08/07/2026
THE REJECTED STONE
Episode 9: The Final Trap
Morning broke over the city, but for Daniel, hope and fear arrived together.
At the prison clinic, Musa slowly opened his eyes.
Daniel rushed to his bedside.
"Musa! Thank God you're alive."
Musa managed a weak smile.
"I told you... your story isn't over yet."
Before Daniel could reply, the prison superintendent entered with two police detectives.
"Daniel," he said, "we owe you an apology."
Daniel looked confused.
The superintendent continued,
"New evidence has confirmed that you was framed."
At that moment, Isabella walked in with a broad smile.
"We found one of the robbers."
She placed a file on the table.
"Kenny 'Snake' Eze has been arrested."
Under interrogation, Kenny confessed everything.
He revealed that Victor was the mastermind behind the robbery and that Daniel had been used as a scapegoat.
He also admitted that Victor ordered the attack on Chief Emmanuel and the assassination attempt inside the prison.
Later that afternoon, Chief Emmanuel finally regained consciousness.
His family gathered around him.
The first words he spoke were,
"Where... is Daniel?"
Isabella held his hand.
"He's alive, Dad."
Chief Emmanuel closed his eyes in relief.
"I saw Victor's face that day... I can identify him."
The police now had the witness they needed.
An arrest warrant for Victor was issued immediately.
But Victor had already learned that Kenny had confessed.
Enraged, he shouted,
"We're leaving the country tonight!"
Then another idea crossed his mind.
"If I'm going down... Daniel will suffer first."
Within hours, Grace was returning home from work when a black van stopped beside her.
Before she could scream, masked men grabbed her and forced her inside.
Her handbag fell to the ground.
A passerby picked it up and immediately called Isabella.
That evening, Daniel was officially released from prison.
The prison gates opened.
For the first time in weeks, he breathed the fresh air of freedom.
Grace should have been there to welcome him...
But she wasn't.
Instead, Isabella arrived with tears in her eyes.
"Daniel..."
His smile faded.
"What happened?"
She struggled to speak.
"Grace has been kidnapped."
Daniel felt as if the ground had disappeared beneath him.
Just then, his phone rang.
An unknown number.
He answered.
Victor's voice came through the speaker.
"Congratulations on your freedom."
Daniel's fists tightened.
"What have you done to Grace?"
Victor laughed.
"If you want to see her alive..."
He paused.
"...come alone to the old abandoned quarry at midnight."
The call ended.
Daniel looked up at the dark sky.
This wasn't over.
It was only beginning.
To be concluded in Episode 10.
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