Ch. 681..690

Chapter 681: I Will Go With You Guys

No sooner had their words been uttered than a black car pulled up in front of the studio.

Immediately after that, Caesar's figure appeared in their sight.

Elaine hopped and waved at him, "Uncle Caesar."

Caesar smiled and walked over, then looked at Sherry and asked, "Elaine, who is this?"

Elaine responded, "This is Sherry. She is Stella's friend."

Caesar nodded at Sherry. He did not greet her much and said to Elaine, "Elaine, let's go."

Elaine took a step back and shook her head, "I have to ask my father first but he didn't answer my call. Uncle, can we leave next morning?"

Hearing this, Caesar froze, "What's wrong, didn't we agree this afternoon? Or do you think I'll hurt you?"

No, no, I just think that it's inappropriate to leave like this. I should tell my father first, so as not to worry him.

Caesar advised gently, "I'll instantly contact your father when we arrive, is that okay?"

Sherry pulled Elaine to her side, "Mr. James, just wait for one more night, so that both Elaine and her father can rest assured."

Caesar looked at her, pushed his glasses and said indifferently, "The current situation is unstable. If we delay for a night, bad things might happen tomorrow." Elaine said, "Then let me call my father again. He may pick up..."

As she spoke and just after she fished out her phone, several cars with high speed suddenly came over to the roadside and surrounded the studio.

Almost simultaneously, Maxwell and his men immediately got out of the car to stop these people.

When Caesar saw this, he held Elaine's hand and said urgently, "Elaine, let's leave here first."

Before Elaine could speak, she was yanked forward by him and her phone fell to the ground.

Sherry looked around and felt that she could not just let Elaine be taken away by him, so she hurriedly followed and got in Caesar's car.

The scene was so chaotic that it was not Maxwell and his men who stopped the group of people, but rather, it was the group of people who were blocking the path between Maxwell and Elaine.

Their people could not get through and when they saw Elaine being brought to the car, he quickly said, "Follow that car closely!"

But, the other party was obviously prepared. By the time they broke out of the crowd, Caesar's car had already disappeared.

The black car was speeding on the road. Elaine and Sherry were sitting in the back. Both of them were scared and holding each other's hands.

Caesar took a glance through the rear-view mirror, "They are not following us for now. We're safe now."

At this moment, Elaine's entire scalp was numb. When one was in extreme danger, one would always unconsciously seek security, especially when this person was the closest to her. She swallowed her saliva and was overcome with fright, "Caesar, what should we do now?"

Don't worry, I'll take you out of City N now. As long as we leave City N, they won't be able to catch up.

Elaine was a bit bewildered, "We leave... City N now?"

Caesar was gripping the steering wheel, "Yes."

Sherry's voice sounded, "I can contact a friend. He can protect us."

Whilst saying this, she opened her bag and took out her phone. She found Emmett's number but before she could dial it, Caesar slammed on the brakes out of the blue.

Sherry was not prepared and due to the inertia, her entire person lunged forward and the phone also fell to the seat below.

Elaine also embraced the seat, "Caesar, what's wrong?"

Caesar took a glance through the rear-view mirror, "Nothing, I saw a wild cat jumping out at the front just now. It has already run away."

The car started to move on the road again.

Sherry bent her body sideways, groping for the phone but she felt wetness under her skirt.

She froze and raised her hand. Her palm was smeared with blood.

When Elaine saw this, she was appalled. She quickly exclaimed, "Uncle Caesar, Caesar! Caesar! Drive to the hospital!"

Caesar gripped the steering wheel and his voice was with some coldness, "Cannot."

Sherry is bleeding. She's pregnant...

Before Elaine's words were uttered completely, the screeching sound of brakes sounded outside the car.

About seven or eight cars forced them to come to a halt.

Sherry once again hit the back of the seat.

Elaine scrambled to help her, "Sherry, how...how do you feel?”

Sherry covered her abdomen with her hand and her face looked pale. She gripped Elaine's hand tightly, "I'm...fine. You go! Run!"

Just after Elaine helped Sherry to get out of the car, she saw people walking towards them from all directions and surrounding them.

She suppressed her trembling voice, "Who...who are you?"

The man who was the leader answered, "Ms. James, we're here to send you back to Riverside City."

You...you're lying!

The man was expressionless and merely said, "We don't intend to hurt Ms. James but if you intend to resist, we'll have no way even though we may hurt you. So, please cooperate with us, Ms. James, so as not to suffer."

When Elaine was about to reply, Sherry spoke next to her with difficulty, "Don't be afraid. It will be fine when Maxwell and his men arrive."

Elaine could not help but look down. Sherry's dress was already stained with blood.

It would be too late if she still did not go to the hospital.

Tears welled up in Elaine's eyes. She sniffed and sobbed out, "I'll go with you but your target is me. You mustn't hurt my uncle and Sherry!"

Hearing this, the man who was the head looked at Caesar behind her and could not help but laugh, “Sure."

Elaine added, "Then you guys...you guys take Sherry to the hospital now. When we arrive at the hospital, I'll go with you!"

Sherry grabbed her, "Elaine, you can't go with them. It's dangerous..."

Elaine whispered, "Sherry, don't worry. I'll find a chance to escape. Moreover, they're using me to threaten my father and my great grandfather, so they won't hurt me."

After saying that, she shouted to them again, "I want to take Sherry to the hospital, hurry up!"

The man who was the head did not have any reaction and just commanded his men, "Take Ms. James to the car."

Instantaneously, two people came and pulled Elaine.

Elaine struggled hard, "I said I agreed to your terms, but I want to go to the hospital first!!!"

When Ms. James has left with us, someone will take her to the hospital.

Amid the chaos, Sherry tried to help Elaine but was pushed to the ground.

Elaine's eyes reddened as she watched this scene, "Sherry!"

She kicked and bit the two men who were pulling her but she still could not break free.

When Elaine was taken away, she looked back and saw Caesar standing quietly beside the car. Her eyes lit up as if she suddenly saw the hope. She shouted, "Uncle! Uncle! Send Sherry to the hospital!" However, Caesar was just standing there without moving.000☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐

Chapter 682: As Cute As Ever

After Elaine was forcibly taken away by the car, everything returned to normal.

Those people also left quickly.

Caesar turned his head and looked at Sherry who had fainted on the roadside. While he was about to leave, dozens of headlights suddenly beamed behind him.

Caesar slightly narrowed his eyes, walked to Sherry and carried her in his arms and walked to the middle of the road.

The next second, the black car stopped in front of them. Maxwell hurriedly got out of the car.

Caesar said, "Quickly send her to the hospital. She may have a miscarriage if it's too late."

Seeing this, Maxwell hurriedly took Sherry and asked at the same time, "Where is Ms. James?" Caesar frowned, "I failed to protect Elaine well. She was taken away by them."

Maxwell said to the people in the car next to him, "Keep chasing, don't let them leave City N."

After saying that, he quickly carried Sherry into the car and drove to the nearest hospital.

Caesar looked at the cars heading ahead and thought for a few seconds. He then drove and followed Maxwell.

Meanwhile, in London.

Stella was packing her things after having lunch.

After they went to the hospital later, they would directly go back to City N at night.

For some reason, the number of things they needed to pack now was twice as much as what they first brought here, which took up a total of five suitcases.

In addition to clothes, she also brought a lot of gifts for each person.

Those were for Sherry, Channing, Winnie, Elaine and even Nathan.

It was 3 p.m. after Stella finished packing up these things.

She pushed all the suitcases to the door and clapped her hand, "Okay, let's go."

