CHAPTER 212: CHAPTER 212

So at that moment, when Raymond actually called Cecilia’s number, something happened that only deepened the sinking feeling in his chest—the call didn’t even ring.

No dial tone. No connection. No indication that the phone was even turned on. Just silence, followed by a cold, lifeless message: "The number you are trying to call is currently unavailable."

Raymond froze for a second, staring at the screen.

He blinked, as if that would change what he was seeing. But nothing changed. That flat silence, that failed connection—it hit him harder than he expected. Not because it was just a failed call, but because it wasn’t supposed to happen. Not now. Not when everything was already falling apart. Not when Valentina was missing. Not when he was running out of time.

He brought the phone down slowly, his fingers tightening around the device, his breath growing shorter.

"What is going on?" he muttered under his breath, his voice low, dark, and shaking slightly with confusion.

Cecilia wasn’t just anyone. She was someone who always answered his calls. Always. Even when she didn’t want to talk, even when she was angry, she picked up—or at least let it ring through.

But now? Nothing.

His thoughts grew heavier.

Could it be that Cecilia had turned her phone off on purpose? Could she be hiding something?

Or... was something even worse going on?

His heart pounded harder at the thought.

Everything was beginning to blur together—Valentina’s sudden disappearance, Maria and Luca’s vanishing act, the blank footage from the annual mask, and now Cecilia’s silent line. None of it added up. And it all pointed to one thing: something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Still not giving up, Raymond redialed Cecilia’s number.

This time with more force, more urgency in his hands.

He paced the room, waiting, hoping.

But again, the same result.

No ring. No tone. Just that cold robotic voice on the other end.

"The number you are trying to call is currently unavailable."

He stared at the screen for a moment, as if it might speak to him.

But it didn’t, It gave him nothing.

And that silence—that silence spoke louder than any scream.

He called Cecilia’s number again, still nobody answered.

Cecilia’s phone didn’t even ring no tone, no buzz, nothing. Just dead silence, as if the number didn’t exist anymore. Raymond stared at the phone screen, his eyes narrowing, his heart sinking deeper into unease. This wasn’t normal. Not for Cecilia. Not for anyone close to Valentina. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

And he could feel it now—in his bones.

The kind of wrong that didn’t come with warning signs. The kind of wrong that crept up slowly and then exploded all at once. And Raymond wasn’t going to sit back and watch everything fall apart.

He gritted his teeth.

He had no time to waste. No more space to second-guess. No room left to wait for a miracle. His mind was already screaming the only truth that mattered now—he needed to find Valentina. And fast.

Without giving himself the chance to hesitate, without entertaining another second of doubt, Raymond spun on his heels, stormed down the hall, and headed straight for his car. He didn’t even wait for the engine to warm up. He started the vehicle and pulled out of the Sterling Design premises in one swift, controlled motion. His eyes never left the road, but his thoughts were spiraling.

What if she’s hurt? What if someone took her?

What if... he was already too late?

The only thing that gave him a sliver of hope was the possibility—maybe—Valentina had returned home. Maybe she just needed space. Maybe she didn’t want to talk to anyone and had ignored his calls on purpose.

Maybe.

That one word was all he had left.

The drive home felt longer than it actually was. Every red light, every second stuck behind a slower car, made his pulse rise higher. When he finally arrived, he didn’t even bother to shut the car door properly. He ran inside, straight past the entrance, not even acknowledging the guards.

"Valentina!" he called out, his voice echoing through the house.

No answer, he raced up the stairs, his feet pounding against the steps. He burst into her room.

Empty, the bed untouched.

Her shoes still by the door.

And just like that, the small hope he clung to was crushed beneath the weight of silence.

She wasn’t there, and neither was Cecilia.

His chest rose and fell sharply as he stood in the middle of the room, his hands trembling now—not from fear, but from the not knowing.

Where are you? He slowly backed out of the room, his mind racing again. Could it be just maybe Valentina was with Cecilia?

But if that were true... why was Cecilia not answering? Why was her phone off? Why hadn’t Valentina answered even once?

