Chapter 1865
The wall lamp in the living room was still on. Balfour sat alone in the dimness while puffing on a cigar. He had dismissed his staff for the night since he preferred to sit alone in the quiet for a while.
The cigar was still lit, and tendrils of smoke spiraled towards the ceiling. Yet Balfour had barely taken a few puffs. He was seemingly lost in thought.
From his position near the windows, he had a clear view of the mansion’s grand iron gate. Suddenly, a beam of bright light shot in, falling directly onto his
eyes.
Headlights?
Who could be visiting at such a late hour? Annoyed, Balfour flicked the ash off his cigar. As if on cue, his smartphone on the nearby table buzzed.
Without much interest, he glanced at the screen. His eyes immediately lit up, and he swiftly picked up the call.
“Hello? Ellinor, what’s up? Need something?”
Ellinor’s voice echoed from the other end. “Open the gate!”
Balfour raised an eyebrow. “It’s you? Hang on, I’ll have someone open it for you.”
As he spoke to Ellinor, Balfour quickly got up and went outside, instructing the two guards on duty to open the gate.
As soon as the Howard family’s iron gate opened, Theo drove in, parking the car right in front of Balfour.
Ellinor quickly unbuckled her seat belt, got out of the car, and briskly walked up to Balfour. “Where’s Patricia?”
Balfour was taken aback by his sister’s abrupt question. “Patricia? Isn’t she still in jail? Why are you asking about her all of a sudden?”
Ellinor was frantic. She grabbed at Balfour’s clothes and screamed, “She’s out! Don’t you know? You’ve always been so fond of her; how could know where she is?! Tell me! Where is she?!”
Balfour had never seen Ellinor this rattled. Even though he wasn’t sure what had happened, he knew something was seriously wrong.
you not
He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. Then he turned to Theo, who had just gotten out of the car. “What’s going on? Why are you looking for her this late?”
Theo’s face was grim. “Someone kidnapped Baber today. We suspect it might have something to do with Patricia since he was just released on parole.” “What? Baber’s been kidnapped?” Balfour’s face tightened. He finally understood why Ellinor was so panicked. “Ellinor, who told you Patricia was out on parole? I didn’t even know about it!”
Ellinor’s voice was hoarse. “Veronica saw her a while ago. Chase confirmed it too. She behaved well in prison and was granted early release.”
Balfour frowned deeply. This was not the information he had been receiving.
From what he knew, Patricia had initially been unruly and disobedient in prison, often feigning illness to get out of work.
The warden, knowing she was a Howard, had been lenient with her out of respect for the family. But after repeated complaints, he had come to Balfour, asking how to deal with her.
He had given the order to treat her just like any other inmate, which had resulted in Patricia behaving slightly better.
But how did this translate to good behavior that warranted an early release?
The strangest part was that he hadn’t received any news about Patricia’s early release.
“Ellinor, I understand! You and Theo come inside with me. Give me a moment to confirm whether Patricia is still in prison and when she was released. I’ll get back to you soon, okay?”
Ellinor was desperate. “Hurry up! I can wait, but Baber can’t!”
