Con

CHAPTER 76

Sophia’s POV

That bitch, I thought angrily. She’s gone too far this time. I won’t take this sitting down.

I arrived at Serena’s house with Elijah, my heart racing. We needed answers about Reese, and I certainly had no plans of leaving until she told me where she’d taken my daughter.

As we entered her living room, Serena greeted us with a warm smile. She was still wearing the suit. that she probably had on at the office. I quickly scanned the room, but there was no sign of the black hooded jacket we had seen in the security footage.

Was it even a woman? I thought with great doubt. Perhaps it had been a man. But then, Elijah was so

sure itawas Serena’s car.

“Hey, come on in. What brings you guys here?” Serena asked cheerfully, gesturing for us to take a seat.

“We’re looking for Reese,” Elijah said, his voice urgent. “Do you know where she is?”

Serena’s smile faded, replaced by a look of confusion. “Who’s Reese? Am I missing something here?” Elijah and I exchanged meaningful looks. I was certainly not going to fall for Serena’s pretentious act. “Reese is my 3–year–old daughter, and I know that you took her from her school today!” I screamed not being able to control myself any longer.

“What are you talking about?” She actually looked genuinely confused. “What daughter? I didn’t even know you had a child, Sophia! And she’s missing now? What kind of mother are you?”

I was so pissed off at her that I began to lunge at her. Elijah grabbed me and held me back just in time. I glared at Serena instead, hating her with all my heart and soul.

Elijah looked at her furiously, but he was obviously good at controlling his emotions. “Serena, isn’t Reese here in your house?”

all you want ”

“No. Why would she be? I don’t even know her. You can look all you want.”

“We saw your car in the school’s surveillance footage,” Elijah finally told her in a quiet, serious voice. There was a hooded person bringing Reese toward that car.”

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that, but it wasn’t me,” Serena insisted. “But yeah, that was probably my car you saw if the school was anywhere near the Bread Brothers Bakery. I usually pass by there from work, and today I stopped by to pick up my favorite loaf and bagels.”

She then motioned to a bag of bread sitting on top of the center table in the living room. My heart fell. Perhaps she really was telling the truth.

Elijah and I left Serena’s house in a hurry, the weight of the situation pressing down on us like a heavy fog. As we drove towards my house, where the police were waiting, I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that settled in the pit of my stomach.

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“Elijah, this can’t be happening,” I said fearfully, brushing away the tears that fell down my cheeks. This is a nightmare!”

Elijah kept his eyes on the road, his jaw set in a hard line. “Sophia, listen…. There’s something you need to know. I’ve been investigating Serena.”

“What?” I turned to face him, disbelief etched across my features. “What do you mean?”

“Her family,” he began, his tone steady but serious, “they’re involved in some illegal business. And Serena… she’s been facilitating many of their operations. And I think she’s also running some of these through my company.”

I stared at him, trying to process the information. “Oh, my gosh! That’s really big. But… but I saw the shoes Serena left on the doorstep. They weren’t the same pair the woman in the surveillance video was wearing.”

Elijah shook his head. “She could have left the shoes in the car or changed them. Sophia, we can’t rule her out just because of a pair of shoes, or even the bread she bought.”

I nodded. He’s right.

As Elijah pulled up in front of my apartment building, I dialed Kayla again. The car’s engine idled, a low hum filling the tense silence. Kayla’s voice crackled through the speaker.

“Sophia, Daniel and I still haven’t been able to locate Reese,” Kayla said, her voice thick with worry.

I felt my stomach drop. My fingers tightened around the phone, knuckles turning white. “Have you checker

all her favorite spots?” I asked, my voice trembling. “The park, the candy store?”

“Yes, everywhere. Daniel and I have been searching everywhere in your neighborhood and around the school,” Kayla replied.

I thanked her and said I needed to go up first to talk to the police.

I let out a shaky breath, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on me. Elijah reached over, his hand warm and steady on mine. “We’ll find her, Sophia,” he assured me.

Inside the apartment, two officers were waiting. The nanny had let them in. They interviewed us thoroughly and tried to trace the phone number used to send the nanny a message. But it turned out to be a burner phone.

“We checked out Serena Foster’s story too,” one officer told us. “It holds true… But don’t worry, we’re doing all we can to find your daughter.”

I wanted to burst out crying, to let myself give in to the negative emotions that threatened to consume me. But I had to be strong. Elijah rubbed my back gently and held my hand, providing support and comfort all throughout.

Before the detectives could ask another question, my cell phone vibrated on the coffee table. I glanced at the screen, my heart stopping when I saw an unknown number.

“Excuse me,” I muttered, picking up the phone and swiping to open the message.

The picture of Reese filled the screen, her face pale that could provide a clue as to where she’d been tak

My breath caught in my throat as I read the messag

If you want to see your daughter again, come to Will

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The picture of Reese filled the screen, her face pale and tear–streaked. I couldn’t see any background that could provide a clue as to where she’d been taken.

My breath caught in my throat as I read the message beneath it:

If you want to see your daughter again, come to Willow Beach alone. Do not tell anyone.