The Dark Side Of Fate by Karima Sa'ad Usman

27 To Sam Street

~Liam~

I felt uneasy about how to handle sharing and discussing the text message. I worried that mentioning Sophia might trouble Josephine, even though I knew she was resilient. But I also feared that it could set back the progress we had made so far. Instead of announcing the text to everyone, I decided to talk to Josephine first.

"Hey," I said, linking her, and she turned to face me, her brow furrowing. I expected this reaction, as linking in close proximity was reserved for private discussions.

"I want to show you something," I said, handing her my phone with the text message. She took the phone, read the message, and then returned it to

me.

"The team should know," she linked back, and I observed her carefully.

"It wouldn't bother you?" I asked to be sure. I was still new to this relationship thing and didn't want to make any mistakes.

"Not at all, Liam. We had our discussion this morning, and I'm confident that Sophia's name won't bother me anymore. I promise," she said with a smile and playfully punched my shoulder.

"I'm not that petty or jealous, Li," she laughed, and I felt relieved.

"Attention, everyone; Li has something important to share," Josephine declared, and a chuckle escaped me.

All eyes were on me, and I cleared my throat before speaking. I put on a serious demeanour because the situation warranted it. If they had Sophia's mother's phone, there was a possibility that something significant had occurred, and their circumstances might have altered.

Navigating through this with limited information wouldn't be a simple task, but we must exercise utmost caution.

"I just received a text message from Sophia's mother's line, the same line she used to communicate with me," I explained, passing my phone around so they could read the message.

"The last time she spoke to me, it was through Charlotte's phone, as I hadn't recovered my line back then," I added. Marvin was the first to ask a question.

"So why is she asking us not to search for her?" he inquired.

"That's precisely my point. If it were truly Sophia, she would have called instead of sending a text message. The vagueness of the message suggests an underlying agenda. If it was genuinely from Sophia, it would have contained more helpful details," I explained, and Noah voiced a different perspective.

"Have you considered the possibility that she just wants you to stay out of the matter to protect you? Sending a vague message would be the best way to ensure you have nothing to work with," he suggested, and I nodded, understanding his reasoning.

"Yes, but she would have called me if it were really her. Sophia rarely sends text messages; she's more of a phone person," I explained before Sebastien interjected.

"Not if she's surrounded by the enemy and needs to secretly communicate with you. Her situation might leave her no choice but to send a text message, Li," he argued, and many others seemed to agree.

Josephine then asked me to share my theory if I didn't believe the message was from Sophia, giving me the opportunity to explain.Content is property of NôvelDrama.Org.

"I think someone is trying to establish communication with me while pretending to be Sophia. It's been too long without any word from her, making this message seem odd. If it were genuinely from her, it would have been sent to Charlotte's phone. It would have also contained more details about her well-being before asking me to stop searching. Sophia will want to put my mind at ease," I elaborated.

"The last time we spoke was back when we were in Lucland. The tone of this message seems off, as if we've been in frequent communication. Additionally, she isn't aware that I've recovered my line, so she would likely have sent the message to Charlotte's phone to ensure I received it. Sophia wouldn't risk sending a message to a line that might still be switched off," I concluded, and Charlotte nodded in agreement. My thoughts might not have been entirely clear, but I had a gut feeling that I was onto something.

"I understand your point, Li, but you're right; this message doesn't provide much information," Charlotte acknowledged, stating the truth. Josephine, on the other hand, had a different perspective.

"True, but by receiving this message, a line of communication has been opened between us and whoever sent it. I propose we continue to interact with 'Sophia' and see where it leads us," she suggested, using air quotes when saying 'Sophia,' which elicited a laugh from Noah.

"Whoever is posing as Sophia must have a motive. To confirm if it's truly her or not, you should engage in conversation and share specific details that only she would know. Then, we can wait for her response. Even if she's being held captive, she might cleverly mislead her captors and provide us with hints. I'm certain she knows we're searching for her, and her captors might have

informed her about it. So, it's wise for her to mislead them in her answers to help us uncover what's really going on," Josephine explained, perfectly echoing my thoughts. I nodded, looking at her, and she smiled in response.

ie

"You really don't have to worry about my feelings when it comes to Sophia. I know she's just your friend, nothing more," she assured me. "I have male friends too," she added, but I could sense that Alex wasn't entirely comfortable with that statement. Nevertheless, I managed to keep my composure. Josephine laughed, signifying that she noticed my momentary unease, but it was our inside joke, and the others remained oblivious to our unspoken communication.

"I hope she's still alive and safe," Marvin expressed, echoing my biggest fear.

"They won't dispose of her easily. If Mike is working for them, they won't dare harm her, and if they have some ulterior motive involving her, they won't dare either. In any case, she'll likely remain alive until they accomplish whatever they have planned," Oliver pointed out, and his assessment was accurate.

Initially, this gave me some sense of comfort, but the idea that Sophia couldn't reach out to me when she wanted, troubled me greatly. I was deeply concerned about her safety and prayed that we could resolve this situation as quickly as possible.

Justin came back after seeing the Gamma and the Beta off, and we remained on high alert.

"So, how did they do?" he inquired, and we all laughed because it was clear that Justin had cleverly left us alone with the officers to question them.

It was a smart move on his part. By not directly conducting the questioning and making it a casual conversation, it wouldn't be considered an official interrogation. That way, they couldn't accuse us of treating them as suspects.

Despite Noah and Sebastien being a bit difficult and hard on them, our team recognised the importance of having individuals like the Albert twins to maintain a balanced approach.

"Their story didn't add up. There were discrepancies and a lack of clarity," Josephine replied, and Justin nodded in agreement.

"So, are they suspects or just acting stupid?" Justin asked, which made me chuckle.

"Right now, we can't determine that. We'll have to wait and see," Oliver responded.

"Alright, then let's head to Sam Street. A crime scene awaits our expertise," Justin said, grabbing his jacket.

"This alpha thing might just be for me," he added, chuckling, and we all laughed. It was clear he was enjoying himself too.

Before we left, we discussed Sophia's text with Justin, and he liked the idea of maintaining communication with whoever was posing as her. He also promised to find someone to trace the line.

I couldn't help but wonder if it was possible for them to hide their location. At the very least, the last known radio mast to transmit the signal would lead us to the area of interest unless they somehow found a way to block it.

With all that in mind, we piled into the van, with Justin taking the wheel as we headed towards our grandparents' house. I understood his reason for driving and not involving the packhouse kappas. I am sure he did it to avoid exposing us while we tried to make sense of the situation.

"Stay alert, everyone. Remember, we're being watched, so be prepared to defend yourselves if needed," Justin cautioned, reminding us of the disturbing video sent by the criminals.

"I wonder what they'll ask of the council," Charlotte pondered, and Noah chuckled in response.

"My father will shut it down," Noah confidently stated, and he was right since his father, Uncle Leo, served as the head of the council and was not one

to back down from a challenge.

The council meeting is just a day

away, and I know it will be quite the spectacle when Alpha Christian brings up the Grizlo incident and hands over the evidence. I couldn' wait to witness my father's reaction. The attack on Grandma's residence had made the situation personal, even though the culprits hadn't been confirmed yet; I had a strong feeling they were the ones who harmed the housekeeper. I couldn't help but wonder how she was doing.

"How is the housekeeper?" I inquired, glancing at Justin through the rearview mirror. He then returned his focus to the road.

"She's still in a coma. Hopefully, she pulls through and can shed some light on what happened to her in that house," he responded, and I kept my fingers crossed, hoping for her swift recovery.