Clarence said, "Those who don't know might think you're a purchasing agent."

She harrumphed slightly, "People like you who don't have friends won't understand."

Hearing this, Clarence froze and did not continue this topic.

Stella remembered Vincent. Since Noah was sick, Vincent had never appeared again.

She digressed from this topic, "Okay, okay. We shall go now."

After arriving at the hospital, she saw that William's face looked much better than yesterday and he looked quite energetic.

Outside the door, many senior executives of the company wanted to see him but they were all stopped outside by the assistant.

Seeing Stella and Clarence go in, someone could not help but mutter.

They all questioned Clarence's eligibility to handle all the things of the company for William in the past two weeks.

Although Complex Corporation and Conrad Group had collaboration before, it was unprecedented that any partner would cooperate to this extent.

The assistant explained while smiling, "The person just now is William's daughter and Mr. Conrad is William's future son-in-law."

The group of people was astounded, "When did William have a daughter?"

That's a long story.

Whist they were talking outside the ward, Stella entered the ward and saw that William was flipping through something.

Stella walked over, "What are you looking at?"

William raised his head and smiled at her. He handed over the thing in his hand.

It was a thick photo album.

Stella turned over a page. The first page was a photo of William and her mother.

It was just that at that time, William in the photo was still Charles and he was having the exact same face as Lyndon.

She flipped a few more pages. There was a new-born little girl among them.

While Stella was looking at it, William said, "After the explosion, there was nothing left in the Stewards' Mansion. These photos were developed from Mr. Thomas' film." Stella asked, "Are you close to Mr. Thomas?"

Your mother was Mr. Thomas's student while the Steward family and the Thomas family have been friends for generations. Mr. Thomas was like an uncle to me to some extent. After the plane crash of my parents that year, Mr. Thomas really missed these two previous friends so I gave him a copy of all the films in my house but I never thought that it would end up actually helping myself. "My mother is...beautiful."

William slowly said, "You and your mother look very similar. Your personalities are also alike."

Stella closed the photo album and spoke after quite a while, "Sorry."

Hearing this, William was slightly stunned, probably a little puzzled.

Stella lowered her head, "I knew the truth about the past and I knew you were my father but I still chose to sidestep at that time and pretend that nothing had happened."

William responded, "You don't have to blame yourself. I know what you're thinking. After so many years, I haven't been able to do my part as a father and eventually, I even had to leave you to deal with the mess of Steward Group and be in danger. I should be the one who says sorry."

No... Steward Group's troubles were something that I volunteered to deal with. I felt that I couldn't just contemplate my own navel and take no responsibility.

You've done a great job. Without you, Steward Group wouldn't be like this today.

Being complimented like that, Stella was a little embarrassed. She touched her nose, "Then when do you...intend to go back to City N?"

William answered, "I'll when I get to find Daniel and finish dealing with the things here. If it could finish quickly, I'll go back within six months but if things go slowly, it may take two to three years." Stella said, "Daniel..."

He'll be fine, William added, "I've heard about what happened between him and your friend. During his absence, if your friend has any needs, I'll try my best to fulfil them."

The two of them chatted for the whole afternoon. Before leaving, Stella asked, "Can I take this album with me?"

William nodded, "You can take it. I have a backup here."

Stella held the photo album and her mouth curled into a smile, "Then I'll leave first, have a good rest... Dad."

Hearing this, William was stunned and didn't know how to react for the moment.

After saying that, Stella turned around and trotted away.

William watched her back and could not help but smile.

When Stella came out of the ward, the senior executives of the company who had gathered here had already left. Only Clarence was there.

Stella asked, "When did you come out?"

Clarence kept the phone and put it in his pant pocket, "Seeing you guys talking, I couldn't get into the conversation so I came out."

Stella's face was beaming with smile. She patted the photo album in her arms, "I'll show you later on the plane. I was especially cute when I was a child." Clarence's lips curled. He rubbed her head, "You're just as cute as ever."

Stella's face blushed slightly upon hearing his words. She looked around and was relieved that no one was nearby to hear them.

She said, "It's already dark. Let's go."

Clarence glanced at the time, "Do you want to go and eat something?"

No, let's eat on the plane later.

They had been out for a month. Thinking that they were going back soon, she was quite happy.

After Stella had just taken a few steps, her wrist was held by someone.

She turned her head and asked, "What's wrong?"

Clarence stared at her and his thin lips were slightly pursed. After a few seconds, he said, "I have something to tell you."

Seeing Clarence's tense expression, the smile on Stella's face faded away. She asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Chapter 683: What Was Going on Yesterday

It was at ten-thirty in the morning. The private plane landed in City N.

Stella and Clarence went straight to the hospital.

Maxwell, Channing and Caesar were all outside the hospital.

Stella walked over quickly and asked in a low voice, "How is it going?"

Maxwell said, "The surgery has been done, but she...hasn't woken up yet."

What did the doctor say?

The doctor said...Ms. Perry was bleeding profusely when she was admitted to the hospital.... If she had any delay, it would be difficult even to save the adult.

Stella closed her eyes while shivering in fear.

She did not say anything. She just opened the door gently and went into the ward.

Clarence glanced at Maxwell, "Have you found Elaine?"

Maxwell shook his head, "We have already blocked every exit of City N. They can't get out. What's more...they don't seem to have intended to leave City N in the first place. So, we're going in the wrong direction."

At this moment, a voice was heard next to him, "It's my fault. If I have brought Elaine away earlier, all these things won't happen."

Clarence turned around and looked at him.

Since Caesar had carried Sherry just now, his shirt was stained with quite a lot of blood. He looked a bit untidy without his usual courteous appearance.

Caesar was sincere and did not avoid having eye contact with Clarence when Clarence was looking at him seriously.

In the ward, Stella sobbed while looking at Sherry who was lying on the hospital bed. She burst into tears while biting the back of her hand to avoid making any sound. Apparently, Sherry was still fine when she called her yesterday.

Sherry had gone for a pregnancy check-up a few days ago. The doctor claimed that the baby in her belly was very healthy.

However, it had only been a night...

The sunlight shone in through the window, brightening up the entire ward.

The person on the bed made a slight move.

Stella hurriedly wiped off the tears on her face and walked over to her. She whispered, "Sherry, Sherry."

Sherry opened her eyes weakly and looked around. Then, she only saw Stella who was in front of her and grinned, "Stella, you're back."

Stella nodded, "I'm back. How are you now? Do you feel uncomfortable? I ask the doctor to come over and take a look."

It hurts...

Where does it hurt?

Sherry mumbled, "I don't know. I just feel that my entire body hurts."

Stella said softly, "I will find a doctor then."

She pressed the call bell near the hospital bed after saying that.

Sherry held her hand tightly as she mumbled with her dry lips, "Stella...am I...am I..."

She repeated several times but failed to utter those last few words.

Stella sat by the bed while holding her hand. Before she could say anything, tears dropped from her eyes. Sherry looked up but she was not too emotional. She said slowly, "I actually felt it. From the car to the hospital and then to the surgery room, I could feel the baby was losing his life gradually. But I couldn't do anything to stop it."

Stella stroked her hair gently. She sobbed sadly, "Don't think about this anymore. Get well first."

Sherry slowly closed her eyes. She buried her face in the pillow while weeping quietly.

Soon, the doctor came in and examined Sherry.

Her current condition was quite normal since she had just gone through surgery. Even though she had a miscarriage that was not so serious, still she had to recuperate well by avoiding moist, breeze and spicy food.

