Inside the elevator, Chantelle handed the document to Calvin. "Check if Roman is telling the truth."
"Yes," Calvin said, taking the file. He didn’t open it right away. Instead, he carefully placed it in his briefcase. "Ms. Chantelle, Carcosa doesn’t think it’s wise for you to face Trenton directly."
Chantelle frowned. "They promised they wouldn’t interfere with my decisions."
"They’re just concerned about your safety," Calvin said softly. He was assigned to protect her, but he still wasn’t sure if Chantelle completely trusted him.
Daniel stood in the living room on the 88th floor of Silver Crest Global District. He was staring straight at a little girl holding a milk bottle.
"Steph, can you promise me you won’t tell your Mommy what you saw earlier?"
Stephanie blinked her small eyes. Then, she pulled out her phone and started calling her mom’s number.
Daniel quickly grabbed her hand. "Please??! I’m begging you! Don’t tell her, okay?"
"Why?" Stephanie asked as she took a sip of her milk. A small drop stuck on her lip, which was completely opposite of how mature she often acted.
Daniel sat her down on the sofa. "You know your Mommy is sick, right? Daddy wants to help her get some medicine, but I’m not sure if I can get it. So, let’s keep this a secret and surprise her, okay?"
Daniel could’ve made up a story, but he knew Stephanie was too smart. If he lied to his daughter she’d probably catch him immediately.
Instead of letting her run to Chantelle and tell the truth which would only cause a fight, he thought it was better to be honest with her and leave a good impression.
Stephanie also knew her mom wasn’t well. She had even overheard Philip say the medicine was in Trenton’s lab.
Trenton was always nice to her. He gave her candy and pretty dresses. But she also knew her mom didn’t like him.
Besides, Trenton was cruel to anyone he didn’t like.
"I wanna go there too," Stephanie said while trying to find someone who could buy her a plane ticket.
"No. It’s too dangerous there. I don’t want you to get hurt," Daniel quickly refused her proposal.
"Trenton likes me. He won’t hurt me."
"How do you know I’m going to see Trenton? Do you know him?" Daniel asked, surprised that Stephanie knew about that troublesome man.
Stephanie nodded and stared at her father. "Trenton likes well-mannered girls. And I’m a well-mannered girl."
Daniel frowned. She sounded like she was really close to Trenton.
Should he ask her to help him get the medicine?
No way. He couldn’t let his daughter take that risk.
Daniel shook his head. If Chantelle found out he brought Stephanie to face Trenton, she wouldn’t talk to him for months.
Besides, Trenton had only given Chantelle that drug to control her. Bringing Stephanie there would be walking straight into his trap.
"Listen to me, Stephanie. Trenton might take you as a hostage and use you to threaten your Mommy. You can’t let yourself get into danger. Your Mommy loves you very much. Do you understand?"
Stephanie caught the brief hesitation in Daniel’s eyes. "If Trenton catches you, he’ll cut off your hands and feet... and rip out your tongue. You know that, right?"
"I’m not scared. I’ll protect you and Mommy," Daniel said, kissing her gently on the forehead before taking her back to her room.
Stephanie knew that if she went with him, she might slow him down, so she didn’t insist.
Just before Daniel left the room, Stephanie grabbed his sleeve. "Aren’t you scared that Trenton might hold you hostage and threaten Mommy?"
Daniel was taken aback. "Maybe I’m not as important to her as you are," he mumbled softly.
Stephanie was stunned after she heard Daniel’s words. She felt a slight sympathy and pain for him too, but she quickly hid her emotions.
"You should come back as soon as you can," Stephanie replied, then she closed her eyes.
Daniel gently ruffled her hair, and a small smile formed on his face.
My daughter finally cares about me.
The next morning, Philip woke up and couldn’t find Daniel anywhere. He wasn’t in the house, and he wasn’t answering his phone. Philip started to worry, thinking about what had happened to him back in Peffel.
"Ashton, where’s Daniel?"
"Mr. Daniel said he didn’t have any work, so he gave me the next two days off. Why? Is something wrong?" Ashton asked, sitting up right away after hearing how anxious Philip sounded. It was rare for him to get a decent sleep.
"It’s nothing. Sorry for bothering you. I’ll keep looking for him," Philip said before ending the call.
Daniel gave Ashton two days off... Was he spending private time with Chantie?
If he called Chantelle now and interrupted them, Daniel would definitely get mad.
He decided to call Thea instead. "Hey, Thea! What’s up?"
"What else can I do apart from staying inside my boutique?" Thea said, rolling her eyes. "Don’t tell me you want free lunch again. I’m warning you now, if you don’t pay, you’re not getting a single bite."
"That really hurts, coming from you."
"No hard feelings, Philip. It’s just business."
"Fine. I’ll send you the money now," Philip said, then transferred a thousand dollars to her.
Ouch... I don’t get this kind of money every month! Well... maybe a few dozen thousand. Not too bad, I guess.
Thea had been bugging Philip for money for a while. So when he sent it without arguing this time, she knew something was wrong.
"What do you want? And don’t even try asking me to set up a romantic date between Chantie and Daniel again. I’m not betraying my best friend for money!"
"Here’s another ten thousand."
Thea quickly set her toothbrush down, rinsed her mouth, and said, "How can I help you, sir?"
"Tell me what Chantie is doing right now." That bribe had cost Philip a lot, but he was sure Daniel would pay him back.
"Chantie? She’s sleeping. Didn’t you say her symptoms might come back these days? You even told her not to leave the house."
"She’s not with Daniel?" Philip’s anxiety kicked in again.
No way... It’s not what I think, right?
"No? She’s sleeping in my room," Thea said, glancing at her bedroom. Through the open door, she could see Chantelle still sound asleep on the bed.
"Oh no! Daniel’s missing!" Philip smacked his forehead and quickly called someone to help him find Daniel.
If Daniel had been kidnapped and no one knew where he was, it would be a huge embarrassment!