Chapter 77
“Sharon knows full well Kelly doesn’t have much time left, but she keeps playing her little games. Have you forgotten how she faked being sick, even staged a kidnapping just to get my and Theo’s attention?
“She’s been living the high life all these years, and now that she has Theo, there’s no way she’d let go of the marriage that easily. All of this is just another tactic-retreating in order to advance.”
Julliard looked at Carter, brows drawing together as if he was about to say something, when the tightly shut door to the hospital
room swung open.
A female caregiver appeared, visibly relieved to see Carter still in the hallway. “Mr. Biggs, good thing you haven’t left. Kelly is having a nightmare. We’ve tried everything, but she won’t wake up. Please come take a look.”
Carter gave a brief nod and walked back into the room.
Julliard stood still, watching Carter’s retreating figure disappear beyond the door. In the end, he said nothing.
Two days later, Sharon finally got a message from Julliard.
“I’ve looked into it,” he said. His voice on the phone was calm, devoid of emotion. “Wendy wasn’t taken by Carter. I’ll need a few more days to find out exactly where she is, so don’t worry just yet.”
Sharon let out a breath of relief, only for tension to knot up in her again the next second.
“What exactly happened to her? Why would she go into hiding?”
There was a brief silence on the other end. Then Julliard replied, “Seems she offended someone. She’s afraid of retaliation, so she’s laying low for now… Don’t worry. Once I find her, I’ll take care of it.”
Wendy’s personality did have a tendency to rub people the wrong way. Hearing this, Sharon found it believable and didn’t press further. She thanked him and ended the call.
But not long after she hung up, a new message popped up on her phone.
[Sharon, your friend’s been missing for days. Aren’t you even a little worried?]
The moment she saw the message, she knew it had come from Kelly. It was another one of Kelly’s manipulative games.
She couldn’t be bothered to reply and was just about to delete it when another message came in-this time, a photo.
Wendy was tied to a chair, duct tape covering her mouth.
Sharon’s eyes narrowed sharply. She immediately dialed the number, but it was rejected without even ringing once.
A second message followed.
[If you want to know where your friend is, come to this café. Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you.]
Sharon stared at the address. It was a well-known café in the city center.
Under normal circumstances, going there alone shouldn’t pose any danger.
But wasn’t it strange? If someone really wanted to exchange a hostage, wouldn’t they pick a more remote place? Why choose somewhere so public?
And hadn’t Julliard just told her this had nothing to do with Carter? 1
Then why did Kelly seem to know exactly where Wendy was? 1
1/2
Unless… Wendy was in her hands?
That thought surfaced, lingering in the back of her mind. After a moment’s hesitation, Sharon made her decision and headed for
the café.
The place wasn’t empty. From the outside, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
As soon as she stepped inside, a sharply dressed server approached.
“Miss, do you have a reservation?”
Sharon gave the seat number. The server nodded and led her over.
The moment she sat down, she saw Kelly’s familiar figure across from her.
As if sensing her gaze, Kelly looked up slowly.
“Sharon,” she said softly, “you came.”
Sharon kept her guard up, eyes on Kelly’s serene face.
“You asked me here,” she said. “What do you want?”
Kelly ordered a cup of coffee before looking back at her.
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