Theodore had just finished the formalities at the police station when he received Hugo’s call, informing him about Bella’s accident. His mind went blank when he heard that Tristan was dead.
"What about Bella?" he asked, his voice shaking. "Tell me she survived the accident."
Hugo let out a deep sigh and replied, "She is missing."
Theodore fell silent for a moment; the revelation left him reeling from shock. "What do you mean by missing?"
"The police only found Tristan’s body in the car, but there was no sign of Madam Bella," Hugo explained. "Her phone was recovered from the wrecked car. The cops believe that someone may have taken her to the hospital. We’re looking for her. Perhaps she survived the accident. Maybe her treatment is going on somewhere."
"Find her," Theodore growled. "I want her safe."
Hugo paused before adding grimly, "Something is alarming. It appears that the accident was planned. The cops retrieved nails from the road, which punctured the tires and caused the car to lose control. Sadly, there is no surveillance camera in this area. So we can’t tell what might have happened."
Theodore’s eyes blazed with a mix of rage and anxiety. He was worried about Bella and at the same time, he was furious as he realized Claudia and Keith might have been behind the accident.
"I am sure it’s Claudia," he growled. "Find Bella before it’s too late."
"Mr. Reid, I don’t think Claudia is behind this," Hugo said cautiously.
"How are you so sure about that?" Theodore barked.
"Initially, I suspected her and started tracking her activities. Then I found that she had been hurt on her head this morning. Her treatment is going on at the hospital. She can’t orchestrate the accident."
However, Theodore wasn’t ready to believe it. He knew Claudia was more capable than they could ever imagine. "Don’t underestimate her. That woman is shrewd. If she can abandon her own daughter for property, she can do anything." His grip on the phone tightened a bit. "And don’t forget she has Keith by her side. That man is now like a wounded lion. He can go to any length to get even with me."
"I get it, sir," Hugo said, realizing the depth of the situation. "I’ll find out who is responsible for the accident."
As the call ended, Theodore looked at the phone screen. His worry was evident in his eyes. "Bella where are you?" he murmured under his breath.
At the hospital...
When Keith learned that their plan to abduct Bella had failed, he grew furious. "You fools," he barked on the phone. "I only asked you to stop the car and abduct the woman. How come such a big accident happened?"
"It was our fault," the man on the other end of the line stuttered. "We expected the tires to puncture, forcing the car to stop in the middle of the road. But we never imagined such a major accident. We were so scared that we fled."
"You bunch of useless people," Keith fretted, grinding his teeth. "How can you be so stupid? Why didn’t you bring Bella along?"
His chest heaved with wrath. There was a chance to keep Bella with him and force Theodore to do whatever he wanted. But those dumb folks wasted that opportunity. They fled the scene without Bella.
"Sorry boss. We were too scared. We..."
"Shut up...I don’t want to hear anything," Keith roared. "Now, get lost and don’t get caught. The cops might be looking into the accident."
"Don’t worry, boss. The road is deserted, and there are no surveillance cameras installed in the vicinity. The cops can’t find us," the man said with conviction. After a moment of pause, he added hesitantly, "But, there is something you need to know. Miss Bella has gone disappeared from the accident sight."
"What do you mean?" Keith frowned, stunned.
"She wasn’t in the car," the man informed. "Only her phone was found. Her last call was to her mother. But she wasn’t there. She simply vanished. The cops and Mr. Reid are looking for her."
Keith’s frown deepened, his mind racing with possibilities. "Maybe she escaped and sought help from the passersby. Be cautious and keep following Theodore. I want to know his every move."
"Got it, boss. I’ll keep updating you."
Beep
Keith frowned deeply, his gaze moving outside the window. "Bella has disappeared from the accident site," he mumbled in a daze. "Who has helped her? And where is she now?"
Claudia, who had been silently watching him speaking on the phone, couldn’t stay quiet any longer. "Care to tell me what is happening?" she snarled.
Keith turned around, startled by her harsh voice, only to meet her inquisitive gaze.
"What accident are you talking about? And where is Bella?" Claudia pressed.
Keith approached her. "A blunder happened." He then narrated everything he had learned from that man.
Claudia’s nervousness grew at the shocking revelation. "I knew from the beginning that this plan had flaws. Now see, what has happened. A man died... and we don’t know if Bella really survived. Theodore might be furious. He will surely dig into this matter and soon find out your involvement."
Her voice shook with conflicting emotions. She was scared and worried. At the same time, her heart filled with despair.
"We are already in a mess," she added in dismay. "I don’t want more trouble." She reached out to grab Keith’s hands and pleaded, "We still have time. Let’s get out of here. We can live with new identities far away from here. As long as I have you and my children with me, I don’t need anything."
This time, Keith also thought it was wise to sneak away. Everything had gone wrong. All his plans had backfired. His son was in jail, and his daughter hated them. The plan to kidnap Bella was his last attempt to regain his control over Theodore, but it had also failed.
Claudia was right. Theodore wouldn’t stop until he found out who was behind the accident. Before he could get a clue about their involvement, they had to leave.
"Alright, I’ll see what I can do," he assured her. "I have some friends who can help us get out of here. But taking Frank out of jail is not easy."
Claudia’s eyes turned stormy. "We can’t leave him alone," she protested in a frenzy.
"I am not abandoning her," Keith said. "First, let me take you and Gina out of here. I’ll find a way to get Frank out of jail."
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