»» Shanghai
In one of the luxurious villas, Shun Zui, a woman with long brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a gray business suit, stood in front of three men dressed in similar suits. Anger was evident on her face as she said in a sharp voice, "Are you telling me you still haven't found him?"
One of them replied with embarrassment, "Sorry, ma'am, we've found all the suspects except the one named Zhu Yan. He disappeared in Beijing, and his last trip was to Japan. We believe he might be young master Alex in disguise."
Shun Zui nodded in confirmation and added sharply, "I want you to find him, even if you have to turn Beijing upside down. Leave no place unchecked. If necessary, review all the city's camera footage. You must find him!"
The servants replied with clear concern, "Understood, ma'am."
After they left, Shun Zui sat down in her chair, her eyes burning with anger. She muttered to herself in a voice filled with menace, "Alex, I will find you. I won't let you get away from me. Even if I have to chain you, I will."
Then she headed to her room, and when she opened the door, she was greeted by the walls of the room, which were covered with pictures of Alex. The handsome face with long black hair and black eyes filled every corner.
The walls were covered with pictures of him at different stages of his life, from childhood to youth, in all sorts of outfits and different poses. Even the ceiling was adorned with a massive picture of him wearing swimwear, while the curtains were also decorated with his image. Her bed was made from the fabric of his clothes.
Shun Zui closed the door behind her, removed her clothes, and then jumped onto the bed, rolling around on it in a state of obsession. She screamed in a voice filled with longing, "Ah, the scent of my beloved Alex still lingers on these clothes. It was an excellent choice to make a bed out of his clothes. Alex, my love, I miss you so much. I want to drown in your embrace forever!"
The Su Family
In one of the rooms of the Su family's villa, a young woman dressed in black lace, with disheveled hair, was sleeping on the bed. Her face was covered in sweat, and tears were falling onto her pillow. Suddenly, she woke up screaming at the top of her lungs, "Noooooo, Alex!"
She jumped out of bed, clutching her chest, and screamed in a panicked voice, "Thank God, it was just a nightmare." But the feeling that the dream was real didn't leave her. She tried to convince herself that it was just a bad dream, but she couldn't shake off the anxiety that overwhelmed her.
She got out of bed, headed to the kitchen, and poured herself some water, but her attempts to calm herself failed. Her eyes, still filled with panic, searched for some peace.
She picked up her phone and called her spies, speaking in a cold, charged voice, "How is the search going?"
One of them replied in a nervous voice, "We're in Beijing now, trying to find him."
She responded with a firm and harsh tone, "Alright, keep searching. There's no room for any slack."
The spy quickly replied, "Understood, ma'am."
After hanging up, Su Minjer muttered weakly, "Where have you disappeared, you damned one?"
»» The Magical City
Alex POV
In the magical capital, I woke up from a deep and restful sleep, feeling refreshed and energized. I headed to the bathroom to freshen up, then came out and checked my phone. I found a message from Rose, telling me to meet her at the café on Artifact Street at 1:00 PM.
After verifying the details of the message, I got dressed and decided to start my day by visiting the piece of land I purchased. I went downstairs to the hotel lobby and approached the reception desk. I asked the clerk curiously, "Sir, did the Range Rover I ordered yesterday arrive?"
The clerk replied politely, "Are you Mr. Alex Butcher?"
"Yes, I am."
"The car arrived yesterday. You can go to the hotel's garage to pick it up. Just present your ID to the guard there."
I nodded and thanked him, then headed to the garage. There, I met the security guard and presented my ID card. The guard pointed to parking spot 19, saying, "Alex Butcher, your car is in this spot."
"Thank you."
I reached spot 19 and found my white car waiting for me. I opened the door and sat behind the wheel. I started the car and gently drove out, heading to a nearby restaurant for breakfast. I enjoyed a moment of calm before my busy day began...
••••
Jo Shiner POV
I couldn't sleep well last night. Every time I tried to relax, Alex's name would creep into my mind like an annoying shadow that wouldn't leave me alone. I got out of bed, passed by the bathroom to shower and cleanse myself, then lazily combed my hair. After that, I headed to the dining table for breakfast. While I was enjoying my meal, the servant handed me an electronic flash drive.
"Madam, I've brought you the camera footage you requested."
I took the flash drive, put it in my pocket, and quickly finished my breakfast. When I stepped outside, I saw Xiao Fan sitting in front of the car. I approached him with a frown and asked:
"What do you want?"
He replied in a calm voice, "I'm your bodyguard, Shiner. It's my duty to wait here to protect you."
He smiled at me broadly, but it was extremely irritating. It was clear that I didn't need this protection, so I told him coldly:
"I don't need you, you can leave, and don't call me by my name."
"Sorry, Shiner. Your grandfather asked me to be here to protect you."
I sneered at his request, "Protect me? Where were you when I was kidnapped yesterday?"
Xiao Fan was silent, not knowing what to say. I got into the car and ordered it to drive to the company. But before we could leave, Xiao Fan got into the car as well, which made me extremely angry.
"Get out of the car!"
"I need to be close to you to protect you."
I felt my blood pressure rising, but I tried to ignore it as much as possible and ordered the driver to move.
When I arrived at the company, I headed to my office where I work regularly. I founded this company five years ago with a capital of 100 million yuan, and I managed to raise its value to 10 billion. It was the fruit of hard work, and I suffered a lot to get to where I am today. I made a prominent name in the magical city, and my brand became one of the most recognized in the beauty industry.
When I reached my office, I pushed the door open and sat on the chair behind my relatively simple desk, which had a bedroom, a bathroom, and a glass balcony overlooking the city, as well as some paintings and artifacts.
I turned on my computer and inserted the flash drive, then waited with anticipation. I opened one of the videos, and when Alex's covered face appeared as he stormed into the room to save me, I felt a sense of satisfaction. Although the image didn't highlight his face, I smiled inwardly with an unexpected smile, so I paused the video on his image and saved it to my phone. Then I sent it to one of my household servants, and wrote:
|I want you to send me information about this person. Once completed, send the file to my office.|
»» Alex POV
After I finished my meal, I decided to explore the piece of land where I intended to build the café. My car slowly stopped in front of the site, and I got out to take a look at the place.
The sun was gently rising over the surrounding buildings, filling the atmosphere with warm colors. To the right, there was a small, run-down restaurant, and to the left, there was a colorful flower shop adding a touch of cheer to the place. Nearby, there was a student housing building, which added a youthful and vibrant energy to the area.
Then I took a few steps to see the magical city's college, which was about 200 meters away, where it seemed ready to burst into life with the start of the school year in a week.
"This is the perfect place to build the café I've always dreamed of," I said to myself as I surveyed the view around me.
I looked at my watch and saw that it was 10:30 AM. I decided to use the time and go buy some clothes. I drove to a nearby clothing store. Upon entering, I felt as if I had stepped into a world of colors and patterns; the clothing racks were filled with innovative designs and various brands. I couldn't help but be impressed, so I chose seven sets of clothes, along with some stylish shoes and watches that suited my taste.
After completing my shopping, I asked the sellers to deliver the clothes to the hotel. Then, I left the place and headed to the location where I was meeting Rose.