The doctor was experienced and advised Sherry, "You're still young. When you get well, you still can get a baby."

After a while, she only uttered, "There won't be any afterwards."

She and Daniel had to deal with each other because of this unexpected baby. The baby was gone now, so they would not have to live together anymore.

The doctor sighed helplessly after hearing that. Then, she gave Stella some advice before leaving.

Stella said after the doctor had left, "Sherry, what do you want to eat? I'll go buy it for you."

Sherry looked at her, "I want to eat your home-cooked food."

Stella nodded, "Alright. Wait for a while. I will make it and send it over soon. Clarence is just outside. If you need help, just call him."

Sherry replied in a hushed voice, "I reckon I might do better with myself here alone."

Stella smiled gently, "Channing is outside too. Is it okay to let him stay here with you?"

Sherry shook her head, "Just let them all leave. It's not that big a deal. But it's a bit scary to have them all waiting outside."

Stella wondered, "Then I will let them all go back. If there's anything, just call the nurse."

Stella tucked Sherry in bed before leaving. She leaned against the door and sighed after she had come out of the ward.

Channing approached her and asked, "How is she now?"

Stella was not quite sure where to start. She just said, "Let her stay alone for a while."

After pausing for a moment, she continued, "Where are Clarence and the others?"

They have just gone out.

Stella said, "I need to go home for a while. Go find a female nurse and tell her to stand by. Tell her to assist Sherry if Sherry needs help."

You can leave too after the nurse has come.

Channing nodded his head.

As Stella walked out of the hospital, she called Clarence and informed him that she was going home to cook.

Clarence said, "Maxwell is right outside. Ask him to drop you off."

Stella did not refuse, "Alright."

Just when Stella walked out of the hospital, Maxwell was approaching her, "Ms. Radomil."

On the way back, Stella said, "Did you follow Sherry and Elaine all the way yesterday?"

Maxwell said, "Yes."

What was going on yesterday? Tell me about it.

Yesterday afternoon, Caesar came to find Ms. James once. I didn't know what exactly they were talking about. But when the studio was closed at night, neither Ms. James nor Ms. Perry left. When she saw that Ms. James hadn't left, she just asked her something. Ms. James said that she didn't want to get you guys involved. So, she planned to leave City N with Caesar.

After roughly retelling the conversation between Sherry and Elaine, Maxwell continued, “When Caesar had arrived shortly, a group of people rushed out all of the sudden. We immediately stopped them but Caesar had brought Ms. James and Ms. Perry away in the chaos. When we went after them, we saw Caesar carrying Ms. Perry and he was about to send her to the hospital."

Stella said, "Where is Elaine now? Is there any news about her?"

Not yet. But certainly, the group of people who took her with them hasn't left City N.

Stella pursed her lips, "How did Caesar describe the incident last night?"

He claimed that he was taking Ms. James and Sherry away when there was a danger. But he didn't expect to be intercepted by that group of people. Sherry was trying to protect Ms. James, so that's why...00000000000

Chapter 684: It Would Be A New Beginning

Anybody who listened to it would realize his words were very suspicious.

Maxwell said, "Ms. Radomil, don't worry. Mr. Conrad is already investigating this incident. Caesar is now under our surveillance." Stella nodded and leaned against the car window. She was looking at the scenery outside the window.

She asked Maxwell to drop her at the supermarket near her apartment. She wanted to buy some groceries before going back home. By the time she finished cooking, it was already one o'clock at noon.

Stella had prepared some fish soup and two other dishes. Then, she put them into the food containers and rushed back to the hospital. Upon her arrival, the nurse was sitting there outside the ward.

Stella walked over and whispered, "How is she now?"

The nurse shook her head, "I heard her crying quietly all the time. So, I didn't go in."

Stella pursed her lips and said to the nurse, "Thank you for your help. You can go and rest now. I will contact you if I need your help." "Okay."

She had already paid for the nurse. She just let the nurse have a rest since there was nothing she could help with either.

After the nurse had left, Stella stood outside the door for a few minutes and took a deep breath. She knocked on the door, "Sherry, I'm coming in." After saying that, she purposely waited for a minute before entering the ward.

In the ward, Sherry had already calmed herself down. Apart from her red swollen eyes, she looked fine.

As she watched Stella opening the food container, she took a sniff, "What did you cook. It smells so nice."

Stella put all the food out from the container on the overbed table, "All your favourites."

Sherry picked up her chopsticks, "Wow, it looks really tasty."

Stella sat next to her, "What else do you want to eat tonight?"

Sherry said while eating, "I will just have the meal prepared by the hospital tonight. I don't want you to run back and forth. It's too troublesome." "There's nothing troublesome. Didn't you stay with me too when I was hospitalized?" Stella said, "Eat quickly. Don't wait until it gets cold."

Sherry did not say anything. She lowered her head and drank the soup.

Even though she did not have an appetite, still she managed to eat as much as she could.

After Sherry finished eating, she lay on the bed while rubbing her stomach. She was satisfied, "It's really delicious. Stella, your cooking skill is getting even better." "I will make it for you again tonight."

Okay. I should find a menu and order one by one. Such deal doesn't come around often.

Stella tidied and packed her food container, "You can think of what you want to eat first. I will go and wash the dishes."

When Stella came back after five minutes, she saw Sherry staring blankly on the bed. She wondered what she was thinking about.

Stella approached her and asked, "What's wrong?"

Sherry regained her sense and said, "I might have...dropped my phone on Caesar's car."

While saying that, Sherry asked hurriedly, "How is Elaine now? Has she been found?"

Stella said, "She is not found yet. But they still haven't left City N."

Stella poured her a glass of water, "Sherry, do you still remember what happened last night after you two had left?"

Sherry nodded, "I wanted to call Emmett but Caesar suddenly braked the car. So, I dropped my phone. He said that there was a wild cat in front of the car. Then..." "What happened then?"

Then, Elaine noticed that I was bleeding. So, she asked Caesar to send me to the hospital.

As Sherry said, she frowned and recalled carefully, "It was an emergency but Caesar didn't take it seriously. At that moment, those people chased after us and stopped our car. I told Elaine to escape quickly..." "They said they had come here to bring Elaine back to Riverside City. Elaine claimed that she would go with them if they let go of Caesar and me. After a short while, somebody came and dragged Elaine away. Then, I was pushed onto the ground. I don't remember what happened afterwards since I was unconscious."

Stella frowned, "What was Caesar doing when Elaine was taken away by them?"

Sherry thought for a while but could not recall it already. She rubbed her temples and said, "The scene was too chaotic. My attention was all on Elaine. I didn't even pay much attention to Caesar. But when I was unconscious, I heard her keep yelling at her uncle to send me to the hospital. Was he the one who sent me here?"

Stella said, "Maxwell said that when they arrived, they saw Caesar carrying you and was about to send you to the hospital."

Sherry said, "There shouldn't be any problem then. I did think her uncle was weird before that and I wasn't sure about letting Elaine go with him. But now, it seems that he is fine."

Stella handed a glass of water to her, "Take a rest for a while."

Sherry drank the water and said, "Stella, where's the present you have brought for me?"

It's in the car. I will go and bring it here for you later.

Sherry hugged her arm and acted cute, "You're the best. I want you to stay here with me for the next few days. I want to hire you from Mr. Conrad."

Stella smiled, "Alright, I will stay with you."

Sherry said, "Then go and get me my present. I will take a nap first. Hopefully, I will be surprised when I wake up."

Stella nodded gently, "I will be back soon."

Go ahead. I'm sleepy after eating. I need to sleep now.

