Chapter 198
“We don’t know,” George continued. “The plan was to return the child
to you after the wedding to Samuel West. But then… the baby was stolen.”
“Where was he taken from? from hospital?”
“No,” George admitted reluctantly. “From here.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “You’re saying someone broke into the home and stole my baby? Without anyone noticing?”
“I was in Europe for Fashion Week,” Sienna quickly said. “I had
nothing to do with it.”
“I was taking a beauty nap that day,” Eleanor added reluctantly. “I didn’t hear anything.”
Everything was too suspicious.
I asked, ice forming in my veins. “And why didn’t you call the police?”
George’s shoulders slumped further.
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“Samuel West–or rather, Caspar Thornton–was our salvation. The marriage arrangement would secure our future through the
Thornton–Bailey alliance.”
“If he discovered you had given birth,” Eleanor interjected, her voice
cold and practical, “he would have canceled the agreement immediately. No man would accept damaged goods.”
Georg glanced at my clenched fists, helplessly and brokenly
admitting his inner darkness and selfishness.
“As for you, we didn’t want you to go looking for that child. You were about to marry Samuel, and we were afraid the child’s existence would cause complications. In short, we really had nothing to do with the child being taken away, truly!”
I flinched at their cruel phrasing, rage building inside me.
“So you just… what? Let someone take my baby?” My voice rose despite my efforts to stay calm. “You chose money over a life?”
“You are the most cold–blooded, selfish people I have ever known,” I
roared, rising to my feet.
My composure shattered completely.
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“Do you understand what you’ve done? You stole four years from me -four years I could have spent searching for my child!”
Eleanor backed away, clearly startled by my outburst. George simply
slumped further into his seat.
“Wait, wait!” George held up his hands defensively, panic evident in
his face as he witnessed my unbridled fury.
“We do have something that might help. I–I kept the surveillance
footage from that day.”
The mention of surveillance footage instantly shifted something
inside me.
I forced my rage back down, replacing it with laser–focused
determination.
“Where is it?” I demanded, my voice suddenly calm.
“In my study. I’ll get it right away,” George practically leapt from his
seat.
He hurried from the room, returning moments later with an external
hard drive.
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“Here,” he said, extending it toward me with a shaking hand.
“The footage isn’t great–the person was careful to hide their face.”
I took the hard drive, clutching it like the precious artifact it was.
Without another word, I turned and headed for the door.
“Wait!” Eleanor called after me, her voice sharp. “What about our
agreement? You said if we told you the truth, you’d return control of
the group to us.”
I paused at the doorway, not bothering to turn around.
“As promised, I’ll return Bailey Group to the family–but it will be in
Margaret’s name only.”
I heard their collective gasp behind me. They understood the
implications immediately.
- ng.
“Margaret is elderly and in poor health,” Eleanor protested
desperately, “What use is the group to her? She can’t possibly manage
it!”
“That’s no longer your concern,” I replied coldly. “Who she chooses to
leave it to after she’s gone will be entirely her decision.”
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“Audrey! Wait! You can’t just-” Eleanor lurched forward, her heel
catching on the expensive carpet.
By the time she regained her balance, I was already gone, the sound
of the elevator doors closing behind me.
“You calculating bitch!” I heard her scream from down the hallway.
“You planned this all along!”
Her words meant nothing to me now.
All that mattered was the hard drive in my hand–and the child I
would find, no matter what it took.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
