CHAPTER 41

CHAPTER 41VISITING ADRIAN AT THE HOSPITAL “Tragic: Billionaire Adrian Smith hospitalized after narrowly surviving a ghastly motor accident following a suspected brake failure. " The cup in Flora's hand almost slipped off before the reporter could even finish reading the headline. She could barely stand on her feet when the screen largely displayed the picture of the damaged car and a neat picture of Adrian beside it."Mummy, is that... Mr. Adrian?" Little Dan tugged at her shirt, his large eyes narrowed to the screen pointing directly at Adrian's photo, his expression laced with confusion and curiosity."I...I..." Flora stuttered, her head completely blank on how best to respond to the little boy.She was silent for some moments. "Yes. Yes, that's him, baby. Adrian Smith, your friend." She finally broke the silence, her voice cracking up as she remembered the strange dark room, how he risked his life some few weeks ago just to save her and Dan." "We should go and see him, Mummy."

CHAPTER 42

CHAPTER 42YOU CAN'T BE MY GRANDSON. “I asked a question!” Mr. Smith's voice thundered through the room, sending shivers down everyone's spine. “Who let strangers into my son's ward?”Christine blinked, her lips twitching as if she wanted to say something, but her throat remained dry.“Christine,” his eyes turned red. “Give me an explanation now or you will lose your job the next minute.”“Sir, I– they–”“Speak clearly, girl, or I'll call the security to throw you out along with them!” he threatened."I—I let them in, sir. The little boy was—" Christine managed to say when she finally found her voice.Mr. Smith narrowed his eyes, sweeping over Flora and the little boy with so much disdain that Flora's knees began to tremble.“Aunt Christine, don't bother; I'll explain it to him better.” Dan cut in before she could find the next word.“Grandpa?” Dan called out with excitement and rushed to the old man, his height barely reaching the man's waist as he lifted his eyes to the man’s.His

CHAPTER 43

CHAPTER 43THREATENING FLORA TO LEAVE TOWNThe glass cup almost slipped out of Mr. Smith's hand as every word spoken by Christine came back flashing in his head.He took an abandoned souvenir of Adrian and Natasha's first wedding that crashed. The sight of Natasha smiling gracefully in the pictures made his entire body stiffen up. He couldn't believe that this same woman had threatened his son's life before coming up with the second wedding plan.He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the dining chair.“Natasha, I'll visit your case soon. You have the effrontery to orchestrate a kidnap and subject my son to tough decisions? Then let's wait and see who cries last.” He breathed, taking a sip from the glass he's holding.“I may hate the woman and son you kidnapped, but for dragging my only son into this, that's something I can't allow to slide.” He cursed under his breath, slowly pacing back and forth in the living room as Christine left after briefing him about the kidnap.He gulped d

CHAPTER 44

CHAPTER 44IF NOT NATASHA, WHO ELSE IS AFTER FLORA'S LIFE?Natasha's heart slammed against her chest as their voices went quiet. She pressed herself flat against the wall outside the door, squeezing her eyes shut to swallow the painful lump in her throat before going in.“Mom, Dad, I'm home,” she announced her arrival, forcing a smile as if she had heard nothing.“Natasha dear, welcome.” Her mother emerged from the dining room, pulling her into a warm embrace.“Tell me, how did it go? Were you able to see him? Did he agree to drop the case?” she asked, her voice laced with deep concern.Just then, Natasha's phone began to ring. It was Maria. Her stomach dropped the moment she saw the caller ID.“I'm fine, Mom. I'm just tired. I think I'll head to bed early,” she lied with a faint smile while gently pulling out of the hug.“Hey princess, are you okay?” her father asked, his brows gathered in a slight frown.“Sure, Dad.” Natasha nodded. “I just need some rest so that I won't be late for

CHAPTER 45

CHAPTER 45THE TRUTH WILL SOON BE LAID BARE.Adrian frowned and pulled his phone from his pocket, as if checking for the arrival of a long-awaited message.“Pray nothing bad happens to them when I finally find them, Natasha. Because I know that no one else wants them hurt except you!” His voice thundered, sending shivers down her spine as her eyes met his deadly glare.“I’ve told you already, I don't know anything! Hurting Flora is the last thing on my mind right now. I don't have time for that,” Natasha defended herself, holding her ground."Then who else would want them gone?" Adrian's voice cracked, his eyes burning with anger.Natasha hesitated. As Flora's earlier words suddenly echoed in her head, her lips began to tremble."Adrian," she said slowly, her brows knitting together, "when I called Flora a few days ago, she accused me of sending her some kind of message. Through your father."Adrian froze, frowning deeply. "What message?""I don't know. She hung up before I could ask.

CHAPTER 46

CHAPTER 46FLORA AND DAN'S DISAPPEARANCE; A TWIST ADRIAN NEVER EXPECTED.At the Smith mansion, Adrian sat stiffly on the edge of the large sofa, calling Flora’s number for the twentieth time. Yet, he kept getting nothing more than the generic system reply: “The number you are trying to call does not exist.”Despite the cool air conditioning in the room, his face dropped with sweat.Did they try to silence her completely? he thought.Suddenly, his phone chimed with an incoming call. It was his ally.“Boss,” a hoarse voice growled as soon as Adrian brought the phone to his ear. “I managed to hack the devices as you instructed.”“And?” Adrian pressed.“From all my findings, I think Mr. Smith has a very significant involvement in their disappearance,” the man reported.“What?” Adrian frowned. “What exactly are you trying to say?” he snapped, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the armrest of the sofa, his voice dropping to a whisper.“Isn't it supposed to be Natasha?” He thought to hims