"Is anyone hurt?" the cautious servant asked. She quickly replaced the spilled dish that the beautiful woman had tried to escape from. She didn't blame her because if he were in her position. She would also try to run as far as he could.
"N-no, no one is hurt," Chloe replied. Her body still trembled, but she looked up. The middle-aged woman's eyes seemed genuine. They were calm and exuded warmth. Suddenly, Chloe remembered Peni. What was her fate now? And what happened that night?
Thinking about all the questions regarding the events of last night made Chloe's headache worse. She also felt desperate because she couldn't find a way out other than the door she had just escaped from. Three large dogs guarded her, along with the scoundrels who were eager to punch her face.
But standing next to any one of them, Chloe was already at a disadvantage in terms of physical strength. How could she defeat them all?
"Come on, miss, have your breakfast. The porridge will get cold soon. The warm tea must not taste as good as before either," the servant said with a wide smile.
Chloe responded with a small smile. "Thank you." She gently picked up the glass of tea offered by the woman and took slow sips, savoring the sweetness that quenched her long-held thirst. She finished the tea since it tasted good and was extremely thirsty.
The servant's smile widened. "Eat, miss. Don't get sick."
Hearing the servant's kindness, Chloe pulled a thin smile, although she felt it. "Thank you."
"Miss seems like a good person. I'm here only to serve you in terms of food and clothing. I have also prepared a change of clothes."
"Who gave the order?"
"It was Riko who spoke to you earlier."
Chloe didn't ask any further questions. She was also sure the servant would need to find out who Riko's boss was. But maybe the servant did know. But not now. She needed the energy to think about it. She couldn't afford to be weak. Although she didn't know where she was now and what dangers would come her way, she still had to stand on her own two feet.
"I'll leave now, miss."
Chloe smiled once again. She couldn't keep the servant's presence here for too long. Chloe needed to fill her empty stomach and think about how to escape. She couldn't stay here forever.
Meanwhile...
"Are you sure this is the place?" someone asked, looking around. They focused on the relatively secluded and luxurious house in this area through the binoculars they were using. Although challenging, they approached as directed by the man beside them.
"No, I'm sure," Darren replied. He opened his cell phone again to check the location of the trace he had left. "The GPS points here, sir."
"Have you contacted the police?"
"Yes," Darren replied confidently. His surveillance since last night was finally yielding results. The last time he spotted the car that carried Chloe, it ended up at this location. There were no other houses or places for confinement except for this relatively grand building surrounded by high walls.
In some way, God made him come to Chloe's house last night. Perhaps it was due to his intense yearning, or he felt uneasy about Chloe's whereabouts. She had also informed him about the tightened security, which made him restless.
And coinciding with his arrival, the lights in Chloe's house went out.
He was shocked and moved quickly so as not to be late. As he observed his surroundings, he felt something was happening, and several men in black uniforms immediately rushed into Chloe's house. Darren initially wanted to intervene, but it turned out that they were on the same side.
Then he heard the sound of a car revving rapidly. Darren was sure that Chloe was inside. One of the guards assigned by Chris to protect the house and monitor Chloe's movements reported that an unknown group had indeed kidnaped Chloe. That's why Darren accelerated his car, followed by another vehicle from the other guards.
He also informed Leonel after speaking with one of the guards who had been in the car with Chloe. They were Chris' men, and Darren knew who Chris was to Chloe. He told Leonel everything about what they were facing. Chris asked Darren to continue pursuing the perpetrators' car and tail them to the place of captivity. Josh would know if the plan to kidnap Chloe failed, and he could cancel the big meeting the following day.
At first, Darren completely disagreed with this, but Chris's intuition was convincing enough. Darren finally thought logically after seeing and hearing what Chris presented. Indeed Chloe would only be harmed once they achieved their goal. They were scheduled to have the meeting at ten in the morning. Chris and Leonel quickly devised a plan as Darren pursued the car with Chloe inside.
"Should we wait for the police or what, sir?"
"We don't know the terrain inside, sir. I can't defend myself, but I am not afraid to face them. What I'm worried about is that it has been over eight hours. I'm afraid Chloe is in danger."
