Chapter 164
Audrey’s POV
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I watched Jennifer’s expression shifting constantly one moment panicked, the next furious. Her reaction only confirmed my suspicion that this was truly Rachel’s phone.
Just thinking about Rachel made my heart ache with a familiar pain.
Four years without a single word from her.
I’d dreamed countless times about seeing her again.
But instead of finding Rachel herself, I’d found her phone in others‘ hands.
I bit my lip hard, fighting back tears as I stared at Jennifer.
“Tell me where you got this phone,” I demanded, my voice barely steady. “Where is the phone’s owner? I need to see her!”
My mind raced with possibilities. If Rachel’s phone had surfaced, could she be back too? Maybe she’d recovered and returned to America. Maybe her family had brought her home.
Jennifer’s face went pale. After a moment, she took a deep breath,
“Miss Sinclair, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said flatly. “This phone really belongs to me.”
“You’re still lying?” I snapped. “Even now?”
I pointed to the tiny diamond sticker on the back. “I put this decal here myself five years ago.”
I turned the phone to show the dent in the corner. “This damage happened when Rachel and I were messing around and it
fell.”
I stared her down. “How can you prove this is yours?”
Jennifer glanced past me, then started backing away while typing on her phone. I frowned, confused by her sudden retreat.
When she reached the counter, she snatched my repaired phone from beside the shop owner.
“You took my phone, so I’ll take yours,” she said, smirking.
I didn’t budge. That phone meant nothing compared to the connection to Rachel I now held in my hands..
“Take it,” I said. “I’m not trading.”
Jennifer’s smile turned cold. “I wasn’t planning to trade with you.”
The shop’s entrance darkened suddenly. I turned to see several men in black suits blocking the door. With a shock, I recognized their outfits – identical to the ones worn by the men hunting Ethan at NYU last night.
I clutched Rachel’s phone tighter and backed up.
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“What are you waiting for?” Jennifer snapped at them. “Get her!*
She waved toward me. “Don’t kill her, just beat her up, Miss Rose will protect you all!”
She raised her voice. “Remember how many of your friends got hurt
last night because of her! Make her pay!
The store owner bolted to his back room, locking the door behind him.
As the men advanced, my legs felt weak. Still, I gripped Rachel’s phone tightly, backing up until I hit the wall.
“Stay away,” I warned, my voice thin in my own ears.
I knew it was pointless. These guys were twice my size, and there were five of them. But I couldn’t surrender Rachel’s phone – not when it might lead me to her.
I slipped my hand into my pocket, feeling for my temporary phone.
“She’s calling someone!” Jennifer shouted. “Stop her!”
Before I could react, one of the men kicked me hard. The impact sent me flying against the wall, my back hitting with a sickening thud, my temporary phone on the ground.
Pain exploded through my body. My face drained of color as I slid to the floor, gasping
They surrounded me, kicking and punching while prying my fingers open. I tried desperately to hold on, but the pain overwhelmed me.
“No,” I managed, trying to get up. A kick to my ribs sent me back down.
Grabbing my repaired phone and Rachel’s phone, Jennifer crouched beside me, smiling at my bloodied face.
“Trying to steal from me?” she taunted, dangling the phones before me. “I’m taking both. Learn your lesson.”
She left with her men following like obedient dogs.
I lay on the cold floor, every inch of me throbbing with pain. I’d found a connection to Rachel only to lose it again.
My temporary phone started ringing. Jennifer had missed it during the struggle.
I crawled painfully across the floor, each movement sending fresh waves of agony through me. Finally, I reached it.
Blake Parker’s name lit up the screen.
My heart stuttered at the sight. I grabbed the phone like a lifeline.
“Blake, II began desperately.
–
“The stuff Ethan posted about Laurel is circulating again,” he cut in coldly. “Is this your doing?”
I froze for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh.
Here I was, beaten by Laurel’s agent and her goons, barely able to move. And Blake was calling to ask if I was going after
Chapter 164
his precious Laurel?
What was I expecting? Blake and I were divorced why would he care about me?
When I didn’t answer, Blake’s voice turned impatient. “You have time? Laurel’s situation needs some clearing up.
I rolled onto my side, staring up at the repair shop’s ceiling.
“Clear up what?” I asked, voice raw from pain. “Did Ethan post anything that wasn’t true? Your Miss Rose hired trolls to trash me online, leaked my personal info, and harassed me. That’s all fact.”
“What exactly should I clear up?” I pressed. “That she never cyberbullied me? That I made up all those nasty comments about myself?”
This time, Blake noticed something was wrong. “What’s happened? Where are you?”
“You don’t deserve to know,” I replied coldly, and hung up.
The phone rang again immediately. Blake. I blocked his number.
“Miss?”
The shop owner had emerged from hiding, guilt written across his face.
“Should I call an ambulance?” he asked.
I nodded. “Call the police first.”
Jennifer and her thugs had attacked me in broad daylight. I wasn’t letting that go.
The owner hesitated, then sighed. “Alright.”
He gestured upward. “I have hidden cameras in here.”
“I know,” I managed a tight smile. “That’s why I kept backing into this corner.”
I’d gambled there would be surveillance. When the men entered, I’d deliberately moved deeper into the shop, ensuring they followed me into the camera’s view.
Soon police and paramedics arrived. As they loaded me onto a stretcher, officers were already reviewing the security footage.
At Mayo Clinic, Dr. Evans examined my injuries with a deepening frown.
“What happened?” she demanded, “Your body was already weak. How could you get into a fight?”
I gave her a bitter smile. What fight? It had been entirely one–sided – me getting beaten while trying to protect Rachel’s phone.
“Lucky they missed your vital organs,” Dr. Evans continued, “or your family would be planning your funeral today!”
“They wouldn’t bother,” I said with a hollow laugh.
Chapter 164
The Sinclairs had never truly cared whether I lived or died.
“Don’t talk like that,” Dr. Evans scolded. “Your family – ”
My phone rang on the bedside table. Dr. Evans glanced at it, her eyes widening.
“It’s your father!” she exclaimed, grabbing the phone and thrusting it toward me. “Here!”
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