Four hours later.
It was my first time to come to H Town. Different from the prosperity of City P, H Town was full of luxury and elegance.
If a woman was used to describe, City P was an aristocratic lady, dignified and beautiful, with prominent status.
H Town was a young lady of the new era with enchanting figure, advanced vision, and critical eyes.
Snow in H Town is different from that in City P. It snowed here twice a year, three at most, and then it was gone.
When I got off the plane, I took a taxi and went to the Bennett family’s house. In the absence of snow, the trees on both sides of H Tow’s green belt looked withered and desolate.
The Bennett family, in H Town, was a veritable old aristocrat. Three generations rich, big house. In such a particularly expensive place, it was particularly attractive.
The driver was surprised to hear that I was going to the Bennett family’s compound. He repeated several times, “Ma’am, do you have anything to do with the Bennett family?”
I looked out the window and pressed my lips together, “No.”
The driver paused for a moment and kindly reminded me, “The Bennett family is a noble family in H Town. They are very picky about girls. I’m afraid it’s not right for you to go there in such a rush!”
When I heard this, it was evident that he took me for an ignorant girl clinging to a rich family.
I pressed my lips together without explanation.
The car stopped outside the Bennett family’s house and the driver looked at me and said apologetically, “Miss, this is the Bennett’s entrance. But if you want to go in, you should ask the people inside first. Bennett’s house is so big that if you want to get in, you must ask someone to drive over to pick you up.”
I nodded, paid the fare, and thanked him.
Indeed, as the driver said, if I wanted to enter the Bennett family’s compound, I must get the owner’s consent, and then they would send someone to pick me up before I could enter.
The security guard stopped me and said, “Miss, why don’t you call the Bennett family to send someone to pick you up?”
I reached for my phone, and I saw a few more missed calls from Dennis, and texts.
Instead of answering his phone, I called Mario again, and this time, he answered.
“Clara!”
“I’m at the Bennett family’s gate in H Town. Give me back Clarie and I’ll take her back.”
On the other end of the phone, Mario did not say anything. But the more he remained silent, the more my fear grew.
I confess that I came in on the off chance. City P and H Town were so far apart, maybe Alex didn’t know what was going on.
Maybe Clariana just ran out to play for a while, and Alex misheard or misunderstood.
I felt Mario’s silence, and I almost had a nervous breakdown. I could not endure his long silence, and finally broke into a roar, “Mario, I said I need to see Clarie, and I’m taking my daughter back to City P. Did you hear me?”
He said in a low voice, “I’m behind you.”
I froze, turned back, and saw his vicissitudes and tired face. It was obvious that he had just arrived here.
He was still holding the phone to his ear and slowly put it down when he saw me turn around. He looked at me with remorse and mixed emotions.
When I didn’t see Clariana by his side, I tried not to panic. I looked at him and said, “Mario, where’s Clarie?”
He opened his mouth, took a breath, and walked over to me. His mood settled down.
He said, “Let’s go in first.”
A black Bentley pulled up to the door. He looked at me and said calmly, “Let’s go inside.”
I pressed my lips and got into the car.
I knew the Bennett family was prosperous, but it was a little more prosperous than I expected.
It was a 10-minute drive from the Bennett family’s front door. Along the way were parks and natural landscapes. Because it was winter, the roadside maple leaves had fallen, looking bald.
It seemed more and more dreary and lonely.
In the car, Mario’s phone rang. From the sound of his voice, I thought it was Dennis.
He said a few words, looked at me, handed me the phone and said, “It’s Dennis.”
I looked at him with pursed lips and chose to ignore him instead of reaching for it.
He paused, took back the phone, and said into the receiver, “I’ll call you back later.”
Not knowing what was said on the other end of the phone, Mario said “Okay” and hung up, and silence returned to the car.
The car stopped in front of a row of houses, and several well-dressed people came out. They seemed to be servants or nannies hired by the Bennett family.
As soon as we got out of the car, someone spoke up to Mario and said, “Mr. Mario Bennett!”
Mario nodded and looked at me, “Let’s go inside.”
Then he looked at the chief man and said, “Prepare a room for Miss Kennedy.”
The middle-aged man nodded and left.
Mario and I entered the villa. There were no fewer than a dozen middle-aged men and women in the hall, and two elderly men and women in the middle of the hall.
When Mario and I walked in, all their eyes turned to us.
First, a middle-aged thin woman came forward and said, “Mario, did you find the child?”
Hearing this, my nerves, which had been relaxed, suddenly tightened.
My body trembled a little and I stood in the same place. So, was it true that Clariana was missing?
My brain was buzzing. Fighting back my stress response, I looked up at Mario, waiting for his reply.
Noticing my reaction, Mario frowned. He still looked tired. His mouth opened and he said with some difficulty, “I’ve got everyone out there looking for her, and the police have filed it. Nothing’s gonna happen to Clarie!”
“Bang!” The slap, the last strength I had left, hit Mario in the face as hard as I could. It was loud enough and it hurt enough.
For a moment, everyone in the hall looked at me. Some glared at me, some frowned, and some watched.
“Who are you? Why are you slapping him?” It was a girl in her twenties, slightly chubby, with round cheeks.
I looked at her, but didn’t say anything. I just looked at Mario, suppressed my anger, and said, “Mario, you better pray that Clarie is safe, or I will spend the rest of my life making a mess of you and the entire Bennett family.”
Suddenly there was the sound of a glass of water sitting on the table. It rang out loud in the silent hall.
“Watch your tone, little girl!” The speaker was an old man sitting in the middle of the hall. His voice was strong, his eyes strong and bold.
It was obvious that he must have been a powerful man in his youth.
I looked at the stately old man. He looked more than eighty years old, but his eyes were still strong.
I smiled. My facial expression was well controlled. “Why don’t you wait and see?”
“How dare you!” The old man spoke, and the glass on the table was knocked off the floor.
It seemed that he was angry.
For a moment no one else dared speak. I looked at the old man, and his eyes were angry and cold. If anything went wrong, I would be torn to pieces in a moment.