Mauritius sat at his desk, eyes scanning through documents, but his mind was preoccupied.

The recent events with Dorothy and Christopher weighed heavily on him.

The office was dimly lit, casting long shadows against the walls.

Exhaustion was evident on Mauritius’ face as he fell into an uneasy sleep.

In the dead of night, a different kind of darkness loomed.

Christopher Maxwell, with a smirk of vindictive satisfaction, was preparing to execute his plan.

He paced around his lair, his mind racing with malicious glee.

He had been waiting for the right moment to strike, and it had finally arrived.

“Dorothy has outlived her usefulness,” Christopher said to his loyal men, his voice dripping with disdain.

“It’s time to rid ourselves of her. Her corruption has been her downfall, and now it’s time for her to vanish.

Make it look like she disappeared—

quietly.”

The men nodded, their faces masked with grim resolve.

As they carried out Christopher’s orders, they silenced Dorothy with ruthless efficiency.

Her cries were swallowed by the cold night air, leaving no trace of her existence.

The next day, news outlets reported her disappearance, but no one suspected foul play.

Back at Mauritius' office, Violet had been watching over him.

Concern etched on her face as she noticed his restless sleep.

She had seen him plagued by nightmares before, but tonight seemed worse.

Mauritius’s face contorted in pain, his breath coming in shallow, erratic gasps.

In his dream, Mauritius was a child again, his father’s angry shouts echoing around him.

His mother’s frantic cries mixed with the sounds of violence.

He was trapped in the same old nightmare of betrayal and abuse, the figures of his past tormenting him relentlessly.

The pain was all too real, even though he was safely in his office.

Violet’s heart ached as she watched him.

She moved closer, reaching out to gently shake him awake.

His eyes snapped open, wide with terror.

The room’s familiar surroundings began to ease the grip of the nightmare, but the fear was still evident.

“Mauritius, it’s okay,”

Violet said softly, trying to comfort him.

“You’re safe. You’re awake now.”

Mauritius took a few deep breaths, his eyes focusing on Violet’s face.

He tried to regain his composure, but the fear still lingered in his gaze.

“Thank you, Violet,” he murmured, his voice hoarse.

“I didn’t realize I was so...lost in it.”

As Mauritius tried to calm himself, Violet’s thoughts turned to Christopher’s betrayal.

The news of Dorothy’s disappearance had reached her earlier.

The timing was too precise to ignore.

She suspected that Christopher had a hand in it and that Mauritius would be furious once he discovered the truth.

When Mauritius finally sat up, his eyes hardened with the anger he tried to suppress.

“Christopher,” he growled, the name almost a curse on his lips. “He’s behind this. I can feel it.”

Violet nodded in agreement.

“I believe you’re right. And I think it’s only the beginning of what he has planned.”

Mauritius’s face grew colder as he considered the implications of Christopher’s actions.

The betrayal was personal, a deeper wound than he had anticipated.

His resolve hardened, and he knew he had to act swiftly to protect those he cared about and to deal with Christopher’s machinations.

As Mauritius stood up, his anger was palpable.

“We need to find out what Christopher is planning next.

He’s crossed a line that he won’t be able to come back from.”