Excitedly, Ariana responded, "Remember Dr. Larson from our last encounter? It turns out he's Rodney's cousin! We had a chat. He possesses a backup of Sadie's files and assured me of sending them over tomorrow upon his return to the hospital."

"Wow, that's impressive!" Holden replied promptly, adding a laughing cat emoji.

Ariana chuckled. "Well, clearly, I'm capable of handling anything!"

She included a smug emoji in her response.

"That's great, love. Tomorrow, when I return, let's meet Dr. Larson together," Holden suggested.

However, just as Ariana was about to reply, feeling content, she overheard the driver muttering in confusion, “Wait. Why isn't the speed decreasing?"

Concerned, Ariana inquired, “What's going on?"

Panicked, the driver aggressively pressed the brakes and exclaimed, “The brakes aren't responding!"

Ariana became anxious. "What? But the car was recently serviced. Try the brakes once more!"

"I am doing it, but it's not stopping!" The driver clutched the steering wheel tightly, continuously pressing the brake pedal, yet the vehicle failed to decelerate.

The car had been tampered with. The brakes were malfunctioning!

The car hurtled uncontrollably along the winding mountain roads encircling the farm, fraught with sharp turns.

The driver was terrified but focused on steering. Even the children sensed the danger and clutched their seats firmly.

Alarmed, Ariana swiftly drew the children close to shield them.

Abruptly, a sharp bend appeared ahead. The driver attempted to navigate it, but the car was too fast. The tires skidded, causing the car to veer off the road and plummet down the hill.

The car echoed with screams as Ariana spun around, shut her eyes tightly, and shielded the children with her body.

In Mistlyn.

Holden waited for Ariana's reply to his text. He suddenly felt anxious out of nowhere.

With each passing moment, Holden's unease grew as he repeatedly checked his phone for a response from Ariana, but there was still no message from her.

He sent another message asking her what was wrong, yet still received no reply.