The twigs snapped beneath her feet as she ran at full speed.

The bunny slippers that she was wearing were torn and could barely perform their job anymore. However, that did not slow her down even for a second.

She knew that except for running, there was no other choice left for her. Her kidnappers had become too much interested in her for her to stay calm and think of an escape plan.

That's why rather than becoming their prey, she decided to take her chance, and she sprinted right towards the forest.

The forest was dark as its dense canopy was limiting the moonlight that was seeping through the small gaps and holes.

The darkness was not only working against her but also in support of her since she was not the only one who was unable to see in the darkness that was covering the forest.

Her kidnappers were also unable to pinpoint her location, or at least that's what she thought.

Emily was completely oblivious about the fact that the people chasing after her were no humans and the darkness was not their enemy but their friend.

It was too late for her to realize this since a loud ear-piercing scream echoed through the silence of the forest as a huge force sent her flying straight towards a huge tree.

She hit the thick hard trunk before landing harshly on the ground. Blood slipped through the corner of her lips as she struggled to bear with the pain that was threatening to consume her.

Her lungs ached in desperate need of oxygen while the immense pain almost made her lose her consciousness.

"Do you want to play a game, baby?"

The man who was approaching her with slow steps asked in a husky tone as his eyes followed her desperate movements to get herself out of his reach.

Her fruitless effort made a chuckle escape his lips as he crouched down in front of her and gripped her hairs tightly as he spoke in a sweet voice.

"Thinking about running away? That's not how it works, right!"

Emily whimpered in pain as she balled her fist over the dirty ground that was covered in moss and decayed leaves.

The sound of footsteps approaching them entered her ears and she knew that within a minute, the rest of her kidnappers would also be there, and then she could no longer get a chance to save herself.

The panic that rose inside her made her body cooperate with her as her hand threw the collected dirt directly at her attacker's eyes before she bolted up and started running with all her might.

The angry shouts of her attacker and the hurried footsteps of the rest of his teammates made Emily increase her speed even though the pain that was surging through her body had already reached the point where she could no longer bear it.

She just wanted to stop running and curl down in a ball to cry her heart out and let the darkness consume her pain. She wanted to let the dark world take away her pain and free her.

However, stopping meant surrendering and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

A part of her brain was aware that she could not run away from her kidnappers even if she tried with all her might, but she did not want to just give up so easily.

The loud snap of a branch made her stumble as she increased her pace to run in the opposite direction of the sound.

They were close, too close for her to escape from their clutches.

The tears that she had succeeded in keeping locked in their dam suddenly blurred her vision as the reality of her situation dawned over her.

She was going to lose!

And just like that, she was yanked harshly from behind as her kidnapper got his hand on her.

***

"She's not upstairs! We have checked every single room." Crist informed his brothers who were crowding the living room which was filled with a tense and panicked environment.

"I have also checked the grounds with the Security team, but nothing..." Simon added as he too entered the room with a guard who was holding a laptop and a pen drive.

"What's that?" Daniel asked as he pointed at the laptop.

"Just like yesterday at the mall, the CCTV footage of the Mansion is also gone. Nothing, not a single footage of the last seven hours is left untouched." Simon answered with a sigh.

The worry that was eating him up from inside was clearly visible in his dark green eyes that had been searching for Emily for more than an hour by now.

The silent and tense environment of the room broke as a loud shattering sound echoed through the room.

It was Domenic who had thrown a huge expensive vase at the Security head of the mansion.

While Domenic appeared as if he was ready to kill, the poor old man, on the other hand, appeared as pale as a ghost as he quivered in the corner of the room. The shattered vase lying beside his feet.

"Before I'll kill all of you with my own hands, you all should disappear from here." His voice came out harsh and full of dark promises as he glared at the old man.

The only reason why Domenic hadn't already killed him for such a huge mistake was that the sixty-three-year-old man had been working in the Alessandro Mansion for the past forty years and he was one of the most loyal people of their family.

The old man and the other security guard hurriedly bowed their heads and left the room, not taking any more chances with their Master.

"Dom, there's something wrong with the Control room," Simon said after a few minutes of silence.

He succeeded in picking everyone's attention because soon enough the rest of his brothers were looking at him, waiting for him to elaborate on the meaning behind his words.

"When I went to check the footage, I found traces of orange magma beside the door." Simon finally revealed.

And Immediately the temperature of the living room dropped even more as Domenic ordered, "Immediately call Sam and Jackson..."