Ch. 551..560
Chapter 551
After Jacob entered the operating room, the nurse closed the door, shutting the others outside.
Rayna glanced at Curtis and was surprised to find the latter looking at her too.
When they met each other’s eyes, Rayna’s heart trembled for a moment before she looked away.
She crossed her arms and stared at the wall, waiting patiently.
Ever since Curtis caused the ruckus in the church, she told him a relationship between the two of them would never, ever be possible. Even though he didn’t cross the line, he always had a way of appearing in front of me. One time, when I was discussing business with someone, he coincidentally showed up. Then, because the person I was talking to knew who he was, they insisted on having a meal and discussing business with him. There was another time when Kristie begged me to prepare a meal for her. After I bought a bunch of ingredients, I went back to her place, and there he was, in the elevator. He even helped me with the bags and ate the food I made. Even though he didn’t proactively humble himself, I seem to always come across him wherever I go. It’s especially irritating when I know he’s the reason for my successful business collaborations.
In the end, Rayna couldn’t take it anymore and spoke to him coldly. “Why do I always bump into you no matter where I go? I don’t recall Faymon Group having a little amount of work according to my experience of working there.”
“Norwal City’s not that big, especially when you’re traveling in a car. It’s not that weird for us to encounter each other often,” Curtis replied.
“Are you intentionally following me?”
He smiled. “You were the one who said the children will be taken into the Faymon family once they’re born. We discussed this clearly before, didn’t we? As long as you don’t marry anyone else, I won’t bother you. Why would I follow you, then?”
Rayna was so enraged that she couldn’t muster a word out. Indeed, I don’t have any evidence of him following me. In fact, I feel like a narcissist asking him that question because it makes me sound like I believe I hold an important spot in his heart!
Kristie didn’t have the guts to interrupt the two when she sensed the awkward atmosphere around them.
She approached the similarly invisible assistant and asked, “Why are you here?”
“Mr. Valentine called me,” the assistant replied in a small voice. “He was afraid Mr. Faymon wouldn’t make it to the hospital in time, so he asked me to take care of the situation. I didn’t expect Mr. Faymon to arrive earlier than me.”
“Ah. Then when did Wyatt find Jessica?”
The assistant was visibly hesitant to answer her.
Hence, Kristie continued, “You know it’s meaningless to hide the truth by this point, right?”
I suppose she’s right. When Wyatt wakes up, he’ll tell them what happened. He proceeded to inform, “Two weeks ago, Mr. Lopez called and asked me to borrow Shadow. When he returned from Yartran, he brought Mrs. Lopez back with him.”
Then he sighed. “Mr. Lopez had married her for only a few days, and he treated her very nicely. Heck, he even asked me to help investigate her uncle’s death. Hence, I didn’t expect her to do such a thing.”
“What?” Kristie shrieked, dumbstruck. “T-They’re married?”
Rayna was startled by Kristie’s scream.
Upon returning to her senses, she turned to Kristie and asked, “Who married who?”
Still dumbfounded, Kristie pointed at the assistant. “He said Wyatt married Jessica already.”
“That’s impossible!” Rayna spat coldly and with disbelief.
Steeling himself, the assistant continued, “It’s true. I saw Mr. Lopez bring her to the City Hall to register their marriage. They even went to take wedding photos. I didn’t expect she would…”
“She did it all willingly?”
Glancing at Rayna, the assistant answered in an indirect way, “They obtained their marriage certificate, Ms. Garland. What do you think?”
Rayna heaved slightly as she grimaced. I refuse to believe Jessica would willingly marry Wyatt! He must’ve forced her to do it! He’s such a shameless b*stard!
“Wait, what did you say?” Kristie noticed something peculiar in the assistant’s remark and inquired, “If Wyatt’s the one who asked you to investigate Jessica’s uncle’s death, then it means he wasn’t the one who ordered the hit, right?”
“Ah, no, no.” The assistant hastily clarified, “There’s no way Mr. Lopez would hurt her uncle. He told me someone intentionally framed the murder on him and asked me to find the real culprit.”
Upon hearing that, Rayna grabbed his arm and questioned, “So, Wyatt wasn’t the one who sent a group of thugs to interrogate and assault Jessica’s uncle after he couldn’t find her?”
“It seems like someone is intentionally setting Mr. Lopez up.” When the assistant saw how Rayna reacted, he also started to believe the matter was much more complicated than it appeared. “The
culprit is such a sinister b*stard. I can’t believe they intentionally led you all to think Mr. Lopez’s the one who murdered Jessica’s uncle.”
Curtis had been listening to the conversation. Hence, when he noticed something was off, he approached the assistant with a frown and demanded, “Tell us everything you know.”
“When I was searching for Jessica’s whereabouts, I accidentally discovered that her uncle and aunt were dead…” The assistant told everyone present everything he unearthed during his investigation.
After Rayna finished listening to his words, she finally realized she had misunderstood the situation all along. So, Oliver and his wife’s deaths have nothing to do with Wyatt at all! Someone purposefully framed their murders on him!
At that moment, she felt very remorseful. “I thought Jessie injured Wyatt to avenge her uncle and aunt.”
Then she noticed something didn’t add up. “I didn’t tell Jessie they died, though. I only sent her away back then. How did she know?”
With a grim expression, the assistant disclosed, “Mr. Lopez told me people had been stalking her. After she arrived at Yartran, those people blinded her.”
Rayna was so shocked by the revelation that she almost forgot to breathe. “She couldn’t see?”
“Yes. Those people kidnapped her, though she luckily escaped.” He knew because he accidentally overheard Jacob’s conversation with Wyatt the other day.
“No wonder Jefferson’s men couldn’t find Jessie…” A shiver ran down her spine as she muttered, “So, someone has been monitoring my every move, yet I still sent Jessie out of the country…”
She didn’t expect her attempt to help Jessica would end up hurting the latter.
When Curtis noticed Rayna was trembling, he approached and held her. “Don’t overthink it. There was no way you could’ve known someone had been watching you two in secret. It’s not your fault.”
“No, it’s all my fault…” She wanted to push him away, but she teared up instead.
Out of nowhere, the door to the operating room was violently pushed open.
A nurse bolted out of the room. “Melissa, call Dr. Vasque here right now!” As she sprinted down the corridor, she shouted at her colleague, “The patient’s breathing is getting weaker! We’re about to lose him! Call Dr. Vasque now!”
Considering the nurse left the operating room nearest to Rayna and the others, it was obvious who was about to die.
When Rayna heard that, she almost dropped to the ground in front of the operating room. Thankfully, Curtis caught her in time.
Kristie and the assistant were flabbergasted.
As Curtis held Rayna, he grabbed his phone, wanting to give Jeremy a call. His face was terrifyingly grim.
Earlier, when he arrived at the hospital, he had already called Jeremy. He even asked a pilot to pick him up with Shadow.
However, he was aware it would take time to travel since there was a long distance between Xyperia and Chanaea.
Chapter 552
It was as though death loomed over the operating room. Everyone waiting at the entrance still hadn’t returned to their senses.
Out of the blue, a flock of reporters rushed into the corridor and surrounded Rayna and the others in seconds.
