Chapter 129
Margaret arched a brow. "Let’s hear it."
Fiona lowered her head, her voice slow and deliberate. "I know where Wendy might have gone. If you want to find her... I can lead the way."
George snapped his head toward her, his expression tangled with disbelief and something darker.
Fiona ignored him and continued, "She rented an apartment not long ago. I saw the lease, but didn’t think much of it at the time. Now that I think about it... that must be her fallback. If she left the villa, she definitely went there."
She didn’t reveal the exact location.
But she had seen the contract before—just dismissed it as unimportant.
Back then, it hadn’t mattered.
Now, in this desperate moment, every forgotten detail surged back, and she clung to the one that could save her.
Margaret’s pupils tightened slightly, a flicker of interest flashing in her eyes.
If they could find Wendy... Then food, supplies—everything—would no longer be a problem.
Maybe even that so-called storage space could be theirs.
"Let me go," Fiona added quickly. "I’ll take you to her. I remember exactly where it is."
Tommy hadn’t expected her to say something like this. For a split second, he was stunned—then overjoyed.
"Yes, yes!" he hurried to agree. "She’s Wendy’s mother—if she talks to her, Wendy won’t ignore her completely! As long as we lure her out, the space, the supplies... they’ll all be yours!"
The desperation to survive burned in his eyes, almost manic.
George added quickly, "Wendy is a good girl. She won’t abandon us. If she knows what’s happened to us, she’ll definitely come."
Margaret took in the expressions of the three of them, the corner of her mouth curling into something unreadable.
"Your family is... quite something," she said slowly. "Fine. I’ll consider it."
The storage room fell silent again. Only the sound of rain and uneven breathing filled the space.
Without another word, Margaret turned and walked out.
The door didn’t close completely.
Through the narrow gap, muffled voices could be heard—she seemed to be calling Jack and Patrick over.
Soon, footsteps approached.
Jack and Patrick appeared at the doorway, Margaret just behind them.
The three of them stood there, looking in as if inspecting livestock.
"We might let you live," Margaret said at last. "But only if you can get in touch with Wendy."
A long silence followed.
"...A phone," Tommy said hoarsely. "We... we might still be able to reach her."
Lying in bed, watching all of this unfold, Suzy felt a deep sense of irony.
The Kale family had sold Wendy out without a second thought.
How pathetic.
The story had completely unraveled from what it once was.
In the original version, Wendy had been the cherished princess of the family—pampered, protected, adored.
And now?
They had turned on her without hesitation.
The sheer shamelessness was almost impressive.
Suzy felt a flicker of relief. She had cut ties with them early. They didn’t know where she was.
Otherwise... if people like this set their sights on her, her peaceful days would be over.
With a family like that, Wendy was in for a very rough time.
Suzy pushed the thought aside, settling in to continue watching the drama unfold.
But just then, Margaret suddenly glanced toward the camera.
The next second, Suzy’s screen went black.
She clicked her tongue, a hint of annoyance tugging at her lips.
Such a perfect show—and they cut her off?
Still... It didn’t matter. There were other cameras.
Suzy switched to another camera—the hallway feed closest to the storage room.
From this angle, she couldn’t see inside, but she could hear everything clearly.
Conveniently, Margaret hadn’t fully shut the door. Every word carried through.
Inside the storage room, after having Jack deal with the camera, Margaret turned her attention back to the Kale family.
If they were going to contact Wendy, it had to be through someone close to her.
Soon enough, Patrick returned with their phones.
"This is yours, right? Unlock it. Then call her."
Margaret tossed Tommy’s phone in front of him.
With his hands bound, Tommy squirmed awkwardly on the ground like a worm, struggling to press his finger against the fingerprint scanner.
The screen lit up. He opened the contact list.
At the very top—pinned—was "Sis," still marked with the little heart symbol he’d added back when he used to fawn over her.
His finger hovered over the name.
He hesitated.
Margaret’s patience snapped. "What are you waiting for?"
"N-nothing..." Tommy gritted his teeth—and pressed the call button.
The ringing tone echoed sharply through the cramped room. Everyone stared at the phone.
Once.
Twice.
Three times—
The call was rejected.
Tommy’s face turned pale as paper. He dialed again.
Rejected.
Again.
On the third attempt—
The call connected.
"...Hello?" Wendy’s voice came through, slightly hoarse, as if she’d just woken up.
"Sis! Sis, it’s me—Tommy!" he shouted, his voice trembling with urgency.
"Where are you? Something terrible’s happened at home! Those animals from the Sanders family—they’re trying to kill us! They’ve tied me and Mom and Dad up! Please—come back and save us!"
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Then—
Laughter.
Light at first. Then unrestrained.
"Ha... hahaha! Really? Serves you right."
The Kale family’s expressions turned stiff and ugly. On the other end, Wendy felt nothing but satisfaction.
Moments ago, she had been irritated at being woken up in the middle of the night.
Now? Every trace of annoyance was gone.
"When I warned you back then, what did you say?" she went on, her tone dripping with mockery. "You brought wolves into your own home. This is what you get—serves you right."
Tommy’s knuckles tightened, veins bulging on the back of his hand.
He wanted to explode. To curse her out.
But he forced himself to endure.
He took a shaky breath and continued, voice cracking as he played his part:
"Sis... we know we were wrong! We really do! Please come back, okay? Mom and Dad are almost beaten to death, there’s nothing left at home, and the Sanders family is forcing us to hand over supplies... Sis, you can’t just let us die, can you? You’re my sister!"
"My sister?" Wendy echoed softly, a hint of cold ridicule creeping into her voice. "When you hit me, did you remember I was your sister then?"
Tommy fell silent, choking on his words.
At that moment, Fiona struggled forward, dragging herself across the floor until her face was nearly pressed against the phone.
"Wendy! Wendy, it’s Mom!" she cried hoarsely. "I was wrong—I was confused back then! Can you forgive me? Come back—let’s be a family again... The Sanders family isn’t good, they want to kill us! You can’t just watch your own mother die!"
Her voice was shrill and desperate, her face smeared with blood and tears.
Silence fell on the other end again.
And then... Wendy spoke.
"Alright."