Raymond’s thoughts began to spiral out of control, a mix of panic and fury brewing in his gut.

His throat tightened, his heart now pounding in his ears. None of this made sense. And the longer it didn’t, the more his instincts screamed that something deeper something darker was going on.

However, not wanting to leave any stone untouched, Raymond starts having a second thought, like thinking thinking of what could actually be the problem.

So at that moment, that was when the realization hit Raymond so hard it nearly stopped his breath.

Rebecca.

Rebecca and Cecilia.

The two women were sisters—not just in name, but by blood. They were from the same clan, raised under the same roof, born of the same mother. He had always known that, but until now, it had never felt relevant. It had never felt like a piece of the puzzle. But now, standing alone in Valentina’s empty room, with Cecilia unreachable and Valentina missing without a trace... it all came rushing back like a flood.

If Cecilia and Rebecca were family—if they shared the same roots could it be that Rebecca had something to do with what was happening now? Could it be that Cecilia, despite her silence and closeness, had been playing a role in Valentina’s pain all along?

Everything felt twisted now, Entangled.

Raymond’s thoughts darted in every direction, connecting dots he hadn’t dared to connect before. Rebecca had once been deeply drawn to him. That was no secret. Her feelings had been strong, almost obsessive. And just when things got complicated between them, she vanished. No explanation. No goodbye. Just... disappeared. Vanished from his life like smoke in the wind.

He hadn’t seen her in years.

Years of silence. Years of unanswered questions. And now—now, when Valentina’s life was suddenly spinning into chaos, when people around her were acting strange, when Cecilia’s phone had gone dead and Valentina herself was missing—now her name surfaces in his mind?

It couldn’t be a coincidence.

He remembered the times Cecilia had lingered around, offering comfort when things were tough, always acting like a loyal friend, a harmless bystander. But now, when he needed answers most, she was gone. And the silence? The silence was screaming.

Raymond stepped back, his hands balling into fists as he stared down at the floor, piecing it all together.

Could it be Cecilia had been distracting him all along? Keeping him calm, close, just enough to keep his attention away from the real danger? Could she have been helping someone from the shadows?

Could that someone be Rebecca?

The memories started flashing—Rebecca’s intense gaze, the way she used to speak about him as though he belonged to her, the quiet jealousy she never truly voiced but always carried. He had ignored it. Thought time had buried it.

But maybe... it hadn’t.

Maybe Rebecca’s disappearance had never been about running away.

Maybe it had been a plan.

Maybe this had always been about Valentina.

And now, even though he had chosen to keep his suspicions buried all this time, pretending that strange things happening around Valentina were just random events—deep down, he could no longer deny it.

He had to face it.

Even though he decided to keep it to himself.

But strange things kept happening to Valentina—over and over again. Incidents that didn’t make sense. Accidents that weren’t accidents. Illnesses that couldn’t be explained. She kept on falling ill, getting weak, suffering in silence—and every single time she recovered, something else would strike again, pulling her deeper into danger.

And each time, Raymond convinced himself it was just stress, just coincidence.

But now? With everything piling up—her sudden disappearance, Cecilia’s unreachable phone, Maria and Luca vanishing, and Rebecca’s long-forgotten shadow creeping back into his thoughts—it all felt too intentional. Too planned.

There could only be one explanation, Someone close to him... had been doing this all along.

Someone within his circle. Someone who knew his routine, who understood his priorities, who could get close to Valentina without raising suspicion.

Someone he trusted.

The realization was like a blade to the gut. All this time, he had been pointing fingers in every direction accusing, doubting, and investigating the wrong people. Innocent people. While the true traitor, the one orchestrating all this pain and chaos, had been standing beside him. Watching him. Smiling with false loyalty.

And he hadn’t seen it, he hadn’t wanted to see it.

That was what made his blood boil the most.

He clenched his fists so hard his knuckles cracked. Rage simmered behind his eyes. "I let this happen," he growled under his breath. "I let them stay close."