Jack went to pick Cody and Candace up from kindergarten. The twins were sitting beside the flowerbed with Peter when Jack arrived.
“Why are you here today to pick us up, Jack? Where’s Mommy and Daddy?” Candace jumped off the bench.
Jack smiled, “Mrs. Bradley is on a business trip. She will be back in a couple of days.”
“Oh.” Candace had no doubt. She turned to wave at Peter, “Bye-bye.”
Cody, on the other hand, was a bit suspicious, “Why did Mom suddenly leave for a business trip? I’ve never heard her mention this before.”
Jack tried to explain, “It’s a sudden decision made by the company. She has some emergency to deal with in another city. That’s why she suddenly left.”
As he got in the car, Cody didn’t give up questioning, “I thought the wedding was gonna be held soon. How could Dad just let the Bride leave?”
Jack cleared his throat, “Well… Things happened too fast. I bet your father also didn’t predict anything like that. But you don’t need to worry too much, Cody. Mr. Bradley got everything under control.”
“Oh,” Cody put on his safety belt and looked out of the window.
Jack was sweating as he sat in the driver’s seat.
Cody was as hard to fool as his Dad.
***
The car pulled over at Franco’s mansion.
Darwin walked out of the garden briskly as he saw the babies from a distance away, picking Candace in his arms lovingly. “You guys are finally back. I’ve been waiting for you both.”
Candace giggled as Darwin nuzzled her hair, “The school was over earlier today. But why did you guys pick us up so late?”
Candace used to be silent. After she could talk, she tended to speak on and on all the time. It was so cute.
Darwin laughed, “Sorry, it’s all grandpa’s fault. We will pick you two little troublemakers up earlier next time, okay?”
Candace nodded, “Okay.”
Darwin crouched down, trying to pick Cody up. Cody looked up before he could, “Grandpa, it’s okay. You can carry Candace. I can walk by myself. I don’t want you to be too tired.”
Darwin smiled, ruffling Cody’s hair, “Good boy.”
Cody and Candace walked into the parlor, but they didn’t see anyone else. Darwin explained that Franco and their Dad were talking upstairs.
Cody narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
Darwin asked them to stay in the playroom and have their snacks before dinner. Cody excused himself to go to the bathroom before sneaking upstairs.
A guy was guarding the staircase leading to Pop’s study room.
Cody walked over calmly, “Where’s Pop?”
That man sentry. He looked like a soldier. Cody was not surprised because most guards of the Bradley family had a military background.
“Mr. Bradley is having a conversation with his grandson right now.”
“What is this conversation about?” Cody pretended to be innocent.
That man shook his head, “I don’t really know.”
“But… I miss Pop. I want to play with him. Can I go upstairs?” Cody pouted, acting like a normal boy.
This man knew how important the boy was to the old man. He didn’t dare to stop Cody. So he nodded slightly, “I’ll take you there then.”
Cody smiled. “Thank you, sir.”
Linford and Franco both walked out when the door was open.
“Cody?” Franco seemed surprised.
Cody went forward and hugged his leg. “What are you doing here with Dad, Pop?”
Franco smiled as he ruffled his hair, “We came here because we have something important to talk about.”
Cody noticed the looks on their faces were pretty serious, but he pretended that he didn’t notice anything, “What were you guys talking about? Was it about the wedding? Are you guys planning a big surprise for Mom?”
Franco could only force out a smile, “Yes, indeed.”
Cody could tell something had gone wrong through their reaction. Linford gave Cody an eye. Cody didn’t ask anything else as he held Franco’s hand and helped the old man go downstairs.
“What do you want to eat today, boy? I can inform the kitchen,” Franco smiled at Cody when they walked into the parlor.
Cody shook his head, “Nothing special. Pop, where did Mom go? Why did she leave before her wedding?”
“Well…” Pop didn’t know what to say anymore.
Linford made an excuse. Cody could only nod even though he didn’t believe it. When Cody and Candace go to play chess with Pop, Linford finally gets a chance to talk to Darwin.
“Where did you hide, Cristelle?” Linford didn’t want to be polite before this man.
Darwin’s face was cold, “You’re still thinking about that woman at the moment like this? Do you really want to ruin our family?”
Linford snapped, “The babies need their mother.”
“Well, they seem like they’re doing great,” Darwin would try anything to stop Cristelle from entering the door of the Bradley House, “Besides, you really need to think about how many babies you have right now. I know the twins are yours. But that one in Lana’s belly is also yours.”
“The twins are my only babies! I can find her even if you refuse to tell me where she is. If you dare to lay a finger on my wife, I’ll assure you that you will never see Cody and Candace again. This is the only thing I can assure you, and you know I always keep my word, father.” With that, Linford turned around and walked back to the living room.
Darwin was furious. He contained his rage, so he didn’t sweep the vase off the table before him.
He pulled out his phone and sent a message to his men, telling them to keep an eye on Cristelle and ensure she would never be able to run away.
The dinner began quite soon. But the atmosphere was a bit heavy without Cristelle around. Cody could tell something had happened, but he chose to remain calm. He didn’t want to scare Candace. Besides, he also needed to find out what happened without raising any suspicion.
****
Cristelle was forcefully brought into an old apartment. The apartment was densely guarded. No one could enter or leave this place randomly. She fought and struggled, but those men were too strong.
“Why are you keeping me here?! Who are you?”
Cristelle’s eyes widened as she saw a man walking out of the group of guards. She knew this man. This man was working for Darwin, and his name was Bernard.