HIGH SCHOOL DIARIES (A Tale Of Love And Deception )

Chapter 59 The daring escape

        

Emily stepped into the looming Lockwood estate, her heart pounding. Every instinct told her to run, to flee from the icy grip of Peter Lockwood’s presence. The grand halls, draped in shadows, felt suffocating. She was here, not as a guest, but as a pawn in a deadly game.

“Welcome, Miss Bennet,” Peter Lockwood’s voice dripped with insincere politeness. His eyes glittered coldly as he gestured toward a seat. Emily, her stomach churning, took a step forward.

“Why am I here?” she demanded, refusing to let her voice tremble.

Peter leaned back in his chair, watching her with an unnerving calmness. “You know exactly why you’re here. You’re leverage. Hadrain may have escaped, but he still cares about you, doesn’t he? And we intend to use that to bring him back.”

Abigail stood beside her father, her expression void of emotion. “It’s nothing personal, Emily. Just strategy.”

Emily’s jaw clenched. “You won’t use me like this. I refuse!”

“You refuse?” Abigail scoffed, stepping forward. “You don’t have a choice.” Her voice was cold, devoid of any empathy. “Hadrain abandoned you. He’s with Jayden now in God's knows where .”

The words stung like a thousand blades, but Emily wasn’t going to let them see her pain. Her thoughts whirled, racing for an escape. Abigail had no idea how wrong she was about Hadrain—And she was about to find out in the hardest way. No one knows how powerful Hadrain was, the extent of his powers and he was not to be underestimated. But the Lockwoods had no intention of letting her walk away freely.

Suddenly, before she could process it, guards swarmed in from the corners of the room. Huge, menacing figures, their faces masked in shadow, advanced toward her. Emily’s heart raced in fear, but she wouldn’t give in so easily.

Instinct kicked in. Her eyes darted to the nearest weapon—an antique vaste table. In one swift motion, she grabbed it, swinging it toward the first guard who came near. The heavy object crashed against his skull, sending him sprawling. Her stunning heels made it harder to move, but Emily kicked them off with one quick motion, ready to fight.

The next guard lunged toward her, but she sidestepped him, grabbing a candlestick from the mantel and jabbing it into his stomach. His groan filled the room as he crumpled.

Breathing hard, Emily felt a surge of adrenaline. She had trained herself for these moments—self-defense classes with her brother had prepared her for any ambush. Another guard rushed forward, but she ducked low, slamming the candlestick into his kneecap before grabbing a nearby chair and smashing it across his back.

Peter Lockwood’s face twisted with fury as the chaos erupted. “Subdue her!” he barked. More guards advanced.

Just as Emily was growing overwhelmed by the sheer numbers, a loud crash echoed from the far end of the hall, and the lights flickered out.

In the confusion, Slyvia, hidden in the shadows, crept further into the mansion, her heart hammering. She had followed Emily, ready to rescue her when the moment arose. As the guards focused on capturing Emily, Slyvia darted down a hallway, heading toward the rooms Peter had been guarding.

She slipped into one of the rooms, her eyes scanning the dimly lit space. The moment she saw the picture on the wall, her blood ran cold. It was a photograph of Damian—Damian Wayne Williams, the mysterious man the black dragons where bent on eliminating . And yet, next to the picture, was a vial of toxic substance.

Her hands shook as she inspected it closer. Could this be it? The flower capable of killing Damian? It was said to be extinct. How could Abigail have possibly acquired it? The implications were terrifying. Only Damian could defeat the Black Dragons. If he was taken down, they were all doomed.