Daisy didn’t follow Ash there nor did she come with anyone to intimidate him. Just like him, she was there to have a good time. Ash was relieved that it wasn’t what he thought it was.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll like to excuse myself. I have someone waiting for me,” Ash said to Daisy. He was about to leave when Daisy called him back.
“Ash…right?”
“Yeah, it’s Ash.”
Daisy walked an inch closer to him. Ash in response, took an inch backward. Another rule was that you should always tremble whenever a Landers gets close to you for no reason. Ash was just acting shrewd based on experience and dealings he already had with the Landers’.
“I just want to say that I regret what I did to you the other day…um, that I regret taking you with me.”
“Taking me with you? Is that what you call it? You took me against my will, that’s kidnapping and abduction, whatever it is they call it.” Ash wanted to scream this at Daisy but he was scared, he couldn’t. You dare not speak to a Landers in such a way. The calmer they looked and sounded, the more brutal they could be when they were angry.
Ash just left. He didn’t utter any word to Daisy. When he got to his table, Vivian was gone. He looked everywhere for her but he couldn’t find her. Ash was worried – sick. He called her number more than he could even remember to count, but she didn’t pick it up. Her phone wasn’t unreachable, she just didn’t answer his calls.
Could he have done anything wrong? He wondered. Ash could not continue there alone, especially since he wasn’t sure that Vivian was alright. He met Daisy first, and his mood became bad. He returned and Vivian’s absence made it worse.
Ivan was seated in his office the next day, completely lost in thought. For someone with such a strong will as Ivan, one would think he would forget Nelly pretty quick. No, he could not even forget her when he didn’t know her, when he had her only as a memory of someone who saved his life. How then could he afford to forget her now?
Ivan had the tip of his ink’s cover in his mouth. He was strategizing on what to do next to get Nelly back. Ivan had already exhausted whatever plan he groomed in his mind. He didn’t know what else to do to compel Ash to reveal the whereabouts of Nelly to him.
Should he use force? No, Daisy advised him not to. She said it’ll ruin the family’s name and Easton Landers would never tolerate that.
“Knock! Knock!”
The tap on his office door broke his attention. “Come in!” Ivan instructed.
Two hefty looking men walked into his office looking unsure of what lied in store for them. They were the same men who he hired to keep an eye out for the whereabouts of Nelly. He hoped to receive good news but he could already judge from their faces what news they brought with them.
“How useless can you both be?! I keep paying you guys and for what? For nothing!”
Ivan was so furious, even the staff outside his office could hear him shouting. It has been two months already and still no sign of Nelly. Not even the slightest knowledge of where she was.
“You know what, you two are fired if you fail to give me any information about the whereabouts of Nelly before this very week is over. I can’t be paying you just for you to leave here, go to your houses and sleep!”
After Ivan was done scolding the men, he brutally discharged them. Then he went back to his chair and off he went, lost in his thoughts again.
Nathan Stratford, it took him time to adjust to Nelly’s absence. She was his only child and was so used to having her around him, watching her smile and being there to ease her frown. The only time he couldn’t ease her frown was when he fell terribly ill. Yet, without Nelly’s efforts he would never have been alive to that very day. Ivan felt terrible just that one time, not because he was ill, but because he was the cause for Nelly’s pain and tears.
“Mr. Stratford?” His secretary knocked at his door.
“Yes?”
“It’s time, Sir. The entire board is ready and awaits you in the conference room.”
Nathan Stratford walked into the board room. He inhaled deeply as he took his seat, then he exhaled.
The Stratford Group Of Company was now to be known as the Jace group. Everyone applauded after this announcement from Nathan Stratford. The company was doing well still, but it would be doing better if Nelly was there. Mr. Stratford went home immediately after the meeting with the board. He didn’t even stay around for a minute longer than he should have.
Ivan, on the other hand, was extremely frustrated. His grandfather, Easton Landers was to return that evening and he still had not found Nelly or even be able to say where she was. He was at the Landers’ mansion to welcome his grandfather.
“Ivan…I didn’t expect to see you here, I mean not this early.” Katty said as she approached Ivan. What was she trying to imply?
There was barely anyone in the mansion. Daisy was outside instructing the workers and the rest of the people in the house were either busy in the kitchen, as the cooks or at the back of the building receiving instruction from Daisy.
Katty was very sure that Ivan knew his grandfather was to arrive in the next three hours. She was trying to imply that Ivan just wanted to spend some time with her which wasn’t true. Ivan just wanted to be on time to welcome his grandfather. He didn’t want to wait till it was almost time before closing from the office.
“Stop it, Katty!” Ivan pushed her away –
“I know what you’ve been up to lately!”