Lahat ng Kabanata ng A Life Debt Repaid: Kabanata 531 - Kabanata 540

"More or less."Cordy did not want to make her happiness obvious, as she was selfishly convinced that only John was allowed to see it. "Well, I'm afraid I have to be a killjoy," Patrick said, his tone clearly serious just then.Cordy frowned slightly, but it was enough for John to notice that reaction and stare fixedly at her."You see, I have news: Jessica is missing," Patrick said very clearly then."Missing?" Cordy's heart skipped a beat, as if something horrible would happen."After John exposed Jessica's side of the family at his trial, they, along with my grandfather and myself were brought in to assist with the investigation. James was placed under arrest since there was enough evidence against him, but when William, my grandfather, and myself were released, the authorities informed us that Jessica went missing the instant they moved to arrest her, and was told that she was not in Rocktown.""Maybe she went to the capital?" Cordy asked—that was where Fred Cranston was, a

Cordy could not calm down even as she imagined that outcome."No, she won't," John said confidently nonetheless. "You're more important to Jessica and she knows that."Cordy's heart skipped a beat as she stared at John fixedly. "Look, just trust me on this, but Jessica wants you more than she wants Dicky," John said. "She's never been a parent and wouldn't know how much a child matters—especially since she grew up in a detached family like the Stuarts, where even family connections were weighted in personal gain. Sentiment doesn't exist there, and she'd be convinced that we would just have more children even if we lose Dicky and the pain of losing him would just be temporary. On the other hand, I'd be hurting for the rest of my life if I lost you! That's why she'll use you if she wants revenge, not Dicky."John spoke quickly with considerable urgency, and there was no telling if he was trying to persuade Cordy or himself.Cordy bit her lip and forced herself to stay calm and work

"Good."John put the phone away and turned back to the security footage, and his eyes suddenly narrowed as he exclaimed, "Could he have disguised himself?!""It's possible." Sam agreed.However, if the driver had really put on a disguise, he would be harder to find.Still, John calmed down and said, "Let's analyze what we know for now."The way they were going, they were being half as effective and would never find Jessica and Richard at this rate.As Sam, Bob, and Cordy all turned to John, he said, "Jessica came all the way from Rocktown to North City to kidnap Dicky. She couldn't have been fully prepared since this city isn't her family's turf, and that means the driver slash bodyguard would not have prepared a change of clothes at the market. He wasn't bringing a bag of any sort in the footage, so he had to buy something at the market and got changed."When he was finished, John picked up his phone without pausing a beat and called Randy again. "Question every stall at the ma

John was ready to storm the storehouse with his men when Cordy caught his hand."John," she murmured, even as he felt how skinny his fingers were.If she could, she really wanted to hold on tightly to that hand and to stop him from facing any danger.But now, she had to let him go and tell him, "You have to keep Dicky safe.""I will." John agreed to it right away, able to read between her lines.He knew that she was telling him that he must keep Richard safe even at the cost of his life, but he agreed to it without hesitation.John had never once accused her of failing to keep Richard safe and allowing Richard to be exposed to such danger although he had entrusted Richard to her.Cordy released John's hand just then, and he gave her an assuring look before quickly heading inside the warehouse with his men.They were afraid of going loud and therefore moved carefully toward the warehouse entrance.John leaned against it when he reached it and gave his bodyguards a pointed look

Cordy quietly shook her head and held on tightly to John's hand as she led him out of the dilapidated warehouse.They returned to the car and sat together in silence.When he turned toward her, he saw that her whole body was still shaking, just as she had when she hugged him in the warehouse. He had no idea if she was shaking because his savagery scared her or if she was still worried about Richard."Jessica did this on purpose," he said, attempting to break the deathly silence.Cordy looked up at him and nodded.When she could not find Richard in the warehouse, she knew Jessica had tricked them.Jessica was not stupid, and having followed John around for years, she would more or less know how he operated. Everything Jessica had done today was a purposeful retaliation."Let's check the footage again when we get back, see if we find anything," John added.Cordy nodded quietly.-Eventually, they returned to Cordy's apartment.Sam and Bob hurried to them when they saw them