Contract Marriage with My Secret Partner in Crime-Chapter 156: The Voice on the Line

Earlier that morning, Cassius walked down the hallways of the Elite Legacy Institute with a rare brightness in his steps. His long coat swung lightly behind him, and for once, there was no trace of his usual seriousness. He was looking forward to teaching again—and more importantly, seeing Levy.

But the moment he entered Room B-204, the warmth on his face faded.

The class was full. Every student sat in neat rows, notebooks ready, eyes on him. Every student but Levy. Celeste, too, was missing.

Cassius’s brow furrowed, though he said nothing. He placed his things down and waited, tapping his fingers lightly against the desk.

Five minutes passed. Then ten. At fifteen, he pulled out his phone and quickly typed a message:

Find out where Levy is.

He slipped the phone back into his pocket and forced himself to begin the lecture, his voice calm though his thoughts were not. He had barely gone through the opening slides when his phone buzzed. He saw Sophia’s name on the screen.

"I’ll be right back," he said shortly, stepping outside into the quiet corridor before answering.

Her voice was tight, urgent. "Levy is missing. We are trying to locate her whereabouts now."

Cassius froze. His voice dropped lower, sharper. "Use all our connections. Find her—soon."

He ended the call and reentered the classroom, his eyes sweeping over the students who waited expectantly. "I have an emergency," he said curtly. "Class dismissed. Now."

The students looked startled but obeyed. Cassius gathered nothing, only turned and walked swiftly out of the building, his expression hard as stone.

---

Within minutes, his car roared into the underground levels of Varen Enterprises. He parked, got out, and entered the hidden base concealed beneath the building.

The place buzzed with activity—screens glowing, men stationed at terminals, Sophia standing at the center issuing commands.

"Did you find her?" Cassius asked as soon as he stepped inside. His voice carried the weight of command.

Sophia’s shoulders sagged slightly. "Not yet. They erased the traces."

Cassius didn’t reply. He strode to one of the free monitors, sat down, and began typing rapidly. The room fell quieter except for the clicking of keys. His eyes scanned footage after footage, lines of code flickering across the screen as he bypassed corrupted data and restored what had been deleted.

After what felt like an eternity, an image finally came through. Levy and Celeste. Leaving the dormitory. Driving toward the old district.

Cassius stood abruptly. "Go find and rescue Levy," he ordered, his voice steady but urgent.

The men scattered into action. Cassius didn’t waste a second—he turned on his heel, marched out, and drove toward the old district himself.

---

On another screen, Brent watched the feed of Cassius leaving. His lips curved into a thin smile. "Erase the traces of our involvement," he ordered coolly.

---

By the time Cassius and his men arrived, the rain had thinned but the district was drenched in gloom. The abandoned hospital loomed before them like a decaying giant.

"Move," Cassius commanded, leading the charge inside.

They swept every corridor, checked every shadow, cleared every floor. Dust, broken tiles, rusted gurneys—but no Levy. No Celeste. No trace of them at all.

"Continue searching," Cassius ordered, his tone sharper now, frustration seeping through.

His phone buzzed again. Sophia’s voice came through, steady but urgent. "We managed to restore more of the deleted footages. She’s currently at Jeric’s place. Reynold is with her. I’ve sent you the location."

Cassius didn’t hesitate. "All units, reroute. Head to the location immediately."

---

On the other side, Brent sat in his dim office, watching the screens as if studying a chessboard. He exhaled, amused. "Isn’t it good now? Cassius is finally making a move."

Larman stood nearby, his face tight with unease. "He will definitely make you pay for this."

Brent’s expression didn’t falter. "I already accepted my fate."

Larman had no answer. He only looked at him once more before walking out, leaving Brent alone with the glow of the monitors.

---

The convoy pulled up quietly outside Jeric’s flat. Cassius entered swiftly, his men spreading out behind him, weapons lowered but ready.

Inside, the atmosphere was strangely still. The lights were dim, the rain faint against the windows. He pushed the door open to the main room—and stopped.

They were all there. Reynold, Jeric, Mira, Celeste. And Levy.

