“Where? In Bayview?” asked Hayley with wide eyes filled with excitement.
“Nope! At Simon’s mansion on the beach. I can make all the arrangements before I come over on Monday.” Hayley grabbed him excitedly and planted a kiss on his cheek.
“Oh, I’m so excited. Can I come over and plan our wedding?”
“No. I think you should rest. I’ll video conference with you on everything.” Hayley felt disappointed, but didn’t argue. Ashton dropped her off and headed to the airport.
While he quickly completed his pending work, Hayley went to the office as usual. However, she eagerly waited for Monday for her dad and Ashton to arrive. Her dad arrived on Monday night, but there was no sign of Ashton. He hadn’t even called her, let alone video conference with her. Initially, she had thought he was busy, but now she felt a little worried. Ashton wouldn’t forget something so important. She called him to inquire, but he had switched off his phone.
She called his hotel and asked Gina.
“Oh, hasn’t anyone informed you? Sir had an accident three days back. He is admitted to Mount Sinai Hospital.” The phone dropped from Hayley’s hands out of shock. No wonder Ashton didn’t call her. He might have had the accident the day after he reached Miami.
She went downstairs in a state of shock. “What happened to you now?” asked her mom with a frown.
“Ashton had an accident. He’s been in the hospital for the last three days. I have to go to Miami right away.”
“What’s going on between you and Pierce, Hayley? You have a ring on your finger, but you haven’t considered it necessary to inform us about your engagement. Neither have you told us about your pregnancy. Has he been teaching you how to ignore your parents? How to insult them the way he insults us? I’m sure he has trapped you to get access to our money,” scolded her mom, while tears pooled in Hayley’s eyes. She gaped at her mom, her heart breaking at her accusations.
“Carol, take it easy. Maybe you’re misunderstanding the situation. We can talk it out instead of hurling accusations,” said her dad as he sipped a drink before heading to his room to change.
“Dad, I didn’t announce because Ashton wanted to talk to you both first. He wanted to ask you for my hand in marriage, the conventional way. He doesn’t ignore or disrespect anyone’s parents. His biological parents are no more, but he loves his foster parents just like his own. I don’t think he has ever disrespected you, Mom.” She wiped her tears away while her mom sat beside her husband, glaring at her.
“He doesn’t need our money. Uncle Daniel has bought him a duplex in the most upscale neighborhood of NYC. He is now the owner, chairperson, and CEO of the Baylor Group of hotels by his sheer hard work. Whenever we marry, he will arrange for the wedding in his company’s mansion in Miami Beach. You don’t have to spend anything on our wedding.”
“We’ll see about that, Hails, but I don’t want you to go to Miami all by yourself,” said her dad.
“Why not? I’ve gone there before while pregnant. What difference would it make? No, Dad, I can’t stay here when Ashton is in the hospital.” She didn’t listen as usual and booked herself the first flight available. Quickly packing up, she left home for the airport.
Her dad, however, couldn’t sit back after knowing that Hayley was pregnant and unwell. He called Henry Stewart, who had protected her before. Henry immediately booked the same flight and headed to the airport to shadow Hayley.
Henry reached the airport lounge to wait for boarding, but didn’t see Hayley anywhere. He checked all washrooms nearby, yet there was no sign of Hayley. The airline’s staff announced the boarding for their flight, yet there was no sign of Hayley anywhere. He inquired at the desk, and to his horror, Hayley hadn’t checked in at all! Where could she have gone? He called on her number but it was switched off!
He rushed towards the Airport Vigilance Office and requested them to help him in his search for Hayley Barclay. They checked all their surveillance systems, but didn’t see Hayley enter the terminal. Where could she disappear? The airport authorities summoned the police for further investigation. Even Hayley’s parents and Uncle Robert arrived to check what was going on. Her phone number was traced, and it was last switched on five miles away from the Airport’s main gates. They left the airport with the cops and went to the nearest police station to lodge an FIR.
