Daphne stared at her, pale, trembling.
“So please,” Nina continued firmly,“go back to college after break, keep your head down, and stay out of his line of fire. If he invites you over, tell him you have exams or deadlines. It’s better for you to stay away right now.”
Her tone was harsh — harsh enough that Daphne blinked in confusion — but Nina needed her to understand the truth.
To see clearly what her father had become.
And, deep inside, Nina trembled at another thought entirely:
what if Frank and Vivian managed to turn Daphne against her?
They had the power.
They had the influence.
And they had already proven they had no conscience.
CHAPTER 32
Nina couldn’t afford to make a single mistake. Nolan had been clear:Frank couldn’t find out about any of it yet.
So they had a plan.
She drove to a shopping mall. Frank’s people were always watching her—but they never got close. They didn’t walk behind her, didn’t enter stores, didn’t hover in sight. They stayed back, observing from a distance—usually parked near a restaurant entrance,trying to blend in.
And that was exactly what she intended to use.
The underground parking garage was packed. She deliberately chose a spot surrounded on all sides—no empty spaces nearby. That way, the tail would have to hunt for parking themselves, giving her a cushion of time. They wouldn’t be able to follow immediately.
She killed the engine and got out at once. No hesitation.
The elevators were all the way across the garage, and she needed to reach them fast.
Her heart pounded hard in her chest, but she didn’t let it show. She moved calmly past the cars, walking straight toward the elevators.
The elevator doors slid open, and she slipped inside.
Nina exhaled.
Phase one: complete.
A white sedan was already waiting at the main entrance. She climbed in quickly and shut the door.
Behind the wheel sat a man in his early forties, wearing a dark jacket. He gave her a quick, focused nod.
“Alex,” he introduced himself briefly, eyes still on the road.
Nolan had said he could be trusted.
“Okay. Let’s go,” Nina replied, settling back.
They pulled away smoothly, and for the first time that day, she felt like she could breathe freely.
At the medical center, her anxiety flared. She was terrified they would actually declare her mentally unstable. Relaxing felt impossible.
She sat in the doctor’s office, staring at the white walls, doing everything she could not to betray her anxiety.
The fear was irrational—she knew that. But the fear was there, clawing at her.
