The Heiress's Comeback
Chapter 379: [ Volume 1] Chaper 379- Esme is back, and the game has begun.

Chapter 379: [ Volume 1] Chaper 379- Esme is back, and the game has begun.

Ray, Kai, and Helga would work together to search for answers, while Aaron, Jay, and Ryan would stay with the children. Aaron’s child would stay with them too, to keep him safe. If Eric was left outside, there was a risk someone might try to harm him.

As for hiding them, it didn’t matter how—they needed to make the children invisible to any threat, knowing that the organization would find them no matter what, even if they faked their deaths. So, the plan was simple: make the children vanish completely.

Sending the children away didn’t solve everything. Ray understood the gravity of the situation. He knew Esme’s warnings weren’t just words—they were the truth. If the people behind Esme were as powerful as she suggested, then they might already be watching them, following every move. No matter what excuses they made, these people would see right through them. So, there were no excuses. The house had to be completely locked down. No staff, no servants, nothing. They had hired high-class security, but not a single one was allowed inside. Every inch of the house was swept for surveillance devices, and even their own cameras were taken down. Hacking into a computer system wasn’t difficult for an organization that had lasted this long.

Once the house was sealed, it was as if they were sending a silent challenge: "We don’t care who’s watching." Ray, Kai, and Helga scattered into action. Helga took full control of both groups—Valhalle and Aron—while Ray worked alongside her but remained focused on the bigger picture. He and Kai headed straight for the Valhalle mansion. As Esme had said, they found the place—the exact spot—but they couldn’t get inside. The door was locked by a security system only a Valhalle family member could unlock.

Standing in front of the scanners, Ray and Kai were momentarily paralyzed. This was it. Damn it. And then, as if a lightbulb flickered above Ray’s head, the answer came to him. Gina. She was Esme’s daughter and had Valhalle blood. Couldn’t she open the door?

Kai nodded slowly but then hesitated. "But we can’t take Gina out here... It’s too risky."

Ray felt a weight settle on his shoulders. He stared at the scanner, frustration building. And just as the tension was reaching its peak, his phone rang. The sharp ring cut through the silence, pulling him from his thoughts. He quickly fished it out of his pocket and checked the screen. It was Helga.

As soon as Ray picked up the phone, Helga’s voice came through with a slightly serious tone, her words cutting through the air. She stood by the office window, the city lights reflecting off the glass.

"Hello, Ray."

Ray, sensing the seriousness in her voice, frowned slightly. "Is something wrong, Helga?"

Helga subtly lifted the curtain, peering out at the darkened street below, and then spoke again, her voice tight. "You see... there are quite a few people outside the building."

Ray’s heart skipped a beat. His grip tightened on the phone. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice steady but with an underlying edge.

Helga hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I just saw more than 20 people. Their eyes were always on the building." She paused, then added, "And from the security footage, I found the same group near our house too."

Ray fell silent for a moment, processing the weight of Helga’s words. Then, his voice broke through the stillness, his tone low but deliberate. "What do you think is causing this?"

Helga’s lips curled into a smirk, the edges of her expression sharp with knowing. "Nothing. It just means that fool has truly been alive all along... and now she’s finally making her move."

A quiet smile tugged at Helga’s face, a hint of satisfaction in her eyes. She had known it all along. The way the eyes of so many people were fixed on them, the way the tension in the air had shifted—it was all confirmation. Esme was back.

The realization hit Ray like a punch to the gut. His face hardened as Esme’s name flashed in his mind, her presence looming over him once again. He knew it too. For so many people to surround them, to be watching their every move—it could mean only one thing: his wife was alive. And now, she was taking action.

On a rooftop three buildings away, Esme stood, her figure silhouetted against the dimming sky. She wore a white shirt that billowed gently in the breeze and loose trousers that gave her a relaxed yet commanding presence. Her golden eyes, glowing with intensity, scanned the area in front of her, locking onto the Valhalle group just a few buildings away.

From her vantage point, she could see Helga, standing by a window and speaking on the phone. A smile curled on Esme’s lips, a glimmer of satisfaction flickering in her eyes. It seemed her friend had already set things into motion.

.

.

.

Two days ago,

Esme’s head throbbed painfully as she pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to steady the dizziness that clouded her mind. She staggered toward the door, her hand trembling slightly as she gripped the handle and twisted with all her might. The door didn’t budge. She yanked harder, frustration mounting, but the stubborn door remained sealed tight.

A surge of anger bubbled inside her, and with a growl of frustration, she slammed her palm against the door. The force of the strike sent her stumbling backward, her body pushed away as if the door had a life of its own.

"Ouch!" Esme hissed as she fell, landing heavily on the cold floor. She lay there for a moment, her breath coming in sharp bursts as she tried to make sense of the situation. Her eyes flickered back to the door—unyielding, indifferent.

Fear crept into her chest, chilling her even more than the fall. This was no ordinary room, no ordinary door.

She glanced down, and something odd caught her eye.