After dinner, everyone returned to the living room. Maria remained seated for a few extra minutes, her heart pounding with urgency.
The information she had just gathered over dinner weighed on her chest like a secret burning to be released. She needed to pass the ssage to Mr. Frederick—and fast.
Monts later, she stood up from her seat and let out a tired sigh.
"I think I’ll go up to bed now. I’m feeling a bit sleepy," she said, stretching slightly and blinking as though her eyes were already struggling to stay open.
Her performance earned a few chuckles from the room.
"Goodnight, dear," Luna Victoria said with a gentle smile.
"Rest well," Bernard added, watching her fondly.
Maria responded with a lazy wave and a sleepy smile, then slowly climbed the stairs, careful not to seem in a hurry. Once out of sight, her pace quickened. As soon as she entered her room, she shut the door behind her and locked it firmly.
She turned to the bed and reached under her pillow to grab the phone—only to pause.
The call log was blank. No number had been recorded.
Maria’s chest tightened with worry. What if Mr. Frederick didn’t call back? What if sothing had gone wrong?
Trying to calm her racing mind, she placed the phone back on the bed and decided to take a quick shower. The hot water might help her think clearly. As she stood under the running water, her thoughts spun.
She thought about Jas—his smile, the comfort she felt in his presence, and how free she always felt whenever he was around. Then her mind shifted to her parents.
The supposed accident that took them never sat right with her. Deep down, Maria knew they had been murdered. And now, she was determined to find out who did it—and make them pay.
Her love for Jas was strong, but avenging her parents’ death and gaining her freedom from the Gilbert family ant more than anything at that mont.
It was all connected sohow, and only Mr. Frederick had shown the willingness—and the ans—to help her uncover the truth.
After drying off and changing into fresh clothes, she returned to her room and sat on the edge of her bed. Just as she was about to pick up the phone again, it began to ring.
She snatched it up with eager hands and answered imdiately.
"Hello, Maria. I hope I’m not interrupting your sleep," Mr. Frederick’s voice ca through, calm and composed as always.
"No, sir. I’ve been waiting for your call. I have the information you need," she said quickly, the excitent in her voice impossible to hide.
"Excellent. Go on," he replied, now sounding equally eager.
Maria took a deep breath before speaking. "The location is about two kiloters west of the Blue Moon park house. That’s where the staff of the office is hidden."
There was a pause, as if Mr. Frederick was soaking in the weight of her words.
"This is excellent news," he said finally. "But are you sure this information is reliable?"
"Yes, sir. I got it directly from Bernard’s father, and everyone at the dinner table confird it with their reactions. I’m certain it’s accurate."
Mr. Frederick didn’t hesitate. "Good. You’ve done well, Maria. I want you to know I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you get the freedom and justice you deserve. Trust ."
Those words filled her chest with a mix of gratitude and hope. For the first ti in a long while, she truly believed soone was willing to fight for her.
"I trust you, sir. I know you’ll help ," she said softly, but firmly.
There was a brief silence before she rembered sothing she had been aning to ask.
"Sir, I have one request."
"Go ahead," he responded.
"I want to keep this phone so I can reach you whenever necessary. Also... I need a number I can use to call you. Right now, no number shows up after your calls."
Mr. Frederick hesitated for a second. Then he said, "That’s a risk, but I’ll trust you. I’ll allow the number I’m using now to show up on your call log. Be very careful. If anyone finds out, this entire operation could fall apart."
"I understand, sir. I’ll handle it with extre caution," Maria promised.
Just as she expected, the call ended shortly after.
She quickly checked the call log—and there it was. A visible phone number.
Wasting no ti, she grabbed a pen and wrote the number down on a piece of paper. Once she was sure it was correct, she erased the number from the phone’s call history. Then she powered off the phone and walked over to her bag, carefully tucking the device deep inside.
As for the number, she hid it in her drawer beneath a pile of old notebooks and clothes—sowhere no one would think to look.
Finally, with everything in place, she flopped down on her bed, a wide smile spreading across her face.
"I will finally get what I crave the most... My ti for freedom is fast approaching," she whispered to herself, eyes glimring with a mix of hope, vengeance, and quiet determination.
***
Laura and Hadizah the witch were seated in Mrs Spencer’s living room, as they are prepared to take their leave to the place of the Holy ones to pay their last respect to Mrs Spencer.
Laura sat down, as she was so deep in her thoughts with tears still rolling down her cheeks.
"Ma’am, is it that Mrs Spencer does not have any family mbers to co with us so that we can allow them to know about this?" Laura turned to Hadizah, as she asked with a lot of curiosity and concern.
"I don’t think so, because since her husband died; she had been living alone with all these maids and guards doing good things to everyone around her... So I don’t think she has any family mbers!" Hadizah replied as she tried not to cry anymore.
"What about the family of her husband?" Laura further questioned her with a stern look into Hadizah’s eyes.
"Hmm... The family of her husband was not in support of their union, because they found out about the kind of person she is and since her husband went ahead to marry her. They cut off all the tiles with them and they didn’t even co for the burial of Mrs Spencer’s husband when he died!" Hadizah explained calmly, as things beca clear to Laura.
The both of them stood up, and they walked out of the living room gently.
They both got into one of the vehicles in the house, with the driver already waiting for them to get in.
They all drove out of the house and to the place of the Holy ones, they headed with a heavy heart...
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