The supercharged V8 engine of the Shelby GT500 roared like a wild beast as Alexander tore through the morning traffic, his hands gripping the steering wheel with precision He kept his phone mounted on the dashboard, the speakerphone blaring as he dialed the number from the distress message over and over again.

"The number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable or outside the coverage area" the automated voice repeated for the fifth time, cutting off into a beep.

"Damn it" muttered Alexander, his jaw tightening into a rigid line as he slammed his foot onto the accelerator, weaving seamlessly between two delivery trucks.

A dark, icy knot tied itself in his stomach If her cloned SIM card was active but the actual phone was turned off, it meant the situation was highly volatile What if this wasn’t just a digital phishing scam? What if someone had physically targeted her, taken her device, and was currently holding her hostage? The thought of his family being used as leverage by the Sinclairs or any other underworld faction caused a lethal wave of adrenaline to surge through his veins.

"Shit, shit!" shouted Alexander, striking the steering wheel with his palm.

He glanced at the digital map on his dashboard console He was only five minutes away from Aunt Helen’s house, but if his cousin had already been abducted, going to an empty room wouldn’t provide immediate tactical data He needed a starting point, a physical timeline of her last known movements.

Alexander sharply jerked the steering wheel to the right, the high-performance tires screeching against the asphalt as he changed his trajectory, heading directly toward her high school campus instead.

The sleek, black Shelby pulled up to the main gate of the academy with a deep, menacing rumble, drawing stares from the students lingering near the entrance Alexander killed the engine, stepped out of the vehicle with an imposing, urgent stride, and walked straight into the courtyard, his analytical eyes scanning the crowds of teenagers.

He immediately recognized one of his cousin’s closest classmates standing near the lockers—a quiet, notoriously timid girl named Chloe, who spent most of her time studying with her.

"Chloe" stated Alexander, his deep, authoritative voice causing the girl to jump slightly in surprise as he approached her.

"Oh! Alexander, hi" stuttered Chloe, her cheeks turning slightly pink as she nervously adjusted the straps of her backpack, completely intimidated by his intense glare and towering frame "Is... is everything okay? You look really serious".

"Where is my cousin?" asked Alexander, keeping his voice low but filled with an undeniable urgency "She is not at home, her phone is completely unreachable, and I received a highly suspicious emergency text from her number I need to know exactly when you last saw her".

Chloe blinked, her eyes widening in confusion as she looked at him "Wait, she isn’t at home? But... she didn’t come to school today because of what happened yesterday".

"What exactly happened yesterday?" asked Alexander, stepping closer.

"Um, well, right before the final bell, she was crying in the restroom" stated Chloe, her voice dropping into a quiet whisper as she looked around nervously "She told me she completely lost her cellphone during the gym period She searched everywhere for it, but it was just gone She was terrified and kept saying she had no idea how to tell her mother because it was a really expensive model She said she was going to stay at a friend’s house down the street last night to figure out how to find it before going home".

"She stayed at a friend’s house?" asked Alexander, his eyes narrowing as he instantly cross-referenced the timeline "My aunt was entirely certain she was asleep in her own bed last night She only discovered the room was empty a few minutes ago".

Chloe swallowed hard, shrinking back slightly against the lockers "I... I don’t know what to tell you, Alexander She specifically told me she couldn’t face her mom without that phone She was planning to skip curfew".

Something didn’t add up If his cousin hadn’t gone home, why did Aunt Helen think she was upstairs all night? Either someone wasn’t telling the truth, or his cousin had slipped into the house late, only to disappear again in the early morning hours.

"Gym class" stated Alexander, his analytical mind shifting gears "You said she lost the device during gym period Where exactly?".

"In the girls’ locker room, right before the final bell" stated Chloe, nodding rapidly "She left it inside her gym bag, and when she came back from the track, the zipper was open and the phone was gone".

"The lockers" muttered Alexander.

He knew the structural layout of this academy perfectly To protect student privacy, the administration had never installed security cameras near the sports facilities, and there were no lenses allowed inside the female changing quarters It was a complete blind spot Whoever took the phone knew exactly how to exploit the lack of surveillance.

"Stay in class, Chloe" stated Alexander, his voice turning cold as he turned on his heel "Do not mention this conversation to anyone".

He left the courtyard with long, rapid strides, heading directly toward the rear corridor that led to the athletic department If the device had been taken from a locked locker, it wasn’t a simple case of misplacement It was a targeted theft, and the cloned SIM card scam had started almost immediately after. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Alexander rounded the final corner of the athletic wing, his footsteps making zero sound against the linoleum floor The hallway leading to the girls’ locker room was completely deserted, engulfed in the heavy silence of the ongoing morning lectures.

He pushed the heavy wooden door open just an inch, his dark eyes instantly scanning the narrow rows of metallic lockers.

Through the faint gap, he spotted a dark, hooded silhouette crouching near the far corner of the benches, frantically shoving a collection of personal items into a black backpack The individual was moving with frantic, trembling haste, completely out of place for a student.

"Hey! Stop right there!" shouted Alexander, his deep, booming voice echoing violently against the metallic walls like a gunshot.

The hooded figure let out a sharp gasp of terror, dropped a handful of loose keys onto the concrete floor, and bolted toward the rear emergency exit door at the end of the locker room.

Alexander slammed the main door open, his body converting pure adrenaline into explosive velocity as he tore into the room, starting a relentless, high-speed pursuit through the narrow corridors of the academy.