The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus) novel Chapter 585

Over the years, Elisea had endured a hellish training regimen, suffering through hardships to finally stand out from the pool of selected members, barely earning a sliver of trust from Jarvis.

Jonas watched with a heart that clenched in pain, finally understanding why Elisea's back bore so many scars from lashes! A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "Jarvis," he swore silently, "I'll make sure you pay dearly for this."

With that thought, Jonas picked up his cell phone and strolled to the floor-to-ceiling window. He dialed Brendan and issued instructions for the upcoming operation. This time, he was determined to teach Jarvis a lesson he wouldn't forget.

As Jonas gazed out of the window, his heart swelled with tenderness for Elisea. After all she had been through these years, he vowed to double his efforts to treat her right in the future.

Meanwhile, Elisea had slipped away from the beachfront villa and covertly checked into a nondescript motel. There, she hacked into the shadowy web, remotely surveying the current state of the NK organization back in her home country.

Her mother had been ostensibly living a life of luxury under Jarvis' watch, but in reality, she was under house arrest. Elisea wondered how her mother was managing without her presence.

Her eyes flicked across the digital feeds until she focused on the modest courtyard her mother called home. The tidy space brought a small measure of comfort to Elisea.

The camera panned around, and there was her mother, sitting in a corner of the yard, seemingly having breakfast. Seeing her mother's familiar silhouette brought tears to Elisea's eyes; the sorrow was overwhelming. Her mother looked even more frail than before she left.

The morning sun bathed the courtyard in light as her mother, with trembling hands, fumbled for something, nearly knocking over a teapot. Elisea's heart wrenched. Her mother's eyesight had been failing when she left, and now it seemed she could no longer see.

Elisea watched her mother struggle with the simple task of preparing a bowl of oatmeal and couldn't hold back her sobs. Her mother had been subsisting on such meager fare; no wonder she had become so gaunt.

Through her tears, Elisea whispered apologies to her mother, lamenting her failure to win their freedom after three long years.

As she wept silently, footsteps approached her room. She quickly closed the remote feed and wiped away her tears, alert and wary.

The door swung open, and in strode a man in a wide-brimmed hat, the dark figure of Landon. He cast a hungry, predatory smile at Elisea's reddened eyes. "Elisea, the boss has new orders. You're to return to our homeland immediately."

"What?" Elisea stood up in surprise. "What about the mission here?"

"Don't worry about it," Landon replied dismissively. "Someone else will handle it."

Elisea's eyes widened in disbelief. "But why? Who's taking over my mission?"