Mission: Revenge – The Heiress's Second Life novel Chapter 23

The night grew pitch black.

The daytime clamor of the city had completely faded, leaving behind an eerie silence.

Clara swept a flashlight back and forth, scouring the empty streets near the school for any sign of Zander.

"Zander!"

"Zander!"

Her voice echoed hollowly down the deserted avenue.

She walked further and further away from the campus.

Yet there was still no sign of the little boy.

A suffocating knot of panic tightened in her chest.

[Ding! Mission Issued!]

[An elite heiress must possess a heart of gold. Please assist the lost child up ahead.]

Clara let out a massive sigh of relief.

It seemed Zander was just up ahead.

She hurried forward, but before she had taken even ten steps, a rustling sound echoed from the tall weeds by the shoulder of the road.

She crouched down and gently parted the knee-high grass.

Whoosh!

A face suddenly popped out from the thicket.

Even in the dim, flickering streetlights, Clara could immediately tell it was the breathtakingly handsome face of a grown man.

Where was the child?

"Pretty lady, I've been waiting for you for so long..."

The man tilted his head slightly, blinking his large, dark eyes with an expression of pure, unadulterated innocence.

He was wearing a black tailored suit that screamed old money, though it was currently smeared with mud and looked thoroughly ruined.

Strapped to his wrist was a watch encrusted with dozens of diamonds, easily worth over a million dollars.

Then, as if terrified she might take them back, he abruptly stood up and took a step away.

Only then did Clara realize how massive he was. He had to be at least six foot two. A guy built like a tank wouldn't be in much danger sitting by the road.

"Why don't you sit right here and eat your candy? I'll come back to get you in a little bit, okay?" she offered.

They were conveniently standing next to a bus stop equipped with a wooden bench.

The man obediently sat down, popped a strawberry lollipop into his mouth, and mumbled around the candy, "Pretty lady, you have to hurry back."

[Ding! Mission Accomplished!]

[Mission Reward: Zander Lambert's hiding spot is the old phone booth.]

The suffocating tension in Clara's chest finally snapped.

She reached out, gently ruffling the man's hair, and murmured, "I'll be right back."

She spun around and sprinted toward the dilapidated phone booth down the block. Halfway there, she glanced over her shoulder and saw the man at the bus stop still watching her.

Seeing her look back, he waved enthusiastically and called out in his soft, sweet voice, "I'll be waiting!"