"What did you mean he never arrived?" Julie asked immediately, her voice sharper now, urgency cutting through every word.

Lisa remained beside her, one hand still resting on Julie’s arm, though her fingers had tightened without her realizing it. Her brows were drawn together, her calm beginning to crack.

"What is it, Malone?" she asked again, her tone firmer this time.

Malone lowered his head briefly, as though steadying himself before speaking.

"Ma’am... it is about Javia Bekore."

Lisa’s hand stilled on Julie’s arm.

Her grip tightened just slightly.

The faint breath she had been about to release stopped halfway.

And immediately Julie noticed it her eyes moved between them, confusion tightening her features.

’Who is Javia Bekore?’ the question echoed in her mind, growing louder with each passing second.

"Dear, calm down," Lisa said quickly, turning toward her, her voice gentler now, almost too quick. "Roman is alright."

But Julie shook her head almost at once.

"No, Lisa... nothing is alright," she said, her voice rising despite her effort to hold it steady. "I called him myself. His line isn’t going through. And now you’re saying his people are asking if he’s back home..."

Her breathing grew uneven as her thoughts began to connect in ways she did not want them to.

"That means he’s not there... and he’s not here either."

Her eyes widened slightly, as though the realization had only just settled fully in her chest.

Lisa stepped closer, her hand moving to Julie’s shoulder. "Come inside," she said softly. "You need to sit down."

But Julie took a step back instead, shaking her head again, more firmly this time.

"No. I want to hear everything."

Her voice dropped, quieter now, but far more resolute.

"What is he hiding?"

The question lingered in the air.

Malone finally spoke.

"For a long time, Javia Bekore has been sending warnings to Boss," he said carefully. "He spoke of a possible war between them."

Julie listened, her expression tightening, her focus sharpening despite the unease pressing down on her.

"But Boss handled the situation," Malone continued. "We eliminated any of his men whenever they appeared near our territory. Eventually, their movements stopped entirely."

Lisa’s gaze lowered slightly, her silence telling enough.

Malone’s jaw tightened before he spoke again, his eyes flickring briefly toward Lisa, then he continue.

"But this morning... they were seen again."

Julie’s fingers stilled around the edge of her sleeve.

"Near the dusk side of the underground dungeon," he added. "Approximately twenty men."

The words settled heavily between them.

Julie exhaled slowly, her lips parting slightly as she tried to steady her breathing.

Her mouth had gone dry, and she barely noticed when she ran her tongue across her lips.

Lisa did not respond immediately. Instead, she gently guided Julie forward, her hand steady at her waist.

"Let’s go inside," she said quietly.

This time, Julie did not resist.

Her thoughts felt heavier now, slower, as if each one carried weight she could not yet understand.

A faint crease formed between her brows, deepening as the silence stretched.

When they entered the living room, Azazel was already there.

He was seated on the couch, leaning forward slightly, his phone still in his hand.

The usual ease in his posture was gone, replaced by something far more rigid. His brows were furrowed, his jaw set in a way that made him look almost unfamiliar.

Lisa noticed him immediately.

"What is the matter, Azazel?"

He looked up at once and let out a quiet breath.

"Beautiful Lisa..." he began, though there was no playfulness in his tone this time. "Darel just called me as well. He asked if Roman has returned."

Julie’s gaze snapped toward him.

"So he called you too?" she asked.

Azazel nodded. "Yes."

He studied her briefly before adding, "Did he contact you directly? I don’t believe he has your number."

"It was Malone," Julie replied.

Azazel’s eyes flickered toward Malone for a brief moment, something sharper passing through his expression before it settled again.

’Can’t he directly inform me, even if she has the right to know about her husband.’ Azazel said in his mind.

Before the silence could stretch further, another voice entered the room.

"I’m hearing something about Roman coming back. Where is he?"

Denovan walked in, his tone light, a faint smile still on his face, clearly unaware of the tension that had already taken hold of the room.

Azazel turned toward him.

"Grandpa... Roman is not back."

Denovan slowed, his smile fading as he looked between them.

"Then what exactly is going on?"

Malone stepped forward, his posture straightening.

"Sir, we request permission to deploy a team," he said firmly. "We need to search for Boss in Country X."

Denovan’s expression changed completely.

His voice lowered, carrying a quiet authority.

"What do you mean... search for him?"

Malone hesitated for only a fraction of a second, then spoke clearly.

"Sir... we have reason to believe Boss may have been taken."

No one spoke. Even the faint ticking of the clock suddenly felt too loud in the stillness.

Julie’s fingers curled slowly at her sides, her lips parting as if to speak, but no words came out.

Her breath caught somewhere in her chest as her hand slowly lifted, pressing lightly against it as though she could steady the sudden weight that had settled there.

Taken.

The word echoed in her mind, louder than anything else.

Hey loves ❤️

This Chapter... I know it feels different.

The atmosphere shifted, didn’t it?

From soft moments and warmth... to something quiet, tense, and uncertain. That’s intentional. Because sometimes, life doesn’t warn us before it changes.

One moment you’re smiling, laughing, enjoying small things and the next, something feels off. Not loud. Not clear. Just... wrong.

That’s exactly where Julie is right now.

Notice how it didn’t start with something dramatic. Just a call that didn’t go through.

A small detail. But that small detail began to grow into something heavier.

That’s how real fear often works it starts quietly, then settles in your chest before you even understand it.

And I want you to take something from that, beyond the story.

In life, don’t ignore the small signs.

Sometimes we wait for big proof before we react, before we take things seriously, before we protect ourselves or even appreciate what we have.

But the truth is, the "small things" are often the beginning of everything. A silence. A delay. A feeling you can’t explain.

Pay attention.

Not in fear but in awareness.

Also, I want to say this: it’s okay to feel unsettled sometimes. It doesn’t make you weak. It means you care. It means something matters to you.

Julie is strong. She doesn’t break easily. But even strong people have moments where their heart doesn’t feel steady and that’s human.

So wherever you are right now in your own life...

Take a moment.

Breathe.

Check in with yourself.

And don’t rush through your days like they don’t matter. The calm moments, the confusing ones, even the ones that feel slow they are all part of your story.

Now... back to our world 👀

Something has started.

And this time... it won’t be small.

Stay with me 💕