Chapter 7 Escape Route

Josh followed behind Astrid. He stared at the beautiful woman, and many things were going through his mind. He wondered what his boss was thinking and what made him pay special attention to her.

Astrid kept walking, glancing back and forth as her eyes scanned the environment, searching for an escape route. “Here might not be the best place to escape," she murmured.

Her tone wasn't low, so Josh heard her speaking.

“Are you talking to me, miss?" Josh asked.

“No, no," Astrid shook her head and continued moving forward.

As they were walking, Astrid saw a pregnant woman supported by her husband. The man held his wife gently. You could see the smile in his eyes as he shined with happiness. The man rubbed his hands on the woman's belly and said something only the two could hear.

When Astrid saw them, the scene made her stop in her tracks. She was immersed in the scene and felt sad, and the memories she had been trying hard to hide flooded her thoughts.

It's so beautiful. If only Riven had treated me this way, this wouldn't have happened.

Astrid wondered how it would have felt if Riven hadn't forced her to abort the child. Her eyes welled up with tears unknowingly.

As Astrid stood frozen, Josh paused, “What is this woman thinking?" he asked himself and turned to where her gaze was.

He could roughly guess what Astrid was thinking because he was the one who investigated her.

“She must have remembered her child," Josh said in a sad tone, feeling sorry for her. No woman deserved to go through what Astrid went through.

He didn't disturb her and stood there silently, watching her with his hands in his pockets. He felt pity for her and nothing else.

Meanwhile Astrid's emotions took over her. Her nails dug deeper into her palm.

This isn't a place for me to stay. I can't stay here for even a day.

Astrid raised her eyebrows and stared at the couple with jealousy filling her eyes.

As Astrid was lost in her thoughts, a man who was heading to the hospital receptionist bumped into her.

“I'm sorry, miss," the man apologized.

Astrid said nothing and only nodded her head. Her expression suddenly went back to normal. She turned to Josh and said in a flat tone, “I'm tired, Mr. Let's head to the ward," she said and walked toward her ward.

As they were about to enter the hospital hall, an ambulance at high speed stopped in front of her. The door swung open, and a man with blood all over him was brought out by two emergency medical technicians. Both Astrid and Josh stopped and watched the scene. Many of the people at the hospital paused their actions, their attention drawn to the men carrying the man who was covered in blood.

Josh was no exception. He had also stopped to see what was happening. “This is very sad, miss. I hope God will protect us against such accidents," Josh commented, pointing his hands in the direction of the man on the stretcher. He was expecting an answer but didn't hear any.

“Miss," he turned and called out to her.

“Huh," Josh's mouth was wide open as he realized she used the opportunity to escape.

“Mm…iss…,” he stammered. Oh no, his boss was going to kill him. He had thought he could look after her today and invite the bodyguard tomorrow so they could both watch over her. He started searching the hospital.

“Maybe she went to the washroom," he quickly ran to her ward and checked the hospital, but she wasn't there.

“Fuck. This damn woman is really troublesome." Josh's chest heaved up and down. His eyes turned red with anger. He quickly walked to the control room.

When he got there, he saw two men seated on chairs, their focus fixed on the screen in front of them. “Excuse me, I'm supposed to look after a woman. She is missing. Let me check the hospital footage to find her.”

The men all shifted their gaze from the monitor to him. They scanned him up and down. The room suddenly became silent as tension filled the air.

“His clothes look expensive. Who is he?" one of the men thought to himself.

“He doesn't have the aura of an ordinary man. Should we permit him?" another man also thought.

“Can you all stop staring at me and let me check the footage?" Josh roared in an impatient tone. Every minute counted as anything could happen to Astrid.

His roaring brought them out of their thoughts. “And who are you to order us?” one of the men said with disdain.

Josh rolled his eyes in anger and pulled out a business card. It was Krax's business card. He handed it to one of them.

“No way," the man was astonished and screamed in surprise, his eyes wide open.

The other one was startled. He snatched the card from his colleague's hand and said annoyingly, “What's so special about this relationship that you almost scared me to death with your sc—” His words hung in the air as his hand began to tremble.

He looked at Josh with fear in his eyes, his hands trembling. “You…are… Mr. Krax's secretary,” he stammered.

“Now….” Josh's tone was full of impatience.

“We are sorry, sir. Please check it out." The men quickly shifted and gave him space.

Josh exhaled sharply, the tension in his chest pressing harder with every second wasted. As he stepped forward, his eyes scanned the glowing monitors, the chaotic flurry of hospital activity captured frame by frame.

The sound of typing filled the silence as he began his search, rewinding the footage to where the ambulance arrived. Each second on the screen seemed to drag, his impatience bubbling just beneath the surface.

He saw through the scene where Astrid slipped, meaning she was no longer at the hospital.

Without saying anything, he left the control room hurriedly. He needed to find her within an hour.

When Josh left the control room, the men, who had been holding their breath, sighed in relief.

“Gosh, that was so close,” one of them commented. He stared at his hands and saw goosebumps on his skin.

“I’m even grateful he didn’t take our negligence to heart. Otherwise, how were we going to face the Devil King? That man doesn’t bat an eye when killing,” another chipped in.

“Not to even talk if the hospital was his,” the other said. They prayed a silent prayer and continued with their job.

After Josh rushed out of the hospital, he stood at the entrance and rubbed his hands through his hair in frustration. He clenched his fist as he wondered where he should begin his search. He pulled his phone from his pocket and made a call. “Starting from the hospital entrance, search for Astrid Carson. Search every corner and inch of Los Angeles. I need her in five minutes,” he said and checked his time. It was 5:00 pm.

Suddenly, his phone rang. He checked the caller and realized it was Krax. His heart skipped a beat. What was he going to tell him?