Only when the door to the ward was closed, Sherry dropped her smile. She lay on the bed while staring at the window blankly.

Sherry knew that Stella was blaming herself and felt guilty about her miscarriage.

If she kept refusing Stella's company, it would only make Stella feel even more upset.

At this moment, it would be better to let her help with everything so that she could feel that she was needed. In this case, she would not feel so guilty.

Sherry closed her eyes and prepared to sleep.

Since the past is irrevocable, then...let bygones be bygones.

After waking up from sleep, it would be a new beginning.

When she arrived at the entrance of the hospital, Stella had no idea which car the luggage was actually placed in.

Ever since she knew that something had happened to Sherry, she had been in a trance on the way back. If Clarence did not lead her, she might not even be able to find the hospital entrance. The sun was scorching hot in the afternoon. She felt dizzy and could hardly open her eyes.

Stella was slightly staggering and she almost fell.

Clarence held her shoulder and said softly, "What are you looking for?"

Stella said, "Our luggage... The present I brought for Sherry is inside."

Go and eat first. I will ask Maxwell to get it.

No way. Sherry is alone in the ward, I...

Clarence said, "You haven't eaten anything since last night. If you faint, do you want me to take care of her?"

She gave in since eating was equally important.

They sat down in a restaurant. Clarence served some soup for Stella, "Eat and sleep before you return there. I have assigned somebody to monitor at the ward."

Stella remained silent for a few seconds before she whispered, "I think there's something wrong with Caesar."00000☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐

Chapter 685: Attitude

Clarence put the soup in front of her and said leisurely, "Tell me."

Stella said, "Yesterday he went to the studio at noon. He was telling Elaine that he was going to take her and leave City N, and that she shouldn't tell us. She didn't want to bother us. After all, he was her most trusted and closest person, and plus she didn't want to bring any trouble to us. So of course, she thought that his words made sense."

Caesar and Elaine agreed that he would pick her up at 8pm, to bring her to a safer place. Caesar, as Elaine's uncle, seemed not out of place to be doing so. Even though they were in my studio at that time, he was Elaine's uncle, so I didn't know what reason I should have stopped him for.

The strange thing about it is that Caesar purposely went at noon to tell Elaine about it. Even though he knew that City N was dangerous, however, he didn't take her away at that time. Instead, he told her to wait until 8pm. But Sherry learnt about this and convinced Elaine to stay in City N first instead of going with Caesar.

Not long after Caesar arrived, which was around 8 o'clock, those people came. That means that even if Sherry didn't make Elaine stay, when Caesar took her away, there was no way for them not to bump into those people on the way out. Coincidentally, according to what Maxwell said, if those people hadn't appeared suddenly, Caesar would have no chance to get Elaine out in the chaos with Maxwell and his man on the spot.

My guess is, Caesar knew that you sent people to protect Elaine, in that case, there was no way for him to finish his plans. So, he went to the studio to convince her to leave with him, and after Elaine agreed, he planned the show at night.

But to make the show work, first he needed to be sure that Elaine was gonna leave with him. Otherwise, if she didn't cooperate, it would be problematic to carry out the plan. Sherry said, when those people chased after them, it was a big mess. All her focus was on Elaine, and she didn't know what Caesar was doing.

In that situation, Elaine being taken away, Caesar was not as shocked as he should have been being her uncle. That would only leave one possibility, which was, he never spoke once nor did he do anything to stop those men during the process.

After she finished, she suddenly felt a chill running down her spine.

She remembered that Sherry said when Elaine was taken, she was yelling for Caesar to send Sherry to the hospital.

If that was the case, Elaine might still not know that the person who was staging all this, was her most trusted uncle.

Clarence smiled, "Did you get all that in such a short time?"

Stella answered, "Since Maxwell told me about the situation last night, I had a feeling that something was off, and with everything Sherry told me in the ward, the feeling got even stronger."

As she said so, she paused and frowned, "But there's still something I don't understand."

"If Caesar's people already took Elaine, why would he... bring Sherry to the hospital? And he was here all the time. This makes me doubt that my guess is not quite right.”

Clarence said, What you are assuming is right. The reason why he brought Sherry to the hospital is because he hadn't gotten a chance to escape yet."""

Sherry paused, "Didn't get a chance to escape?"

Maxwell must have told you that they almost ran after them immediately, so Caesar didn't have much time. He took so long to work on this plan. Sherry was just an accident, but Elaine had to be taken away. Since he put so much time and energy into this, it means that he didn't want Elaine to know the truth.

Stella immediately understood, and felt her scalp was turning numb. "So he didn't leave those kidnappers. He waited till they were gone. But at that moment, Maxwell appeared, so he could only pretend that he was talking Sherry to the hospital?"

Clarence nodded, "He had already gone so far, so clearly he couldn't get away with it. He might as well wait till we were back to find out the whole story, so that he could make himself off the hook."

So, where is he now?

I told him to go home. Clarence said, "Since we want to know where Elaine is, we need to start from him. That is the fastest way."

Stella breathed in, quiet for a while before she said, "But what I am worried about is that Elaine being kept from it all. Would something happen to her?"

Clarence said, "There is no need to worry, the reason why he took Elaine is probably because he wants to do something in Riverside City. As long as they are in City N, Elaine will be safe."

Stella opened her mouth to say something, but Clarence interrupted, "Eat your food, it's getting cold."

Stella swallowed her words back and drank her soup, her mind floating elsewhere.

She was wondering how Elaine was doing.

On the other side, after Elaine was taken, the men had knocked her unconscious because she was not cooperating and being loud all along.

When she woke up, she was in an unfamiliar room.

She slowly sat up, feeling the whole world was spinning around her.

Elaine shook her head hard. When she didn't feel so dizzy anymore, she got off the bed, but because her hands were tied, she could only kick the door, screaming, "Open the door! Open the door! Open the door!"

After two minutes, the door was finally opened, the person who opened the door was the same guy as last night.

He looked at Elaine without any expressions, "Miss James, you should control yourself. This is not your own home."

Elaine's heart twitched, she was scared and took a few steps back, but she still gathered her courage to say, "Even if this is not my home, you need to bring me something to eat, I am hungry and haven't eaten since last night. If you let me starve to death, my father and my great grandfather would never let you get away with it!"

The man looked at the time, "What do you want to eat?"

Elaine especially asked for some special dishes of Riverside City, and she spoke in the proud manner of a noble lady, "I want all of it, and some milk tea, room temperature without any ice."

The man snorted, "Miss James, or maybe I should call you Miss Attitude. We don't have any of that."

Then... what do you have?

Just eat what we have.

As he said so, the man closed the door.

Elaine used all the strength to get back to the couch, while her hands were sweating.

Not long after, the door was opened again.

Looking at the food, she was quite sure that they were still in City N.

Leave alone everything else, she was a professional in food and drinks.

So she only need one glance to tell whether the food was from Riverside City food or from City N.000000000☐☐☐☐☐☐

Chapter 686: Adorable When Being Stupid

Elaine looked back at the man in front of her and raised her chin. "You have to untie my hand, or how else should I eat?"

The man took out a knife after he heard what she said.

Elaine swallowed and closed her eyes tightly.

The next second, the rope on her wrists fell down.

Staring at her reddened wrists, she massaged them with her hands. Her nose itched.

The man said, "Miss James, you better not do anything naughty; otherwise you won't even have food to eat in the future."

Elaine said, "Aren't you afraid...”

You are just a hostage. As long as you are alive then it's fine. You don't get to make demands. Be aware of that.

