The Barnett House had done things like this before so many times. Franco, thus, didn’t go suspicious.
Franco frowned, “This is another challenge, then. They just don’t know when to stop, do they?” Franco seemed to believe what Jack had just said, “I’m not worried about it. Linford will take care of those people.”
Jack let out a breath secretly, hearing the old man’s words.
“Help me up, Jack,” The old man suddenly said, “I need to see Candace. That girl is making a gift for her brother. It’s a toy gun. Cody will come back tomorrow. I bet Candace already can’t wait to see her brother.”
Jack was startled again, praying silently that Linford could bring good news soon.
Sooner or later, Franco will find out the truth if it takes another day to resolve.
What was he gonna say to make Franco believe him when Cody didn’t come back soon?
****
Alfred contacted Charles, trying to get all the information online and forcing those people to delete their posts. But the piece of news was just posted repeatedly every hour.
“The IDs are all from foreign countries. I don’t think we can locate them so soon. The worst part is… Even the media from Europe started to report this news. I’ve contacted the FBI already, asking for their help.”
Alfred tried his best to calm down, “No one knows this except Mr. Bradley himself. How did those people from different media outlets get the information about Enzo and Cody’s kidnapping incident?”
Charles came to realize what Alfred was trying to say, “Are you saying that the bunch of people who released the news could be the kidnappers themselves?”
“I don’t think they could get this news without reliable people informing them,” Alfred was quite logic-orientated. Alfred sighed deeply, “It’s giving me so much headache. It just seemed like there’s nothing we can do right now to prevent this news from spreading.”
Moreover, Linford had a lot of enemies. If they sniffed the opportunity, they would come after Linford like sharks that smelt blood.
Alfred didn’t want to make things more complicated than they already were.
****
Cristelle was with Candace in the living room. The little girl was still making the toy gun for her brother. She believed Cody would come back tomorrow.
It was getting late, and Candace seemed really tired.
“Honey, your hands are getting red. You should take a rest,” Cristelle squeezed her daughter’s chubby hand.
Candace shook her head, “Cody will arrive tomorrow.”
She believed that Cody would definitely come back tomorrow. She wanted the gift to be finished by then.
Cristelle sniffed and looked away, trying to hide the fact that her eyes had gone red.
“Mom! Mom… Help,” Candace pulled at Cristelle’s hand, asking her to help her out.
She could feel her Mom was not in a good mood. She thought making a toy gun could distract Mom a little bit.
“Of course, sweetie,” Cristelle tried to squeeze a light smile.
At this moment, however, her phone suddenly started to buzz. It was a call from Jasper. She answered the call immediately.
“Cristelle, it’s me. Are you okay?” Jasper asked gently.
Cristelle thought it was a call from Linford. She was slightly disappointed when she discovered it was not, “I’m fine. Why are you calling me?”
Jasper let out a long breath, “I saw the news on the internet. I was so worried about you. I’m just glad you’re doing great this time.”
Cristelle quickly grabbed her tablet and clicked open the interface of a random news app. The news about Cody going missing was on the home page.
Those journalists had got the source they needed to publish this news.
“Cristelle? Are you listening?” Jasper called out for her attention.
Cristelle picked up the phone and pressed it against her ear, “Yes. Sorry. What did you just ask now?”
“I said you don’t need to get too worried. Cody will be fine. And… if there’s anything that I can help with, just feel free to ask me. You know, I will always try my best to help you,” Jasper’s voice was as gentle and kind as usual.
Cristelle was grateful, but she was still rational, “I don’t know what I should do now. I can only wait for Linford’s news.”
She would never ask Jasper to help. She didn’t want to get innocent people involved. And… she really didn’t know if she should trust Jasper.
Jasper could tell her voice was trembling. He felt so great. Cristelle had been broken. Once she was down and miserable and that motherfucker Linford Bradley was gone, she would be forever his.
Jasper cleared his throat, “Do you wanna come out, Cristelle? So we can talk about this matter.”
Cristelle took a deep breath, “Candace’s leg is not fully recovered. I can’t leave her alone.”
“You can bring your daughter with you. We can drive to the sea and take a walk. Come on, Cristelle. I just want to make you feel better.”
Cristelle didn’t want to leave this house at all. She could only try to find an excuse, “People are guarding the door. I really can’t go out.”
It was actually true. Linford sent a lot of bodyguards to the house after he left. He wouldn’t even let Darwin in.
“Why is he imprisoning you? Are you his girlfriend or his prisoner?” Jasper said deliberately, trying to set the couple apart.
Cristelle shook her head, feeling annoyed, “I don’t. I don’t care about his decision, Jasper, okay?! I only want my son back!”
And then, she couldn’t hold back her fear anymore. She started to cry.
“I’m sorry, Cristelle. But you really don’t need to worry. Cody is also important to me. He’s my favorite boy. I’ll definitely help you find him. You go get some sleep, okay?” Jasper said gently, coaxing her, “Everything will be fine. Trust me.”
Cristelle took a deep breath before nodding, “Of course, thank you.”
****
After hanging up the phone, Jasper’s face changed. He reclined in his chair behind the desk. Cristelle was desperate now. She would come to him immediately if he could leak even a little news to her. By then, he would finally have the chance to keep her with him forever.
And he would also make sure that Linford Bradley and his son will never be able to come back.