A hollow laugh escaped Isabella’s lips.

“There’s no escape,” she whispered, the weight in her chest suffocating.

This was Ethan’s world, his territory, surrounded by his loyal staff.

If anyone caught her trying to flee, this chance would vanish forever.

She pulled out her phone.

The screen’s glow washed over her pale face in the dim room.

Her fingers shook as each second ticked by, tightening the pressure in her chest.

Time was slipping away.

She took a sharp breath and dialed Lucas.

“Hello?” His voice was laced with confusion at the unexpected call.

“It’s me,” Isabella answered, her voice strained and raw.

“Isabella? What’s happening?” His tone shifted instantly, picking up on her distress.

He sounded alarmed.

“The plan is off,” she said, closing her eyes, fighting to steady her voice.

“Sophia knows. She won’t let me go.”

“What?!” Lucas’s voice rose sharply.

“How did she find out?”

“I don’t know,” Isabella admitted, frustration thick in her throat.

“This plan was too dangerous. I never agreed to it,” Lucas said, his words sharp with regret.

“I had no other option!” Bitterness clawed up her throat.

“There was nothing else I could do.”

“Get out of Hawthorne Residence. Go somewhere public, somewhere crowded,” Lucas urged, his voice calm but intense.

“A shopping mall, a major event—anywhere you can blend into a crowd.”

“I’ll find a way,” Isabella murmured, defeat heavy in her tone.

She ended the call without another word and threw the phone onto the bed in frustration.

Helplessness tightened around her heart.

Downstairs, Ethan sat on the sofa, his expression dark and unreadable.

Sophia approached him with a sweet smile, settling close beside him.

Her voice was sugary.

“Ethan, the Oakridge Industries CEO’s anniversary party is in two days. We should go together.”

Ethan frowned, impatience flickering across his face.

He gently moved her hand away.

“No. I have other plans.”

Sophia pouted playfully.

“But it’s so dull here. A party would be much more fun.”

She paused, then added as if an afterthought, “I heard Isabella has worked with Oakridge before. She should probably attend. Otherwise, she’ll just stay cooped up in her room and make herself ill.”

Ethan’s gaze sharpened on her, suspicion darkening his eyes.

He studied her for a long moment.

“Since when do you care about her?”

Though shaken, Sophia held her composure and offered a tight smile.

“It’s better if we go together. I’d prefer you didn’t bring anyone else. Your divorce is almost final, after all.”

Ethan looked away, his response flat.

“We’ll discuss it later.”

He stood and walked directly to his study, leaving Sophia alone on the sofa.

As the study door clicked shut, the forced smile melted from Sophia’s face, replaced by a cold, calculating expression.

She checked the clock.

It was nearly nine.

Rising, she moved into the courtyard and looked up at the lit window of Isabella’s room on the second floor.

Her eyes gleamed with mixed emotions.

The light was on, the window slightly open, but Isabella was nowhere in sight.

Sophia’s lips curled into a sneer.

Clearly, Isabella had abandoned her naive little scheme.

As the guards changed shifts, Sophia discreetly took out her phone and dialed a secured number.

“It’s me,” she whispered, tension threading her voice.

“At the Oakridge Industries CEO’s anniversary celebration in two days. It’s time to move.”