The kidnap 2

****

Upon noticing the change in Richard's expression, she approached him and feigned concern. "My love, what's wrong? Aren't you feeling well?" she inquired with a slight smirk on her face.

"It's nothing, Mom. I just need to go somewhere now," Richard replied. "Can I come with you?" Rosella requested. but filled with rage he gave an aggressive responds, "I'm fine, Mom! Give me a break, please." He then departed from the villa, got into his car, and drove directly to the address mentioned in the message.

Rosella didn't want to miss seeing Gabriella's reaction when her hopes of marrying Richard were shattered, so she followed him in another car.

After a long journey and trailing, they arrived at the hotel, which happened to be one of the hotels owned by her family. This made it easy to get Gabriella to the room. The staff immediately greeted him upon seeing him. "Please give me the key card for room 4012," he commanded, disregarding their greetings.

"Sir, there is a guest currently staying in that room," the concierge informed him. "If you don't want to lose your job, then give me the key card!" Richard yelled in anger. "I suggest you do as he says," Rosella, Richard's mother, said from behind her son.

Richard was not surprised to see his mother there; he had realized from the moment he left their family mansion that she was following him. The concierge did not need to be told twice and handed the key card over to Richard.

He and his mother promptly made their way to their private elevator and ascended to the floor where the room was located. Without wasting any time, Richard forcefully inserted the key into the door and opened it, driven by his intense curiosity to uncover the truth.

He walked into his room and, to his surprise, found his arch nemesis, Simon Grey, standing in front of the door. He didn't care about the invasion his privacy, so he continued further into the room, where he discovered Gabriella was lying on the bed with her eyes closed and the duvet covering her unclothed body. In a fit of rage, Richard yelled, "Gabriella!"

****

Forty minutes earlier, Simon was lost in thought as his driver transported him home. He understood why his mother was at his house; she desired a daughter-in-law who would provide her with grandchildren.

As her only child, the pressure on him had become unbearable. However, he had no interest in getting married. If his mother wanted grandchildren, he would be more than willing to provide them through surrogacy, but she vehemently refused this idea. "Take me to the nearest hotel!" he suddenly commanded.

His secretary looked puzzled by this abrupt request. Simon knew his mother would be furious if he didn't return home, but he didn't care. "You heard me correctly the first time.

Take me to the closest hotel. It doesn't matter if it's not my usual one, just get me there!" he ordered, his tone even colder than before. He was in no mood to endure his mother's tirade tonight.

The driver promptly complied with his request, and four minutes later, they arrived at a hotel. "Sir, this hotel belongs to the Greys," his secretary pointed out.

"I don't care," Simon stated as he stepped out. His secretary quickly entered the hotel and booked a room for him. "You can go now," he said, taking the key card from his secretary. He examined it and noticed that his room was room 4013.

Without wasting any time, he immediately headed towards the room. However, just as he was about to enter, a thought suddenly occurred to him. If he did not make it home, his mother would forcefully extract the truth from his secretary and would immediately come to the hotel.

Simon heard the elevator door open and noticed another man approaching him. The man stopped at the room opposite his, which gave Simon an idea. "Excuse me, can we switch rooms?" he said to the man. His tone made it clear that it was more of a demand than a request.

The man was about to decline when he recognized Simon. Only a fool would go against his wishes. "Sure, sir," he acquiesced, and they exchanged key cards.

Finally, Simon entered his room. He quickly removed his suit jacket and casually placed it on the chair. He felt utterly exhausted from the numerous meetings he had attended, and all he desired was to get some sleep. However, his plans were interrupted as he approached the bed and discovered an unconscious woman lying naked.

This left Simon shocked. Initially, he believed she was one of those audacious women who desired to seduce him and create a scandal. However, something gave him the intuition that this was not the case.

Then he approached the bed and assisted her in finding a more comfortable sleeping position since she appeared to be in distress. Following this, he gently covered her body with the duvet, recognizing the impropriety of witnessing her in such a vulnerable state.

Subsequently, he captured a photograph of her face and proceeded to make a phone call. "Hello, sir," Tion, his secretary, answered. "I have just forwarded you a photo; please gather any and all information you can about this woman," Simon instructed.

"W-woman!" Tion exclaimed, shocked by the request. He never expected to hear those words from his boss.

"Did I not speak clearly? If your hearing is causing you difficulties, I suggest you resign," Simon coldly retorted.

"No, sir, it's just unusual for you to request an investigation regarding a woman," Tion honestly expressed. "I expect a report on her by tomorrow's end," Simon ordered before promptly ending the call.

He redirected his focus towards the woman, who continued to slumber on the bed, who seemed oblivious to the world around her.

A knock on the door disrupted his thoughts. Then he rose and opened the door without bothering to check who it was, only to be surprised by the presence of his self-proclaimed arch-enemy.