? Where''s the proof?" "Eva," Michael began, calling her by her first name-a sign of theirplex rapport, "do you really need evidence for our rtionship? You know whether my word is true."


    Jacob, overhearing this exchange, furrowed his brows involuntarily, biting back a retort for fear of provoking Michael further.


    But before he could speak up, Michael continued, "Besides, you wouldn''t have flown out so quickly if you didn''t believe me, right?"


    Eva pursed her lips.


    "What do you want?" she managed to ask.


    Silence lingered on the line before he replied, "You know what I want."


    Eva bit her lower lip, a mixture of anxiety and resolve ying across her features.


    "I''ll be waiting for you at our old spot. Come alone."


    Jacob looked as though he wanted to object, but a sharp nce from Eva silenced any argument.


    She pondered for a moment before replying to Michael Cooper, "I can''t just go there alone. How do I know what you''ll do once I''m there by myself?"


    "All I want is you. Juste here, and I promise I won''ty a finger on him."


    Eva Hansen furrowed her brows yet seemed somewhat inclined to trust his word. After all, when he had taken her away before, he hadn''t harmed Adrian ckwood. Maybe he hadn''t expected David to whisk her away behind his back? Otherwise, she shuddered to think that she might still be his captive at that undisclosed location.


    "Eva, I''m waiting for you."


    Hearing these words sent a chill down her spine. She was about to respond in haste when the line went dead. "Don''t..."


    Her voice was too slow; it was already toote.


    The busy tone from the phone only added to the silence in the car.


    Momentster, Jacob took the phone from her, "Ms. Hansen, this..."


    "There''s no point. That number''s probably disconnected already. He''s covered his tracks," she cut in.


    His message was crystal clear - she had toe to him, alone, or he wouldn''t budge.


    And this audacious demand stemmed from the leverage he undoubtedly held over them.


    He was dictating her every move whilepletely freeing himself from having anyonee to her. Instead, he insisted shee to him.


    Eva closed her eyes momentarily. It was bing evident that Adrian was indeed in his clutches.


    What on earth had happened?


    Why had Adrian lost to him? Was it a trap all along?


    "Ms. Hansen, you can''t go there alone," Jacob said, his frustration evident.


    "He''s just trying to manipte you."


    "Yes, I see that. So, what are you going to do about it? Can you find Adrian?"


    Jacob fell silent before finally saying, "Our people are already looking for him."


    Noticing Eva''s disinterest, he added, "I''m sorry, Ms. Hansen. I didn''t help much. I should have stayed to help."


    At this point, discussing anyone''s usefulness was futile.


    Eva didn''t care for the me game at this moment but offeredfort nheless, "Don''t think that way. This situation was never rted to you. It''s because of me that you got dragged into this."


    "Ms. Hansen, don''t say that. You and Mr. ckwood are together, and his child is involved too. It was Mr. ckwood''s duty to save you, and since I work for Mr. ckwood, naturally, I should be part of this too." Both parties openly addressed the situation, then quickly shelved the topic, recognizing its futility.


    After a brief silencesting nearly twenty seconds, Jacob took the initiative and suggested, "How about wee up with a n?"


    Eva turned to him, curiosity piqued, "What kind of n?"


    "You can''t go alone, that''s off the table. But, he''s insisting you show up solo."


    Eva nodded in agreement. "Okay, what''s your point?"


    "So, Ms. Hansen," he paused briefly, "where did he say you should meet? And how do you n on tracking him down afterward?"


    This question sent Eva into deep thought.


    He had said on the phone that he''d be waiting for her at the old ce.


    The old ce?


    Was he referring to that vi they had been to before?


    With an uneasy feeling, Eva turned and inquired. The answer came back swiftly: the previous vi was now deserted. Their people had checked-it waspletely empty. Eva''s brows furrowed at this revtion.


    If not at the vi, where else could he be? Which ''old ce'' was he referring to? She knew that the only ce she had ever visited in this country with Michael Cooper was the vi.


    "So, Ms. Hansen, if you have any clue about where this ''old ce'' might be, we could send people in advance to secure the location. The moment Mr. ckwood is spotted, our team could move in."


    "I''m afraid that''s not going to work," Eva shook her head.


    "Why not?" Jacobs''s voice wasced with urgency. "Ms. Hansen, you don''t seriously intend to meet him alone, do you? That''s uneptable it''s too dangerous!"


    "That''s not what I meant," Eva said with a helpless look in her eyes. "You''ve said the vi is gone, but that''s the only ce here I''ve spent time with him. Even if I wanted to go find him, I wouldn''t know where to start."