Chapter 1007

Brad spoke through clenched teeth. "I didn't plan for any of this, but Ethan found out what we were doing.He threatened to tell Daniela. I had no other choice."

Josh stayed silent.

Outside the villa, rain began pouring hard against the windows.

Brad stared at the storm for a moment. Then he lowered his voice. "Josh, don't turn your back on me now.I need you."

He straightened his shoulders and took a deep breath.His voice turned sharp, with a cold edge. "If anything happens to me,you'll be dragged down too. You know how Daniela is. She won't let you off. Didn't you say that if Daniela dies, Oiscoll will end up in the McCoy family's hands? I did what had to be done. You told me the family comes first. I followed that. We're in this together now."

Josh didn't answer right away. He sat quietly, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the wall. "You're right," he finally said. "But you need to deal with Ethan's body fast."

"Then send someone for me," said Brad. "I'll pack the body into a suitcase and sneak it out tonight. By tomorrow, Daniela will be gone, and no one will know a thing."

"I'll arrange a pickup at one in the morning," Josh replied.

Then he ended the call.

He shifted in his seat and looked over at Jules, who was sprawled on the couch with a game controller in hand.

Jules didn't look away from the screen. "What did Brad want? Why were you on the phone that long?"

Josh turned to the window.

The rain hit harder now. The TV in the background reported a strong storm with powerful winds.

Some trees on the road had already snapped.

"Brad said his car broke down," Josh answered casually. "He needs a lift."

Jules nodded. "Tomorrow's when Daniela's supposed to die, right? It's good for him to come back, to avoid any slip-ups over there."

Jules had no idea what was really going on.

Josh kept his gaze on the rain sliding down the window.He muttered under his breath, "Yes, to prevent any slip-ups. We're family, aren't we? l've always cared about you the most, Brad. Now it's your turn to care about me."Once he'd said that, he stepped out of the office.

At the door, he quietly told the secretary, "Have the new driver take the off-road vehicle parked outside and pick up Brad."

The secretary blinked, caught off guard. "Isn't that vehicle reserved for Daniela? Why...?"

Why was they using it to pick up Brad?

Josh gave her a hard smile. "Brad needs it more.Only the dead know how to keep their mouths shut."

Ethan had already been silenced.

Brad was next in line.

With Daniela gone and Cedric too broken to lead,Josh thought Oiscoll would soon fall into his hands.

The night pressed on.

Daniela stood by the tall window. At exactly 1 A.M.,Brad loaded a heavy suitcase into the black off-road vehicle.

She turned to Carol and said, "The bomb will go off in an hour. Five minutes before that, push the vehicle over the cliff. Make it look like an accident. Keep Brad alive and hidden."

Carol gave a simple nod. "Understood."

Inside the house, not a sound stirred. Daniela stood quietly, one hand resting over her stomach, her loose robe brushing against her ankles."Babies, this time, I'll keep you safe," she whispered.

Cedric stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

She turned and gave him a soft smile. He leaned in to kiss her, the steady rain drumming outside their window.

Time passed, and eventually, Daniela curled into his embrace.

He said softly, "Once everything's settled, we'll leave Oiscoll."

To Cedric, this place had become heavy with unease.

Too much noise. Too many schemes.

Daniela murmured, "Alright."

Then Cedric asked, "And Carol? What do we do about her?"

Daniela looked over at Nikolas. He stood at the villa's entrance holding an umbrella, unaware that Carol had already slipped out through the back.

"Let them figure things out on their own," she said. "If Nikolas is serious, they'll make it work. What matters is no one hurts people around me."

She was nothing if not fiercely protective. Cedric gave a nod. "When this is all done, let's go back to Olisvine. The air's clean, and everything from hospitals to schools is better."

She agreed without hesitation.

The following morning, as Daniela walked downstairs,she noticed the housekeeper's uneasy expression.

"Ms. Harper, there's been an incident," the housekeeper said with shaky urgency."The news said Brad drove off a cliff last night. The car exploded.There was nothing left. The entire thing looked awful."

The housekeeper lifted her eyes, waiting for a reaction.

Daniela nodded and asked, "Has breakfast been set?"

The housekeeper stared, confused, then repeated herself.

Daniela's tone didn't change. "I heard you. Now, is it ready?"

The housekeeper nodded slowly. "Yes."

Daniela sat down to eat.

When Cedric came downstairs, she repeated the news again. He simply nodded, colder than before, and began to squeeze juice for her.

Then Carol shuffled in, yawning. The housekeeper gave her the same report. Carol nodded, dropped onto the couch, and flipped on the TV.

Expecting her to tuurn to the news, the housekeeper watched.Instead,Carol chose a horror film and leaned back.

That was when it hit her. Their hearts were like ice.Brad had lived under their roof for a few days. Cedric even belonged to the McCoy family. So why were they all acting like nothing had happened?

Right then, Hamilton stormed in, just as expected.His face was pale. His voice shook. "Did you see it?Something's happened to Brad!"

At last, the housekeeper felt she wasn't alone. Maybe she wasn't overreacting after all.

Hamilton stood there panting, as though he'd run all the way in. His eyes landed on Daniela. First, he looked startled.Then,his gaze turned sharp."Was it you?" he asked.