All asleep.

He crossed the room quickly, crouched beside Levy, and gently patted her arm. "Levy. Are you okay?"

No response. She was in deep sleep, her breathing slow and steady.

Cassius looked around again. Everyone else was the same—silent, unmoving, lost in a heavy slumber.

Then he caught it.

A faint scent. Familiar. Unwelcome.

He leaned closer to Levy and murmured under his breath, "Hallucination spray... and the memory pill."

His jaw tightened, and his fists clenched at his sides. Whoever had orchestrated this had not only taken her but had erased whatever happened in that hospital. And now, there was no way of knowing the truth.

He stood and spoke firmly to his men. "Make the arrangements. Make it as if nothing happened."

The agents moved efficiently, lifting the sleeping girls carefully, transporting them back to their dormitory as though the day had been ordinary. Every trace of their intervention was scrubbed clean.

---

Brent sat back in his chair, watching every detail unfold on the screens. His smirk returned. "They’re too good at this. Making it look as if they just overslept and nothing happened. As expected of Cassius... so meticulous."

Larman, who had returned only briefly, shot him a look. "You should worry about yourself."

Without another word, he turned and left.

Brent didn’t move. His eyes stayed fixed on the monitors, his expression unreadable as they glowed around him.

---

On the other side of the city, the apartment was quiet, the only sound the faint hum of the air conditioner. Zephany sat on the couch, her knees tucked under her as she scrolled through The Archive app on her phone. Her thumb moved slowly, as though she was not sure what she was looking for, until her eyes landed on a familiar thread of messages.

It was her conversation with Obscura. The one that had always given her a strange sense of connection, even before she realized why. She froze, her chest tightening as she stared at the screen. The words felt heavier now, every casual exchange suddenly carrying a meaning she had been blind to.

Her lips parted as she exhaled, a shaky breath escaping. She pressed her palm against her knee, grounding herself before her trembling thumb hovered over the call button. After a brief hesitation, she tapped it.

At the same time, in his room at his mother’s house, Kendrick had just sat down at his desk when his phone lit up with a notification from The Archive app. The moment he saw the caller’s name, his stomach dropped. His throat tightened. It was her.

Panic coursed through him as he stared at the screen. He had been wondering, questioning, almost hoping that it wasn’t true. But now... it was undeniable. Slowly, almost as if afraid of what waited on the other end, he picked up his phone and pressed accept.

His breath caught in his chest when he heard her voice, soft and steady.

"Ken."

The sound of it hit him like a wave. For a second, he forgot how to breathe. The question that had been gnawing at him for weeks finally had its answer. Eclipse was not just some mysterious partner he had fought alongside. Eclipse was Zephany. His wife.

His lips parted, and after a long moment he finally managed to speak. "Zeph."

The silence that followed was heavy, thick with realization. Just like him, Zephany’s breath stopped the moment she heard his voice. The way he said her name confirmed what her heart already knew. Her mind reeled. So he really was Obscura.

Neither of them spoke, both struggling to catch up with the truth that had just shattered their carefully built disguises.

It was Kendrick who broke the silence. His voice was low, steady, but it carried an urgency. "Zeph, can we talk?"

There was no hesitation in her reply. "Okay."

He inhaled deeply, his grip tightening on his phone. "Are you at the apartment? I’ll be going there now."

"Yes," she said softly. "I’ll wait for you."

He ended the call, his pulse racing as he stood from his chair. Without wasting another second, he walked out of his room. His mother, Christy, was just in the hallway, carrying a folded stack of laundry. Kendrick’s voice came quickly as he passed her.

"Mom, I’ll be going back to my wife."

Before she could answer, he was already hurrying out the door, keys in hand. The sound of the front door closing echoed through the house.

Christy stood still for a moment, her brows lifting in surprise. Then she let out a long sigh, shaking her head as she placed the folded clothes on the nearby table. "Finally, he is making a move," she murmured to herself. "These young couples really need to talk things out if there are misunderstandings."

She smiled faintly, almost amused, before continuing with her chores, leaving Kendrick to speed toward the apartment where everything was about to change.