Chapter seventy-nine (A visit tonight)
Damien
“How the fuck did this happen?” I run my hands through my hair in frustration, feeling like I’m at my wit’s end.
It’s been two days since Ashley went missing, and we still have no leads on her whereabouts or any traces of the people who kidnapped her. The helplessness is suffocating me, and I can’t shake off the feeling that time is running out.
Though when Pasito, Eros, and some of my men arrived with me at the scene that day, we were only met with a grim sight. The driver’s lifeless body, shattered window glasses, and an open door were the only clues left behind. Despite being delayed by traffic, we were greeted by an eerily quiet road, with the driver’s dead body lying there, like a haunting welcome.
I still can’t fathom why on earth she would even follow down that deserted road.
Who could have taken her?
I have a lot of enemies who could stop at nothing but to see me in my lowest and that’s the problem. Who exactly took her?
The questions swirling in my mind are driving me insane. Honestly, I’ve been a wreck, and the thought of anything happening to her is unbearable. If she’s harmed in any way, I’m FINISHED.
And I have this unsettling feeling that she is not safe.
Since yesterday, everyone’s been on edge, working tirelessly to uncover any hint of a lead. My mansion has been eerily silent for the past two days, with all hands on deck searching for any clue that might lead us to the culprits.
“Boss,” Lucas suddenly says, entering my room. His eyes flicker to the portrait of Zuri on the wall behind me, gulping hard, he quickly diverted his gaze back to mine.
Good heavens, I wonder if there is any good news?
My mind is a jumbled mess, and I didn’t even notice his weird behavior earlier.
And instead, I ask, “Did you find anything?” I rub my jaw, my anxiety spiking, as he stops in front of me.
“Yes, we managed to recover her cell phone,” he replies, handing it over to me, his expression somber.Original from NôvelDrama.Org.
Damn! I noticed all my hopes vanished.
I glared at the phone, then turned my fierce gaze on him, my face twisted in anger. “What on earth will I do with her cell phone?!” I thundered, my voice echoing through the room, as I took a step closer to him.
The commotion drew the attention of Eros and Pasito, who rushed in from the corridor. “What’s going on, bro?” Eros asked, his eyes darting between Lucas’s nervous expression and my enraged face.
“Did you find anything?” Pasito asked, calmly ignoring my outburst, and turning to Lucas.
Lucas nodded, opening the cell phone, “Sorry, boss, but given the situation at hand, I took the liberty of examining her phone to trace her last call and to know if I could find the reason they followed that lonely road.”
This idiot!!
I felt this anger in me, as I turned to snap at him for having the mind to go through my wife’s phone without my permission, but Pasito restrained me, gesturing for the nervous Lucas to proceed.
“The last call she made was to you, but earlier, she received a call from an unknown number. However, we managed to trace the owner of the line,” Lucas explained.
“Unknown number?” I repeated, my tone laced with urgency and desperation, momentarily forgetting my earlier anger.
“And who is that?” I asked, my voice tinged with a sense of foreboding.
“It’s Mason Grayson,” Lucas revealed, and I felt like I’d been drenched in ice water.
My heart sprints with anger and disappointment, tightening with each passing minute. The anger inside me is building up, threatening to erupt.
“Who is Mason Grayson?” Pasito and Eros ask in unison, their voices laced with concern.
They look at Lucas but noticing the unease on his face, they turn to me, their eyes filled with a mix of curiosity and caution. “Who is the motherfucker bro?”
Who else could it be?
I grit my teeth, my fists clenched in annoyance, and then I snarl, “Her ex…” The word spews out of my mouth like venom, filled with disgust and contempt.
BAM!
The moment the word left my lips, the room fell silent. The tension was draining before Pasito broke the silence, turning to Lucas with a questioning gaze. “What else did you find?” he asked his voice firm but laced with a hint of curiosity.
I watch Lucas swiftly scrolling through the phone, opening an app before handing it over to Pasito. “He sent her this message at 11 pm, but it looks like she never read it,” Lucas pointed out, his eyes fixed on the screen
I quickly grabbed the phone from Pasito and read the messages, my eyes scanning the screen with speed as I saw the first message. “I am in the operating room.”
I scrolled to the next one, my heart racing with impatience.
“Make sure to follow the narrow road, so you can be early before noon. Your dad really wants to speak with you. Please follow the short road to the hospital.”
“That fool,” I snarled, hurling the phone away in disgust. Luckily, Lucas was quick to catch it, preventing it from hitting the ground.
“Which short road is he talking about?” Eros muttered, his frustration evident as he tapped his jaw. His knuckles had turned white, a clear indication of his growing anger.
“What are you talking about? I’m lost,” Pasito chimed in, his voice laced with confusion. But my mind was already racing, putting one or two clues together.
“Mason Grayson is the owner of Prestige Medical Center,” Lucas explained, addressing the confused looks on Eros and Pasito’s faces.
He then paused, clearing his throat before continuing, “Mrs. Ashley’s father was admitted there, and that’s where they were going.” he adds, causing Eros’s eyes to widen in shock.
“Oh my goodness!” Eros exclaimed, his voice knitted with shock.
“But…” Pasito started to say, opening his mouth to speak, but then instantly shut it, his words remained unspoken. He looked confused and startled, his expression a blend of disbelief and bewilderment.
“How did you know they were going there?” Eros asked. But before anyone could respond, I cut in, my anger boiling over. “Enough!” I snapped, my face contorted in rage, my eyes blazing with intensity, showing how fed up I am.
Everything is now making sense – that deceitful fool tricked them! And here I was wondering why they followed that road.
I had warned her to cut ties with that scoundrel!
I sighed, combing my hair backward.
“Calm down, bro, we need to be sure before making any move,” Eros said, placing a hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down
Sure? Sure of what exactly?
I was about to speak, but Lucas quickly beat me to it. “From our investigation, we discovered that taking the main road to the hospital takes around 2 hours and 30 minutes, but following that short, lonely road cuts the journey down to just 1 hour,” he explained.
“Damnit!” Pasito exclaimed, slamming his fist into his palm in frustration.
“Where is that deceitful fool?” I snarled, my voice harsh, leaving no room for an argument.
Enough of the banter and explanation,
Lucas replied, his tone calm and decisive. “We’ve found his home address.”
Pasito’s eyes lit up immediately and he quickly asked, “What is it?”
“No. 5 Lavender Haven Estate.”
No. 5 Lavender Haven Estate…… What a lovely place to end the fool. I smirked dangerously, tracing my finger along the edge of my pistol. “A friendly visit tonight won’t be that bad,” I said, my eyes locking onto Eros with a deadly glint. “Shall we, men….?”
“Everyone is ready,” he replied, his expression mirroring the evil smile on my face.
“Let’s pay him a visit then,” I said, tossing a gun to all of them before tucking mine into my waistband.
“Let’s go,” I said, furiously striding out of the room, and they shortly followed behind me instantly.