“I already did,” Jacob quickly replied.
Nathalie continued picking on her nails and Jacob couldn’t help but steal glances. He wanted to reach out for the woman’s hand to calm her down, but since he was driving and his boss was sitting behind them, he stopped himself from doing so.
After traveling for almost an hour, they finally reached their destination. When the three of them stepped out of the car, they immediately spotted the blue car that took Belle.
Tristan rushed towards the vehicle, peeking inside for several seconds before changing direction. He headed for the warehouse.
Both he and Jacob took out a gun from their waists, ready to rescue the damsel in distress. They looked like Hollywood stars shooting an action movie.
Nathalie was in shock. ‘Where did they even get these guns?’ she whispered to herself. She quickly followed Jacob behind. Although scared, she felt like it was scarier to stay in the car alone.
Both men stood side by side right outside the door. Nathalie, on the other hand, stood a few steps behind Jacob. Tristan, who finally ran out of patience, kicked the door open.
As it was made of steel, his kick didn’t have much impact. Jacob can only scratch his head after seeing what his boss did. ‘I didn’t know he has gotten this weak.’
Backing up Tristan’s action, Jacob bumped into the door using his shoulder and it finally opened widely. The inside of the warehouse was dark, except for a spot where a flickering light bulb could be seen.
Tristan hid behind the crates piled high, side by side, and Jacob did the same. They moved slowly to get close to the lighted spot and when they reached it, they saw Belle seated on a chair next to a table, head bowed down.
As there seemed to be no movement inside other than theirs, Tristan ran up to her. He knelt in front of Belle and cupped her face.
“Belle! Belle! Wake up!” he shouted, but didn’t get any response.
Jacob quickly untied Belle’s hands while Tristan worked on her tied feet. Tristan then picked up the gun and scooped Belle up, holding her close to his chest.
“Watch out,” he instructed Jacob.
“Go and follow them,” Jacob then instructed Nathalie.
Nathalie, who’s been crying after seeing Belle, follows after them. She kept calling her friend’s name, trying to wake her up.
“Sit in front,” Tristan told Nathalie, as he and Belle went to the back of the car. He laid her down in the backseat, letting her head rest on his lap. “Go! Head for the penthouse,” he ordered Jacob, who quickly started the car.
Nathalie turned around to reach out for her friend’s hand. He saw Tristan glare at her, for a reason she doesn’t know, but she ignored him.
Nathalie kept squeezing Belle’s hand lightly. She was so nervous and thankful at the same time that they finally found her.
Due to Jacob’s driving speed, the car reached Skyline in a shorter time. Tristan quickly opened the door and carried Belle out, rushing towards the elevator. He even let the door close, leaving Nathalie and Jacob behind.
“How is she?” Jacob asked when they got into the penthouse. They had to wait five minutes for the elevator and fifteen more minutes for Tristan to open the penthouse door for them.
“I don’t know yet. But I have already called the doctor,” he informed them.
Nathalie quickly turned around, running, “What happened?” Jacob asked. He almost had a mini-heart attack from Nathalie’s sudden action.
“I have to pee!” she shouted on her back. Jacob looked at Tristan and shrugged.
When the doctor arrived, Jacob led him to the bedroom where Belle was resting. Tristan sat right next to the woman, watching over her.
Tristan never left Belle’s side. Even Jacob felt touched by his sweetness and his caring attitude towards the woman he used to always fight with.
“She’s fine but you need to feed her as soon as she wakes up. Her stomach keeps growling,” the doctor instructed Tristan after letting out a chuckle.
After a few more checks, he bade them farewell. According to him, there’s nothing wrong with Belle aside from the fact that she’s hungry.
They waited for several hours before Belle finally woke up. She rubbed her eyes and did it several times after noticing that she wasn’t in the warehouse anymore.
Looking around, she was not familiar with the place she was currently in either. Next to her on the bed was a familiar figure, sleeping on his stomach.
She moved carefully to see his face and confirmed that it was indeed her boss, it was Tristan. ‘Why is he next to me?’
She peeked inside the blanket covering her body. She was wearing different clothes but everything else seemed intact. She giggled when she felt she was slightly disappointed.
“Sir,” she called while lightly pushing the man’s shoulder in hopes that he would wake up. Tristan groaned and turned his head towards Belle’s side, eyes still closed. “Tristan,” she called again in a louder voice.
Her boss slowly opened his eyes but he quickly got up from the bed when he saw Belle sitting next to him. “How are you feeling? Are you okay? Do you feel pain anywhere?” he asked, checking her face and arms hurriedly.
“Hey! Calm down!” she told him, grabbing his arms. “I’m okay, I’m just a little… hungry,” smiling sheepishly.
Tristan let out a long, relieved sigh. He then stepped down from the bed and checked his watch. It was already 2 AM.
“Let’s go to the living room,” he told her, taking the blanket off her body and helping her up.
“Why are they here?” Belle asked when she saw Nathalie lying on the couch and Jacob sitting on the single-seater with his head bowed down, using his arm as a pillow.
“We saved you,” Tristan said proudly. “They were with me at the warehouse,” he added.
Belle nodded slowly, still wondering what happened exactly. Probably hearing their voices, Jacob slowly lifted his head, squinting his eyes at Belle.
“Are you alright?” he asked as soon as he confirmed it was indeed his co-worker. The woman nodded at him. Out of impulse, he hugged her and sighed in relief. “Thank God you’re okay,” he even said.
However, while he was still hugging Belle, he felt goosebumps slowly creeping into his arms. He turned his head sideward and saw Tristan wiping his gun with a tissue.
Feeling terrified, Jacob quickly let go of the woman. Belle almost fell but he was quick enough to hold her arm.
Beads of sweat were visible on the assistant’s forehead. Belle furrowed her brows at him, “What happened?” she asked, obviously confused as he almost pushed her away after hugging her.
“Sorry, I was so worried about you. I thought I saw the grim reaper,” he muttered, stealing glances at his boss. Thankfully, he had already put the gun away.
Tristan asked Jacob to order food for them, including Nathalie, although she was still asleep. While waiting for the food, he kept on checking Belle, asking her whether she was fine or if anything hurt. He kept asking the same questions though Belle had already answered the same questions several times.
When the food finally arrived, Nathalie woke up as well, as if she smelled the scent of the delicacies coming close to her. Jacob let out a chuckle while staring at Nathalie, immediately straightening his face when Belle looked at him.
“How did you get kidnapped?” Nathalie asked with her mouth full. Belle tapped her hand as if asking for her manners, but she simply raised a hand for a peace sign.
“I don’t know,” Belle pouted. “I received a text message from you earlier that day, so after work, I went straight to Eden. I was walking down the aisle when someone covered my mouth with a handkerchief. It had a strong scent. I don’t know what happened next, but when I woke up, I was already tied down to a chair,” Belle narrated.