Keith recoiled, his face turning ghostly pale. He wanted to get up and flee right away, but his body went numb, rooting him in the spot. Theodore looked dangerously calm, but Keith knew it was just the calmness before the storm. His gut clenched when he saw Steward walking out of the room.
"Wait, no! Don’t leave me here!" Keith’s voice cracked with desperation. He didn’t want to be alone with Theodore.
Steward paused in the doorway, turning his head slightly to glance at Keith with an icy, detached expression. "I have no further business here," he said flatly. "Mr. Reid will handle the rest. Just make sure you don’t try to play smart." He turned away and stepped out, shutting the creaky door behind him.
Keith could see it was the end of his life. These people wouldn’t leave him alive. His body felt paralyzed, every muscle rigid with fear as his gaze unwillingly shifted back to Theodore.
"I have already confessed," he started, his fear transforming into frustration. "I killed your father because he had discovered about my and Claudia’s affair. We plotted all this to take over the Reid’s fortune and even tried to kill you. You know everything. What else do you want to ask?"
Theodore just stared at him coldly, making Keith cower under his scrutiny.
"Yes, it’s Franklin who killed that greedy man, O’Neil," Keith continued. "And we supported him. We wanted to blackmail you to marry Gina. All this was just to get the property. I’ve already told everything. Now let me go."
"This is not what I want to know," Theodore said, his tone gravely deep and cold.
Keith, befuddled, stared at him with a gaping mouth. He couldn’t understand what Theodore wanted to know from him.
"What do you want from me?" he asked skeptically.
"Where is Bella?" Theodore asked flatly.
"Bella?" Keith repeated with disbelief. His mind churned as realization dawned.
’So all of this is about her.’
A bitter wave of resentment washed over him. If those guys had succeeded in kidnapping Bella, none of this would be happening. His family wouldn’t be at risk, and he wouldn’t be kneeling in front of Theodore, staring death in the face.
He silently clenched his fists. "I don’t know," he muttered. "Why are you wasting your time asking me this question? If you’re so desperate to find her, go and look for her yourself."
Theodore’s patience snapped. The rage he had been holding back erupted, his calm veneer collapsing He lunged forward, grabbing Keith by the collar with iron-like hands, dragging him closer until their faces were mere inches apart. His expression was a thunderstorm of fury.
"You hired those goons to kidnap her," Theodore hissed through his gritted teeth. "They caused an accident—a tragedy that killed my secretary. And Bella... she vanished. Where is she?"
"I don’t know," Keith snapped back. "Like you said, the goons caused the accident. They messed up, panicked, and fled. They didn’t take her!"
"Don’t lie to me!" Theodore roared. "I know you’re keeping her hidden. If you don’t tell me where she is, I’ll destroy you—and your entire family, including your precious daughter."
Keith gasped, clawing at Theodore’s hands, his chest heaving in desperation.
Panic exploded in Keith’s chest, his breath coming in strangled gasps. "No—no! Don’t hurt her!" he croaked. "Gina’s innocent! She had no part in this! In fact, she helped you—she exposed our plan!"
Keith’s eyes bulged as the lack of air sent his mind spiraling, but his fear for Gina eclipsed his own survival instincts.
"I don’t know where Bella is! Do you hear me? We wanted to kidnap her—to demand the property, to have Franklin’s case dismissed. But it all went wrong! The goons failed. If she were with us, we wouldn’t be in jail!"
Theodore’s jaw tightened as he processed the desperate confession. Slowly, his grip on Keith’s throat began to loosen, though the fury in his eyes remained unrelenting. Keith collapsed to the floor, coughing and gasping for air, his hands clutching his bruised neck.
Keith was relieved that he wasn’t killed. "I’ve told you whatever I know," he said between the cough. "Let me go."
"Let you go?" Theodore repeated mockingly. His piercing gaze locked onto Keith, pinning him in his place. "You and your scheming lover destroyed my parents’ life. You tore apart my family’s happiness, killed my father, plotted my murder, and then conspired to abduct Bella. Even if your pitiful plan failed, it led to an accident that killed Tristan. And Bella...She is still missing."
Theodore rose to his feet. "Do you really think you’re not responsible for all of this? Do you think you can escape the consequences of what you’ve done? You will pay, Keith. And your entire family will pay the price for your sins."
Keith remained on the floor, trembling, a cold sweat breaking out across his brow. He understood there was no escape no matter how hard he tried. He was doomed, and his family was also ruined.
He was devastated. They had been suffering because of his greed and past mistakes. Regret and guilt pinched his heart. But he didn’t want to accept defeat. He clung to the belief that he had won the battle even though he had lost it.
"Hahaha..." Keith’s laughter reverberated, halting Theodore in his tracks. "Oh, Theodore, it’s so delightful to see you helpless. For all your power, all your wealth, you still don’t know where your precious wife is. What good is it all if you can’t even protect her?" He continued laughing menacingly.
"Stop laughing," Theodore spun around, the laughter grating against his nerves like nails on a chalkboard.
But Keith didn’t stop. If anything, his laughter grew louder, more taunting. "Why, Theodore?" Keith sneered. "It’s hilarious, isn’t it? The mighty Mr. Reid’s wife has a secret admirer, who whisked her away, leaving no trail. He doesn’t care about your influence."
Theodore’s muscles tensed as he thought of Bella with another man. He crouched in front of Keith, grabbing his collar and pulling him close. His dark eyes burned with unbridled fury. "Who is he?" he growled dangerously.
Keith’s laughter faded, replaced by a solemn expression. "How would I know who her secret admirer is?" he replied, his tone infuriatingly casual. "You’re the one who should be thinking, Theodore. Think hard and find out who he is."
Theodore scowled, his mind racing. One name popped up in his mind – Zack. The name hit him like a thunderclap. Zack was the only one who had ever harbored such twisted feelings for Bella. Could Zack have been bold enough to orchestrate Bella’s disappearance?
The question jolted him to the core. Theodore started to doubt that Zack had taken Bella. He jumped to his feet and stormed out of the house.
Steward signaled the two policemen to deal with Keith before following Theodore.
Inside, Keith lay sprawled on the floor, still gasping from the earlier confrontation. His momentary relief at Theodore’s departure was short-lived as the officers entered the house and loomed over him. Before Keith could muster a plea, a heavy boot connected with his ribs, sending him sprawling with a pained cry. Another blow followed, and then another. The officers’ fists and boots landed with relentless precision.
Keith’s cries echoed, piercing the stillness of the night. Blood trickled from his split lip, staining the dusty floor beneath him, but the officers showed no sign of stopping.
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