With their cameras and microphones aimed inches away from Rayna and the other’s faces, they asked, “I heard Mr. Lopez was injured and is currently being treated in the emergency room, Mr. Faymon. Is he in this operating room?”
A reporter shoved their microphone toward Rayna and inquired, “I heard the one who assaulted Mr. Lopez was Bianca’s sister, Ms. Garland. According to my sources, you have a very close relationship with her, so I hope you can answer a question. Did she attack Mr. Lopez to avenge her sister?”
“Do you know anything about this matter, Ms. Garland?” another reporter questioned.
A third reporter inquired, “Are Justin’s and his friends’ deaths related to Bianca’s sister?”
The flashing lights of the cameras were blinding Rayna.
In response, she held her hand up to block the lights and turned away, ignoring the reporters.
Upon snapping back to reality, Kristie and the assistant pushed the reporters away.
However, there were too many reporters, so their efforts were futile.
The reporters continued to interrogate Rayna. “Are you staying quiet because you already knew Bianca’s sister was a murderer and tried to cover up for her? I heard she ran to the port after she
attacked Mr. Lopez in hopes of escaping the country, but she leaped into the sea and committed suicide instead.”
Rayna raised her head upon hearing that and asked, “What did you say?”
Seeing that Rayna was talking to them, the reporter seized the opportunity to question, “Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know, Ms. Garland? The police are investigating a suicide case at the port right now. Because of that, no ships dare to leave right now. Some passengers on those ships mentioned they recognized the woman who committed suicide. They said she was the woman seen together with Mr. Lopez, probably Bianca’s sister. Did she kill herself because she felt guilty for murdering Mr. Lopez?”
“I don’t know what you all are talking about.” Rayna’s hands were trembling. It was apparent she couldn’t keep her cool anymore. “I don’t know who Bianca’s sister is! Please leave!”
I don’t know where the reporters got their news from, but I need to verify whether they’re telling the truth or lying. Since Jessica escaped in a hurry, she likely would’ve headed to the port to leave the country on a ship. However, I refuse to believe she killed herself! The more she tried to leave, the more the reporters refused to let her go.
When one reporter with sharp eyes noticed her unusually loose clothes and the bump hiding underneath, they yelled, “Are you pregnant, Ms. Garland?”
They even pointed their camera at her tummy.
The instant the other reporters heard that, they immediately directed their attention to her abdomen.
Then, upon noticing her obvious bump, they interrogated her, asking her when she got pregnant and whose child she was bearing.
Rayna felt her head spinning as she was bombarded with the reporters’ questions.
Also, she was having difficulty breathing because there wasn’t enough space for fresh air to pass through the tightly packed reporters.
Curtis glowered when he noticed her face paling. After his patience with the reporters ran out, he pushed them aside and carried her in his arms.
Then he glared at the annoying reporters and exclaimed, “Make way!”
He spoke so coldly and fiercely that the reporters felt chills running down their spines. They didn’t even have the courage to meet his eyes as they shut up and stepped aside.
When that happened, fresh air was finally able to reach Rayna. Moments later, she looked a little better.
Instead of rushing to leave, he turned to Kristie. “Keep calling Jeremy and urge him to reach here soon. Call Gabriel to come here and help out too.”
Then he turned to Wyatt’s assistant. “Confiscate all the reporters’ communication devices. They aren’t allowed to bring anything but themselves and their clothes out of this building.”
The assistant promptly lowered his head. “You can count on me, Mr. Faymon!”
A reporter protested, “There are so many of us here. Can you shut all of us up?”
Curtis glared at the reporter frigidly. “Then all of you better shut yourselves up! If I see anyone reporting what happened in the hospital tonight, you may all find your companies assimilated into Faymon Group tomorrow!”
That frightened the reporter and prompted them to lower his head.
The other reporters also zipped their mouths tight.
After Curtis brought Rayna away from the reporters, the assistant clamored, “You all heard what Mr. Faymon said! Leave all your equipment and devices here! You’re only allowed to leave after I finish inspecting you!”
Upon leaving the hospital, Curtis brought Rayna to the passenger seat of his car. “I’ll take you back first.”
“I don’t want to go back!” She had already returned to her senses as she closed her eyes. “Drive me to the port!”
“You need rest, Rayna.”
Her hand quivered as she grabbed his arm and uttered in a shaky voice, “I’m fine. Just drive me to the port. I need to know whether the reporters were lying or not. Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep even if I return home now.”
Knowing nothing he could say would change her mind, he fastened her seatbelt. “Fine, we’ll go to the port.”
Curtis didn’t have the nerve to drive too fast because Rayna was pregnant.
Occasionally, he would shift his gaze to the passenger seat. His heart ached when he saw her biting her trembling fingers due to anxiety. Evidently, she somewhat believed what the reporters said.
In response, he held her hand and comforted, “Ease up a little, Rayna.”
She merely glimpsed at him and allowed him to hold her hand.
The car soon arrived at the port.
The moment it stopped moving, Rayna unbuckled her seatbelt and exited the vehicle.
She saw police officers and many other people surrounding the bright port.
Panicked, she darted toward a police officer, grabbed him, and inquired, “What’s going on?”
The police officer glanced at her and explained, “We received a report saying a woman jumped into the sea. The search and rescue team have been looking for her for an hour now, yet she still hasn’t resurfaced yet!”
When he saw Rayna was stunned, he thought she was startled and continued while shaking his head, “There are always a few people who commit suicide here every year. It’s not an uncommon sight. Did you buy a ticket for a cruise trip? If you’re thinking about boarding, you should come back here tomorrow morning at six. Right now, no ships in the port are allowed to leave.”
When Curtis arrived at her side, he saw her talking to the police officer while appearing as if she was going to collapse.
Just as he was about to hold her, she pushed him aside and stumbled toward the ticket counter.
Upon arriving at the counter, she spoke to the employee there in an urgent tone. “Hi, can you help me check the purchase records and see if a woman called Jessica Marsh bought a ticket?”
“Do you have her identification number?”
“Yes!” Rayna grabbed her phone, pulled up Jessica’s personal information, and disclosed the latter’s identification number.
“She bought a ticket for a cruise trip to Valmora. It’s that ship over there.” The employee pointed at the port. “However, the ship can’t leave because someone committed suicide. You can ask the people there if they saw her.”
Without delay, she rushed to the cruise ship and asked the person in charge of the vessel.
They checked the records and told her the ticket collector let Jessica through, but Jessica didn’t board the ship.
“How is it possible she didn’t board the ship after the ticket collector allowed her entry?” Rayna proceeded to describe her friend’s appearance and asked, “Please think carefully again. Did you actually see this person?”
Before the person in charge could speak, a passing-by tourist remarked, “Isn’t she the woman who jumped into the sea?”
Chapter 553
Rayna immediately turned her head toward the tourist and questioned, “Did you perhaps mistake her for someone else?”
The tourist thought about it and answered confidently, “I’m sure I’m not mistaken! I boarded the ship with her at the same time. When I saw her sobbing, I took a couple more glances at her. She was petite but pretty. Just as we were about to step onto the ship, she suddenly left the way she came. When I heard someone scream, I turned around and saw her falling into the sea.”
