Unmasking the Heiress

It was over. That even scarier electric chair Yale mentioned was about to be her one-way ticket.

The chair sounded like bad news, and her tiny frame would not stand a chance. No. She could not just sit around waiting for the end. She had to get out of there! Lydia pressed herself against the door, desperate for a plan, feeling utterly hollow. The door to her room, which was always locked up tight, was surprisingly left ajar.

Lydia crept out of her room, her eyes darting around to catch any sign of movement. However, the hallway was eerily empty.

Only after she vanished down the stairwell did a shadowy figure at the end of the corridor peek out.

He tapped his Bluetooth earpiece and said with utmost respect, "Boss, Lydia is on the move."

Yale's face lit up when he got the update from his guy on the ground. He barked out an order. "Keep on her tail, and keep me in the loop!"

10 minutes later, the Foster family's security alarms were screaming. Every bodyguard in the place sprang into action, combing the city for a woman named Lydia.

That was all part of Yale's game plan. He had spooked Lydia on purpose and had his crew let her slipThis belongs to NôvelDrama.Org: ©.

away.

If Evangeline was right, Lydia would make a beeline for Minnie the first chance she got.

The city-wide manhunt that kicked off 10 minutes later was just for show-a big, elaborate act. The more real it looked on Yale's end, the faster Lydia would scramble to meet up with Minnie.

The so-called manhunt was nothing more than a charade, with the bodyguards putting on a show of chaos, running all over Avalon City. It was all just smoke and mirrors.

Yale was in command back at the security tower, just waiting to see if Minnie, the big fish, would swallow

the bait.

Evangeline was right.

Lydia stepped out of the Foster family's security tower and did not waste a second before flagging down a taxi, asking to be taken to the heart of Avalon City's bustling downtown. However, she was not just sitting back and enjoying the ride. Lydia was already plotting her next move.

Right then, she was broke. Evangeline had not left her with so much as a cell phone when she was taken.

So, to call her daughter Minnie, she had no choice but to borrow a phone from someone else.

She had dashed into the taxi in a panic, worried the Foster family might spot her if she lingered. Once she told the driver where to go, the car pulled away, and Lydia launched into phase two of her escape plan. "Excuse me... Sir, could I use your phone for a moment? I rushed out without mine. I just need to call my daughter, and she'll cover the fare, okay?"

The driver eyed her warily in the rearview mirror before handing over his phone. "Make it quick."

Lydia, seated in the back, did not hesitate. She snatched the phone from the front seat and dialed Minnie's number as fast as her fingers would allow. Minnie's voice came through almost instantly, a lifeline in the chaos.

Lydia's heart clenched at the sound, and she nearly burst into tears. "Julia, it's Morn. The Foster family's got me, and it's awful. They're talking about strapping me to an electric chair for interrogation. You have to come save me!"

Tears threatened to spill from Lydia's eyes as she listened to her daughter.

"Mom, hold back the tears, okay? You've got me now, right? No more crying." Minnie heard the whimpering on the other end of the line, and a thought struck her. "Mom, weren't you taken by the Fosters? How are you able to call me?"

A chilling worry crept in-had the Fosters somehow turned her mother against her?

The idea weighed heavy on her heart, like she was plummeting into an abyss.