Mom: I've got information about that guy. Turns out he's not Rhys. Now you can relax, darling.
Hailey, who was just reading Bellatrix's message, could only sigh in relief. The fear and anxiety that had enveloped her suddenly vanished, along with the content of the just-received message. "Is this for real?"
Hailey received another notification after reading the recent message. Upon seeing its content, it turned out Bellatrix had just sent her a photo. Hailey opened the photo and zoomed in.
At the bottom of the message containing the photo, it was written,
Hailey widened her smile upon receiving that message. "Thank goodness it's not Rhys..."
*
Bellatrix fell silent for a moment, gazing at her phone screen now illuminated in her grasp. She had read my message. Hopefully, with this, Hailey wouldn't feel restless anymore. I need to make her calm, so I can focus on handling other issues.
After ensuring that Hailey had read her message, Bellatrix stepped into the car and took a seat in the back. As soon as the car door closed, she promptly asked the driver to take her home. Before leaving, she glanced in Ollie's direction, as if he signaled that what Bellatrix had done was the right thing.
"Hopefully, this time they won't disappoint me again. I don't want that bitch to keep disrupting my child's married life!"
*
Hugh parked his car in the available parking space. As the car came to a stop, he shifted his attention to Serena, who had been sitting beside the steering wheel with a few files in her hands.
"Thanks for bringing me here," Serena said, smiling at him. She began organizing her belongings before getting out.
"Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you inside? What if, while you're in there, you encounter someone who has been chasing you all this time?"
"That won't happen. Besides, this place is crowded. I can scream if someone tries to take me."
"That's what I mean. This restaurant is a public place, and anyone can enter. It would be dangerous for you to go in alone. I won't be able to ensure your safety. So, let me come in with you. I promise to just watch from a distance."
"No. You stay here. Besides, I won't be long. This meeting will only take a short time because there's not much to discuss."
Hugh fell silent upon hearing her words. He felt genuinely uneasy with Serena's decision for him to stay in the car while she attended the meeting with her client. Three days had passed since Serena decided to work from home, and during that time, Hugh had been supporting her to stay focused and ensuring she didn't overexert herself. Today, after dropping Shawn off at school, Serena mentioned having an important meeting with her client to discuss the progress of the client's ongoing business.
As usual, Hugh drove Serena to the restaurant where the meeting would take place. However, Hugh couldn't shake off his uneasiness, fearing that the person who had been chasing Serena might show up.
"I'll go now. Once it's done, I'll be right back," Serena said, preparing to leave. However, Hugh stopped her, gripping her wrist. Serena turned to look at him, but without hesitation, Hugh planted a spontaneous kiss on her lips, surprising her.
"If anything happens, contact me immediately," Hugh said, staring at Serena intently.
"Sure."
Serena smiled and left, leaving Hugh alone in the car. With a calm feeling, she walked towards the restaurant entrance while holding the files in her hand.
*
"I want you to find Serena and bring her to me."
Those words kept echoing in Romeo's mind as he sat there lost in thought. Since his last encounter with Rhys, for some reason, he couldn't stop thinking about his boss's request. For the past three days, Romeo had been tirelessly trying to locate Serena, mobilizing all his subordinates to search every corner of Collisionity. Unfortunately, their efforts had yielded no results.
Nevertheless, Romeo refused to give up. He continued to instruct his subordinates to keep searching. It was the only way they could find Serena.
Ding!
Romeo's attention shifted as his phone suddenly rang. He received a message from one of his subordinates. Initially confused about why they would send him their live location. But the next message spontaneously made Romeo rise from his seat.
That sentence appeared in the subsequent message he received from his subordinate. Realizing it, Romeo immediately grabbed his car keys and hurriedly left. As he walked, he tried to contact the subordinate who had just sent him their location.
"Are you sure it's her?" Romeo asked, walking hurriedly through the corridors toward the headquarters' exit.
"Yes. If you don't believe me, I'll send you the photo."