Rayna felt as though her heart had been stabbed when she heard that.
Her body wobbled as she paled.
Curtis managed to catch her before she fell. Realizing her limbs had turned ice cold, he asked the person in charge to bring him a blanket. “No need to worry. I’ve asked for help.”
“It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault…” Her teeth were chattering as she spoke chokingly. “I-If I had been smarter and asked Wyatt about what happened, they wouldn’t have misunderstood each other.”
Upon receiving the blanket from the person in charge, Curtis wrapped her body with it.
Then, he let her lay against his chest as he comforted her gently, “This isn’t your fault, Rayna. Even if you had talked to Wyatt, the mastermind would’ve still devised a plan to mess with their relationship.”
Her shoulders moved as she sobbed quietly. “Why didn’t Jessie board the ship right away? Why did she jump into the ocean? She wouldn’t kill herself…”
While I don’t know what was going through Jessica’s mind, I know she won’t just commit suicide. Even if she had a realization while trying to escape, it’d be more likely for her to look for Wyatt at the hospital
or go to a police station. As Curtis lamented, he surveyed his surrounding with his sharp eyes.
Aside from the ticket counter, there were barely any other surveillance cameras at the port. Usually, the employees there were the ones who kept their eyes on everything going on in the place.
There were very few people around early in the morning. So, no one knew the complete truth behind Jessica’s act of jumping into the sea.
“Listen to me, Rayna.” Curtis held Rayna’s cheeks and stared at her. “It’s possible she’s doing fine because the search and rescue team hasn’t found her body yet. However, it’ll take time for her to be located, whether dead or alive. And if she is alive, how do you expect to meet her if anything happens to you while you’re waiting?”
Rayna’s vision was blurred by her tears. However, her hope was reignited when she heard what he said. “Is she really going to be okay? I-I won’t cry, then.”
Upon wiping her tears away, she tried to lift her spirit. “I’ll wait for her here.”
“No, you’re too tired. You need rest.” Curtis could tell she was on the brink of a mental breakdown.
She’ll definitely collapse if the news she waited for turns out to be a bad one. As he thought, he carried her away and consoled her, “I’ll send you back home first to rest. Once I receive news regarding Jessica, I’ll inform you immediately.”
Rayna struggled, looking as though she had something to say.
Hence, he spoke before she could. “I know you’re worried about Jessica. However, you’re not the only one here concerned about their friend. Wyatt’s fate remains unknown, yet I chose to drive you here. You need to think about me too, Rayna.”
Raising her head, she saw his exhausted countenance.
At that moment, she decided to stop being willful. Curtis was already worrying about Theodore, and now that Wyatt’s in a critical condition, I bet he’s feeling much more upset than me.
She hugged his neck obediently and allowed him to carry her down the ship.
When her line of sight landed on her bump, she pursed her pale lips and asked, “Am I heavy?”
“Heavier than the last time.” Curtis uttered in a deep voice, “It’s only natural that you’re getting heavier as your pregnancy progresses. I’d be worried if you’re not.”
“I’m worried you’ll lose your balance because I’m too heavy and drop me—”
“I won’t,” he interrupted. “I’m confident in my arm strength.”
“You won’t say that once I’m seven or eight months pregnant.”
“Then I’ll work out hard so I can carry you when you don’t want to walk.”
Rayna giggled twice before she realized she shouldn’t be talking about that with Curtis.
Thus, she decided to keep mum.
When they arrived at the car, he settled her in the backseat and grabbed a blanket from the storage box before draping it over her. “Sleep. I’ll let you know when we arrive home.”
“Mm-hm.” Rayna was exhausted. After all, so many things happened in a short few hours.
Therefore, she fell asleep fairly quickly, especially when the car’s temperature was comfortable.
Curtis couldn’t help but occasionally glance at the sleeping Rayna through the rearview mirror.
When he passed by a traffic light, he decided to turn around. Morning is arriving soon, and I’ll probably disturb Carl if I send her back to her place now. I may as well bring her to my place instead.
Upon arriving at his residence, he carried her upstairs and into the bedroom.
The moment Rayna lay on the bed, she abruptly opened her eyes, though she clearly still hadn’t woken up completely.
Curtis coaxed, “Just sleep. I’ll wake you up if I receive any news.”
While her eyes were on the verge of shutting completely, she still grabbed onto his shirt tightly and mumbled, “She’s not in the wrong, so don’t hurt her.”
Smiling resignedly, Curtis tucked her hand under the blanket. “I know. I’ll keep you company here.”
Then he closed the curtains to block out the sunlight.
Rayna struggled for a few more moments before she fell asleep in the cozy darkness.
Seeing that her eyebrows were still tightly knitted, he couldn’t help but ease her eyebrows with his hand. Then he kissed her cheek tenderly. It’s only natural that she’s so anxious after what happened.
Carefully, he stepped out of the room and shut the door.
When Curtis turned to the windows, he saw the sun rising from the horizon and realized it was around six in the morning already.
What happened during the early morning felt like a dream to him.
As he descended the stairs, he called Kristie to ask her about the situation. “How is it going over there?”
“Wyatt’s doing fine after Jeremy brought a doctor to treat him.” Kristie paused before continuing, “However, Jeremy said Wyatt still needs proper treatment due to severe injuries.”
Curtis was relieved to hear that. “Mm-hm. Take good care of him, then.”
“Is Rayna all right?”
“She’ll be fine with me by her side. Just help Jeremy out if he needs support. Oh yeah, has Wyatt’s assistant left yet?”
“No, he’s still in the hospital taking care of stuff.”
Without delay, Curtis hung up the phone and called Wyatt’s assistant.
Rayna felt a little hot when she woke up. Then she realized the curtains to the room’s window were closed.
Because of that, she couldn’t tell what time it was.
She tidied her hair with her hand and left the bedroom hurriedly before realizing she was in Curtis’ residence.
After heading downstairs, she saw him sitting on the couch, talking to someone on the phone.
Upon hearing someone descending the stairs, Curtis turned and saw her walking barefoot. He frowned, exchanged a few more words with the person on the phone, and ambled toward Rayna. “Why aren’t you wearing any slippers?”
It was then she realized she was barefooted. “I didn’t wear them because the room was too dark for me to locate them.”
Then, panickily, she inquired, “Have they found Jessie yet?”
“Not yet.” He grabbed a pair of slippers, approached her, squatted down, and put them on for her. “Earlier, I sent people to locate her with the search and rescue team. Even after they combed through the surrounding areas three times, they still didn’t find her.”
Chapter 554
The pale-looking Rayna leaned against the armrest and muttered, “Can’t find her… What should we do?”
Curtis could not bear to see her like that, so he held her by her shoulders and sat her down at the dining table.
He opened a can of soup and gave Rayna a bowl. “Rayna, relax. Although we can’t locate Jessica, no one has seen her body yet. Why don’t you eat something first?”
“I don’t feel like eating.” The life and death of Jessica remained unknown. That made Rayna lost her appetite, and she was not in the right frame of mind. “This won’t do. I’ll have to look for her at the port.”