His name was Yudis, the name of the guard. "I think Miss Chloe is fine, considering it's highly likely that all of this is Josh's doing. You know Josh, right?"
"A little bit."
"Miss Chloe is being used as a strong reason to pressure Mr. Leonel and Mr. Chris into obeying Josh's orders. I'm sure of it."
"Just a moment, sir." Darren straightened his back. His sharp eyes stared at the wall and the slightly open gate. "There's movement."
They all got ready. Whatever happened, they had to go inside. They couldn't be late to free Chloe, who was captive inside. The man at the end of the gate stared intently at them, suspicious of the presence of a foreign car around the house. With a defiant expression, the long-haired man approached them.
When he arrived at the side door of Darren's car, he knocked loudly. Darren looked at Yudis as if to say it was the right time now, especially since the gate was wide open. Yudis nodded silently. Darren forcefully opened the car door without much thought, causing the long-haired man to scream in pain.
Not accepting being hit by the car door, the long-haired man directed his fist toward Darren. Although not very skilled in fighting, Darren had learned how to dodge opponents and deliver a few punches in return. Several guards who were with Darren quickly entered the open gate. One of them helped Darren defeat the long-haired man.
They were all trained in hand-to-hand combat. It was evident from the way they brought down their opponents one by one as they exited the large house. Most of them used sharp weapons to fight against the guards and Darren, who continued to push forward.
Blow after blow was delivered by Darren, and he also received a few hits to his face and stomach. It hurt, but he ignored it all. Darren's mind was now focused on safely getting Chloe out of this house.
If his calculations were correct, in New York City, Leonel, Chris, and Josh were most likely having a meeting. This rescue mission for Chloe had to succeed.
It wasn't just him who took punches and suffered injuries to various parts of his body. Some guards also experienced the same but continued resisting until they were all disabled. A total of ten people guarded this large house and were successfully tied up in the middle of the room.
Perhaps because they were evenly matched in ability, they were quickly overpowered.
Darren hurriedly searched for Chloe, followed by the guards who combed through the house. Finally, he arrived in a room on the second floor.
"Chloe!"
"Darren!" Chloe cried out in relief. She had heard the sounds of a fight and complete chaos but couldn't see what was happening. Chloe was sure that the servant woman had deliberately locked the door from the outside. Despite feeling sincerity in her gaze, she couldn't blame the woman for imprisoning her. There must have been orders that needed to be followed.
But now, her hope soared.
"You step back, Sa. I'll break down this door!"
Chloe immediately obeyed Darren's command. It didn't take long for the door to open with two kicks. Darren's face showed immense relief as he saw that Chloe was safe and sound. Although there was fear in her eyes, at least Chloe wasn't injured. Without hesitation, Darren pulled Chloe into a tight embrace.
He was genuinely relieved.
Meanwhile, Chloe cried tears of joy and happiness. Her fear slowly faded away. She returned Darren's embrace with strength. She inhaled his scent to assure herself that what was happening now was real. Darren had come to save her.
"Are you okay?"
Chloe quickly shook her head.
"I was so worried, Chloe." He briefly let go of the tight hug. Darren gazed at Chloe intently, carefully scanning for any wounds she might have suffered during this horrific ordeal. Fortunately, he didn't find any. There was only a lingering sense of immense fear, but it was slowly fading from Chloe.
Regardless of whether Chloe would be angry later, irrespective of the wounds on his face from the punches he received, and even if it might not be appropriate to kiss Chloe while his lips were injured, he didn't care. Darren leaned in and planted a long kiss on Chloe's pale lips.
***
"ARGH!!!"
Josh's screams filled the meeting room as the black-clad men stormed in, brandishing their weapons, including pistols. Some even had long Esters and didn't hesitate to point them at Josh. He grimaced in pain as a bullet hit his leg, causing him to collapse to the floor. As a result, the weapon in his hand slipped and fell slightly away from him.
One of the uniformed men approached and took Josh's weapon, swiftly securing it to prevent him from using it in the spacious room. He also tried to get Josh to stand up from his position.
"Let go!" Josh said with a displeased look. "You're taking liberties!"
