Crises in Love (Zora and Jaylan)

I swallowed, my heart pounding like a drum in my chest. "Did Marilyn try to signal to Hazel that the Azure Enchantress took her? But what do these letters mean?" I asked. Hannah's face was a storm cloud of worry. We didn't need to voice it. If my hunch was correct, this spelled bad news.

Pointing at the cryptic letters, I quizzed Hannah, but she shook her head in confusion.

"This one is an R... and this one is either an H or an N. 49C! What on earth does that mean?" Hannah muttered to herself, squinting at the paper. "What does it represent?"

I also tried to make sense of it but failed.

The room had grown dark, and Hannah tugged at my sleeve. "We've got to go and show Ronan. Maybe he can crack it. It has to be a clue Marilyn left behind."

We pocketed the note and hurried back to Serene Garden Homes.

Ronan and Logan poured over the note, and soon we were all on the same page. The pattern must be the emblem of the Azure Enchantress.

Marilyn had sent a message to Hazel, warning her that those who took them bore this mark, the same as the Azure Enchantress!

But the letters were gibberish to us.

Logan looked over at Ronan. It was time we dug deeper into this AzureEnchantress character.

Ronan instructed Logan to find a pretext to bring Jaylan in to wring out whatever he knew about the Azure Enchantress and start rattling the members of the High-rollers Hangout, shaking the Enchantress out of hiding.

And to keep an eye on Jerome's reactions, they might have to let him loose if necessary.

Logan snapped his gaze to Ronan. "That could be risky!"

"Maybe not," Ronan countered, cool as a cucumber. "Jerome's just a middleman. He might not have a leg to stand on out there."

"But what if he's valuable? Aren't we just freeing the tiger back into the forest?" Logan was hesitant. "We've had him on a tight leash for long. He's about to snap!"

"For the sake of the child, we have no choice!" Ronan's tone brooked no argument.

I looked at Ronan, touched and with misty eyes.

"Thank you," I said sincerely.

Ronan didn't bite. He had made up his mind.

Dinner was as bland as cardboard for me!

Back in my room, Hannah followed me in, trying to cheer me up. "Want to watch something lively to lighten the mood?"

I shook my head disinterestedly. "I'm not in the mood for entertainment."

I couldn't help but scoff internally. Entertainment was the last thing I needed when I was worried sick about my child possibly being in the hands of the AzureEnchantress, a shadowy figure as elusive as a ghost. No one knew who they were, not even whether they were man or woman, let alone their intentions.

What made it worse was that I had this sinking feeling that the Azure Enchantress knew me, yet I knew nothing of them.

And they were no friend but my adversary. Marissa and Zora's last words were clear. The AzureEnchantress would never let me off the hook.

The most frightening thought was that I didn't even know why the Azure Enchantress would have it out for me.

With my child possibly in their clutches, I felt my hope dwindling.

elet

Even Ronan had declared that the child was the top priority and that we had no choice, which had highlighted the gravity of the

situation.

How could I possibly be in the mood for distractions?

But then Hannah dangled a tablet in front of my face. "It's a live feed of the Dawson family drama! And there's a new twist. Wanna see?"

Interest piqued, I glanced at Hannah and quipped, "Did you get Quincy on it?"

Hannah gave a little smirk, showing her canines.

Seeing her smug expression, I knew it was good. I reached for the tablet eagerly. "I've got to see this. Is there a live feed?"

Hannah nodded with a devilish glee. "Catch the nightly episodes! They're a hoot!"

"If it's current, it might give Dalton an angle," Imused as I tapped into

feed, not forgetting to ask How the

"How did Quincy pull it off?"

belongs to en.swnovelt

"The old routine!" she replied calmly.

"Electrical inspection?" I said with a chuckle. "Works every time, huh?"

"It was the gas line this time!" she revealed.

I burst into laughter. "Talk about a low-tech solution for a high-stakes game!"