Curtis immediately grabbed her hands and pulled her back onto the chair. He said firmly, “Rayna, if you don’t eat anything, how will you have the energy to go around and look for her? Are you planning to pass out at the port?”
He placed the spoon into her hand and said, “Eat up. Then we will talk.”
Rayna was well aware that he would not allow her to leave if she did not finish her food, so she forced herself to take a few sips of the hot soup.
After tasting the soup, she took a look at her food and looked up at Curtis. “Where did you get this food from?”
“Why? Is it awful?” asked Curtis.
He took a sip of the soup and frowned before he uttered angrily, “I forgot to add salt.”
Rayna did not expect that the man had boiled the soup himself. In that instant, Rayna had mixed feelings.
In the past, this man couldn’t even differentiate between salt and sugar. His food was horrible. Even his noodles would be raw.
I can’t believe he can brew such delicious soup now.
If only he had been more concerned about me in the early days and treated me better, that would have been so much better.
Within a short span of time, lots of thoughts went through Rayna’s mind.
Seeing that she kept mum, Curtis said, “It’s too plain. Let me add a bit more salt to the soup.”
“There’s no need. It’s healthier to have blander food.” After finishing her soup, she handed him the bowl and said, “Please give me half a plate of spaghetti.”
Curtis was taken aback. He quickly took the plate and filled some spaghetti for her.
The soup was brewed by Curtis. However, the five dishes on the table were delivered by Good Times Restaurant.
After all, Rayna was a pregnant woman. Curtis was worried that the dishes he cooked would not be to her liking. If that happened, there would be trouble.
Rayna had a good appetite. While she was eating, she asked, “How is Wyatt?”
“Jeremy brought someone to operate on him. Everything went well. He just needs to stay in the hospital for some time.” He saw that she was only taking the vegetables, so Curtis placed some meat on her plate. “Have more meat.”
“Curtis, please carry on with your meal. I’ll help myself!” Rayna looked up and gave him a nasty stare. “Can you please stop staring at my tummy? Am I not a human?”
Curtis was puzzled. He did not know why she scolded him out of the blue. “I just want you to eat more. I didn’t mention anything about the pregnancy.”
“No matter how much I eat, they are the ones absorbing the nutrients!” said Rayna coldly.
Curtis was dumbfounded.
He took one look at Rayna and realized that she was not fat at all. Only her tummy seemed huge.
It turned out that he had said the wrong things.
When Rayna bent over slightly, he could tell that she was in discomfort because she rubbed her waist with her hands. He felt sorry for her, so he went to get a cushion from the living room and placed it at the back of her chair.
Curtis asked softly, “Does it feel better now?”
Unfortunately, Rayna did not find him caring. She only snorted coldly and rolled her eyes at him.
Despite what she said, Rayna still ended up having two plates of spaghetti and another bowl of soup. When she requested for more spaghetti, Curtis said no.
“Later on, have some fruit.” Curtis knew that her pregnancy reaction was quite drastic, and he was also worried that she overate.
Rayna scowled. “It’s only another half a plate of spaghetti. Why are you so petty? After all, I’m not the one eating!”
Curtis rubbed his brows helplessly before reasoning things out with her slowly, “In the past, your appetite wasn’t so good. If you suddenly eat so much, you will feel awful later.”
“How do you know I used to eat very little?” Rayna eyed him warily. “Have you been spying on me?”
The man seemed to sense that he had said the wrong thing. With a calm expression, he said nonchalantly, “I have Carl’ on WhatsApp and also his Instagram. He usually posts about the food he eats. By the look of it, you didn’t eat much. He must have eaten everything.”
Rayna was still staring at him with suspicion.
Curtis got up and started clearing the plates and cutleries. He changed the topic. “There are oranges and grapes. Which one would you like?”
After staying silent for a few seconds, Rayna ended up saying, “I’ll have grapes, then.”
She then went to the living room and rummaged through her handbag.
It was only then she realized that the screen of the phone had cracked.
Rayna had wanted to call Jefferson for help the night before. After learning of Jessica’s incident from one of the tourists, she lost her grip on her phone and dropped it on the floor.
She switched on her phone after charging it. While she waited, she calmed herself down and began going over last night’s events in her head.
A moment later, Curtis appeared in the living room with a plate of grapes.
Rayna swiped several grapes from the plate and munched on them. She said to Curtis, “Let’s put aside Jessie’s incident for now. I think we should talk about your conversation at the hospital last night.”
He immediately knew what she wanted to ask about and explained, “While you were asleep, I called Wyatt’s assistant to ask him some things. He told me that Wyatt tasked him with tracking down a woman named Gianna, claiming Gianna was responsible for his child’s death.”
Rayna asked, “This Gianna. Did she date Wyatt in the past?”
“I’m not sure about that.” Curtis’ gaze appeared thoughtful as he added, “But Jeremy told me that when he visited Zenisan Villa to give Jessica a health checkup, Gianna was already living there.”
He continued, “Gianna claimed that Wyatt arranged for her to live there. Jeremy guessed that he was doing that to piss Jessica off. He also noticed the villa’s housekeeper dissolving contraceptive pills in Jessica’s milk. He told Wyatt about it but never checked if Wyatt did anything about it.”
Rayna frowned, not bothering to hide her disgust.
She seethed, “If he hated Jessie so much, there were plenty of ways to get back at her! Why do something so underhanded? If I were in Jessie’s shoes, I’d be disgusted if he gave me the briefest of hugs!”
“I don’t mind you getting angry, but maybe draw the line at imagining yourself in her shoes, okay?”
Rayna shot Curtis a sidelong glance and scoffed. “What’s wrong with that? Why are you angry about that? Wyatt is trash, but do you think you’re any better? Didn’t you allow other women into your house?”
Curtis suddenly felt his temples throbbing with pain and massaged them.
He should have remembered that Rayna was not to be trifled with. She could seem utterly nonchalant before bringing up one’s past mistakes barely a second later.
Eventually, he muttered, “I’ll admit I was too hasty and made some stupid decisions. But in my defense, I never even touched her hand.”
Rayna waved off the topic coolly, indicating her wish to drop the topic.
She asked, “Maybe Wyatt punished Gianna by kicking her out after learning that she made the housekeeper add contraceptive pills to Jessie’s milk. What do you think? Then Gianna retaliated by going after Jessie.”
“I considered that possibility, but I had Gabriel investigate Gianna’s background. She’s just a random model who’s obsessed with shopping and hardly smart enough for anything else. Think about it. The people who were tracking you and Jessica on the sly could escape Jefferson’s notice and kidnap her after you sent her abroad. They must be extremely careful in their work,” replied Curtis.
Rayna chewed on the grapes and mulled over Curtis’ words.
Some seconds later, she nodded in agreement. “That’s true. Even if Gianna wanted to take revenge on Wyatt, she wouldn’t have the connections or money to go after Jessie. Then who could be backing her?”
Chapter 555
Just then, Rayna thought of something. Her fingers trembled, and the grape fell onto the carpet.
