The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1726

“You want to know?”

The man slowed his pace, toying with Shirley like she was some animal that amused him. His smile took on a sleazy edge. “If you make me happy, I’ll tell you who sent me. How does that sound?”

“Don’t come any closer!”

Shirley’s back slammed against the wall, her heart dropping straight to her stomach. She glanced behind her and realized she’d reached a dead end. There was nowhere left to run.

“My boyfriend is Andrew, and my best friend is Charlotte…” Shirley clutched the knife in her hand, aiming it at the man. Her voice shook just as much as her hands. “If you try anything, they’ll make you pay for it.”

“Make me pay?”

The man stroked his chin, eyes fixed on her with a gleam that sent chills down her spine. He let out a low, mocking laugh. “I’d actually like to see them try.”

He lunged without warning. Shirley’s scream cut through the alley, echoing out into the night.

…

The rain hammered down, getting heavier with every second.

It had been over an hour and a half since Shirley left school.

Right after leaving The Blair Estate, Anthony made sure all the security footage of Shirley leaving campus got sent straight to Charlotte. They watched the video together, saw her step off the bus and head toward the entrance of the alley.

“She made it to the alley, so why didn’t she come home?” Andrew’s voice trembled with panic as he stared at the monitor. “Charlotte, we need to search that area. Now.”

Getting from the alley to their building was a twenty-minute walk, and there were no cameras along the way. The streetlights were useless, casting just enough light to see the puddles forming on the deserted sidewalk. Because of the rain, almost no one was out.

Shirley had walked this route before. If she still wasn’t home, something had definitely gone wrong.

Charlotte watched the footage with a hard, cold stare for a few more seconds, then finally looked at Anthony.

“I already asked Hans to take some people out to the old neighborhood as soon as we left.”

Anthony squeezed her hand, frowning when he noticed how cold and clammy it was. “They should be there any moment now.”

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