"You are being charged with multiple offenses, including using illegal weapons, attempted murder in two different cases, and defamation directed at Leonel Grisham."
Josh laughed. His foot couldn't firmly touch the floor beneath him. He didn't feel the searing heat coursing through parts of his body. He could still win this fight, especially since he knew Leonel's weakness. Even if he ended up in prison for a long time, he didn't care as long as he achieved his goal.
One of those goals was to hurt the woman he loved. Despite meticulously planning and executing everything with great care, it was all for her. To make her realize that marriage didn't bring her happiness. Only with him Chloe Delilah would find true happiness.
Josh was confident about that.
But the woman had no gratitude at all. Instead, she became more antagonistic and distant. Josh had gone through all this trouble for Chloe, but what did he get in return? Couldn't Chloe feel the burning love in his heart? Or did Chloe love Leonel too much? Josh still remembered when Chloe talked about Mountain and Leonel. On her lips, she refused to admit that her love for Leonel still existed.
But Josh knew that love was still there. So what he would do was to sever that love. He wouldn't allow them to live happily, especially Leonel.
Although he felt pain standing up, he immediately reached for his phone, roughly pushing away the uniformed man's hand. "I'm not done yet!"
"What else do you need to do? Talk at the police station. Many things can be discussed there."
Damn it! But Josh didn't give up. Once he contacted the person he trusted, there was no response. Twice, still waiting for an answer. It wasn't until the third time that Josh's attention was diverted to Leonel because the man was speaking.
"Are you waiting for news from your people in Cross Building?"
Josh fell silent.
Meanwhile, Leonel took out his phone, making a video call that the recipient immediately answered.
"Mr. Leonel," the person on the other end said.
"How is Chloe?"
"Thank God, she's fine. Miss Chloe is a little scared, but worrying too much is unnecessary."
The video call was intentionally put on speaker so everyone could hear clearly, especially the man whose face had lost all color.
"May I speak?" Leonel asked.
"Of course, sir. Go ahead."
Then the screen displayed Chloe's slightly pale face. Leonel wanted to punch Josh until he was beaten to a pulp. How dare he frighten Chloe and use her as a hostage to carry out his plans? Leonel clenched his fist tightly, but his eyes were relieved when he saw and heard Chloe's voice. "Chloe," he called softly.
"Yes, Leonel. I'm fine." There was a tremor in her voice. Robby and Chris also felt immense relief hearing Chloe's voice. Robby immediately embraced his daughter to release the tension that had surrounded him.
If the guards and the police had been slightly late, the bullet might have injured Robby. Despite wearing expensive shirts and suits, he wore a bulletproof vest. But that didn't mean he wasn't tense and fearful, right?
He honestly didn't expect Josh to go to such extremes.
"We'll meet at home, dear," Robby said, filled with emotion.
"Yes, Dad. And please ... don't scare me."
"We're all fine, Chloe. I want to talk to Darren."
Chloe's face switched to Darren's. "Yes, sir."
"I'm truly grateful for Dr. Darren's help. I don't know what would have happened if he hadn't been there."
"No need to hesitate, sir. Chloe and I have a close relationship. I made sure Chloe was safe with me."
Robby nodded in understanding, returning the phone, which had now returned to the porch, to Leonel. Meanwhile, Leonel only said a little about Darren's words. He had plenty of time to find out the extent of their relationship. What mattered now was dealing with Josh; he wouldn't let the man breathe free air anytime soon.
"Let's go!" the man beside Josh said somewhat forcefully.
Josh's face grew pale upon hearing Chloe's voice and the voice of the other man who saved him. It meant that his plan to abduct Chloe had failed, and the people around Chloe could...
"Let's go!" The uniformed man pulled Josh, who had remained silent since being shot in the leg. "You'll be held accountable for all your actions in court."
"You bastard!" Josh yelled in disbelief.
"There's one more thing that will worsen your situation in court, Josh. I'm sure Chloe won't stay silent knowing about all the manipulation directed at her and the kidnapping she experienced. I will take action even if Chloe doesn't want to press charges. I guarantee that she will file many claims as a victim."
Josh stared at Leonel with resentment.
"Enjoy your day in prison, Josh William."