His Entertainer

chapter 28

           THE NIGHT OF THE INCIDENT.
                         NO ONE'S POV.

"Find HER!" Hermann roared, frustration a tangible force in the air.
His voice, raw with urgency, sliced through the night.  "They can't have gone far!" His bodyguards, shadows in the city's underbelly, obeyed instantly, melting into the darkness, their movements precise and lethal. Cars, black behemoths, prowled the streets, his men fanning out, a net tightening around the city.  Every corner, every alley, every shadowed street became a hunting ground.

Eve burst from a car, her face a mask of worry.  Behind her, Norman, Miguel, and Carlos emerged, their expressions mirroring her concern.

"Hermann, what happened?" Eve asked, her voice strained.

Richard Castro stepped forward, his face grim, holding up Ivy's clone—Mia.  Her face was a canvas of bruises, red and swollen from repeated blows. Bruises marred her knees and arms, a crimson stream tracing a path down her forehead.  The sight was brutal, a stark testament to the violence she’d endured.

Hermann rushed forward, snatching Mia from Richard's grasp.  He raised his hand, bringing it down with brutal force across her face, sending her sprawling to the ground.  "Where the fuck is Ivy?!" he snarled, his voice dangerously low.

Mia’s cry was a raw, animalistic sound.  "I told you already, I know nothing!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face.  Hermann's hand lashed out again, the slap echoing in the tense silence.

"Who on earth is this?" Carlos asked, his voice laced with confusion.

Richard lit a cigarette, the flame flickering in the darkness. "Her name is Mia, Six months ago, she was in prison for murder.
She was bailed out by Wilmert Grants, the president of The Grants companies, a total no one to the underworld but he has connections, deep rots that came a long way with Roberto leader of the white vultures."

Miguel's voice was a low growl. "So this little bitch knows where Ivy is?"

Genevieve's voice cut through the tension. "The White Vultures are behind this?  It'll be my pleasure fucking her up," Miguel finished, his eyes blazing with fury, taking a menacing step closer to Mia.

"What do the White Vultures want with Ivy? Is it to get back at Hermann?"  The question hung heavy in the air, unspoken fears swirling around them like a poisonous mist.

Mia tried to speak, to offer some explanation, but fear choked her words. "I-i-I—"

A quiet voice cut through the tension. "Stop," Norman said, his voice surprisingly calm, a stark contrast to the storm brewing around him.  He swallowed hard, his face pale.  The fact that he was defending Mia ignited Hermann's fury.  Hermann's eyes narrowed, his gaze burning into Norman.

Norman's words hung in the air, a shocking revelation. "Ivy wasn't kidnapped. It was her choice."  The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by Mia's ragged breathing.  The shock on everyone's faces was palpable.

"How do you know that—?" Miguel began, his voice laced with suspicion.

Carlos picked up the thread. "Unless—"

Genevieve finished the sentence, her voice a mixture of disbelief and betrayal. "You have something to do with all of this."

Norman's confession hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. "Yes, I did."  Carlos blinked back tears. Miguel clenched his fists, his knuckles white. Richard remained impassive, a silent observer to the unfolding drama.  Hermann, however, seemed lost, unable to process the shocking revelation.

"You're unbelievable," Genevieve whispered, her voice choked with emotion.

Hermann pointed a gun at Norman, his finger tightening on the trigger. "How could you, cousin" betrayal screamed on his tone.