After saying so, the man turned around and left. He locked the door again.

Elaine looked at the food in front of her, and sniffed. She took the chopsticks and started eating with big gulps.

While she was eating, her tears started running down and dropped on the rice.

She was wondering how Sherry and Caesar were doing.

Those people probably didn't harm them, but Sherry lost a lot of blood...

When she thought of that, Elaine couldn't bear it but started to cry out loud. The more she thought about it, the sadder she got and the more she blamed herself.

If it wasn't her who was so naive, running away from Riverside City to come to City N, Sherry wouldn't have gotten hurt trying to protect her.

And the baby in her tummy...

Nothing must happen to it.

After eating, Elaine tried to unlock the door, it wouldn't open.

Then she went to the window. There were many men in black standing downstairs.

She wanted to run away, but that was impossible.

Elaine lost all hope, sat down on the bed and stared out of the window.

After a while, there was a woman who appeared downstairs.

Freya took down her shades and asked, "How is she?"

She just asked for food. Now she is quiet.

Freya raised her brows, "So cooperative?"

The man said, "Miss James is a spoiled girl. She hasn't been in such a situation and she has never starved. Just offer her some food and give her a bit of fright, and she will be obedient." Freya sat down on the couch, "This girl is not very brave, be careful not to scare her too much."

The man nodded.

Freya said again, "Have you contacted the people in Riverside City? What did they say?"

Mr. James said that we shouldn't rush. She is in our hands. Not only can we threaten Franklin, but we may use her against Darnell too.

Freya lit a cigar, and said slowly, "Something so appalling happened in Riverside City, but Darnell still hadn't appeared so far."

As she said so, Freya squinted her eyes and blew out the smoke. No one could tell what she was thinking about.

The man said, "Looking at the current situation, I guess Darnell won't be getting back to Riverside City."

Freya took a glance at him, she sneered but didn't comment.

Darnell shan't be underestimated.

After a while, she said, "Tell the people in Riverside City to keep a closer eye. It is not until they find Clarence's son and his mother that we can take the upper hand. Now we only have Elaine, the only people we can threaten now are Franklin and such, but that is far from what we wanted."

The man nodded, "I will tell them now."

After he left, Freya finished her cigar, got up and headed upstairs.

Elaine heard the steps, and immediately got up from the bed. Her eyes were fixed at the door, her whole body on alert.

Quickly, the door was opened.

The person standing at the door was a gorgeous.

Elaine looked at her and thought that she looked familiar.

Freya went inside and laughed, "Don't you know me anymore?"

Elaine opened her eyes wide and yelled, "It's you!"

It was the woman in Stella's studio before!

Freya said, "Thank you for remembering me. I feel honored."

Elaine took a few steps backward, "Who...who on earth are you...?"

Young lady, no need to be nervous, I won't harm you. I am just here to remind you that if you want to go home safely, you need to listen to me. This is not like in your house and we won't treat you differently. If you get hurt, you gotta live with it.

Elaine took a deep breath, and then she asked, "Are you from the James family?"

I am not.

My uncle said, it is the James family that want to use me to blackmail my father, you...

Freya laughed, "Your uncle is not wrong, but..."

When she paused, Elaine kept digging, "But what?"

Nothing, it is better if you don't know about it. So it is true that pretty girls do look adorable when they are being stupid.

What the...

Without waiting for Elaine to finish her sentence, Freya opened the door and left the room.

In the bedroom, it was silent again.

Elaine was left alone.

When Sherry woke up, Stella was already back with several suitcases, all filled with gifts.

Indeed, surprises could cheer a person up.

Sherry opened the presents while saying, "Oh right, Stella, since you didn't go to Semporna, where have you been these weeks for a vacation?"

Stella hesitated a bit before she said, "London."

Sherry raised her head and repeated, "London?"

Stella nodded, "My father is sick, so we went and stayed there for a while."

Your father? William?

Sherry couldn't help but be excited, "Have you accepted each other? Quickly, tell me more, what happened?"

Stella was sitting next to her, and started, "When I saw him lying on the ward bed, I was thinking, I have been quite determined in the past, but I was all wrong. If he couldn't wake up now, I would regret about not calling him father once."

Is he...better now?

He is. Nothing serious right now. He will be out of the hospital soon.

When Sherry heard that, she said, "No wonder."

No wonder that Daniel was so busy lately; it was because William was in the hospital.

Stella knew what she was thinking about, she opened her mouth a few times but didn't speak.

Sherry's condition could be even worse if they told her that Daniel went missing.

They should wait for her to be dismissed.

When the two of them were both preoccupied with their own thoughts, they didn't even notice that the ward door was opened by someone, then after a few seconds, it was closed again.

Stella saw that it was getting late, she got up and said, "What do you want to eat, I will cook for you."

Sherry mentioned a few dishes, Stella declined, "The doctor said that you cannot eat anything spicy."

Sherry laid down on the bed and said dully, "My joy of life is eating."

Stella laughed. "What else do you need? I will bring them for you."

Bring me some books. I am so bored here. I can use the chance to educate myself.

Chapter 687: What A Casanova

Stella remembered that Sherry's phone was still in Caesar's car. So, she nodded, "Alright, I got it."

Sherry waved at her and said, "Stella, take care."

I am leaving now. Don't move around. The caretaker is at the door. You just call her if you need help.

Sherry blew a kiss to her, "Don't worry. I can lie in bed for a day."

After leaving the ward, Stella took out her phone. Then, she searched for Caesar's phone number and called him.

The phone rang for a long time before he answered.

Stella spoke to him directly, "Mr. James, my friend's phone is still in your car. Can I go fetch it?"

Caesar thought for a while before he replied to her, "I have sent my car for repair. I will ask someone to look for your friend's phone and send it to her if they find it. Is your friend okay now?" "Thanks for your concern, Mr. James. Her situation is not good."

Caesar sighed and apologized, "I am sorry, I should take responsibility for this matter."

Stella spoke lightly, "How could it be? I forgot to thank you for sending my friend to the hospital. I think she might have been in a more dangerous situation if she didn't get help from you." "You are welcome, Miss Radomil. It's the least I could do."

Stella also did not want to talk nonsense with him. Thus, she spoke straight to the point, "Mr. James, you just need to send the phone to the reception. I still have something to do so I have to go now. Bye" After saying that, she hung up the phone directly.

Stella kept her phone and went into the car. Just as she got into the car, she noticed that Clarence was sitting inside and waiting for her.

He glanced at Stella's stiffened eyebrows and spoke softly, "Who are you talking to on the phone? You look so angry."

Stella said, "Caesar, Sherry's phone is still with him.”

I'll ask Maxwell to go get it.

Thanks, but I have asked him to send it over here. You just need to let someone pick it up later.

Clarence replied, "Okay."

Winnie was recognized by two fans just as she entered the hospital.

Thus, she went upstairs via the escape route instead of the elevator.

Sherry's ward was on the eighth floor. She was gasping for breath after reaching the sixth floor.

Then, she continued to walk upstairs after taking a rest for a few seconds.

When Winnie stepped on the eighth floor, she looked up subconsciously. At that moment, she saw a man who was also looking at her in silence. Winnie was speechless.

What a coincidence.

She glanced at the cigarette's tip that had just been extinguished. Then, she walked upstairs and asked like nothing had happened, "How is Sherry." Channing placed his hand in his pants pocket, "She is resting in the ward."

Finally, Winnie reached the eighth floor. She panted for a short while before she asked, "Aren't you going in?"

Later.

