She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 785

Loyce nodded in agreement.

Giselle packed her things and followed Loyce outside. Just before she stepped through the door, she hesitated. For reasons she couldn't explain, she paused and cast one final glance at Hank, who was speaking with his subordinates. Sensing her gaze, he turned and offered her a faint smile. "Come back early."

Giselle tightened her grip on her bag and hurried out.

Throughout the afternoon, an inexplicable sense of dread gnawed at Hank. He constantly checked his watch, his mind wandering repeatedly during a crucial strategy meeting against the Colombos.

Laurence noticed his distraction and knew exactly who it was for, but kept quiet. Then, a phone call broke the silence.

It was the Costa detail assigned to shadow Giselle and Loyce. Giselle had been abducted, Loyce was injured, and they needed immediate backup from headquarters.

The moment he heard Giselle was taken, the blood drained from Hank's face. He slammed his fist onto the table. "She showed her face at the banquet. They noticed! They realized she's my weakness!"

"It's a test," Laurence said calmly. "As Godfather, you know what choice you have to make."

Hank couldn't let anyone know his true vulnerabilities. If he did, it would destroy them both.

He grabbed his jacket off the chair and stormed out.

The Colombos called him directly, dropping a pin with their location. Hank tore down the highway, leaving his convoy in the dust. His sports car roared up the winding mountain roads, narrowly dodging heavy trucks on hairpin turns. He didn't spare a single thought for the sheer drops inches from his tires.

The setting sun dyed the sky a bloody crimson, casting a red glow over the raging rapids below. Even from the top of the cliff, the deafening roar of water smashing against jagged rocks was inescapable.

Hank killed the engine and stepped out. His black dress shoes crunched against the gravel.

He unbuttoned his suit jacket, letting the freezing mountain wind whip at his shirt.

"Godfather of the Costas. You actually came alone. Impressive."

Salvar's mocking voice drifted from behind a pile of boulders.

A second later, a dozen Colombo gunmen fanned out, every muzzle pointed straight at Hank.

Only then did his backup arrive. Both sides drew their weapons. The tension was suffocating.

Salvar stood safely in the back, casually puffing on a cigar. Not far from him, right on the edge of the precipice, were two women. Their hands were bound behind their backs, and black hoods covered their heads.

The hoods were yanked off. Giselle, her hair windblown and messy, squinted against the light. Once her eyes adjusted, she saw Hank standing in the distance. She glanced back at the churning abyss below, panic rising in her chest. Instinctively, she struggled against her bonds, trying to protect her stomach.

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