When His Perfect Mask Shattered I Awoke (Anneliese and Zacharias) novel Chapter 515

**Chapter 515: When Karma Strikes**

Zaxton’s expression twisted into a grimace as he withdrew his dagger from its sheath, the blade glinting ominously under the flickering, dim light of the forsaken factory. The air was thick with an oppressive tension, saturated with the musty scent of rust and decay that clung to the walls like a shroud.

On the unforgiving concrete floor, Selina lay crumpled and vulnerable, her body a tapestry of anguish and desperation. She pressed her fingers against the wound in her side, crimson blood seeping through her trembling grasp, stark against the dull gray of her surroundings. Each breath she took sent waves of excruciating pain coursing through her, and a shudder rippled through her frame, not just from the agony but from the overwhelming terror that enveloped her like a dark cloud. As she lifted her gaze toward Jonathan, her wide, pleading eyes silently begged for mercy, her voice lost in the cacophony of her fear.

In that moment, the heavy wooden doors of the factory swung open, and a team of bodyguards stormed into the room, urgency etched on their faces as they returned from scouring every corner of the dilapidated building.

“Sir, we searched every nook and cranny of this forsaken plant. Mrs. Fullbuster is not here,” one of them declared, his voice steady, a stark contrast to the gravity of the situation that hung in the air like a leaden weight.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zaxton shifted his focus to the four young men standing nervously nearby, their faces pale and eyes darting around in sheer panic. He interrogated them with an intensity that made them tremble, his looming presence a storm cloud ready to unleash its fury. The moment they grasped the seriousness of their predicament, their secrets spilled forth, confessions pouring out like a broken dam, each admission more damning than the last.

Zaxton stepped closer, his voice low but firm as he relayed the information that would change everything. “Selina brought them here roughly forty minutes ago. She offered them twenty thousand dollars to… deal with Mrs. Fullbuster. But when they exited the vehicle, they found the place empty. It seems Timothy moved her while Selina was away.”

The revelation struck Jonathan like a thunderclap, a jolt of panic coursing through him. Anneliese was gone.

His fists clenched tightly, a surge of anxiety igniting behind his eyes. Another moment lost. Where are you, honey? The thought clawed at his insides, a relentless reminder of the urgency that now filled the air.

His brows knitted together into a fierce scowl, his heart hardening against Selina’s plight. He didn’t spare her a single glance; there was no time for her suffering. Without a second thought, he pivoted on his heel and strode out of the factory, urgency propelling him forward like a wild wind, each step echoing his determination.

Zaxton and the others hurried to keep pace with him. Once outside, the cold air hit them like a slap to the face, and Zaxton leaned in closer, his voice barely above a whisper. “Sir, what shall we do with Selina?”

Jonathan slid into the car, the door slamming shut behind him with a finality that resonated with his resolve. “We arrived too late. We interrupted their little game.”

Zaxton nodded, understanding dawning in his eyes. “Yes, sir.”

Had Jonathan not intervened, those four boys would have unleashed unspeakable horrors upon Selina. Now, she was about to face the very consequences she had wished upon Anneliese, a poetic twist of fate that felt almost cruel.

With Jonathan leading the charge away from the chaos, he left Zaxton and two of his men clad in black to re-enter the factory, a stark reminder of the darkness that lingered within.

Zaxton signaled to the guards holding the young men captive. They released them, and the boys stumbled to their feet, confusion etched on their faces, their minds racing with disbelief. Zaxton pointed toward Selina, who was curled up in a corner, blood staining her hands, a vision of despair.

“Act as if we never entered this place. Complete what you came for. Don’t jeopardize your own safety. Understood?”

The punks froze, the color draining from their faces as fear took hold.

“W-We wouldn’t dare…”

Before the speaker could finish his sentence, the cold metal of Zaxton’s gun pressed against his temple, a chilling reminder of the stakes at play.

“Wouldn’t dare? Then what use are you to me? I can…”

She rubbed her numb limbs, gradually regaining sensation. When she finally managed to stand, she locked eyes with him, her expression steady and resolute. “I understand.”

Grabbing her purse, she waited for his signal, then pushed the door open and stepped out into the world outside, the morning air filling her lungs with a sense of possibility and newfound strength.

Timothy remained close behind, draping a coat over his arm to obscure the dagger concealed against her lower back, his overconfidence evident in the way he moved.

Earlier on the road, he had knocked her unconscious again with a cloth soaked in ether, keeping her in a stupor for hours. He had assumed she would be weak and disoriented, confident that she wouldn’t attempt to flee.

But he had grossly miscalculated.

The moment Anneliese’s feet touched the ground, she bolted before he could even clear the car door.

“Anneliese! You little witch!” Timothy bellowed, fury propelling him as he lunged after her, his voice a thunderous echo in the crisp morning air.

Anneliese pivoted on her heel, hurling her purse at him with all her might. He ducked instinctively, that split-second hesitation granting her the precious time she needed to escape. She had already put more than twelve steps between them, her heart pounding with the thrill of newfound freedom, the taste of liberation sweet on her tongue.

In the aftermath of chaos, the fates of Selina and Anneliese intertwined in a haunting tapestry of justice and revenge. Selina, once the puppet master orchestrating cruelty, now found herself ensnared in the very web she had woven, her cries echoing through the factory as the consequences of her actions closed in around her. The bitter realization that her manipulations had led to her own undoing was a stark reminder that karma is an unyielding force. Meanwhile, Jonathan’s heart, hardened by urgency and betrayal, raced against time to save Anneliese, the woman he loved. His decision to leave Selina to her fate signified a turning point, a moment where compassion was overshadowed by the need to protect, illustrating the stark contrast between the two women’s paths.

As dawn broke, Anneliese’s desperate flight symbolized hope and resilience, a stark juxtaposition to Selina’s despair. With every step she took away from Timothy, she embodied the strength that comes from survival, her spirit unbroken despite the horrors she faced. The tension of her escape served as a powerful counterpoint to Selina’s plight, highlighting the unpredictable nature of fate. In the end, the chapter closed on a note of uncertainty, leaving readers to ponder the delicate balance between justice and vengeance. Both women were irrevocably changed by their experiences, and as the sun rose over the horizon, it illuminated the stark realities of their choices, leaving a lingering question: would the cycle of retribution continue, or would redemption find its way into the hearts of those who had suffered?