Chapter 480

The memory struck him like lightning. Her parents had perished in a plane crash when she was just a child. She shouldn’t remember much—she’d been too young, and she hadn’t even been on that flight.

Was it grief haunting her now?

When she returned to the Hawthorne family, she hadn’t shown any overwhelming longing for her parents. So why had she collapsed today? Had the sight of Sophia’s injured mother triggered something buried deep inside her?

She was more fragile than he’d realized.

"S—Something happened!" The man gasped, ducking into a cluttered, dimly lit room. Dust coated every surface, and the only light came from thin slivers of moonlight cutting through the darkness. His fingers trembled as he dialed the number.

"Why are you panicking? I thought you said you could handle this!" The voice on the other end was distorted, mechanical—unnatural. But the irritation was unmistakable.

"I didn’t expect the fire to get so out of control! That building was packed with people!" His breath came in ragged bursts, his entire body shaking.

He’d assumed the place would be nearly empty at this hour. Most of the windows had been dark. But when the flames erupted, so did the screams. The bodies carried out afterward—he could still hear the wailing.

"You idiot!" The voice snarled. "I told you to start a small fire—just enough to scare them! Not burn the whole damn place down! Do you have a death wish?"

"I—I was just following orders! You’re the one who told me to do it!" His voice cracked. He wasn’t the mastermind. He wasn’t the one who should pay.

A cold laugh echoed through the receiver. "Oh? Do you have proof of that?"

"You think the police will believe you? We’ve never even met in person. Everything between us is just calls and messages—easy to fake."

The man’s blood ran cold.

He’d thought this would be like the other small jobs—petty theft, minor vandalism. But this? This was something else entirely.

"I—"

"Stop panicking," the voice cut in, eerily calm now. "Tell me—did anyone see you?"

He swallowed hard, licking his dry lips. "No. I don’t think so."

"Don’t think. Be sure. That place was an old dump—no security cameras. As long as no one spotted you, they’ll blame it on faulty wiring. Old buildings like that? It happens all the time."

The words soothed him slightly. Maybe it would be fine.

"Exactly! It was just bad wiring! Nothing to do with me!"

"Good," the voice purred. "But just in case, you should leave town for a while. I’ve transferred enough money to last you. And don’t try to contact me again—this number’s done."

"Wait—!"

The line went dead before he could protest.