Chapter 404

Chapter 404:

While they made their way toward the front door, I whispered a quiet prayer under my breath. The plan was simple but risky: I would climb into the car trunk, wait it out, and make my escape once we reached the supermarket parking lot.

I couldn’t pull this off alone. I needed both Nanay Emily and Tatay Berto. She would distract Ben — her assigned driver — while Tatay Berto kept the other guards occupied. My job was to slip out the back door, sprint to the garage, and hide in the trunk.

A few minutes later…

My heart felt ready to burst from my chest as I watched Tatay Berto approach the security booth. Nerves nearly got the better of me when Nanay Emily let out a dramatic gasp and stumbled, dropping deliberately to the ground right in front of everyone.

Her performance worked perfectly. Ben and a pair of guards rushed over to help her up, and the moment their attention shifted, I made my move. I dashed to the car and climbed into the trunk, curling myself into as small a shape as I could manage. Just as I reached up to pull the lid down, a sharp voice came from behind me.

“Mrs. Sophia, what exactly do you think you’re doing in there p>

𝗪𝗲е𝗄𝗅𝘆 𝗋𝘦𝗅e𝖺𝘀е𝘴 𝗼𝗻

I could barely believe my eyes as he walked straight toward me. “What on earth is happening right now?” I muttered under my breath.

“Keep your voice down, will you?” I hissed, pressing a finger to my lips while my heart hammered in my chest.

“What are you up to? Are you seriously trying to sneak out p>

I narrowed my eyes, fixed him with a hard stare, and clenched my fists.

“Do you really want to know? Because if you breathe a single word about this, I swear I will drag you down with me,” I growled, making sure he understood I meant every word. He just stared back at me, blinking in pure shock. Any other day, that expression on his face would have had me doubled over laughing. Right now, however, all I could think about was getting away from Daniel’s guards — even if it meant hiding in a car trunk.

“Bingo, what are you doing there p>

Damn it.

Every muscle in my body tensed and my mouth went dry as the sound of Ben’s footsteps drew closer. What Bingo did next was the last thing I expected.

Without a word, he slammed the trunk shut, sealing me inside before Ben could get a look.

“I was just trying to find my phone. I could have sworn I dropped it somewhere near this car p>

“You think your phone is under the car? Do you hear yourself, or have you completely lost it p>

Pressed flat against the trunk’s floor, I bit down hard on my lip, doing everything in my power not to burst out laughing at their ridiculous exchange.

“No, I’m serious! I saw it right here, under this car p>

“And how exactly did your phone end up under there p>

“I’m not sure… Maybe someone thought it’d be funny to mess with me and kicked it under p>