Glancing at Curtis, she asked with difficulty, “Do you think Arnaud found her? He knows I’m close to Jessie—”
Curtis bent over, picked up the grape, and threw it into the trash can. “Rayna, you’re overthinking it. Arnaud knows Wyatt is close to me. If he’s really working with Gianna, that means she’s betrayed both Wyatt and me. Arnaud and his brother made a bet-on agreement with their father. Besides, Boniel’s biased toward Jefferson, and Arnaud can’t enter Aploth’s market. Thus, Arnaud can’t take the risk of offending me again.”
Everything he said sounded reasonable, but the worry in Rayna’s heart kept growing. “I can’t think of anyone who’s capable of helping Gianna in secret, apart from Arnaud.”
“Then don’t think about it for now. We’ll ask Gianna once we find her,” said Curtis.
“Where’s she?”
“I’ve already sent someone to look for her. There’s no news from them yet.”
Rayna had lost her appetite to eat the grapes. The thought of Wyatt in the hospital and Jessica’s fate still unknown put her mind in a mess. There was no way she could calm herself.
“How am I supposed to calm down when Jessie’s still missing?” Rayna murmured while massaging her forehead.
Curtis’ heart ached when he saw her beginning to worry again.
He was about to say something to reassure her when his phone vibrated on the coffee table. It was a call from Gabriel.
Curtis answered it and exchanged a few words before his expression turned icy cold. With a grim tone, he instructed, “Find out the source of the news and get someone to deal with it.”
Upon hearing that, Rayna looked up and noticed a frown on Curtis’ face. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
After ending the call, Curtis gazed at her and said truthfully, “Someone posted the news about Wyatt’s attack on Twitter. It has already alerted the police.”
“Only a few people know about this matter. Where did that person get the news from?” asked Rayna while launching the app on her phone.
She did not even have to search for the news, for the main page was bombarded with news about the son of the Lopez family getting stabbed.
Rayna’s hands trembled when she saw the series of posts, especially the pictures of Jessica on the official page of Norwal City’s police force, with its caption informing the public about their collaboration with the other states’ police to capture her.
Curtis hurriedly sat beside her and took her trembling hands.
Meanwhile, Rayna shut her eyes and remained still for some time before calming down. “Those people are really cold-hearted. I can’t believe they’ve been keeping an eye on Zenisan Villa and even followed us to the hospital. The minute they got the news, they quietly published it and created this chaos. I bet they must be delighted to see us panic.”
“Every single police in the country is looking for her, no matter if she’s dead or alive. It’s going to be difficult to suppress the incident. That makes finding Gianna our main priority and waiting for Wyatt to
regain consciousness second,” Curtis added to her words.
Suddenly, Rayna’s gaze turned frosty and sharp. “The news on Twitter and other news portals got replaced really quickly. I’ll contact a private investigator and buy some hot celebrity gossip from him. We can use them to cover up this news. As for the police, I’m afraid I’ll have to leave it to you.” As she said that, she glanced at Curtis.
The look of fear and uneasiness on her face from earlier had been replaced with a calm expression.
After all, Rayna knew well that crying and dwelling on guilt would only be a waste of time. Rather than doing that, she could use the time to deal with more pressing matters.
As long as Jessica’s body isn’t found, that means she’s not dead.
Rayna pursed her lips and pleaded earnestly, “I can’t negotiate with the police since I don’t know many people from the police force. I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to talk to them to make them stop looking into Jessie’s matter.”
Curtis was glad to see how quickly Rayna processed everything in her mind. Smiling, he said, “Rayna, you might not have noticed it, but you’ve become more independent. You can weigh all the pros and cons and identify which matters to resolve first.”
Really?
Rayna stared at him in a daze.
Curtis leaned forward and caressed her face. “I hope you can be this calm no matter where you are in the future. Of course, I hope you’ll live a better life, have people you want to protect, and even do things you love. But… I hope you can come straight to me, telling me you’re tired and letting me hug you when you feel so.”
The warmth of his palm made her want to rub her face against it.
Just as she shifted and wanted to say something, anguish bubbled in her heart. In the end, she merely nodded, unable to bring herself to utter what she wanted to say.
Suddenly, she knitted her brows and winced while instinctively placing one hand on her belly.
Seeing her frown as if feeling uncomfortable, Curtis asked, “What’s wrong? Did you eat too much just now? I’ll get you some digestive tablets.”
The moment he got up, she tugged at the hem of his shirt.
Rolling her eyes, Rayna explained with her face scrunched up, “I don’t need it, nor did I eat too much. It’s just the babies kicking me.”
It felt so uncomfortable that she rubbed her belly and complained, “They’ve been kicking me day and night. These little brats just don’t sleep. All they do is torture me!”
“Are they really that naughty?” Curtis squatted in front of her and leaned on her bulging belly as if to hear the babies’ heartbeats. The sight amused Rayna.
She did not budge, allowing him to perform such an affectionate action.
When Curtis was done listening to their heartbeats, he straightened himself and touched her belly, warning, “Stop making Mommy upset, or I’ll beat you guys up when you’re born.”
Rayna chortled. “It hasn’t even been six months. What’s the point of telling them that? I hope I can go into labor early, too. This pregnancy is making me so frustrated. I feel like I’m watching them fight each other every day.”
“It must be hard on you.” Curtis kissed her belly through the shirt, feeling bad for her. “How I wish I could share your pain so that you don’t have to suffer so much.”
Rayna was not used to his acts of kindness; it made her feel conflicted.
Even her hand that was in his felt as if it was burning.
Right then, the phone in her left hand vibrated, and it pulled Rayna back to reality.
Hastily pulling her hand out of Curtis’ grip, she checked the name of the caller and tilted her head to the side before answering the phone. “Jefferson—”
“I just saw the news and found out Jessie’s in trouble. I’ve already sent someone to deal with it. Where are you, Belle? Are you all right?” Jefferson sounded anxious.
Upon hearing that, Rayna felt her heart wrench. She calmed herself and said gently, “I’m fine. Curtis happened to be here, so I discussed some matters with him. If you’re not busy, can you come over and pick me up?”
“Sure. I’ll head over there now.”
Curtis, who was standing in the corner of the clean house, heard every word of their conversation.
“Rayna, you need to rest,” said Curtis.
Packing her things into her bag, Rayna responded coolly, “Yes, but not here. Thank you for taking me in last night. I won’t forget this favor I owe you.”
She got up to leave, but Curtis had no intention of moving aside. “Rayna, we need to talk,” he said with a grim expression.
“We have nothing to talk about.” Rayna gazed directly at him; her eyes were cold with no emotions. “Mr. Faymon, we can’t return to the past. I’m not a child you can coax with some sweets. Anyway, I’ll be in Norwal City before it’s time to give birth. Even so, it has nothing to do with you.”
Chapter 556
Curtis felt as if someone was gripping his heart when he heard the determination in her tone. It felt extremely uncomfortable.
Seeing he was not moving, Rayna walked around him and toward the door.
As she was putting on her shoes, Lucky scampered over and nuzzled its head against her leg.
“It’s been a while, Lucky.” Rayna patted its head, realizing it had become more majestic after not seeing it for some time.
If not for this dog, I would’ve fallen down the elevator last time.
Rayna pecked Lucky on the head and smiled lightly. “Be good. I’ll visit you next time.”
In the meantime, Curtis turned around and watched Rayna interact with Lucky by the door.
