Four hours later, the plane landed. This was my first time here in W City. As one of the most vibrant cities in the nation, W City was as bustling as the capital city, but they were distinctively different from one another.
K City was notable and sophisticated while W City was glitz and glamor.
Besides, the weather in W City was different, too. Unlike K City, it would snow two times per year, at most three.
After getting off the plane, I dared not waste a second longer and hailed a cab to the Crest Residence. It was not snowing in W City, but most of the trees at the side of the road had withered. The scenery outside was underwhelming.
The Crest family had been one of the most prominent families in W City for a long time. Moreover, owning a huge mansion in an upscale location undoubtedly attracted the attention of the public.
When I told the driver to drop me off at the Crest Residence, he could not believe his ears. Staring at me, he asked once again, “Miss, are you sure your destination is the Crest Residence? Are you a friend of the Crest family?”
I pursed my lips and looked outside the window. “No.”
Taken aback by my answer, he proceeded to remind me kindly. “The upper class like the Crest family normally has a high standard in choosing their daughters-in-law. It’s rather inappropriate for you to go to their house uninvited.”
Hearing his words, I realized that he had regarded me as a frivolous woman who wanted to marry the rich.
Pursing my lips, I refused to explain myself to him.
When the car came to a stop in front of the Crest residence, the driver turned to me and apologized, “I’m sorry, Miss. I can only send you here. Outsiders are forbidden from going inside. If you wish to enter, the entrance is right over there, and you should inform the security guard before going in. The Crest Residence is really big, so you need someone to drive you inside.”
I nodded and paid him before getting off the taxi.
As mentioned by the taxi driver just now, this mansion was spacious. Visitors should get permission from the Crest family first before they sent a car to fetch the visitors in.
After I told the security guard the reason I was visiting, he looked at me, unsure. “Miss, I think you should give them a call first to pick you up.”
I fished out my phone and saw that I had more missed calls and messages from Ashton.
But I did not call him back. Instead, I dialled Jared’s number again. Luckily, he answered my call this time.
“Scarlett,” he greeted.
Staring at the gate, I said, “I’m outside the Crest Residence now. Bring Summer to me. I’m here to bring her back to K City.”
A long silence followed. The quieter he was, the more fearful I became.
I knew that I was still in denial. I came here, hoping that Jackson was wrong. Since K City was quite far away from W City, maybe Jackson did not know what exactly happened.
Maybe Summer was just out to play. Maybe it was just Jackson who heard the information wrongly and misunderstood the situation.
Jared’s silence almost gave me a mental breakdown. I could no longer stand the long silence and yelled, “Jared Crest! I said I wanted to meet Summer and bring her back. Do you hear me?”
He responded with a low voice, “I’m right behind you.”
I blinked, bewildered. As I turned around and looked at him, he was standing there with his phone clutched against his ear, looking haggard.
Then, he put down his phone and glanced at me guiltily.
There was no sight of Summer beside him. I tried my best to suppress the panic rising in my heart. “Jared, where is Summer?”
He took a deep breath to compose himself and walked towards me. “Let’s go in first.”
A black Bentley was parked near the gate. He looked at me with a calm expression and motioned for me to go into the car. “Let’s talk inside.”
I pressed my lips together and went into the car with him.
I knew that the Crest family was very rich, but I did not expect them to be this rich.
It took a ten-minute ride from the gate outside to the house. Along the way, it was a large park with ponds, sculptures, fountains, and different kinds of flora. Since it was currently winter, the maple trees on the roadside were withered, scattering the ground with their leaves.
As I continued to look at the bleak view outside the car, Jared’s phone rang, and he answered the call. From his tone of voice, it was probably Ashton who called.
After he talked with Ashton for a few minutes, he handed me his phone. “It’s Ashton.”
I pursed my lips and glanced at him. Instead of taking the phone over, I chose to ignore it.
Seeing my reaction, he took back the phone and told Ashton, “You should call back later.”
Ashton then spoke something, and Jared hummed in response. After he ended the call, the silence in the car ensued.
After some time, the car pulled to a stop in front of a bungalow and several housekeepers came out of the door.
When we got down from the car, one of them stepped forward and greeted Jared.
Jared nodded in response and looked towards me. “Follow me. We’ll talk inside.”
Then, he turned to the leader of the housekeepers and ordered, “Prepare a room for Ms. Stovall.”
The man nodded and left.
Entering the house with Jared, I saw more than ten people sitting in the living room, and they were predominantly middle-aged. There were also two elderly who sat in the middle of the room.
When they saw us coming in, some of them turned to look at us.
Then, a thin middle-aged woman stepped forward and asked, “Jared, have you found the kid?”
