For several days, Patrick hadn’t seen Michelle at the office, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He thought she had come to her senses and gone back to France alone or was out shopping somewhere. In any case, it was good that she wasn’t bothering him.
It seemed like everything was going smoothly. Patrick’s relationship with Jane was also rapidly heating up as the day of their engagement ceremony drew closer. He had more and more things to do besides handling files and attending meetings at work.
Apart from that, he took Jane to try on dresses and rings again and again as if there were no one else in his life but her.
On this day, just after they came out of the jewelry store, Jane linked arms with Patrick and smiled at him saying, “The engagement ceremony is coming soon but your company is still busy with business these days so you don’t need to worry about me too much. You should focus on your own affairs.”
“Don’t worry about it,” said Patrick reassuringly as he patted Jane’s hand back. “I’ve arranged everything for my company already besides everyone knows we’re getting engaged now so it’s only natural for me to spend time with you.”
While they were chatting away happily together like this, Michelle’s bodyguard called Patrick on his phone.
“Mr. Pansy! Something terrible has happened! Princess Michelle is missing!” The bodyguard sounded urgent over the phone which made Patrick frown while looking into Jane’s eyes.
His intuition told him he shouldn’t meddle too much in this matter. However, since Michelle’s bodyguard had called, it wouldn’t be right to show complete indifference. Moreover, Michelle was in a foreign country here, and even if he didn’t like the girl, he had to consider Duckstein’s face and take care of her.
Jane also heard the conversation from the handset and frowned, expressing her concern, “What’s going on… maybe you should ask.”
Patrick nodded in response to Jane’s suggestion and asked, “What happened? When did you last see her?”
“It’s… it’s about two hours ago. I was supposed to deliver snacks to the princess’s room. I knocked on the door, but no one answered. Later, I called the front desk to open the door, only to find no one inside. When we checked the surveillance footage, we saw that the princess received a call and was taken away. I… I only have your phone number, Mr. Pansy. Please help us find the princess!” The bodyguard’s voice sounded urgent and pleading.
Patrick furrowed his brow at the urgent plea. Without hesitation, after ending the call, he immediately dialed his home security and spoke rapidly, “Princess Michelle is missing. Bring more people and spare no effort to find her in Guavo!”
After putting his phone back in his pocket, Patrick sighed, “Michelle is Duckstein’s daughter. Now that she’s missing, I have to ensure her safety. Otherwise, I won’t be able to explain to my friend.”
Understanding, Jane nodded, “I know. Let’s not go shopping now. Finding her is the priority. I’m really worried that something might have happened to Michelle.”
Without delay, the two of them searched the busiest areas of Guavo, asking people about Michelle’s whereabouts. However, by evening, they had found no trace of her. Even the bodyguards were clueless, and nobody knew where Michelle had been taken.
Feeling helpless, Patrick and Jane returned home, but both were restless. Patrick continuously called Michelle’s bodyguards for updates, his brow furrowed with anxiety.
Around 8:30 PM, Patrick’s phone suddenly rang with an unfamiliar number. Jane perked up, walked closer to Patrick, and both stared at the phone screen. After a moment’s hesitation, Patrick answered, as his intuition told him this call might be related to Michelle.
“Hello?”
“Is this Mr. Pansy?” came a strange voice on the other end of the line with electronic distortion making it sound like it was synthesized through a voice changer.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
From the receiver came a burst of laughter, sounding particularly harsh and unsettling. “I want to tell you, Princess Michelle is in our hands. You are the only contact saved in her phone. If you want to rescue her, come to Bafwell Island to find her.”
“What have you done to Michelle?” Patrick’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing Michelle’s name, but overall, he managed to stay composed.
The person on the other end of the phone seemed impatient, and the tone abruptly turned harsh, “We’ve been observing her for several days. A princess from France, isn’t extortion quite normal? … Unfortunately, you’re the only contact we have. Stop the chatter. If you want to save her, be on the island within two hours. Don’t bring anyone with you, or we’ll kill her!”
After the kidnapper finished speaking, the phone clicked off. Patrick clenched his lips tightly, turned to Jane, and said, “It was a call from the kidnappers just now. They’ve taken Michelle to an island. I have to go and rescue her. But don’t worry; I’ll be careful. You stay at home and wait for my return.”
Jane was also extremely anxious. She didn’t know who Michelle had offended, but the urgent task at hand was to rescue her quickly.
Patrick hurriedly left the room. There was still one last ferry, and without much hesitation, he boarded the ship to the island. By the time he arrived at the island, it was completely dark.
During the journey, the kidnapper with a voice changer called Patrick several times until he guided him to a small wooden house on the island.
When Patrick saw the small wooden house, his heart trembled. Clearly, it reminded him of those unpleasant childhood memories.
But as soon as he thought of the kidnapper saying Michelle was inside, he pushed open the door. Upon entering, Patrick saw Michelle standing in the room, looking at him with a radiant smile, completely unlike someone who had been kidnapped.