The difference in treatment upset him. She always gives me a stern look, but she’s all smiles when faced with a dog.
His gaze darkened as he suddenly thought of something. At that, he walked toward the door and said to her, “Take it with you.”
“No thanks. I don’t know how to take care of a dog,” Rayna refused.
“You don’t even mind taking care of a cat that sheds fur all the time. Taking care of a dog can’t be any harder. Besides, Carl loves it. Take Lucky with you so it can keep him company. You don’t let Carl come to my place, anyway.” Curtis patted Lucky’s head.
After a brief pause, Curtis added, “You’ll be busy these days, and so will I. And since Kristie will have to stay in the hospital, Carl won’t have anyone to keep him company at home. It won’t do any harm if he has a pet to play with him during that time.”
While Rayna was still pondering about it, Curtis had already put the leash on Lucky and handed it to her. “I’ll get Gabriel to send several bags of dog food over tomorrow.”
At the thought of Carl, Rayna finally gave in. She took the leash from Curtis’ hand and said, “Thank you, Mr. Faymon.”
“You’re welcome. In fact, I’ve got to thank you for helping me take care of my dog, too,” Curtis responded with a faint smile.
As Rayna stepped out of the house with Lucky, she saw a car approach and pull over at the entrance.
Seeing that, she descended the steps and hurried over. “Jefferson.”
Jefferson flung the door open and made his way to her, pulling her into his embrace after making sure she was fine. “I’ve been so worried about you. Thank goodness you’re all right,” he said while kissing the top of her head.
“I’m really fine.” Rayna flashed him a smile.
Suddenly, she felt a chill on her back, as if someone was watching her.
At that, she gave Jefferson a slight push. “Let’s get into the car first. I’ll tell you everything later.”
“All right.” Jefferson walked over to open the door to the backseat.
As soon as he turned around, a glint flashed across his eyes when he saw Rayna leading a dog behind her. “Isn’t this Mr. Faymon’s dog?”
“Yep. I’m taking it home to let Carl take care of it for the time being.” Rayna removed the dog’s leash and guided it into the car. “I told you about his parents last time.”
Understanding the situation, Jefferson massaged her shoulders and prompted gently, “Go on. Get into the car.”
On the way home, Rayna recounted everything that had happened early that morning. “Sorry for making you worry. I wanted to give you a call when I arrived at the port, but my phone died after it broke,” she said apologetically.
“All that matters is you’re fine. I can’t believe someone’s been secretly keeping tabs on Jessie and planning such a thing. How evil… But don’t you worry, Belle. It’s likely that she’s fine since no body was found. I’ll get Ringo to help find her, including Gianna’s whereabouts.”
“Thank you—”
“Didn’t I say we don’t have to be so courteous between us? Am I your man or some random stranger?” Jefferson cut her off, sounding helpless.
Rayna chuckled and begged jokingly, “All right. It’s my fault. I won’t do it again.”
“As a punishment, you’ll have to make dinner for me tonight.”
“Sure. Anything you want,” Rayna agreed without hesitation.
After exchanging a few words, Jefferson tightened his grip on the steering wheel and asked, “Belle, did Mr. Faymon say anything to you when you left?”
“Yes. He still wanted to talk things out with me, but I declined,” Rayna admitted. She knew he was feeling jealous, so she leaned toward the driver’s seat, raised her hand, and waved dismissively. “Don’t think too much about it. Sure, we didn’t successfully marry, but I’ve accepted a wedding gown and a
ring from you. That alone already defines our relationship. Nothing will ever happen between him and me.”
Jefferson smiled and responded gently, “Yeah. I know.”
Though he was gazing at the road ahead of him, he could not help but recall the full refund of the pink diamond stated on his credit card bill and the incident of not swiping his card when purchasing the wedding gown. The thought of that caused his gaze to darken.
There were too many things to deal with. Hence, Rayna informed Jefferson she would not be going to the office for some time.
Jefferson offered to help but was rejected by Rayna, who told him to manage the company well instead.
After that, Rayna contacted the private investigator she hired back then and bought two pieces of juicy gossip regarding an A-list celebrity at a handsome price. She then arranged for someone to publish them on the internet.
Knowing private investigators were well-connected people, Rayna also sent the same private investigator pictures of Gianna and asked him to look for the latter.
Rayna was aware Curtis had also assigned his men to do the same, but the culprits were too smart and would make things difficult for them in their hunt for Jessica. Therefore, it was better to have more people contributing to the search.
Rayna dealt with every matter on hand in a calm manner.
With the help of money, the news about Jessica murdering someone that was spread all over Twitter and other news portals were quickly overshadowed by entertainment news.
Even the police fell quiet as if they knew nothing about the matter.
One week later, Kristie gave Rayna a call, informing the latter about Wyatt’s speedy recovery. The only problem was that he was still unconscious. The former even asked if Jessica was found, which made Rayna feel distressed all over again.
The problem with the news was already settled. Yet, no matter how many people Rayna and Curtis involved in the search, and no matter how much time was spent, Jessica was still nowhere to be found.
Even the port and other potential areas where the waters could have flowed were searched. Still, they could not find her.
On top of that, they had no leads to Gianna’s whereabouts.
Nonetheless, Rayna knew Kristie was tired from spending much time in the hospital. She did not want to make the latter worry about other things. Thus, Rayna pulled herself together and comforted Kristie, telling the latter to take good care of herself.
She then texted Curtis after ending the call, asking him about Jessica’s whereabouts for the nth time.
Very quickly, Curtis’ reply came, which told her not to worry.
In the beginning, Rayna could still bring herself to trust those words. However, the wait had been more than a week, and there was still no news. Even Jessica’s belongings were not found. The entire situation filled Rayna with anguish.
She even began conjuring gruesome scenes in her mind. Could there be sharks in the water? Maybe Jessie was eaten by one?
Rayna held her forehead, feeling incredibly restless and frustrated.
In the meantime, Carl had taken Lucky out for a run early that morning and even bathed it. Upon returning, he saw Rayna curled on the couch with a gloomy look on her face.
Although so much had happened, Rayna and Curtis had told Carl none of it.
Regardless, Carl noticed Rayna often on the phone at home. Naturally, he figured something had happened based on the conversations.
Seeing Rayna was in a bad mood, Carl scratched his chin and had a sudden idea.
He skipped to the couch and sat beside her. “Ms. Rayna, you’re up early! Why don’t we go out for breakfast today? Then, you can get me a few sets of clothes.”
Tugging at his sports attire, he added, “I’ve been wearing this for over a month.”
Chapter 557
Rayna knew well the furthest Carl had been recently was the residential area where he jogged. Apart from that, he rarely went out. Thus, Rayna guessed he was bored. Smiling, she agreed, “All right. Let’s go shopping today.”
“Hooray!” Carl cheered. He quickly took a shower and changed into a fresh set of clothes.
Rayna was worried some shops would not allow dogs to enter, so she decided to leave Lucky at home.
Soon, Carl and Rayna left the house. As they stood in the elevator, Carl realized her stomach was bulging underneath her shirt. “Ms. Rayna, your stomach looks bigger than before. Are you giving birth soon?” he asked.