Winnie fanned herself with her hand. After that, she leaned against the wall to take a rest, "Well, I'll enter the ward later too."

Channing looked at her, "Is it hot?"

Winnie nodded and said, "A bit."

Channing was looking at her. He noticed that the hair on her forehead was soaked with sweat at the moment.

Out of the blue, he made a move. Next, he lifted his hand and removed the mask from her face gently.

This was truly unexpected for Winnie, as her pupils could not help dilating, while she just stared at him blankly at the moment.

After having eye contact for a few seconds, Channing looked to another side. He handed her the mask that was removed by him and said, "Wearing a mask while exercising will easily cause the lack of oxygen."

Winnie regained her consciousness and took it back, "Oh, thank you."

Channing asked, "Is it still hot?"

Yes... a little.

I'll get you a bottle of water.

After saying that, he turned around and left directly.

Eh, no...

However, Channing had left there before Winnie finished speaking.

She was standing there with her hand gripping the mask. Then, she looked at the cigarette butt next to her again.

After a long time, she exhaled a long breath.

Winnie was sitting in front of the door of Sherry's ward when Channing came back from buying a bottle water for her.

Channing uncrewed the cap and handed the bottle to her.

Winnie reached out to take it from him, "Thank you."

Then, she got up with the water and pointed to the ward, "Shall we go in?"

You can enter the ward now. I am not going in.

Winnie was puzzled, "Why?"

It is not suitable for me to do so. It is fine. As long as I know that she is alright, that's enough for me. I am leaving now. Bye.

Winnie looked back at the ward after Channing left. She pushed open the door.

Sherry was sitting on the bed. It seemed that she was looking out through the window in a daze.

When she heard the sound of the door, she thought Stella had come back. Thus, she composed her emotions and turned her head hurriedly. But it turned out to be Winnie. She was stunned for a while before she asked, "Why are you here?"

Winnie replied, "I went to your studio this morning. I heard that you are in trouble and I could not reach Stella. So, I looked for Nathan. He was the one who told me about your situation. How are you?" Sherry lowered her head and smiled, "I am fine."

Winnie knew that she was far from being fine. But, since Sherry was not willing to tell her, she did not mean to probe on that. She just said, "By the way, Channing came here too. He stayed at the door just now but did not come in. He said that he was satisfied as long as he knew that you are alright."

Sherry asked, "So, he's gone now?"

Winnie nodded, "Yes, he left when I came in."

They chatted for a while. Then, Sherry asked, "Does that bastard come to harass you again?"

That's great. He had become obedient after leaning his lesson.

Winnie was staying in the ward and accompanying Sherry before Stella came back to deliver dinner to Sherry. After that, she left the ward.

Winnie took out her mask after leaving the ward. But before putting it on, she was staring at it blankly for a few seconds.

What a Casanova. Besides being good-looking, he also knew how to make a girl's heart flutter.

Winnie's assistant sent the itinerary to her on the way back. There was still a month before the shooting of her new show. Before that, she also needed to join a press launch and two commercial shoots. Thus, she was neither too free nor too busy.

Winnie leaned on the seat and slowly closed her eyes.

She let the driver and her assistant get off after the car arrived at the basement. Then, she went into the lift by herself.

When the lift was going up slowly, she recalled that she had broken a cup accidentally in the morning. Since she also wanted to buy more toiletries and it was still early, she went to the first floor again. She planned to go shopping in the mall.

The sun had just set. There was still a trace of the afterglow hanging in the sky.

Suddenly, Winnie was stopped by someone just as she stepped out of the residential area and was about to go shopping.

Chassell who looked gloomy appeared in front of her out of nowhere. His pale face indicated that he just recovered from illness. He spoke to her in his cold voice, "I have been waiting here for a few days. Finally, you show up."

Winnie took a step back when she saw him. Then, she looked at him, expressionless.

I am warning you. Do not play any trick if you don't wish to end up in hell. Do you know that I have suffered a lot due to you?

You asked for it. It is none of my business.

Chassell grabbed her wrist and wanted to drag her into the car next to him.

However, a security guard came over before Winnie could say anything, "Hey! What are you doing! Let go of her!"

Chassell ignored the guard. He applied a stronger force on clasping her hand. It seemed that he wanted to take Winnie away immediately.00000

Chapter 688: Women Would Cry If They Saw It, Men Would Fall Silent Instead

At that moment, more angry-looking security guards gathered around. With electric batons in their hands, one of them yelled, "Hey! You over there! Stop playing deaf! Let go of her, this is your final warning!" Seeing the raging guards rapidly approaching him, Chassell frowned, and in the split second that he was distracted, Winnie broke free of his grasp and got away from him.

Chassell wanted to pounce forward to grab his newly escaped prey. However, the guards were not very happy about it as they seized him and snapped, "It's you! You've been sneaking around here for days, haven't you? What little scheme are you planning? Scram, scumbag!"

Chassell's face was dark enough to give the gloomy day a run for its money. He snarled, "Do you know who I am?"

Fuck if I care! Scums like you disgust me to the core. You think that the world is spinning around you just because you've got a few more pennies in your pocket! You're just a beast dressed in fancy suits!

How dare...

Shut up you prick! Do us a favor and get the fuck outta here before we call the police!

Chassell was outnumbered and being someone that he was, being detained by the police was the last thing that he wanted. He fixed his collar, let out a cold 'hmph', and said to Winnie, "This ain't over yet, I'll get you back one day."

One of the guards raised his electric baton and swung at him. "Yeah, yeah, keep talking and the last thing you see will be my baton smashing your head!"

Chassell shot them a menacing glare before slipping into the car and left.

After he left, the guards chatted among themselves before turning to Winnie and asked, "Are you alright, miss?"

She shook her head and replied, "I'm alright, thank you."

An older guard holstered his baton back and said, "No need to thank us, miss. Your boyfriend had briefed us beforehand. Occasionally, he would also bring us some snacks and such, so we're very much in his debt."

Exactly. You don't have to worry about that prick as long as we're here. He won't be able to step foot into this area!

Winnie was numb in place as she was trying her best to comprehend what the older guard just said before responding, confused, "My...boyfriend?"

A guard replied, "Yeah. Last month, your boyfriend beat the ever-living hell out of him and made him run away like a rat, haha!"

Exactly, he had asked us to keep an eye out for that scumbag so that he won't harass you anymore. He sometimes brings us cigarettes, drinks, and some food, which we are very grateful for. Didn't he tell you about this?

Bewildered, Winnie struggled to find her words, "He...never told me about it."

The older guard could not help but give her a thumbs up, "That's a nice lad you have there, miss. Nowadays, it's getting harder and harder to find such a man like him, so you better cherish him with all your heart! Also, quit your current job and find a new one if you can, I might add."

Exactly. Bosses like him make my blood boil. All they're good at is bullying young ladies who have just stepped into the society. What goes around comes around, though, so hopefully, one day that prick will get what he fucking deserves!

With a smile on her face, Winnie replied, "Thanks."

With that little encounter out of the way, she no longer had the mood to go shopping anymore as she turned around and headed back in.

The guards returned to their posts. They discussed among each other before deciding to give Channing a call.

While they were able to chase that scumbag away, they certainly could not chase away her trauma from having to deal with him. It would be better for her boyfriend to accompany her for now. When she got back to her home, she took off her mask, went to the fridge and took out a bottle of cold water. She chugged a few cups of cold water down before her heart could stop beating crazily. She placed her cup down. As she returned to the living room, she saw some shirts scattered around on the sofa. She then walked into the closet and started cleaning her house. Halfway through the cleaning, Winnie heard her doorbell rang. She walked to the door and saw through the doorbell camera that it was Channing, so she opened the door immediately. Channing locked his eyes on Winnie's body, scanning her for any injuries. After determining that she was all fine and dandy, he said with a cold tone, "Did he come for you again?" Winnie nodded and replied, "He's already gone, I'm alright."

