Cristelle got out of the room and ran downstairs immediately. “I need to see Rebecca right now.”
Lily caught up. “Don’t be anxious, Cristelle. This place is not even that big. Candace must still be around.”
Cristelle was so scared. Candace was such a sweet girl. She must have been fooled by someone.
“Rebecca, did you see Candace?”
“No,” Rebecca was drinking a cup of tea in her office, “She’s not here. The class is over. You guys haven’t gone back yet?”
Cristelle felt extremely desperate as she got the answer. She went out of the office and searched every corner of the school. But she still couldn’t find her daughter.
Candace. Candace, where are you?
Lily called Linford immediately, “Mr. Bradley, Candace went missing.”
“Stay there, and don’t walk around. I’ll be there in a minute,” Linford instantly grabbed his suit jacket.
“Of course,” Lily hung up the phone as she shouted down the corridor, “Mrs. Bradley, Linford is on his way. Don’t be worried.”
Cristelle couldn’t stop worrying. She felt her heart burning in her chest. She went to the security room and found the monitor screens. She asked the security guards to play the surveillance footage in the corridor.
All the security guards knew who Cristelle’s husband was. They played the surveillance footage for her immediately.
Cristelle saw Candace on the screen. Her daughter was waiting outside of the bathroom. She stood there for a while and then suddenly looked up. She acted like she was talking to someone. And then, she walked over, disappearing into the dead angle of the camera. She didn’t show up on the screen again.
Cristelle realized in horror that Candace had been taken away by someone. It must be someone Candace knew, or she wouldn’t let her guard down so soon.
Who was it?
Why would that person do something like this?
Cristelle’s heart clenched painfully. She turned around and walked out of the office. But her mind was extremely clear at the moment. There was only one person who would do something terrible.
She pulled her phone out and dialed a number. The call was picked up soon.
“Jasper, where are you right now?” Cristelle asked coldly.
Jasper was still driving, but he sounded quite calm as he lied, “I’m still in the studio. What can I help you with, Cristelle?”
Cristelle tried to suppress her anger, “Why did you take Candace away?”
Jasper arched an eyebrow, “What? What are you talking about? Me taking Candace away? I’m still in my office. Is Candace missing? What happened?”
Cristelle was calmer than ever, “I saw you on the camera. Why did you take away my daughter?”
“Impossible!” Jasper snapped, almost exposing himself. But he soon managed to calm down, “Did you see it wrong? I don’t even know where you and your daughter are. How can I take Candace away? Would you calm down first?”
“I’m going to find you, Jasper,” Cristelle hung up the phone without wasting more time with this bastard.
Lily ran over, “Mrs. Bradley, where are you going? You should stay. Mr. Bradley is on his way.”
Cristelle clenched her teeth, “But I need to find Jasper. I’ll call him later.” And then, a message burped in. Cristelle pulled out her phone and saw a photo. Candace was sleeping in a sack. She looked like she had fainted.
Cristelle almost went crazy as she saw that. She called the number instantly, but that person wouldn’t pick up the phone.
Cristelle hung up the phone and walked to look for Jasper, and Lily stopped her. Mr. Bradley will come soon. She didn’t want to put Cristelle in danger.
Jasper switched the phone off after sending the photo. He started to hum a song as he drove down the highway. The car pulled over at a deserted factory in the end.
He lifted the trunk of the car and took out the sack where Candace was curling. Hoisting it on his shoulder, he walked into a dark room of the factory.
And then, he threw the sack in the corner before putting a voice-changing microphone on his phone. Dialing Cristelle’s number, Jasper cleared his throat and was ready to play the non-existent “kidnapper.”
However, Cristelle never picked up her phone. What happened? Would she never switch her phone off at the moment like this? Jasper called again, but still, no one picked up.
Why wouldn’t she pick it up? Is she not worried about Candace at all?
Jasper suddenly had a bad feeling. He thought for a second and decided to grab the sack and change the location.
However, the sack suddenly started to move by itself. It was impossible. He had used enough drugs. Candace wouldn’t have woken up so soon.
Jasper watched in astonishment as Cody crawled out of the sack. The boy stood up, staring at Jasper coldly.
“Cody? Why are you… What are you….” Jasper stuttered.
“What were you gonna do to my sister if I wasn’t here, Jasper?” Cody asked, glaring at Jasper.
“I… I only wanted to play a game with Candace.” Jasper tried to find an excuse. But the boy he was facing right now was not an ordinary five-year-old. He wouldn’t be able to fool him that easily.
“Jasper, I thought you genuinely loved Mom. But clearly, I was wrong. You hate my sister and me, don’t you? You wish me and my sister would disappear.”
“What-what are you talking about, Cody? I love you and your sister. It’s just…” Jasper’s eyes grew cold, “It’s just Cristelle refuses to love me back. And I can’t wait anymore.”
“You said you left this country to dodge the marriage your family arranged for you. But I bet you also had another reason to do that,” Cody hissed, “You went aboard because you wanted to run away from what you did to my sister. I didn’t expect that bastard to be you, Jasper Johnson.”
“What are you talking about, Cody? You are de-”
“Stop pretending!” Cody snapped, “I remember the song you hummed three years ago. You just hummed it when you drove! Candace used to be a lively girl, but you made her lose the ability to speak! It was you!” Cody was so furious as he recalled what had happened years ago.
Their Mom had gone to work that day. Cody and Candace had been left at home alone. Cody had only gone out to buy some ice cream for Candace. However, when he came back, Candace had been taken in a car. He had tried to catch up, but he failed.
He had called the police instantly, and the police had found Candace in a deserted factory. The girl had been put in a sack, and she had been utterly scared. From then on, Candace had just lost the ability to talk.
“Jasper, are you trying to do that to my sister again?” Cody growled, his eyes filled with deep hatred.