Max had tried several times to contact the interrogator. However, not a single call was answered.
“Does he know that the camera has been uncovered?” Max thought as he hung up the call and put the phone on the table. Tapping his fingers, the man thought.
“Could it be … his arrival was also arranged?”
A faint gasp escaped from the man’s mouth.
“Is that why Sebastian deliberately told me about Sharp Knife? So that, I would hire him to interrogate Gaby?”
After a moment of silence, Max huffed in annoyance. “What should I do if he really is the the mastermind?”
Feeling his head getting heavier, the man finally got up from the chair. “I’d better take care of Gabriella first. I shouldn’t have locked my wife in the bedroom like this.”
Without the slightest suspicion, Max returned to the room, leaving his wife’s suitcase lying in the corner of his workroom.
“Gaby, let’s-”
The man’s intention to talk to his wife was immediately delayed. Gabriella wasn’t in the room.
“Gabby?” Max called with flat expression. With quick steps, the man headed for the bathroom. However, he still couldn’t find his wife.
“Where is she?” Max sighed with quivering eyes. After searching for an explanation, his mouth opened wide. “How could I forget? She must still keep the key.”
After a few seconds stuck in regret, Max finally rushed out. In a loud voice, he called out to the butler. “Auntie! Auntie …!”
The old woman rushed to the man. “What is it, Sir?”
“Order all the servants to find Gabriella! She’s gone,” Max exclaimed as he descended the stairs.
Without asking about the chronology, the butler nodded and went to meet her subordinates. Meanwhile, the man quickened his pace towards the fence.
“Have you seen Mrs. Evans?” Max asked when he arrived at the guard post. Two men who were originally sitting relaxed, suddenly straightened up.
“No, Sir,” they answered in unison.
A second later, Max’s index finger was pointed at the monitor. “Check the CCTV footage!”
Deftly, the fatter man pressed the buttons in front of him.
“Nothing strange, Sir,” the man said in a moment later. Cameras around the fence did not catch Gabriella’s whereabouts.
Suddenly, Max’s index finger pointed at the dark screen. “What’s wrong with that camera?”
The men in uniform paled in unison. “It was broken since a while ago. We’ve contacted the technicians, but they haven’t sent anyone either.”
Max’s hands clenched into fists. He wanted to vent his anger. However, his common sense reminded him that it won’t solve the problem.
“Change the camera right away! And if you find anything wrong, please contact me immediately.”
Without further ado, Max got out of there. Right at that very moment, a young servant came over breathlessly.
“Master …, Master! We found a pile of chairs near the back fence!”
The man’s eyes widened. Without stalling for time, he went to see what had just been reported.
“How could she get past this high wall with just three chairs?” Max sighed in disbelief.
After one long breath, the man turned to face his driver who also witnessed the evidence of Gabriella’s recklessness.
“Hurry up and get the car ready. Auntie, you go with Uncle John. And you …,” Max pointed to a waiter then turned to the second driver, “go with him. I will bring my own car. Let’s hope my wife is still around here.”
After retrieving the phone he left in the workroom, Max began to trace the route set by himself. The man no longer thought about the mastermind or his position as CEO. Gabriella had taken control of his mind.
“Where are you, Gaby? Why are you acting stupid like this?” Max sighed as he untiringly rounded his eyes.
“I can’t forgive myself if anything bad happen to you,” Max thought as he gripped the steering wheel tighter.
Unfortunately, two hours passed, he still had not found his wife. The other two teams were also still looking. Their hopes had been greatly diminished.
“How is it, Sir? Do we need to expand the search area?” Minnie asked over the phone.
Max was eager to answer according to his ego. However, he realized that Gabriella would not be happy if he sacrificed someone else.
“Go home. It’s time for lunch,” he answered in a low tone.
“What about you, Sir? Are you still looking for her?”
The man took a deep breath. “I will go home with Gabriella.”
“Where are you going, Sir? Doesn’t Madam have nowhere to go?”
Max’s eyes went wide. A glimmer of hope had lit up his sight. “Thank you, Auntie. I guess, I know where she is.”
Without wasting any time, the man went to Gabriella’s old house. His heart beat fast as he entered the project area. However, once he found the area was clear of humans, his hopes dwindled drastically. Gabriella wasn’t there.
“Gabby?” Max called, still trying to deny the silence.
However, no matter how long the man waited, no sound answered. No matter how loud he repeated the call, still no one heard.
“Where else should I look?” Max sighed with drooping shoulders.
After a while, he lowered his head and closed his eyes, hoping for a clue. But, the only answer to his prayer was silence.
***
“Where should I go?” the woman asked as she knelt before her parents’ graves. “I have no place to live now. Max’s house isn’t the right place for me, while ours is in ruins.”
After a moment of silence, Gabriella took a deep breath and exhaled quickly.
“Mom and Dad will definitely support my decision, right? You always taught me to live independently. Because of that, I don’t want to expect anyone else. Only myself can be relied on. After all, I couldn’t possibly get Max out of the way.”
A second later, the woman folded her arms and rested her head on them. Tears instantly rolled down the slope of her face.
“If Mom and Dad were still alive, this would all be easier.”
Closing her eyes, Gabriella let the breeze caress her hair. She needed calm which was so hard to come by lately.
Every now and then, Max’s face popped into her mind. However, with a sigh, she dispelled the shadow that made her chest tighten even more.
“Take it easy. I won’t be a burden in your life anymore,” she whispered to the wind.
Unbeknownst to her, a man had clenched fists behind her back. With bloodshot eyes, the man called out her name, “Gabriella!”
The woman flinched and immediately turned around. Before her lips could speak a word, the man had pulled her hand away, forcing her legs to stand up.
“We’re going home now!”
“No! That’s not my place,” Gabriella refused, jerking her arm.
However, the man’s grip was too strong. The woman was completely helpless.
“Don’t be stupid, Gaby! Do you enjoy making your parents worry?”
“You idiot! Don’t you understand? Mom and Dad will be more uneasy if I go back to your house.”
With a roaring breath, the man dragged his wife. “Stop that nonsense! Don’t you know that many people are worried about you?”
“Don’t force me, Max! Do not force me!” Gabriella fought back with all her might. Even so, her body was still pulled forward. “Why do you enjoy torturing me so much?”
Hearing such accusations, the man gritted his teeth and shot a glare. “Why do you keep talking as if my house is hell? What makes you suffer?”
“Being by your side makes me suffer,” Gabriella answered without thinking. Her words succeeded in making her husband stop dragging her.
“Why?” Max asked in a low voice.
“Because I can’t stand to see you bear my guilt! You have no idea how much guilt I harbor. Every time you face difficulties because of me, this chest feels burning in pain. And now, I really can’t bear to hold it in any longer.”
Gabriella finally spilled the truth. She knew that lying wouldn’t change the man’s mind. Honesty was the last resort for her.
“Please, understand. I’m just a burden in your life. You shouldn’t have picked me or looked after me. Let me live my own life. That way, you will not lose your position or company. Your life will be much happier without me.”
“How can I be happy if I’m not with you? Are you still not aware? I love you, Gabriella.”
The couple fell silent for a moment, reading each other’s eyes. Max expected his wife’s trust, while the woman expected doubt from her husband.
After a few seconds, Gabriella only saw determination. She couldn’t deny that Max did love her. That fact really made her heart ache even more.