Ding!
Another message came in. While still on the phone, Romeo shifted his attention to the received message. Upon checking, his subordinate had sent a photo of Serena sitting with some clients at a table in the corner of a restaurant. They seemed to be having a meeting there.
Romeo, upon receiving the message, widened his eyes. It was indeed her!
"I'm heading there now. We'll meet there. Keep watching her, and make sure she doesn't escape!"
"Alright."
The call ended, and Romeo continued his steps toward the exit. Outside, as he was about to get into his car, he briefly crossed paths with a man walking from the opposite direction. The man abruptly stopped upon seeing Romeo rushing towards his car. As Romeo drove away, the man changed his direction.
Throughout the journey, Romeo kept hoping that this time he could meet Serena. He was determined to find her and bring her to Rhys.
I hope I won't fail this time.
*
Hugh fell silent in his car, occasionally glancing at the restaurant entrance. He observed carefully, hoping not to spot anyone suspicious. The man occasionally shifted his attention to the circular watch on his wrist.
Several minutes had passed since Serena entered, and Hugh continued to watch attentively, ensuring Serena's safety.
"I can't just sit here. I won't be able to stay calm if I keep waiting here silently." Hugh opened the door and stepped out. Not caring about Serena's earlier remark, he intended to go in and make sure she was safe. However, Hugh's attention suddenly shifted when he saw two cars approaching the parking area simultaneously.
One of the cars approaching the vacant parking lot immediately caught his eye. Realizing this, Hugh abandoned his intention and promptly re-entered his car, sitting while observing the car in question.
The car Hugh was paying attention to was the one that stopped right after Romeo's arrival. Hugh continued to gaze at the car. His attention had been focused on the man sitting in the driver's seat since earlier. Because their cars were not too far apart, Hugh could clearly see the identity of the man inside.
Hugh widened his eyes when he saw Ollie, the man who had attempted to take Serena some time ago, seated inside the car, observing Romeo, who had just exited his vehicle.
On the other side, Romeo, who had just arrived, promptly got out and approached the restaurant. His subordinates, who had informed him of spotting Serena, were already waiting for him. Without hesitation, Romeo entered the restaurant.
Just after seeing Romeo enter the restaurant where Serena was, Ollie, who had been following Romeo, emerged from the car. His eyes focused on the door through which Romeo had disappeared. "Is she in there?"
Ollie fell silent, observing the building not far from where he stood. Shortly after, he intended to follow Romeo, who had just entered. However, as Ollie took a few steps, his movement abruptly halted when Hugh suddenly appeared and stopped him.
Hugh patted Ollie's shoulder, bringing his steps to an immediate halt. Ollie fell silent and turned to look back. But his expression changed as soon as he saw Hugh standing before him with a sharp gaze.
"You..." Ollie looked at Hugh, slightly surprised. But soon, his conviction grew stronger that Romeo's hasty departure was indeed to meet Serena in that restaurant.
Without much talking, Hugh immediately dragged the man to a different spot. Ollie resisted with all his strength before Hugh finally released his grip. "Tell me, who sent you to stalk my wife?" Hugh stared at him sharply, while Ollie fell silent for a moment.
How could he immediately know that my arrival here was to target that woman? I really don't understand. Ollie stayed silent, trying to remain calm.
"What do you mean? I came here because I wanted to eat."
"You don't need to pretend because I know everything. You're still assigned to spy on my wife, right? You even continue surveillance around the office, where you attempted to kidnap my wife. Do you think you can fool me?"
Ollie froze in place. Hugh's words were enough to shock him. He couldn't believe how Hugh could know all that. Since that incident, he had instructed his subordinates to discreetly monitor. Ollie also never saw any signs that Serena entered the office since that day. But strangely, how could Hugh know everything?
Ollie stared at Hugh, sweat dripping down his forehead. It was evident he was starting to feel nervous in the current situation. How could he know everything?
***