Relieved, Channing's lips curved upwards slightly, and just as he was about to leave, Winnie grabbed him and asked, "Since you're already here, why don't you come help me tidy up my clothes? I need help moving the boxes. They're way too heavy for me to handle them."

Channing stood in place, not knowing what to say.

Winnie added, "Seriously, you didn't come all the way here to ask me a question and then just leave, right? It'll be wrong of me if I don't at least treat you to a meal. But the clothes ain't gonna pack themselves, so come on! We'll eat after we finish cleaning."

Seeing as Channing was still planted onto the ground, she dragged him inside the house. On their way to the closet, she said, "You should do something useful with your strength and energy, young man. Don't go wasting them on meaningless stuff."

There were several sizable boxes littered around in the closet.

Winnie commanded, "Help me bring all of these boxes to the living room. I'm running out of space here."

Surveying the room filled with mountains of clothes, Channing could not help but raise his eyebrows slightly.

She weaved her way around the closet, continued cleaning up and said, "Hey now, don't you give me that look. My collection is considered relatively small, as I am an actress, too. Haven't you seen how large your sister's closet is? Women would cry if they saw it, men would fall silent instead."

He replied, "The house that she rented doesn't have a closet but only a wardrobe."

Winnie laughed and replied, "Do you know why? That's because Mr. Conrad bought the house next to hers to serve as her hilariously oversized closet."

Channing fell silent for a short while and started moving boxes out of the closet without saying another word.

Winnie continued moving stuff out from the closet and put them in an empty box at the side before clapping her hands together and taking a breather.

The closet that was originally filled to the brim with all sorts of weird and wonderful stuff was then tidied up and half-empty again, which was a sight for Winnie's sore eyes.

Looking at the last box, Channing asked, "Is there anything else?"

Nah. What do you wanna eat? I'll order some food.

I'm fine with anything.

As Winnie took out her phone, she replied, "Alright, then. I'll order whatever I want."

She was not sure on what he liked to eat, so she ended up ordering stuff randomly.

She got a bottle of water from the fridge for him and asked, "Are you tired?"

Channing shook his head and replied, "Nope."

Winnie sat on the sofa and stretched her back. In stark contrast to him, she was exhausted, as she was getting older after all, her stamina was not as good as it used to be. Channing looked at the pile of boxes that were unceremoniously dumped at the entrance. He then asked "So, how are you going to deal with those?"

Some of my staff will be coming over tomorrow. They'll deal with it.

Channing did not say anything after that as he withdrew his eyes.

For a moment, the living room fell silent.

Awkwardness started seeping through and saturated the ambience around them.

Winnie cleared her throat as she started a new topic, "Sherry's been quite well recently, so she should be discharged from the hospital a few days down the line." Channing nodded, "I know."

A few seconds later, Winnie asked again, "If I'm not mistaken, school's about to start for you, right?"

Two weeks later, yes.

Well, do you have any job arrangements before your school starts?

I do, up until the day I return to school.

Winnie thought for a while before saying, "Can I ask you a question?"

Channing responded with a 'Mhmm'.

Winnie followed up with, "Why...Why didn't you go into Sherry's ward today? I know that you were giving me excuses before, but if you really found it inappropriate, you wouldn't have stood there like a mannequin."

He put on a calm expression and replied, "If I don't answer your question, will you get mad at me?"

This caught Winnie by surprise, as she took a moment to process it before saying, "Not really..."

Ask me something else, then.

Winnie clenched her hand, which was resting on the sofa and asked, "Will you answer my next question, regardless of what it is?"0000

Chapter 689: Checking In?

Channing did not answer and only turned around to look at her. He said after several seconds, "Okay."

Winnie asked, "Did you look for Chassell?

Channing confirmed, "I did."

You went to look for him...

Channing said, "You already asked the second question."

Winnie was puzzled.

Channing stood up and said, "Let me use the kitchen."

Winnie paused for a while before realizing that she had been fooled. Channing was indeed smart and could think very quickly.

Winnie looked at his back and rubbed her eyebrows. She was holding back a lot of questions but did not know where to begin.

After a while, the food was delivered.

Winnie collected them and walked to the dining room. She then asked Channing, "What are you doing?"

Channing emerged from the kitchen and said, "I wanted to cook two dishes but your fridge is empty. You had some expired frozen food which I already threw them away. Winnie was speechless and felt embarrassed again.

She then said, "Let's eat."

Channing looked at the food and said, "That's too much. Pick a few that you wish to eat and keep the rest in the fridge."

Winnie looked at the dishes and picked some. The rest were brought to the kitchen to cool off before keeping them in the fridge.

Winnie had to control her weight and did not eat much. She said, "Do you want to eat some more?"

No need, it's enough, Channing replied. They finished the food and none was wasted.

Channing packed up the garbage and then said, "Have an early rest. I'll leave now."

Winnie hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are you going straight home?"

Channing paused before acknowledging.

Winnie asked, "Will you be taking a cab?"

I'll take the subway, Channing replied.

Okay. Winnie looked at the time and said, "The subway station is five minutes on foot. If your ride home is half an hour and thereafter you take another ten minutes' walk back, you will need at most forty-five minutes to get home. If you go to the convenience store to buy some snacks, I'll give you another five minutes. So send me your location after fifty minutes." Channing was speechless.

He paused for a minute before saying, "My place is further away from here."

How far? Is it the neighboring city? Winnie continued, "Send me your location in fifty minutes or I will look for your sister."

Channing was silent for several seconds and then said, "Are you checking on me?"

Winnie was stunned, "Checking..." She then realized that this didn't sound right.

She replied calmly, "I'm only concerned about your safety. If you aren't home in time and was involved in a fight outside, how am I going to answer to your sister?" Channing grinned and replied, "Okay, I'm leaving."

Winnie sent him to the door and reminded, "Fifty minutes."

Channing took out his cell phone and said, "I'll share my rea-time location with you starting from now on."

That's unnecessary...

Aren't you concerned over my safety? You will be the first to know if something happened to me. Channing said.

Winnie then realized he was right. She took out her cellphone and accepted Channing's location sharing.

Channing kept his cellphone in his pocket and said, "I'm leaving now."

Winnie waved to him and said, "Bye bye."

After Channing left, Winnie returned to the sitting room and laid on the sofa. She relaxed and browsed her phone. She could see that Channing had already arrived at the subway station.

He was tall and walked rather fast. After two minutes, Channing's position started to move swiftly along the subway line. Without knowing, Winnie kept staring at his position. She felt strange the further he got from her.

Channing alighted the subway about twenty minutes later. After ten minutes, he arrived at his residential compound and sent a message to Winnie, saying "I've arrived".

He was fifteen minutes faster than her estimation.

Channing's place was indeed out of her way and yet not too far away from her place.

Winnie saw the message notification and quickly tapped to the messaging app and replied, Winnie: That's great. Aren't you working tomorrow? Have an early rest. Channing: Okay.

Winnie paused before exiting the location sharing. She then went for a shower.

On the other end, Channing saw that the location sharing had terminated. He then kept his phone and left.

At night, Caesar sent someone to send Sherry's phone to her.

