Unmasking the Heiress

Somewhere overseas, in the basement of a swanky villa.

The room was bathed in shades of silver and white, with only a tiny window near the ceiling offering a glimpse of the outside world. Tucked against the wall was a modest single bed.

In the middle of the room stood a matching set of silver-white furniture, a table, and chairs.

On one of those spindly chairs sat a man. He was lean, his skin ghostly pale, his face etched with exhaustion and a rough stubble.

Evangeline would have instantly recognized him. That man was her and Julia's father, Andrew. His eyes were empty, his presence like a shell devoid of a soul, as he sat there, going through the motions.

Jack, decked out in comfy clothes, his ocean-blue eyes narrowing, stretched out on his chair with a yawn before speaking at his own leisurely pace, "Andrew, how's it been, not seeing you around for a few days?"

Andrew's lips parted, dry and cracked. "How do you think it feels to be cooped up here without any idea why, for who knows how long?"

Jack bit his lip, a mock-serious frown on his face. "I'd be like, 'Man, this place is boring. When are they going to let me out?""

Andrew's eyes lit up with a fierce green spark. "Since you've got me all figured out, how about you cut to the chase?"

He was on the edge of losing his mind! Ever since Julia disappeared and Lydia was snatched away after an injury, Jack had whisked him off to that hidden place.

That was when his life turned into an endless night.

Day in and day out, Jack would hit him with the same old questions, and he had answered them so many times that he was about to crack. He had even begged for Jack's understanding, but it was the same old story the next day, leaving him feeling trapped, which was why he had grown so cold toward Jack.

"A straight answer?"

Hope flickered in Andrew's chest.

Jack raised an eyebrow, flicked a lighter, and fired up a cigarette. As the smoke curled up, his voice, icy and merciless, drifted over, "Dream on!"

His newfound hope was crushed, leaving Andrew in deeper agony than before. "What else do you want to ask? It's been ages, and I've spilled everything I can think of!"

Andrew was at his wit's end. He, who saw nothing worth living for, was hammering the table in frustration.

He almost wished Jack would just end it for him, to be done with this world. Anything was better than being a living statue in that prison of a room!Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.

"And another thing, Jack. If Yessica is still out there, you'd still owe me the respect of calling me brother-in-law. How can you treat me with such cruelty?"

Jack's eyes turned to steel, his whole being radiating a deadly chill. His gaze, sharp as a blade, bore into

Andrew.

"Andrew, do yourself a favor and drop the subject about Yessica. It's not doing you any good."

Jack could not help but seethe with anger at the thought that this guy might have hurt Yessica, the girl his brothers treasured more than anything. He was itching to make him pay!

Truth be told, if his elder brother had not talked him out of it, saying that a lowlife like Andrew was not worth staining his hands over, Andrew would probably be six feet under, marking his one-year anniversary in the ground. He would not even have the chance to strut around li