Chapter 286 The Bridesmaids

In a dimly lit, windowless room deep within the fortified villa, the five abducted bridesmaids were huddled together on the cold floor. Their kidnappers had stripped them down to their underwear mere hours after snatching them from Monarch Hall. The guards had laughed cruelly, making lewd comments, and their eyes lingered too long as they tossed the clothes into a pile, leaving the young women exposed and vulnerable. Now, the girls sat in a tight, shivering circle, their arms wrapped around their knees or each other. Their eyes darted nervously to the time bomb strapped to the far wall. The device was a crude assembly of wires, explosives, and a digital timer. It ticked relentlessly, its red display glowing like a malevolent eye. 00:29:57... 00:29:56... Each second echoed like a hammer. Clara, the eldest of the bridesmaids at twenty-five, with curly blonde hair, broke the tense silence first. Her voice trembled, barely above a whisper, as she clutched her lacy bra, trying futilely to c