Chapter 699 Missing
Rayne knew Christina had put someone on Anya’s trail and that almost everyone knew about Anya’s ugly deeds.
Unaware of Christina’s somber expression, Rayne continued, “Anya seemed to have met some big shot. It was impossible to miss her flirtatious expression. If only the light wasn’t so dim, then I could’ve gotten a clear look at the person she was meeting.”
Considering how drunk Rayne was the night before, spotting and recognizing Anya in the crowd was already a stroke of luck.
“Which bar did you go to?” asked Christina. She wondered if Anya’s companion was the same person who bailed her out of the station.
Rayne racked her brains but could not remember anything else. She replied dejectedly, “Ah, I’m sorry. I can’t remember. My friend brought me to that bar after a dinner appointment, so my head was already kind of fuzzy. I’ll ask my friend about it..
“It’s imperative for me to know who Anya met at the bar, Rayne. Please try to get the bar’s name and address for me as soon as possible,” urged Christina.
“Don’t worry. I’ll call my friend right after this.” Rayne was determined not to let her boss down.
Relieved, Christina bid her a*sistant farewell. “Then I’ll make a move.” She took the elevator to the Gibson Corporation offices.
As usual, she signed off on the important paperwork and headed home.
The key departments in Gibson Corporation were run by Christina’s most trusted subordinates, so she was never worried about the company’s operations.
On the way home, Christina suddenly said to her bodyguard, “Could you please stop the car, Lyle? I’d like to buy something.”
Lyle dutifully parked the car at the side of the road and addressed her, “It’s cold outside, Mrs. Hadley. What would you like to buy? I can get it for you. Just wait in the car.”
Christina’s gaze traveled to a nearby cake shop that had a long, snaking queue out its door. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded and said, “I’d like to buy some egg tarts from that shop for Lucas and Camila. Thank you.”
“Sure. Please rest in the car. I’ll be back soon.” Lyle put on his coat and alighted from the car, striding toward the cake shop.
Christina took out her phone and texted her children to apologize for not fulfilling her promise that morning.
The kids saw her text on the smartwatches gifted to them by Nathaniel. They texted Christina several cute emojis instead of throwing a tantrum. They even coaxed her to quickly get over her guilt as it would not be healthy for her baby. D
Warmth swelled in Christina’s chest. She almost cried; she had become more prone to mood swings since her pregnancy.
Click! Christina focused on replying to her children’s messages, a*suming Lyle had opened the car door.
Suddenly, a handkerchief covered her nose and mouth. Christina gasped in surprise, vaguely making out a familiar silhouette before pa*sing out cold.
1
Everything happened so quickly that she could barely defend herself.
Meanwhile, Lyle paid for the pastries and returned to the car. He paled when he realized Christina was missing from the back/seat. He rushed to the front of the car and noticed that one of the doors was ajar, revealing Christina’s phone on the car floor.
He instinctively knew that Christina was in trouble.
Lyle hurriedly dialed Nathaniel’s phone, but alas, no one answered his call. He did not manage to reach Sebastian either.
He placed the pastries in the car and sped for Hadley Corporation’s offices.
Lyle immediately ran into Sebastian and his colleagues once he got out of the office elevators.
There was a board meeting in the company, and Sebastian was in charge of retrieving the materials for the meeting.
When he saw Lyle, he asked in surprise, “Why aren’t you with Mrs. Hadley? Why are you here?”
Lyle responded by pulling him aside and muttering, “Mrs. Hadley’s missing.”
He hastily described what had happened earlier to Sebastian.
Sebastian’s expression grew solemn as he muttered, “Darn it. Today is the company’s annual board meeting. If Mr. Hadley leaves the meeting halfway, there’ll be a lot of problems in the future.”
Unlike Sebastian, Lyle did not stop to consider the long–term repercussions of Nathaniel’s absence and asked, “Where’s the conference room? I’ll look for Mr. Hadley.”
Sebastian side–eyed him and questioned, “Did you think I was worried about Mr. Hadley taking his anger out on me? That’s not what I was… Ah, forget it. I don’t have time to explain my concerns to you now. Just wait here. I’ll let Mr. Hadley know about it.”
Then, Sebastian beelined for the conference room, wishing more than ever that he had the ability to teleport.
When he arrived, the company directors were engaged in a heated discussion. That did not deter Sebastian from striding into the conference room and approaching Nathaniel from behind. He leaned closer to Nathaniel and whispered, “Mr. Hadley, Mrs. Hadley is in trouble.”
Nathaniel knitted his brows in concern and immediately left the conference room.
Sebastian hurriedly announced to the confused crowd, “Sorry, Mr. Hadley has to attend to an emergency. We will postpone this board meeting for now, and I will send out official notices on the new meeting date after discussing this with Mr. Hadley.”
After that, he rushed out of the room and caught up to Nathaniel.
Meanwhile, Christina woke up to the unwelcome splash of cold water. She opened her eyes to the sight of Anya kneeling before her. The young woman’s gaze was affixed to Christina’s abdomen, which sent shivers down Christina’s spine.
“You’re finally awake.” Anya slowly stood up and grabbed Christina’s chin, shaking it roughly. She sneered and mused out loud, “I just can’t figure out why you’re so irresistible to Nathaniel that he would wish you to bear three of his children.”
Animosity rolled off Anya in waves. Cautiously, Christina asked, “What are you trying to do, Anya?”
A murderous glint entered Anya’s gaze. She released her steel grip on Christina’s chin and spat, “What a great question. You set me up and almost landed me, in jail. I’m simply trying to avenge myself for both the past and the present.”
Anya’s gaze shifted from Christina’s face to her abdomen and stayed there.
“How do you think Nathaniel will react when that baby in your stomach is gone?” A deranged cackle escaped Anya, who added, “Maybe he’ll take his own life by then to join his wife and unborn baby in their graves?”
Christina frowned and returned fiercely, “Nathaniel won’t forgive you if you harm me.”
“Clearly, his revenge means nothing to me, or I wouldn’t have dared to kidnap you. The worst possible outcome is joining you and that vile seed in hell! With your lives in my hands, Nathaniel has no choice but to give in to my demands.”
Anya turned around and grabbed a gla*s of water off an old desk. She shoved the gla*s against Christina’s mouth and ordered, “Drink it.”
Christina turned away before ramming her chin into Anya’s hand. The pain caused Anya to lose her grip on the gla*s, which fell to the floor and shattered, splashing them both with its contents.
Anya had no qualms about slapping Christina for her actions. The slap rang out in the room. “You b*tch. You’re nothing but a pitiful insect in my hands. Do you still think you can behave like the esteemed Mrs.. Hadley?”
The slap was so hard that half of Christina’s face had gone numb. Still, she shot Anya a defiant gaze and smirked. “I suppose it is time for our long–drawn fight to come to a conclusion, Anya.”