“Why would she take a detour if she wanted to reach Miami at the earliest?” asked his dad.
“We’re checking the traffic footage within a 10-mile radius of this place, Mr. Barclay,” said the officer-in-charge. Her distraught family waited for the results of the investigation, as there was nothing they could do. Everything looked suspicious, but they just couldn’t pinpoint where Hayley suddenly could have disappeared.
“She was so worried about her fiance. Why didn’t she board the flight and go to him? I’ll call her friends and find out if she is with them,” said her mom. While she called all of Hayley’s friends, Henry called Danny, his secret spy, and asked him to hunt for Hayley. He forwarded her picture and informed him about the exact coordinates from where she went missing. It was the place her phone was last switched on.
“She hasn’t gone to any of her friend’s houses, Chris. I’m not getting a good feeling out of this. Does Ashton know?” said her mom.
“He’s in the hospital, Carol. How can we tell him? We don’t even know how serious he is,” said her husband.
“We’ll find her, ma’am. Have faith in God,” said Henry when his phone buzzed with an incoming call from Danny.
“Yes, Danny. What information do you have?” He put his call on speaker mode for all to hear.
“I checked for any available footage nearby, but the camera of the ATM Center opposite the place has been damaged, Henry. The traffic cameras are broken too. I think it was a planned crime. It can’t be the work of an individual. I’m sure a gang is involved in this. I checked the surveillance cameras inside a bank a few feet away from the scene of the crime. All I could see was a white Camry zoom past at breakneck speed while the others had stopped because of the chaos created. I’m not sure, but this could be our clue. I couldn’t see the number clearly, but the last two numbers on the number plate were 84.”
“Thank you, Danny. Please continue to look for the car.” After he disconnected the call, the police started hunting for the white Camry with the number 84 on its number plate.
“Why would someone kidnap my daughter? Is it for a ransom? Do you think Ashton has a hand in this?” asked Caroline Barclay.
“I don’t think so. Let the police do their work. I would suggest you go home with Robert. I’ll update you when we find her,” said her husband.
“No, I won’t go anywhere until I find my daughter. I’m sure all your high notions about Ashton will disappear when you see the results,” said his wife.
“Who is Ashton? Is he a prime suspect?” asked the police officer after overhearing Hayley’s mom.
“Not at all, officer. Ashton Pierce is my daughter’s fiance. He’s the CEO of the Baylor Group. Three days ago, he too faced an accident and now is in the hospital. In fact, Hayley was going over to see him.”
“I see. How serious is Ashton Pierce?” asked the officer.
“I’m not aware. I haven’t called him yet.”
“Then call him up and find out.” Christopher Barclay called up Ashton, and he accepted the call after a few rings.
“Hello, Uncle Chris! I’m sorry, I couldn’t make it to New York tonight,” croaked Ashton.
“That’s alright. I heard you had an accident. How are you now?” asked Hayley’s dad.
“I’m better. It was a hit-and-run case. I swerved at the last minute to save myself and lost control of the car. Thankfully, I only ended up with an injured arm and wounds. It could have been fatal had I been speeding.”
“Hit and run case? Do you mean to say someone wanted to kill you?”
“Yes, the cops are still investigating the case. It looks like the work of a local goon. But why would he do it when I don’t even know him?”
“Maybe someone paid him to do it,” suggested Hayley’s dad.
“How is Hayley? Is she angry with me? The hospital didn’t release me because of my head injuries and I couldn’t take her call.” Hayley’s dad hesitated, unable to decide what to tell him. It was clear he didn’t know about Hayley’s disappearance.
“She is angry, I guess. Can you tell her I’ll come over by tomorrow?”
Christopher Barclay sighed, knowing he had to tell Ashton. He would come to know by tomorrow, anyway.
“Hayley has been kidnapped, Ashton. She didn’t listen to me and was on her way to the airport. She didn’t reach the airport at all.”
“What? Are you sure, Uncle Chris? I’m coming over right away,” said Ashton in a state of panic.