One Night Mistake… Now I Carry the Mafia Heir

Chapter 87: 87/The Chilling Absence

Chapter 87

Stephanie’s point of view

I took a deep breath, a new sense of challenge surging through my veins with power. Locking my gaze with Sophia’s stern eyes, I spoke in a decisive, confident voice: "Yes, Mrs. Sophia, the conditions are perfectly clear, and I accept this challenge. I am ready to start tomorrow morning."

Sophia nodded with a slight smile that held some appreciation, drawing the leather portfolio toward her to write down my name. "Excellent... then I shall see you tomorrow at eight in the morning. You may be excused now."

I rose quickly, carrying my design portfolio, then leaned down to pick up my cursed black handbag with hands that still trembled subtly.

I slipped out of the company building with hurried steps that barely touched the ground, while my heart was still beating violently in my chest like a trapped bird. I clutched the leather portfolio containing my designs to my chest like a lifeline, squeezing it with exaggerated force to reassure myself that what had happened was real.

I couldn’t bear to stay another minute in that place; every corner of it reminded me of Mr. Vincetti’s mocking, provocative glances, and that incident which would haunt my dreams for a long time. Out on the street, the city lights flickered coldly, so I waved my hand frantically at a passing taxi. The moment it pulled over, I leaped into the backseat, letting out a long sigh that carried with it all the tension of the past hours, while I rested my head against the cold window, trying to gather the remnants of my composure which had completely vanished. I felt a physical and mental exhaustion gnawing at my bones, as if I had fought a real battle, not just a job interview.

When the car finally stopped before the luxurious palace, I stepped out quickly and entered through the grand wooden door, expecting to find some of the warmth and serenity I so desperately needed. But the moment I crossed the threshold, I was hit by a wave of strange, suspicious silence that enveloped the place a silence that was entirely unfamiliar at this time of day. The hour had passed dinner time, and logic dictated that the palace should be bustling with the movement of servants, the aroma of food, and the voices of the men who inhabited it.

I stood for a moment in the grand foyer, listening to the void, but silence was the master of the situation. I walked toward the dining room, but my eyes collided with a sight that made apprehension creep into my heart; the room was completely empty, the long table deserted, the plates unlaid, and even the candles unlit.

My stomach knotted in an involuntary reflex, and I bounded up the marble staircase, my breaths chasing one another in my chest. I pushed the door to my room open with a slight violence, looking forward to seeing Alex, perhaps waiting for me or busy reading his files as was his custom. The room was vacant, but my eyes fell upon his mobile phone, which rested coldly on the side table, meaning he was in the palace, or at least not far away. I began to feel a strange coldness seeping into my limbs. I left and headed toward Grandpa Victor’s room, pushing the door open with cautious silence, but the room was plunged into a bleak darkness... no one was there.

I hesitated for seconds, my heartbeat hammering cruelly against my ribs. I thought of Cedric’s room—that room I had hesitated to go to. But I gathered my courage and decided to put an end to this questioning. I pushed the door open, but emptiness was the only reply. I began to feel dizzy, so I rushed down to the lower level of the palace with fast steps, practically running toward the study. I turned the handle with force and eagerness, but the office was entirely empty. My God, where had they all vanished to in the blink of an eye? Where did they go at this late hour of the night?

I stepped out of the study, rubbing my hands with intense anxiety, filled with a fatal bewilderment. Suddenly, I spotted a shadow moving in the hallway; one of the maids was crossing in her official uniform. Feeling as though the straw I was clutching onto had appeared, I stopped her, asking in a sharp, agitated tone, my eyes flashing with a sharpness that could not be hidden: "Where is everyone? Where did they go?"

The moment the question burst from between my lips, the maid’s eyes bulged, and her feet froze on the luxurious carpet as if she had been woven into the floor. Her pale face turned ashen, all signs of life draining from it, as if she had just witnessed a phantom pursuing her. She swallowed hard with immense difficulty, and her hands began to tremble in a way that could not be concealed, while she tried to find an outlet for her muffled voice: "M-Mrs. Stephanie... we... Mr. Alex told us that you would be having dinner at your friend’s house today, so..."

I knitted my brows in deep suspicion, taking one step closer to her, causing her to shrink back in terror. I spoke in a tone of fraying patience, my body taut like a string on the verge of snapping: "I changed my mind hours ago... where is Alex? Where is Mr. Victor? Where is Cedric? I looked for them, but there is no trace of them!"

The maid began to stammer, her eyes darting left and right in the dimly lit hallway, fleeing from my gaze which was trying to extract the truth from her. Meanwhile, she began twisting her fingers together violently, rubbing them in obvious terror, her chest rising and falling rapidly: "They... I... M-madam..."

Witnessing her blatant agitation and the tremor of her lips which was no longer hidden, I felt a shudder of real fear course through my veins like poison. I clenched my fists so tightly I felt my nails digging into my palms, and I barked in a firm, pressing voice filled with tension and dread: "Speak right now! Stop stammering! What exactly is going on here?!"