Chapter 110


    Theory I was looking at Aren’s phone screen with my picture disyed in the caller ID’s ce and signed


    “My Wife” right below the photo. What was his phone doing here? Did someone lure him outside the


    hotel and then abduct him, making him drop his phone? I knew that Aren knew how to fight, but he


    wasn’t invincible… What if those who attacked Aren were Max and his men?! What if they beat him up


    and locked him somewhere?! They could have done it before meeting with Haskett!


    My restless mind quickly became filled with conspiracy theories and the darkest possible scenarios. I


    ced my hand on my chest and rubbed it, trying to soothe my frantically pounding heart. As I slightly


    regainedposure, I looked around and then up, and noticed that I was standing right under the


    terrace. Could the phone fall by ident and not crash because it fell on the carpet? It was possible, but


    what would Aren do on that terrace in the first ce? And where the hell was he?!


    All those questions had only increased my anxiety. I felt absolutely helpless. I put Aren’s phone into my


    purse and called Neil..


    “Neil… I can’t find Aren… I went to look for a toilet, but instead, I overheard my kidnapper’s voice and


    listened to his conversation with the man who caused Aren’s ident. I ran back to the ballroom, and I


    couldn’t find Aren anywhere, and now I’ve just found his phone…” I whimpered. “Calm down, Mrs. Lan,”


    he said, slightly yawning. “He has an emergency tracker inside his watch. I can tell you where he is in a


    moment.”


    10


    “OK,” I mumbled, trembling. “I’m sorry… I am disturbing your free time…” Neil sighed. “It’s fine. I


    basically don’t have a private life anyway.” Then I heard Neil typing something on theputer. “He must


    be someone in the ballroom. Maybe you just missed him? I bet there are a lot of guys in ck tuxedos


    inside…” I heard that he was trying tofort me, but my mind had already painted a vision of Aren


    losing his watch as well.


    “Could you be a little more specific? Could you tell me the direction? How should I find him?” I mumbled


    frantically.


    “No, but I will send him your coordinates. Stay where you are, and wait. And don’t worry,” Neil said,


    sounding like my panic was a highly unnecessary reaction.


    “I… I’ll wait,” I muttered reluctantly.


    I hated waiting. The dark visions kept poisoning my mind, and I was on the verge of bursting into tears. It


    was a warm night, but I trembled as if I was freezing. I knew that I could only get back to my senses after


    I saw Aren alive and unharmed.


    “Hey, Cindere. Do you want to escape from the ball?” Aren’s voice disarmed the tension within me.


    I turned around and threw my arms around his neck, pulling him close. He was surprised by my reaction


    but quickly wrapped his hands around my waist.


    “You’re shivering…” His embrace tightened up as he realized what kind of mental state I was in. “I was


    looking for you. I came by thedies’ room and waited, but you weren’t there.”


    “I couldn’t find it… I must have taken a wrong turn in the corridor…” I mumbled, findingfort in his


    touch.


    He chuckled softly, stroking my hair. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I lost my phone, and—” “I found your


    phone lying on the ground… here.” I pointed at the spot where I picked it up.


    He sighed. “I followed someone and went out to the terrace. Then some drunken woman bumped into


    me as I was trying to make a call. She knocked the phone out of my hand. I was going to look for the


    phone, but I wanted to find you first. When I waited for you, I got the emergency message from Neil.”


    I leaned back to see his face. His expression was calm, a faint, warm smile curving his lips as he looked


    at me. “I was so worried when I couldn’t find you…” I muttered, struggling not to burst into tears. “When I


    was walking through the corridor, I heard the voice of the guy who kidnapped me and nned your


    assassination at the warehouse. Then I heard someoneing, and when I hid, I saw that guy from the


    Red Hook Terminal, Max…”


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Aren narrowed his eyes at me. “You saw Max?! Where?! Is he inside the ballroom?!”


    I shook my head. “I don’t think he was nning to show his face there. He knew that you could have


    recognized him right away.” “Then what about that other guy? Did you see his face?” he asked,


    nervously grabbing my shoulders.


    “No, I only heard his name. I know he owns apany, and Mr. C. is his investor. Max called that guy


    Haskett,” I said.


    “Haskett? I don’t know anyone with that name,” Aren wondered aloud. “They were nning something


    big, something to harm you and Lan Diamond Corporation. We have to find out who they are. The things


    they were saying, and…” I paused as I realized something. “Aren, I don’t think that this situation with you


    losing your phone was an ident.


    Aren raised his eyebrows at me. “What are you saying? Do you think it was staged?” He chuckled.


    “You said that you were following someone… Who were you following?” I asked, already assuming what


    kind of answer I would hear.


    Aren gave me a wry smile. “Lanfen. I thought I saw Lanfen, and I went after her to the terrace. Then I


    heard… something, and I knew I had to call Chris. I pulled out my phone and -”


    “What did you hear?” I pushed him to find something to prove my theory.


    “I don’t know, Cora,” he retorted angrily. “What is your point?” I took a deep breath. “Those guys


    mentioned something about keywords and maniption…” “Do you think that I was brainwashed?!” he


    snapped, adding strength to his grip on my shoulders. “Do you know how ridiculous it sounds?!”


    “I know!” I frowned and pushed him away from me. “But… there’s something I didn’t tell you before… Or


    rather, we didn’t tell you. It’s about Lanfen…”


    “Who are we?” Aren’s eyes on me darkened.


    “Jack, Chris, and I,” I mumbled as I lowered my head.


    I could see Aren’s jaw tense as he tried to contain his anger. “Call them, and tell them to get their asses


    to the penthouse, now.”


    I nodded and quickly made the calls, but truthfully, I was angry and hurt. I was worried like crazy about


    him, and he called my theory ridiculous. Jack had also called my assumptions paranoic, but everything


    inside me was telling me that I was right. Was I getting carried away every time when it was about Aren?


    Perhaps I was, but I knew what I heard, and even without saying the name, I knew that Haskett’s and


    Max’s n was about Aren.


    Once I gave Aren his phone back, he called Marcus to take us back to the penthouse. It looked like


    Cindere’s ball was over way before midnight. Aren seemed to be mad at me, even more than at Jack


    and Chris. The first thing he did as he walked inside the penthouse was take out a bottle of scotch, pour


    himself a ss, and drink it in one go. He didn’t even spare me a nce; he only scoffed as if I had done


    something worthy of his disdain.


    from you… or because it’s about Lanfen?” I


    “Are you mad because I have hidden som hissed, tired of his righteous attitude.


    He red at me and poured himself another ss. “Cora, don’t think that you know better just because I


    was in a damna for three weeks.”


    I crossed my arms over my chest. “Truthfully, there was so much going on in yourpany that I thought


    that the information about your ex doing a secret agent stunt just to see you in the clinic could wait.”


    Aren put down his ss and locked his eyes on me. “What did she do?” “She most likely came with a


    group of professionals. They killed three guards standing by your door, two nurses, and a doctor. I know


    that she didn’t do it herself, but someone made a lot of effort to let her get inside your room.” I smirked


    and leaned closer to him. “Now, tell me. Do you still think that my theory is ridiculous?”