Chloe texted Noah that she would not be home for dinner, but got no reply. She assumed he was busy. She left the building and flagged down a cab, giving the restaurant’s address to the driver.He muttered under his breath, "This place is so remote. It’ll take an hour to get there."Chloe overheard what he said and was stunned. "It’s that far?" "Yeah, it is. This place just opened its doors, and I went there about two days ago. You have to book in advance to dine here. They only serve a fixed number of customers a day." Chloe sighed. "I see. I was thinking the place isn’t safe."The driver chuckled. "No, it’s absolutely safe. You're pretty, so do be careful." "Sure thing."Chloe then left the Sullivan family's driver with instructions on what time to pick her up.An hour later, Chloe got out of the cab and was greeted by the sight of a newly developed area. It was desolate and deserted. An office building was being built at the center of the area, and not far off stood a vill
The girl left Noah’s office and called Frieda.Growing impatient over the incessant calls, Frieda picked up."Frieda, I know I shouldn't be disturbing you since you’ve already resigned, but these two clients are very important to the company. Will you please come out and meet with me?" "I told you, I’m busy. I don’t know these clients very well anyway.""I'm begging you, Frieda. Your resignation went against the rules, and I didn't make things difficult for you. Please help me out," the girl said in a pitiful tone. Her plea gave Freida a headache. "But I'm too busy to go to Exotic Star. I'm sorry." "That's okay, I'll go to you. Just tell me where to go."Frieda was a little stunned. She remembered there being a bookstore about three hundred meters away from the Whitman family home. Imperium's protection area extended to five hundred meters, so she should be safe.Her patience ran out, and she agreed to meet.*Noah stood by the French window in Exotic Star’s president's of
“What? Is it because of what happened earlier today?" Ophelia was turning out to be such a petty woman. Also, she was the one who had stirred up trouble. How wicked of her!Vince asked, "What's our next move, sir? Should we ask for Mr. Callum's assistance?" Joseph gripped the railing as he gazed at the busy traffic below. His expression was unreadable."Sir?""This probably isn’t as simple as it looks."Baffled, Vince asked, "I don't understand. Do you think Duskfall is behind this?" "We can't be sure about anything. Get a few different groups to search for Chloe, and leave no clue unturned.""So we’re not going to inform Mr. Callum?" Vince became confused at how complicated this matter was shaping up to be. "I’ll find him."If Chloe's disappearance was related to only Ophelia, it could be easily resolved. But if Duskfall was involved, Chloe was in real danger.Vince was worried. "Are you sure, sir? Let me go with you. I'll ask the others to look into this." "Just do a
"Joe." Protective of his daughter, Callum stood in front of Joseph. "I'll find out what happened. Besides, Chloe is my daughter too. I won't let anything happen to her."Joseph ignored Callum and kept staring at Ophelia as the latter shuddered."You better hope so. You know that I always mean my words when it comes to Chloe. No one is allowed to harm her."If anything happened to Chloe, Callum would lose more than a daughter. This realization made his brows furrow. He was certain that Joseph would be outraged and cut all ties with him. But Joseph could not be blamed since Ophelia was the one at fault here. "Dad! Why do you bow down to him? Chloe being missing has nothing to do with us, and I'm hurt." Ophelia grabbed Callum's arm in bewilderment.She could not understand why Callum was being so polite to Joseph. She thought they should be fearless since there was no evidence against them. And seemed to care that she was hurt."Shut up!" the frustrated Callum admonished her.Ophe
To keep herself safe, Frieda rarely stepped outside after moving into the Whitman family home. She spent her days gardening instead. She was a reserved person and would not go out unless for something urgent.What Vince learned sent a chill down his spine. With trembling fingers, he called the few men who were responsible for protecting Frieda.Ring, ring, ring…No one picked up his calls.'Damn it! Something must’ve happened to Frieda!'Vince felt his legs threatening to give way. He knew he had messed up. "Sir, I...I'm sorry. I didn't ask before sending some people out."Joseph's blood ran cold. He clenched his jaw to calm down, trying to quickly come up with a resolution. He closed his eyes and said, "Let's split up. Take some men with you to look for my mother. I'll go find Chloe.""Sir, will you be okay on your own?" "It's none of your concern." Vince steeled himself and turned around to head back to the Whitman family home.Joseph stopped him, saying, "Keep an eye on
Chloe felt a chill course through her body. She gathered all her energy and dashed into a nearby children's play yacht. The footsteps tailing her sounded like just one person's, but she could not risk it.Holding her breath, she curled up and listened carefully. Her heart pounded and her head throbbed. Everything was a blur. All she could remember from before blacking out was Ophelia screaming while running away.Who had drugged her? Who set her free? Where was she now?Chloe’s mind buzzed with questions but no answers came.Crunch.The person stepped on some dried leaves. The sound seemed so near that it sent chills down her spine.Chloe grabbed a sharp rock and held on to it tightly. Hugging her trembling self, she prepared to defend herself if she had to. The footsteps stopped nearby, but all she could do was pray she would not be discovered. The steps got closer and stopped right beside her. She held her breath, covering her mouth with her hands.The next second, a pale face
Joseph clenched his fists, suppressing the urge to punch Noah. He removed his coat and draped it over Chloe. "Let's get you home."Still confused, Chloe followed Joseph like a robot. Neither of them noticed Noah's enigmatic smile."Joseph! Let go of Coco right now!"Leaning on his purple cane, Desmond came hobbling toward them. He quivered with each step, and his aging face was a mask of deep disapproval.Joseph did not let go of Chloe's hand. Though he stood tall, he said in a non-confrontational tone, "Mr. Desmond, there are some things I'd prefer not to discuss here. You may not have grasped the full picture yet.""Save your explanations. We will settle our own family matters at home. Coco is now married to Noah, so let her go," Desmond spoke with authority, and his expression was stern and unyielding."Do you realize that Noah orchestrated everything?" Joseph's eyes were ice-cold. As the wind tossed his hair, he said, "If you take Chloe back, you’d be bringing her into the li
Xavia screamed as she clutched her head, "Have you gone mad, Noah?!”"You’re the mad one here," he said, leaning in to grasp her chin. "You hurt Coco."Given that Ophelia had rushed to report the incident and Otto seemed against harming Chloe, it had to be Xavia's doing."I was just going along with your plan. How could Chloe escape from kidnappers without getting hurt? A few injuries make it more believable. What sort of a man are you to admonish me after using me?" Xavia retorted, visibly angered by the sudden assault."Do you take me for a fool? I had instructed you not to touch her since the beginning. Did you miss that part?" Noah dragged a chair over, looming over her as he spoke. His long lashes threw tiny shadows on his prominent nose."Otto implicitly agreed to this. Why don't you take it up with him instead? What kind of man are you to pick on a woman?" Xavia's forehead was wet with blood, making her look pitiable.Rage built up inside of her. 'If Chloe had died, you'd