Chapter 10 Missing One
1145 Words
The more James held back his rage, the more terrifying he appeared. Helen's wrist throbbed with fear, and she didn't dare linger to provoke him further. With a couple of insincere parting words, she hurriedly left.
Luke didn't even have the chance to return the soup to Helen.
James shot him a frosty glance. "You really love that soup, don't you?"
"No! Not at all!!" Luke quickly tossed the soup away.
"Go find out where Anna has gone!" James ordered.
Did she run off with some guy?
What man does Anna know who would dare take her from James's place?!
Luke promptly responded, "Yes!"
Two minutes later, Luke returned, looking a bit flustered. He reported to James, "Boss... the driver said that twenty minutes ago, Madam went to the restroom and hasn't come out since. After receiving the call, he went in to check and found that she was gone. They're now reviewing all the mall's surveillance footage."
"Find her," James commanded coldly.
"Yes."
Luke glanced at James instinctively. At this moment, James seemed calm, almost serene.
But it was more like the calm before a storm...
Once Luke left, James immediately activated the tracking device.
*****
When Anna awoke, she found her hands and feet tightly bound with rope, her mouth stuffed with cloth, and her eyes covered with black cloth. Judging by the surroundings, she figured she was in a moving vehicle.
She had been kidnapped.
These five words flashed through Anna's mind, accompanied by a wave of sheer terror.
Despite her panic, Anna forced herself to stay calm.
She came from an ordinary background, with no reason for anyone to kidnap her, except for her connection to James.
It could be one of James's rivals, but their marriage hadn't been announced yet. The only public incident was what happened in the company lobby yesterday, and James hadn't treated her well then. No one would think using her could threaten James.
If it wasn't a rival of James, there was another possibility: her "love rival," Lauren.
Lauren was James's fiancée, and she harbored nothing but malice towards Anna's presence.
If Lauren was indeed behind this, how should she handle it?
As Anna pondered, the car suddenly stopped. She was roughly dragged out and dragged along for a short distance before being carelessly thrown to the ground.
The ground was scattered with jagged stones, and the fall scraped the skin on her arms and calves.
The black cloth over her eyes and the gag in her mouth were removed. Accustomed to the darkness, the sudden burst of light forced Anna to squeeze her eyes shut.
In an instant, her hair was yanked brutally, snapping her eyes open to Lauren's triumphant and twisted grin.
Her suspicions were spot on.
"Anna, you think you're so tough, huh? Tell me, if I were to slice up that pretty face of yours, do you think James would still give you a second look?" Lauren taunted, her smile sinister.
One hand clenched Anna's hair, forcing her to lock eyes with her, while the other brandished a small knife. The sharp blade hovered against Anna's skin, its icy touch sending a shiver down her spine.
"Lauren, you claim to love James. Do you really?" Anna's mind raced, striving to keep her emotions in check.
She had to stall for time.
Lauren couldn't have pulled this off alone, but Anna had no idea how many people Lauren had brought with her. A head-on confrontation was out of the question.
Anna could only gamble that James would notice her disappearance and come to her rescue.
"What do you mean?" Lauren paused, puzzled.
Anna felt a slight relief.
Anna knew Lauren's obsession with James had spiraled into madness over the years. Lauren couldn't tolerate two things: someone taking James away from her and questioning her love for him.
"If you think scarring my face would change James's feelings, you're saying he's just a shallow man who only cares about looks," Anna retorted coolly.
"You're lying! There's no better man than James in my heart!" Lauren's grip tightened, making Anna wince in pain.
"But you don't truly understand him," Anna continued, enduring the pain.
"Shut up!" Lauren slapped her hard, leaving Anna's ears ringing.
After a moment, Anna resumed, "If you really knew him, you'd know James despises anyone meddling with his possessions or people. Whether you admit it or not, I am James's legally recognized wife. You took me right under his nose. Do you think he'll let you off once he finds out?"
"Simple, I'll kill you and tell him you ran off with another man. That way, James will forget all about you and won't blame me!" Lauren snarled, "Anna, do you think James would abandon me, who brings him benefits, for a murderer who killed his mother?"
Lauren's words were hard to argue against. Under normal circumstances, Anna might have found them convincing. But right now, she had to stay sharp, sensing the panic Lauren was desperately trying to mask.
Anna let out a sly chuckle, "Lauren, if you think doing all this will make him marry you, why bother kidnapping me? Deep down, you know James doesn't love you. If you lay a finger on me, you'll blow any chance you have with him."
"You think I'll fall for your nonsense? Anna, as long as you're dead, James will be mine!" Lauren snarled, lunging forward with a vicious kick towards Anna.
Nobody steals James from me; he's mine and mine alone!
Anna's expression shifted as she swiftly turned to shield herself, but the forceful kick landed squarely on her back, making her wince in agony.
Lauren didn't stop there. She unleashed all her pent-up fury, raining down punches and kicks.
Anna lay in agony, her mind teetering on the edge of consciousness, yet she fought to stay alert, desperately protecting her abdomen from the blows.
But Lauren wasn't done. She brandished the knife again, hissing, "Even if you die, I'll make sure to ruin that face of yours that everyone despises!"
Anna's eyes widened in fear as she dodged. Lauren's knife sliced through empty air, nearly causing her to stumble. Furious, Lauren lashed out with another savage kick.
Anna managed to evade, but not entirely, as Lauren's foot struck her side, draining the color from her face. Just as Lauren was about to strike again, she noticed a pool of bright red blood beneath Anna.
Lauren froze, her voice sharp, "You're pregnant?!"
Anna was carrying James's child?
No, it couldn't be James's. Anna had only been out of prison for a few days.
Relief flickered across Lauren's face, only to be swiftly replaced by a fiery rage.
This wretch dared to marry James while carrying another man's child?!
Grabbing a fistful of Anna's hair, Lauren demanded harshly, "Spill it! Whose child is this?! Who was the man that night?!"
- Writer
