"Vera..." The voice on the other end despite coming from the phone speaker sent chills down her spine.
Vera quickly scanned through her memory, trying to identify the speaker. But no matter how hard she tried, the voice remained unfamiliar.
The silence over the phone was thick, filled only with the sound of their breathing. A strange, suffocating tension settled in her chest.
Then, as if sensing her frustration, the voice on the other end chuckled coldly.
"Don’t stress yourself trying to remember," he said smoothly. "You’ve never met me. But I know all about you."
Vera shivered from the biting coldness of the voice, her breathe coming out in gasps as she struggled to breathe, her hands tightening over the phone.
While the voice continuously chuckled at her raspy breathe
"Vera Louis, 26, the secretly adopted daughter of Louis.
Formerly engaged to Davis Allen but lost him due to the Louis family insistence of fostering relationships with the viable branch of the Allen family
Still secretly in love with Davis..." He smirked with a chuckle.Vera’s anxious voice cut him off before he could proceed further.
"Stop! Stop!!, who are you? Why are u investigating me? what do you want?" She shouted with frustration.
"Ah, Vera... as impatient as always," he mused. "You should know better than to demand answers without offering anything in return." He chuckled his voice remaining unfazed by her outburst, but deepening with amusement.
"Oh! You hurt me", he smirked dramatically. "I know what I want to know as long as it is on the surface of the earth"
Vera’s grip on the phone tightened, her knuckles turning white from pressure. Her heart pounding wildly against her ribs. Who was this person? How did he know so much about her?
"What do you want?" she asked again, her voice lower but laced with unease.
A brief silence followed as though contemplating the answer, when Vera thought he had ended the call, the voice spoke.
"I want what you want." He said, his tone brief and concise.
Vera’s breath hitched but she quickly regained her composure "why do you think I want the same thing as you want?"
A low rumble of laughter echoed through the phone speaker. "Vera, let’s not play the hide and seek game. It’s childish, you know"he sneered.
Vera was stumped at his response but she wouldn’t let herself flatter anymore. "So what do you want?" She questioned with a more serious tone.
"I want the Allen family to crumble just like you."he said. The answer coming so fast that it took Vera some second to comprehend.
Vera closed her eyes momentarily and as she opened it again it was glazed with coldness. "How do you know I want the Allen family to crumble?" She sneered.
This is definitely not a coincidence but rather someone has been keeping tab on them.
The voice laughed so hard that Vera began to think he had gone crazy "I know everything I want to know, your mission in the Allen family set by your father is the Allen family downfall"
Vera’s fingers curled into a tight fist as her mind raced with questions—questions that needed urgent answers.
JHow much did this mysterious caller truly know? Her father had always been discreet about their plans—who could have possibly uncovered them?
"You talk too much," she said, her voice steady but laced with irritation. "If you really know everything, then stop wasting my time and get to the point. What do you want from me?"
The voice hummed in amusement. "Now that’s the Vera Louis I expected. Sharp, calculative and temperamental."
Vera’s jaw clenched, but she remained silent.
"I’m offering you something your father won’t—true leverage," the man continued. "With my help, you can take down the Allen family and ensure Davis has no choice but to return to your side."
Vera scoffed. "And in return?"
A brief pause, then the voice lowered dangerously.
"When the Allen family falls, you won’t be the only one benefiting from it."
"You are playing mysterious, I want a clear answer" Vera sneered. "What is your benefit?" She asked taking interest in the offer but skeptical about the outcome since she has not met the man and can’t possibly trust his words.
The voice on the other end chuckled, dark and knowing. "Smart question, Vera. I like that. My benefit? Let’s just say I have my own grievances with the Allen family, a score to settle . Their downfall serves my interest just as much as it serves yours."
Vera narrowed her eyes, gripping the phone tighter. "That’s vague. If I don’t know what you truly want, how can I trust you?"
A brief silence. Then the voice sighed, as if mildly amused by her skepticism.
"Trust is earned, not given. But I can assure you, I have no interest in taking what belongs to you. I want destruction, not possession. You, on the other hand, want Davis. Our goals moves in one direction with a purpose."
"I want Davis—yea, but without the wealth and power of the Allen family, he is nothing."Vera chimed.
"You might be right but though the Allen family falls, you have a leverage on them." He snarled.
Vera’s lips pressed into a thin line. He wasn’t wrong. But aligning with an unknown force was dangerous and deadly.
It can.be categorized as a digging one grave. However, if he truly had leverage that could weaken the Allens... it was worth considering.
"What exactly do you have in mind?" she asked cautiously.
"Meet me, and we’ll discuss it."
Vera hesitated. A face-to-face meeting was a risk. "Where?"
"I’ll send the details soon. Be ready, Vera Louis. This is your chance to get what you’ve always wanted."
The call ended before she could respond, leaving her staring at the phone, a storm of thoughts swirling in her mind.
"May be it is worth giving a chance—may be she can earn her place in her family and be loved by her parents.