( Beverly Hills, California. )
Arian De’ Argent walked out of the hospital still trying to reach Natalia. But the usual reply which he’d watched her record with delight nights ago came through…
~~ Hey, it’s me! Sorry I’m not available right now. If it’s important, call again. But if it isn’t?… Don’t bother! ~~
The gorgeous French left the same message he’d been sending repeatedly and shut his phone. My love, where are you?? He groaned in frustration and bumped into a panicky Elva who was with a couple others.
“Arian!”
“Elva!” They gushed simultaneously and breathed out, almost hugging each other in relief.
“Have you seen Natalia??” They uniformed again.
“You both should calm down.” Naomi stated authoritatively. Elva tried to calm her rising fear and Arian did the same.
“Now…” The current chief investigator took charge, staring at Arian flatly.
“Did the Empress Alexis come into this premise with you by any chance?”
“By any chance?” He quirked, more stunned by her question than wondering who in the world she was. “I drove her here!”
“Then where is she?” Naomi pressed.
“I don’t know. I’ve been trying to reach her but it’s going straight to voicemail. It’s all my fault. I rushed in here mindlessly…. without even knowing if she followed behind.” He whispered, drowning in immense guilt.
“I’ve been trying to reach Natalia too but it’s not connecting! She called me a while ago sounding in tears and saying she needed a hug. She told me to come get her at this hospital before hanging up. I was frightened. I’d thought that maybe SHE was the patient!” Elva was teary, worried sick for her best friend.
“Okay…” Naomi breathed thoughtfully, looking as cool as ice. Being practical? How did she do it??
“You drove her here at what time?” She focused her gaze on Arian again. He gave an estimate.
“Then she called you when?” She switched it to Elva. She told her.
“If she followed you in and left before you noticed, that was enough time to call Elva and ask her to come pick her up. It’s been an hour already…”
“If it wasn’t for the bloody traffic!” Elva gritted. Naomi looked around.
“Surveillance cameras.” She voiced, looking pleased to see a couple around the bulding’s main entrance.
“…. and a couple of witnesses, ma’am.” Max Korman, Jake’s next-in-charge walked over with the hospital’s head of security.
“What do you know?” Naomi interrogated, straight to the point. If the man was intimidated, he didn’t show much. As a matter of fact, he was oh-so-greatly impressed meeting the big boss Argent, his French heir and the top heads of one of the strongest Empires in the world in one single night!
Could his evening get any better??
“Not much.” He mused. “Only that the Empress was harassed by some vile woman before we forced her out of the vicinity.”
“What do you mean harassed?”
“She was hit and didn’t do a single thing. Not even call the cops!” The man dramatised, still slightly offended Natalia didn’t take his reasonable advice of calling the cops despite the live videos the gaping crowd took.
“Who was she?” Arian glared. The hospital’s H. O. S tried as much as he could to describe the person. Naomi shook her head.
“That won’t do. We’re gonna need a solid pic…”
“Selena!” Arian growled and stormed to his car in a heartbeat.
“Okay? Why did she hit her?” Naomi resumed. The man cleared his throat and looked around in a gossipy manner.
“Mhm. She accused the Empress of… of ruining her wedding by having an affair with her fian…”
“That’s enough!” Elva snapped, more than ready to drive after Arian!
“What direction did the Empress go?” Naomi asked. He thumbed over his shoulder, where Arian drove off.
“East. My best guess is that she opted to take a taxi instead of being the topic of hate words out here. You see, many people saw you kn…”
“Thank you.” She cut him short icily and turned to Jake’s assistant, Max.
“I need you to get the CCTV footage of the Empress during the period she was here and also those on the streets on her way out from the authorities.” He nodded and walked out with two Astheria guards.
“The rest of you drive east and try to pick up the Empress’s trail.” She ordered and they did.
“And you.” She glared down at the hospital’s H. O. S with complete hostility. “It’s no biggie you’re a complete gossipy chatterbox!…”
His eyes bulged open, feeling thoroughly insulted!.
“…. If word spreads out of whatever was discussed here today?… The only thing you’ld be ‘head’ of, is a playschool’s security team!” She snarled. He uncomfortably swallowed hard.
Yeah, cause it gave everyone else goosebumps!
“You’re dismissed!” She snapped. The man and his subordinates disappeared leaving only Naomi and Elva and a handful of guards.
“We’re gonna find her.” She softened up to Elva who had a blank look on.
“I hope it wouldn’t be too late.” She muttered and looked towards the east in a daze.
“Because something tells me he’s rounding up his game plan…”
***
“Argh! I really can’t stand that piece of shit! She’s nothing but a pathetic slut!” Selena screamed and smashed her phone in extreme fury.
“What happened this time?” Her cute Korean best friend, Lee Minji muttered dryly, going through her phone.
“She was with him! They were together the entire time he left home!”
“Bah! How did you…”
“Spare me that bullshit, Minji! It was so obvious and I never noticed!” She smashed a vase and screamed at it.
“Selena, you need to calm down before you lose it!” Minji jerked up in fright.
“Why wouldn’t I lose it, huh? That bitch’s bent on taking everything from me! First, she stole my husband and then ruined my wedding! I’m sure she made Arian do it! I’m sure she convinced him to run away a week before he’s darn wedding!!
“Arian becomes completely stupid when it comes to that darn bitch! A lap dog obeys less than he freaking does!” She yelled, angrily pacing around.
“I won’t let her be! The hopping whore must suffer as much as I’m suffering right…”
“Where is she?!” Arian De’ Argent yelled barging into the suite after her suggestive statement.
Selena whipped her head to see him glaring at her. A hopeless part of her wanted to rush to him but she stopped her emotions in time. She was darn sick of being treated like the second woman!
“And what are you gonna do, huh? Yell at me?? Then get ready because I’ve got a whole lot of yelling to do as well!” She fired back. Arian fully walked into the suite and slammed the door behind, making the doorframe shake violently.
Lee Minji looked pale as she hastily grabbed her flashy phone, ready to call for help if things totally went out of control.
“Did you hit her?” He icily snarled.
“Yes! And I’ll do it over and over again until her whoring ass stops meddling in our lives!”
“Meddling?? The only one meddling is your lame ass! Selena, how else can I explain that you’re only wasting your time here with me and in Cali?! Stop dreaming and get back to reality! It’s over between us. Our silly wedding is off!”
“You can talk all you want but know that the law is on my side! You’re lawfully engaged to me, Arian and there ain’t no shit you or anyone else can do about it!” She was going all out.
“That law is about to change because I’m getting rid of it! You or your puppet of a father won’t hold me back anymore from being with the woman I love!” He shot. The revelation threw Selena off guard. But the raging mademoiselle wasn’t gonna give up!
“After everything I’ve dedicated to you Arian, if you think I’m gonna back off and accept defeat then you’re hugely mistaken! I’m gonna fight for what is mine not minding who I have to destroy in the process!
“And thank goodness the mistress had to be a public figure!” She yelled and chuckled like a psycho. Arian grabbed her roughly.
“Do that and I swear…”
“Nothing is gonna happen, my love! Absolutely NOTHING! I’m gonna destroy her in so many ways than one! You just watch and keep count! After all, I’ve already done so much.” She gritted straight to his face.
Realisation and shock passed through Arian and he let go of her immediately. “Wh… what did you do to her?” He whispered, frightened of her answer.
Selena Lorenzo maniacally smirked, sickly enjoying the look on his face.
“You have no idea what a desperate woman is capable of!” She spat. His shock suddenly turned to rage.
“If anything happens to Natalia, I’ll make sure you get more than rot behind bars! Don’t push my limits, Selena and let her go!”
“Oh shut up, Arian! Until I walk down that beautiful isle and we make those lovely eternal vows, I’ll do a lot worse! That slut brings out the demon is me. And I swear, I’ll make sure everyday of her pathetic life is damn miserable!” She yelled.
“You’re the most idiotic person I know!” Arian shot.
“Do you really think you can get rid of her that easily? If anything happens to Natalia, every law enforcement agency in this country will be after you! Selena, have you stooped so low as to hurting someone else?!”
“I don’t care anymore!” She screamed maniacally. “It’s either I have you or no one does!”
Arian gave her one of those frosty looks which chilled Selena to her core. But she stood indifferent, glaring back at him with the Asian pensively glancing to and fro.
“I don’t wanna believe you’re that cold hearted, but I’m warning you Selena… If it turns out you harmed Natalia in any way or had anything at all to do with her disappearance, I’ll forget the little restraint I have towards you and treat you like the demon you are!…”