Chapter 996

Vivian's heart dropped.

Her finger hovered over the phone screen as a growing sense of dread tightened in her chest.

Emily Garnache was the treasured heiress of the Garnache Group. If anything happened to her, how could Vivian face Mr. Garnache?

She dialed Emily's number again.

Still no answer.

"Uncle Li, did you pick her up?" She switched to calling the driver.

"I've called over a dozen times with no response," the driver said, puzzled. "I assumed Miss Garnache was still collecting her luggage."

Vivian's grip on the phone tightened.

Emily hadn't been picked up.

A living, breathing person had vanished into thin air at the airport?

"Something's wrong." Her voice turned tense.

Ethan Roscente immediately noticed the shift. "Emily's missing?"

"She's not responding." Vivian rapidly swiped through her phone. "The driver never saw her."

Isabella Langley frowned. "With this many people at the airport, where could she have gone?"

"Start investigating." Vivian's fingers flew across the screen.

Patrick Alpinus understood instantly. "I'll pull the surveillance footage. Get a team ready."

Patrick already had his radio out. "We'll need her photo and last known location."

A red dot suddenly blinked on Vivian's screen.

"Got a location," she said, eyes locked on the display. "Her phone signal stopped at the west parking lot. It hasn't moved."

"Airport security requires clearance for surveillance access—" Patrick began explaining the protocol.

Vivian already had the live feed pulled up.

Patrick's eyes widened.

This was high-definition footage only accessible through the airport's internal system.

Ethan chuckled. "Forgot to mention—she's Queen."

"What?" Patrick nearly bit his tongue.

The same Queen who'd hacked into the police database and left a taunt about their pathetic firewall?

The legendary cyber phantom who'd sent entire cybersecurity departments into panic?

And now he was being told this delicate-looking girl was that infamous digital wraith?

Patrick felt his worldview shatter.

"Found her." Vivian froze the footage.

The timestamp showed Emily walking alone toward the parking lot an hour ago.

And trailing behind her—the faint silhouette of a figure in a baseball cap.