On receiving it, Sherry heaved a sigh of relief and said, "I thought that I'd never get it back again. I have a lot of photos in it."

She then said to Stella, "Stella, take the books back. I'm not so inclined to educate myself now and won't waste the time on books anymore. I get all my spiritual sustenance from the phone." Stella smiled, "Okay."

It was late and Stella said, "Okay, feed on your phone tomorrow. Sleep early tonight."

Sherry charged her phone and laid on the bed, "I'll sleep now. Stella, go back to rest too."

No need, I'll sleep on the sofa.

On seeing that Stella was determined, Sherry just mumbled softly, "Goodnight."

Goodnight. Stella turned off the light and laid down on the sofa. She slowly closed her eyes.

They had a good sleep that night.

Sherry was discharged from the hospital three days later.

Back home, she sat onto the sofa and said thankfully, "Home sweet home. It was too boring at the hospital."

Stella said, "Have a rest while I go and cook."

Sherry held onto her and said, "I'm already home. You don't have to take care of me. You should have a good rest too."

Didn't I rest with you at the hospital? Apart from having breakfast at the hospital, Stella would go back to prepare lunch and dinner for Sherry. The trips back and forth were very tiring.

Sherry thought for a while and tried another method, "Then you should go to work. We weren't at work these few days. Who knows what became of the studio."

Stella frowned and asked, "What do you think Clarence is doing?"

Sherry was dumbfounded.

She looked at Stella and said with disbelief, "Could Mr. Conrad still be at... the studio?"

Stella said, "Yes, otherwise he would be lazing at home anyway."

Sherry was speechless. She could not imagine Mr. Conrad sitting at that studio handling the trivial work. She was also worried about those female colleagues with salaries in the thousands but faced enormous pressure from Mr. Conrad who was used to handling business deals in the tens of millions.

Stella laughed, "Okay, I'll prepare our meal."

Sherry sat on the sofa and played leisurely with her phone.

After a while, she walked to the kitchen and said, "Stella, is there any news about Elaine?"

Stella's hand paused and then shook her head gently, "Not yet."

Over these days, Clarence's men had practically turned City N upside down but were still unable to locate Elaine.

Caesar also had not left the hotel.

Chapter 690: I Am Your Brother

At night, Stella went back after Sherry was asleep.

Clarence was reading a book on the sofa. He did not react when he heard the door open.

Stella was tired and asked as she was walking to the bedroom, "Have you showered?"

Clarence answered, "Yes."

Stella took her nightgown out. "It's pretty late. Aren't you going to bed?"

Yeah. He mumbled but did not seem concerned.

Stella paused, walked over to him and sat beside him, "What's wrong?"

Clarence turned a page and said, "Nothing, go shower. Don't bother about me."

Stella was speechless. This man must be upset about something.

Stella looked over and noticed that she could not figure out what he was reading and asked, "What are you reading?"

Buddhist Sutras.

What the hell was wrong with him?

Before Stella said anything, Clarence said in his calm baritone voice, "I slept alone for three days and should read some Buddhism to control myself."

On hearing, Stella felt amused and put the book aside. "Are you a kid who needs my company every day?"

Clarence looked at her and said, "Why not? I can't sleep without you."

Stella stood up and then ruffled his hair as if she was coaxing a kid, "Okay okay, I'll take a shower and then sleep with you."

He grabbed her hand when she was about to walk away. In the next instance, she fell into his embrace.

Clarence placed his hand on her waist and then said suggestively, "What kind of sleep?"

Sleep, just sleep. She replied.

Perhaps we have a different understanding of sleep. Clarence teased.

Stella said with gritted teeth, "Behave yourself!"

Clarence grinned, kissed her, and carried her up.

He took Stella by surprise. "What are you doing? I want to take a shower..."

Didn't you say that you already showered?

Aren't you going to sleep with me? Why can't I shower with you? He said mischievously.

It was two hours later when they lay on the bed.

Stella was already very tired and asked as she yawned, "How were things at the studio?"

It's great to be a sponger. Clarence said and continued, "Work harder to expand the studio and I can help you manage finance."

Stella no longer had any strength to argue with him. She whispered after a while, "Is there any news about Elaine?"

Clarence acknowledged, "No news is good news."

Clarence pulled her into his embrace and said, "Okay, you're tired, sleep."

Stella was so tired that she slept as soon as she closed her eyes.

Elaine was in that apartment for three whole days. Each day they would deliver food to her and then lock the door. Downstairs were their men and she had no chance to escape.

She felt more and more homesick as the days passed. She missed her father and grandfather. If she had been obedient and remained in Riverside City or even married to Darnell, then her situation would be much better than now.

At least she would be carefree and even if she had made Darnell unhappy, at least before he killed her, she could beg him to give her a last meal on account of the old Mr. James who had died. She would also not get Caesar and Sherry into trouble...

Elaine collapsed on the bed and looked aimlessly ahead as if she had no interest in anything.

After a while, the moon had already risen and suddenly there was a bright flickering light from the apartment beside. Immediately there was a commotion outside.

Elaine heard the commotion and walked to the window. She saw that there was a large fire and it appeared that it was spreading towards them. People were running about downstairs and could not be bothered about her.

This was an opportunity.

Elaine quickly tied up the bedsheets and prepared to escape from the window. The man saw her actions and immediately knew her intentions. He yelled, "I've warned you, Ms. James. Don't play tricks!" He then grabbed Elaine's arm and dragged her downstairs.

Elaine did not comply and kept struggled and stumbling on the way down. It resulted in bruises on her face and legs. Once downstairs, she was pushed into an awaiting car and they prepared to transfer her to another location.

Elaine banged on the window and shouted repeatedly, "Help! Help!"

But the fire was raging and the surrounding commotion drowned her screams.

Very soon the black sedan sped away. Elaine was thrown painfully back into the seat causing her to become dizzy.

The car drove a distance and they came to a road blockage. The driver got down for a look and walked a couple of steps before suddenly collapsing to the ground. The man who also got on the car grabbed his gun and went off. He squatted beside the driver to inspect him and then there was another loud sound coming from the car.

He looked back but it was too late. The car sped forward.

The man yelled, "Fuck!"

He wanted to charge forward but he was surrounded by numerous gun barrels.

Inside the car, Elaine was once again thrown about. She excitedly asked, "Are you my dad's man?"

Then are you Uncle Caesar's man?

Then... you are Clarence's men?

A man in front turned around and looked at her, "I'm your brother."

Elaine was stunned, "I... I don't have a brother..."

I lied.

Elaine was speechless. She looked at the stranger and then cowered in fear. She felt like an ant which thought it had escaped out of the frying pan but ended up into the fire. After a while, she asked softly, "Where... where are you taking me?"

Back to Riverside City.

You are a villain! I don't want to go with you!

...What makes you think that I'm a villain?

Elaine replied, "My father said that I cannot believe any of the James and should not go back with them to Riverside City!"

Then why did you leave with Caesar?

That's my uncle! Furthermore... he... he did not intend to send me back to Riverside City. He just wanted to take me somewhere safe.

The driver laughed, "He is your uncle and you choose to believe him rather than your father. Why don't you believe me when I said that I'm your brother?"

Caesar is indeed my uncle but I don't have a brother. You're lying to me!

Since when did I lie? You were hardly one year old when I left Riverside City. But we are not blood-related siblings. You were adopted by your father. He was worried that you'd be upset by this fact. That's why he kept the truth from you.

Elaine was shocked, "That's...that's nonsense!"

What nonsense? I'll take you back to Riverside City. You can ask your father in person.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