“Not so soon. I still have three more months to go.” Rayna caressed her belly.
Only then did she realize it had indeed gotten much bigger. Even the clothes she wore in the past could not conceal her bulging belly anymore.
However, she was still as slim as ever. All the nutrients she consumed were absorbed by the babies.
Rayna lowered her gaze and sighed without realizing it, wondering how Jessica and the baby were doing.
“Stop sighing already, Ms. Rayna. You’ll affect my wife’s appearance. Everyone says babies will be born ugly if the mother’s too depressed,” said Carl seriously.
Rayna side-eyed him. “Exactly how good-looking do you think you are? How dare you be picky?”
“No, no. I’m not being picky. I’m just reminding you to be careful. When you go into labor, I’ll definitely stay by your side and watch my wife come into the world.” Carl grinned while touching her belly.
He sighed and continued enviously, “You’re so lucky to be bearing triplets, Ms. Rayna. How I wish my mommy were as lucky as you. It’s so boring being the only child at home. When Mommy and Daddy are back after finishing their work abroad, I’ll make sure to not pester Mommy. I’ll let them hang out more often so that I’ll finally get some younger siblings.” Carl had already come up with a plan.
His heartwarming wish filled Rayna’s heart with anguish.
However, she had no choice but to suppress those feelings and pat his head with a subtle smile. “They’re really busy with their work, but they never stopped thinking of or loving you.”
Carl thought about it and muttered with a frown, “I can also accept it if they bring back a little sister they gave birth to over there.”
“All right. Let’s stop thinking about that. What do you want to eat later?” Rayna changed the topic, smiling.
“Let’s have pasta. I want lots of grilled chicken, too!”
Carl still remembered how Curtis had played favoritism back then by not giving him a single piece of grilled chicken.
The response sent Rayna bursting into laughter. “Sure.”
The two of them took a cab to the mall and found a restaurant selling pasta on the underground level. Hence, they ordered two portions of pasta and some snacks.
Rayna did not have much of an appetite that day, so she only had some pasta.
After breakfast, she brought him around on a shopping spree, starting from the underground level.
To cheer him up, she bought arcade tokens worth a few hundred at the arcade and played with him to his heart’s content.
Carl was surprisingly great at arcade games. He caught every doll at the claw machine and even won about two hundred tokens with only a few tokens from the token pusher.
They were exhausted after playing all the games there. Not only did they fail to spend a single token from what they originally had, they even won another thousand tokens and a large bag of dolls.
All the tokens were exchanged for cash. Meanwhile, since Carl could not carry such a large bag of dolls home with him, he brought them to the arcade’s entrance and sold them. Sometimes, he would even give out some to others for free.
Rayna, on the other hand, merely watched him the entire time.
She could not help but raise her brow when she saw him smile sweetly at everyone and give the dolls to cute girls for free.
“Look at you, treating everyone so nicely. Will you become a playboy in the future?” she questioned out of nowhere.
“Playboy? What’s a playboy, Ms. Rayna?” Carl looked up at her with a puzzled expression.
In response, Rayna waved her hands to dismiss him. “It’s nothing. I just have a feeling you’ll become a gamer in the future.”
“No way! I want to be like my dad when I grow up. I want to be a soldier!” said Carl firmly.
Rayna put a hand to her forehead, feeling embarrassed.
I must’ve lost my mind just now. Carl’s such a cute and smart boy. Just look at how determined he looked when he announced his desire to be a soldier in the future. He’ll grow to be a man who spoils his girlfriend. There’s no way he’ll fool around.
Soon, Carl sold off the bag of dolls and earned another few hundred. At that, Rayna gave him the one thousand they had exchanged using the tokens and let him spend the money however he wanted.
Upon reaching the children’s clothing store, Rayna helped him to pick a few sets of clothes.
It was already two o’clock in the afternoon by the time they exited the mall. Rayna was rather tired, but she felt happy to see Carl in a good mood.
“Let’s go to a Horbanian restaurant to have lunch. Then, we can go to wherever you want.”
To her surprise, Carl shook his head. “Let’s go home after lunch. You’re still pregnant. You must be tired after being out for such a long time.”
Rayna was moved to see how thoughtful the little boy was of her.
However, that feeling only lasted for less than three seconds as Carl scratched his chin and went on, “Maybe the game will be done updating when we arrive home. Let’s see if I can reach level ten.”
Upon hearing that, Rayna twitched the corners of her lips in amusement.
There was a Horbanian restaurant near the mall. Rayna brought Carl inside and found a table for both of them.
The moment she flipped open the menu, she saw the words “ice cream” on it, which made her salivate. Hence, she ordered a portion of the ice cream and waited for Carl to finish placing his order before returning the menu to the server.
“I need to go to the restroom.”
Carl waved his hand. “Sure. I’ll watch over the stuff.”
As soon as Rayna left, Carl pulled out his phone and sent Curtis a text using WhatsApp. It read: Mr. Curtis, are you available?
Curtis’ reply came almost instantly: What’s up?
Seeing that, Carl took pictures of the new clothes and Rayna’s bag on the chair and sent them to Curtis, followed by another text: I noticed Ms. Rayna was in a bad mood today, so I brought her out to take a break. Am I a good boy?
Curtis: You are, but her body can’t take it if you shop for too long. She’s pregnant, remember?
Carl: I know. We’ll be going home after our lunch. By the way, Mr. Curtis, what’s a playboy?
However, there was no reply from Curtis for some time after Carl sent out that text.
Noting that, Carl asked: Why aren’t you replying to me?
Curtis had no choice but to reply: Why are you asking me this? What did Rayna tell you?
Thus, Carl told Curtis everything that had happened that day, including the fact that Rayna brought him to an arcade and the part where he sold the dolls.
Curtis, who was in Faymon Group’s building, felt relief wash over him when he read the text.
He thought Rayna had another problem with him.
Curtis: Oh, it’s nothing. You’ll be fine as long as you don’t become a gamer in the future.
Carl stared at Curtis’ reply in confusion, scratching his head.
Ms. Rayna says I might become a gamer, but Mr. Curtis doesn’t want me to become one. This is so weird. Why are they saying different things?
In the meantime, Rayna walked down the corridor at the far end of the restaurant and pushed open the door of the restroom.
She was quite exhausted from the long shopping session. Hence, she did not notice that someone had been following her.
The moment she stepped into the restroom, the sound of footsteps and the slamming of the door sounded behind her. It gave her a terrible fright.
As soon as she turned around, she saw a figure lunge toward her.
“Rayna, return my child to me!” screamed the person while holding a gleaming knife.
Since Rayna was pregnant, it made moving around difficult for her. Even so, her reflexes were still quick.
When the assailant lunged at Rayna, she grabbed a mop from the pail nearby and swung it at the person’s legs.
The assailant was instantly caught off guard and fell face down, crashing heavily on the tiles.
While the assailant was still on the ground, Rayna hurriedly made a beeline for the door and reached out for the lock before she even arrived.
To her dismay, the door did not unlock after several pulls.
The restroom door’s lock was an older version that required users to pull at the lock. Unfortunately, the spring in the lock had rusted and caused the lock cylinder to be stuck. It made it difficult for Rayna to open it.
Chapter 560
Selena traced her finger down Rayna’s tummy as she said, “You should worry about yourself, Rayna! Judging by the size of your tummy, you must be pretty far along, huh? Well, guess what? You’ll get to see your babies soon! Aren’t you excited?”
Rayna glared daggers at her as she yelled, “You’re crazy!”
“Yes, I am, and it’s all your fault! You’re the one who drove me crazy! It was you who took my baby from me!” Selena snapped back at her while pressing hard on Rayna’s tummy.
Rayna found herself suffocating from the sudden pressure on her stomach.
She could definitely tell that her babies were suffering as well.
Feeling satisfied with Rayna’s anguished expression, Selena broke into a sadistic smile and pressed down even harder. She was determined to torture Rayna as much as possible.
Suddenly, one of the men walked up to her and said, “Miss, you have a call from Mr. Nicholson.”
Selena had no choice but to let go of Rayna and answer the phone. “Hey, Dad!” she said in the gentlest voice possible.
A few seconds later, she continued, “Some thugs tried to bully me while I was eating at the restaurant earlier, so I got scared and fired my gun. Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll join you and Mom for dinner at home later.”
After ending the call, Selena turned around and waved the phone at Rayna. “Did you hear that? Bringing you here and torturing you to death is as easy as squashing a bug! Curtis is just a businessman, so there’s not much he can do here in Norwal City. He wouldn’t dare lay a finger on me even if I kill you right now!” she said with a crazed smile.
Even the businessman with the largest network in the corporate world would still be powerless against the military and the government. Curtis may be good at making money, but that’s all he can do!
With that in mind, Selena stared Rayna down as she continued, “You have only yourself to blame for choosing the wrong person to mess with!”
Rayna was struggling just to breathe, so she didn’t say anything in response.
I don’t know if Curtis will see my GPS signal and show up in time to rescue us, but I don’t have the time to wait and find out. Selena has clearly lost her mind. I need to find a way to get myself and Carl out of here before she does anything further!
After waiting around for a bit, Selena asked the man again, “Where’s the doctor? Why is he taking so long?”
The man quickly made a phone call to check on the doctor.
Feeling a little better with the pressure being lifted off her tummy, Rayna slowly moved herself toward Carl and sneakily untied him.
She then slipped the ring onto his finger and whispered, “If you press the handbag on the ring, it’ll fire a little needle that can knock someone out in an instant.”
Carl nodded in acknowledgement.
Noticing that they were being very close to each other, one of the men pointed his gun at Carl and ordered, “Move away from her!”
“I’m not feeling well. I need to use the restroom.” Rayna’s face was already pale, so she didn’t need to put up much of an act.
The man went up to Selena and said, “Miss, that woman says she needs to use the restroom.”
“Nonsense! Tell her to hold it in!” Selena replied in annoyance.
“I’m not feeling so good, Ms. Young. Please don’t let me use the restroom. I don’t want to cause a mess here…” Rayna pleaded weakly.
Selena could barely stand being in the abandoned nursing home, which was filthy and stinky due to its state of neglect.
The mere thought of how Rayna would worsen the place if she defecated later disgusted her to the core. She then walked up to Rayna, dragged her violently across the corridor, and shoved he into a restroom cubicle.
Due to the restroom being damp throughout the year, there was moss growing everywhere.
Rayna had to be extra careful when walking for fear of slipping and falling down.
After glancing about, her gaze fell upon a container that was filled with water.
The pipe on the wall had cracked, so filthy water kept dripping into the container.
After checking the distance between them and the container, an idea began to form in Rayna’s head.
“I can’t lift my skirt with my hands tied. Could you do it for me?” Rayna asked when they stopped in front of a toilet.
“What a pain!” Selena exclaimed with a gloomy look on her face as she lowered her head.
Right when Selena was about to lift Rayna’s skirt, Rayna slammed her forehead into Selena’s nose as hard as she could.
As Selena was knocked back by a few steps, she slipped on the moss and fell into the container.
Before Selena even realized what was going on, Rayna had lunged forward and jumped on top of her.
By placing her entire body weight on Selena, Rayna was able to press her head into the filthy water.
Selena flailed her arms frantically as she tried to get up but to no avail. She then grabbed hold of Rayna’s hair and tugged at it as hard as she could.
Despite having a huge chunk of her hair ripped out, Rayna simply clenched her teeth and continued pressing Selena’s head down in the water.
She knew full well that she had to do so in order to protect herself and Carl.
Rayna didn’t dare let go of Selena even when the latter’s struggles gradually weakened.
She was about to apply more pressure to Selena’s head when a loud bang echoed throughout the bathroom. The next thing Rayna knew, a sharp pain was tearing through her leg. It was so intense that she nearly fainted on the spot.
Someone then grabbed Rayna by the back of her neck and yanked her off Selena. “Ow!” she groaned in pain when she was thrown to the floor.
“Miss! Miss!” the man shouted while pulling Selena’s head out of the container. He then gave her a few pumps on the chest, causing her to cough up a huge mouthful of filthy water.
After taking a moment to catch her breath, Selena turned toward Rayna and shouted angrily, “How dare you try to kill me?”
She then shoved the man off her and demanded, “Give me the gun!”
The man did as told and handed Selena his gun.
Having been shot in the calf, Rayna was in so much pain that her arms felt like jelly, and she couldn’t even sit up straight.
Fear and panic filled her eyes when she saw Selena point the gun at her and cock the hammer.
However, there was nothing she could do except close her eyes and accept her fate.
Selena burst out laughing maniacally when she saw the look of despair on Rayna’s face.
Suddenly, the guy next to Selena felt a sharp pain in his gut as he was sent flying toward the wall.
A figure then lunged at Selena and twisted her wrist, pointing the gun at the man lying on the ground.
In her state of panic, Selena squeezed the trigger by accident, firing a bullet straight into that man’s chest.
Before she even realized what was happening, she had been pinned to the floor with the tip of the gun pressing hard against her chest.
Bang!
The figure opened fire on her chest at point-blank range, causing some of her blood to spray onto his gloomy-looking face.
“Y-You…” Selena’s eyes went wide with disbelief as she stared at the figure, who turned out to be Curtis. What the… I can’t believe this… Did Curtis just kill me?
Selena had stopped breathing the moment the bullet went through her chest.
Curtis calmly tossed the gun aside and ran over to help Rayna up.
His hands began to tremble when he saw the wound on her calf and tried to treat it.
Had he arrived just a second later, Rayna would probably have been shot.
After bandaging the wound on her leg, Curtis touched her arm and asked, “Are you okay?”
Rayna was in so much shock that she just kept shivering while in a dazed state.
Curtis felt his heart ache when he saw the blank look in her eyes. “I’m sorry I was late, but you’re fine now. Look at me, Rayna.”
As Rayna slowly came back to her senses, she was finally able to get a clear look at Curtis’ face.
“I… I…” Rayna burst out crying all of a sudden, “What took you so long? I’ve never been this scared my entire life! I seriously thought I was done for!”
She wasn’t this scared even when an assassin broke into her room when she was in Tyrandas with Curtis.