The Dark Side Of Fate

To Sam Street ~Liam~ I felt uneasy about how to handle sharing and discussing the text message.

I worried that mentioning Sophia might trouble Josephine, even though I knew she was resilient.

But I also feared that it could set back the progress we had made so far.

Instead of announcing the text to everyone, I decided to talk to Josephine first.

“Hey,” I said, linking her, and she turned to face me, her brow furrowing.

I expected this reaction, as linking in close proximity was reserved for private discussions.

“I want to show you something,” I said, handing her my phone with the text message.

She took the phone, read the message, and then returned it to me.

“The team should know,” she linked back, and I observed her carefully.

“It wouldn’t bother you?” I asked to be sure.

I was still new to this relationship thing and didn’t want to make any mistakes.

“Not at all, Liam.

We had our discussion this morning, and I’m confident that Sophia’s name won’t bother me anymore.

I promise,” she said with a smile and playfully punched my shoulder.

“I’m not that petty or jealous, Li,” she laughed, and I felt relieved.

“Attention, everyone; Li has something important to share,” Josephine declared, and a chuckle escaped me.

All eyes were on me, and I cleared my throat before speaking.

I put on a serious demeanour because the situation warranted it.

If they had Sophia’s mother’s phone, there was a possibility that something significant had occurred, and their circumstances might have altered.

Navigating through this with limited information wouldn’t be a simple task, but we must exercise utmost caution.

“I just received a text message from Sophia’s mother’s line, the same line she used to communicate with me,” I explained, passing my phone around so they could read the message.

“The last time she spoke to me, it was through Charlotte’s phone, as I hadn’t recovered my line back then,” I added.

Marvin was the first to ask a question.

“So why is she asking us not to search for her?” he inquired.

“That’s precisely my point.

If it were truly Sophia, she would have called instead of sending a text message.

vagueness of the message suggests an underlying

was genuinely from Sophia, it would have contained more helpful details,” I explained,

that she just wants you to stay out of the matter to protect you? Sending a vague message would be the best way to ensure

have called me if

of a phone person,” I explained before

surrounded by the enemy and needs to secretly

might leave her no choice but to send a text message, Li,” he argued,

me to share my theory if I didn’t believe the message was from Sophia, giving me the opportunity to

to establish communication with me while pretending

been too long without any word from her,

were genuinely from her, it

would have also contained more details about her

my

spoke was back when we were

seems off, as if we’ve been

would likely have sent the message to Charlotte’s phone

a line that might

entirely clear, but I

Li, but you’re right; this message doesn’t provide much information,” Charlotte acknowledged, stating

on the other hand, had

but by receiving this message, a line of communication has been opened between us and whoever

interact with ‘Sophia’ and see where it leads us,” she suggested, using air quotes when

Sophia must have a

her or not, you should engage in conversation and share specific details that only she

wait

she might cleverly mislead her captors and provide us

certain she knows we’re searching for her, and her captors might have

wise for her to mislead them in her answers to help us uncover what’s really going on,” Josephine explained,

her, and she

don’t have to worry about my feelings when it comes to

just your friend, nothing more,” she

she added, but I could sense that

I managed to

but it was our

still alive and safe,”

dispose of her

won’t dare harm her, and if they have

likely remain alive until they accomplish whatever they have

sense of comfort, but the idea that Sophia couldn’t reach out to me when she

her safety and prayed that

the Beta off, and we remained on

because it was clear that Justin had

a smart move on

conducting the questioning and making it a casual conversation, it

way, they couldn’t accuse us of treating them