“So, is that what we’re looking for?” Sally blinked.
Lina nodded in the affirmative. “Yup. But it looks like they don’t have it here. Let’s go check out the
other stores.”
The trio left this shop and ventured over to others. With many such specialist shops lining the streets,
that meant that they were not without options.
Even after trawling through one store after another, however, Lina was still unable to find a piece to her
liking. As the supply of fire obsidian was not plentiful and was only mined in limited quantities annually,
coming into it involved a lot of luck.
“We still have two more shops left to cover. If these don’t pan out, I’ll have to go check in with Bryan
and my mentor,” Lina said as she massaged her temples.
Natalie nodded. “Let’s head inside and have a look first then.”
“Yeah,” Lina replied.
She went first, with Sally trailing close behind.
Natalie was about to follow after them but paused when she sensed a pair of eyes upon her.
“What’s wrong, Nat?” Sally asked over her shoulder when she noticed that Natalie had stopped.
Without answering, Natalie surveyed her surroundings in search of whoever was watching her.
Her eyes traced their way through the crowd. About ten meters or so from where she was, she spotted
Jacqueline’s smiling face at a storefront staring right back at her.
Natalie’s eyes jerked open as she was not expecting Jacqueline to show up here.
What is she after?
Without further delay, Natalie grasped her phone and was about to summon the bodyguards when she
saw Jacqueline’s smile twist into a cruel sneer.
Following that, Jacqueline drew a finger across her own throat for Natalie to see before she turned and
bolted off into the distance.
“Hurry up and grab her. Catch Jacqueline!” Natalie sent the bodyguards in the direction where
Jacqueline disappeared off to.
Scores of men then went forth in pursuit, leaving only two of them behind.
Sally came up beside Natalie. “Did you say that you just saw Jacqueline, Nat?”
“Yes,” replied a grim-looking Natalie.
She was positive that that was Jacqueline Graham.
Unsure as to what Jacqueline had been subsisting on recently, the woman’s previously pallid
complexion was surprisingly radiant, and she looked a picture of health.
“Hey, what are you two waiting for, seeing that she’s chosen to show up here? Why aren’t you going
after her as well?” Sally glowered at the two bodyguards beside Natalie.
They shook their heads solemnly. “We can’t leave madam alone. Should this be a ruse, Mrs.
Thompson would be left completely vulnerable.”
“Oh, okay.” The surprised Sally blinked. “It’s good that you guys have it all worked out.”
“We should probably head back first, Madam. As this place is no longer safe, the two of us may not be
enough to handle things if Jacqueline has others with her,” one of the bodyguards said.
Natalie, too, understood that it would be inadvisable for her to continue shopping. “All right. Sal, could
you inform Lina that we have to leave now?”
“Sure thing,” Sally replied before she entered the shop to get Lina.
Shortly after, the group was in the car, away from the jewelry market, heading back to the villa.
They had half-expected to be waylaid by Jacqueline and Sean on the road, but nothing happened.
Hence, they were able to get back in without further incident.
Shane was on his way down the steps with the conclusion of his meeting, and his eyes narrowed upon
seeing the tension on Natalie’s face. “What happened?”
“We saw Jacqueline at the jewelry market,” Natalie replied with her lips pursed.
That unexpected revelation caught Shane off. “Where is she now?”
“The bodyguards gave chase, but we haven’t heard from them since. I think we’ll be able to get an
update once they get back,” Natalie replied with a sigh.
Shane closed his eyes to conceal the turbulence that was silently stirring within them.
After an indeterminate amount of time, those bodyguards who went after Jacqueline returned empty-
handed. It was apparent to Natalie that they did not manage to catch her.
Indeed, the lead bodyguard appeared most apologetic. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Thompson. We lost her.”
“Lost her?” Shane’s expression was severe. “How do you lot manage to lose a woman?”
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda