Chapter 143: She’s My Mother…

Book:Beverly Hills Academy : The Royal Affair Published:2024-6-2

( Beverly Hills, California. )
“We tracked the Empress’s new phone number which was given to us. And it turned out that she was in the woods earlier.” Naomi reported.
“Was?” Elva asked.
“Yes. We found her phone… but she was nowhere close by. Our forensics did some investigations around the scene and they uncovered two bullet shells.”
“What?!” Esmond breathed in disbelief.
“Apparently, they were shooting at her.” She continued nonetheless.
“Oh my God!” Escaped Elva’s quavering lips.
“However, we have reasons to believe the Empress is still alive. Around the spots where the shells were found, there was no blood stains or any sign of bleeding.” She updated. Elva breathed out in relief and held her frightened chest.
“They wouldn’t have missed if they were the kelions. So that’s good news, right?” Esmond asked with emotions flickering in his cat like eyes.
“I’m not so sure about that.” Naomi continued and turned to the big screens in the investigation room.
“From the snapshots our men brought in from the crime scene, they shot only to scare her, not to kill her. And obviously it worked.” She used a remote control to swipe into another picture.
“A little slope was near the sight where we found the first bullet shell. It was proven that the Empress had tripped and fallen off, losing her phone in the process.”
“But despite all these… she’s safe, right?”
“I hope so.” Naomi paused. “But we think she’s hurt.”
Elva’s heart skipped a million beats while Esmond’s face went pale. Naomi switched to another set of pictures.
“After she got up, one of her footprint was heavier and deeper in the soil than the other. We calculated that she was limping because she hurt her ankle. The other footprints we picked up are of four other people.
“The trail led us out of the woods into a highway leading out of the city. There are no surveillance cameras out there so we don’t know what happened after on.” She concluded.
“Are there any clues on how we’re going to find these men?” Esmond asked. Naomi folded her arms.
“Presently, the bullet shells are being investigated to know which type of gun was used. If they’re really the kelions, we’ld know because they have a signature gun. But until then… What are your orders, ma’am?”
Elva looked up instinctively to see Naomi staring back at her as well as the others in the underground room.
When did she agree to the position?? She blinked silently and lowered her eyes.
“If the trail stopped when they got out of the woods, then it means one out of two things.” She reasoned.
“Either the kelions got to the Empress first and abducted her with a standby car or…”
“Or someone else got to her first.” Esmond finished and she nodded.
“But who could’ve?” Naomi asked.
“If there aren’t CCTV on the highway then there must be security cameras, either private or public, on the roads leading to the highway.” She said. Naomi slowly nodded.
“If we can get hold of those footages around the time of the kidnap, we can…”
“… narrow down the list of cars that used the road around midnight.”
“And investigate to know which driver is most likely a suspect.” Elva nodded again.
“It’s not gonna be easy. There are many…”
“I know. But the Empress, OUR Empress, is somewhere out there definitely hurt and probably kidnapped. We’ve got to try whatever means necessary to find her!” The royal assistant emphasized.
They all nodded with an extreme sense of patriotism that was almost blinding!
“If she’s not with those murderers, then we’ll know that she’s safe and will contact us soon. So I want all available phones and devices in this building turned on in case she makes contact!.
“But if she’s with them… We know for a fact that they still need her. And that gives us some time to hunt them down to their holes as soon as possible! Understood?” They nodded again.
“Get to work.” She ordered with supremacy and everyone got busy.
“Max.” Elva called as he turned to leave. “Has Jake made contact?”
“No, he hasn’t…”
“Find him! At whatever cost. Natalia’s gone and we need him more here.” Max nodded and walked out.
“I’ll handle the press and the chaos of a scandal currently going on on the media. No one must know Alexis is missing or the ensuing crises would be unimaginable.” The Emperor mused. Elva smiled her gratitude and Esmond walked out as well.
As everyone got busy, she crashed on her official chair and fought the drowning urge to cry.
“Where in God’s name are you, Nat?….”
***
A tear slid down Natalia’s cheek as she jerked up with a gasp. Her memories haunted her in the form of a nightmare. She looked around expecting those assasins to shoot her but they weren’t there.
Instead, someone sat at her legs, massaging her hurting ankle. Natalia looked down and noticed the expensive silky bedsheets and the elegantly furnished room.
.
Room??
The Empress’s confusion began to double feeling her head all muddled up. Why wasn’t she in the woods? Where was those men? Where was she? How did she get in there? Who saved her??
As these confusing thoughts raced through her mind, the door automatically slid open and Leonardo De Luca appeared from behind it.
“Leave us.”
The female masseur stood up and bowed subserviently. It was a simple order. But one to make her vanish like smoke!
He casually walked over to the exquisite bed canopy and sat next to Natalia’s feet, resuming from where the professional had stopped.
“Leo?” Natalia whispered silently, making sure he was the one she had known. Leonardo quietly picked up an exotic massage oil from the rich variety on the table before sparing her a lifeless look.
Natalia’s heart did a dual beat as she took in the changes. He was no longer the cheerful soul with lively eyes. Instead, a pair of stone cold grey eyes stared right back at her.
When he looked away, Natalia unconsciously breathed out the lump in her throat. His luscious dark brown hair was still the same but he’d swept it back, away from his elegantly chiseled face with sculpting gel. So they were no longer messy cute.
But straight hot!
And unlike his usual carefree clothes, Natalia noticed Leonardo was spotting a formal shirt with sleeves neatly rolled up to his elbows, exposing a pair of arms which had been layered with definitive tattoos, and which women who loved the fierce sexy kind would helplessly swoon over!.
A custom made belt rested above his black suitpants and imported shoes. He looked like one of those shrewd billionaires who’ld chase out anyone living in a city they admired and turn it into their personal playground.
Leonardo felt different and looked nothing like the boy bestie Natalia had a year ago.
Rather, he had a domineering and insensitive aura which gave her goosebumps. Reading him was impossible because he kept his emotions under lock and key. His hands were warm but firm on her delicate skin which those penetrating eyes never left.
Natalia wiped her moist palms on her… wait! That wasn’t her dress! Instead of seeing the little gown and shorts Arian had helped her wear that morning after their bathroom moment, a curvy, silky, sky blue gown sat in its place.
The material was classy and had a lot of straps barely hiding her delicious buttery whipped skin.
It was no secret that she was braless!
“Your other clothes were messed up.” He offered without taking his gaze away. Even his voice sounded different.
Natalia nervously tucked her hair behind her ears and nodded. “How… how long was I out?” She asked softly.
Leonardo wrapped a light white bandage around her sore ankle with the most enviable daintiness in the world.
“A couple of hours.” Another monotonous reply.
Natalia nodded again and tried to remove her foot but he gripped it suddenly.
“Thank you.” She muttered when he used a little pin to hold it in place.
“Those men…. in the woods…. what hap…”
“Don’t worry about them.” He used a napkin to wipe his hands elegantly. “They’re gone.”
“Gone?” She asked in mild surprise, but no other explanation came forth.
Just then, a new woman walked into the bedroom and Natalia’s eyes widened. The intruder indifferently waltzed over and placed a medicine tray on the bedside table before taking a few mannered steps away.
Natalia fisted the duvets until her knuckles went white as bitter anger rose above the darkest depths of her heart. She glared murderously with unbridled hate at the imposter who killed her grandmother!!
If Lady Rosa was intimidated, she didn’t show it. Leonardo managed a flat smile at her and gently handed over the glass of water to Natalia.
“What in hell is she doing here?” She gritted coldly, more than ready to commit her first murder. And like it was the most normal thing in the world, Leonardo gave the idling woman a curt nod.
“She’s my mother.”