The cold wind howled, biting against the skin like needles, and the chill seeped through every pore of Eric’s body, making his robust frame shiver involuntarily.
John, clad in a black coat, noticed the flicker of pain on Eric’s face and sighed silently.
If Ella and Elias truly met with misfortune this time, Eric might never recover for the rest of his life.
A man who feels too deeply gains no advantages. Take Lucas, for example.
Even at the pinnacle of his career, what did it amount to? Success without anyone to share it with, joy that resonated with no one—this loneliness of life is understood only by those who endure it.
It was a kind of pain that cut straight to the bone.
If Eric really lost both his beloved son and wife, he wouldn’t take his own life, but like so many others, he would live out his days in desolation, alone until his last breath.
"If we could hack into the satellite monitoring system, that would make things much easier. I know the owner of Iceberg Island—he’s a man in his seventies, far too old to be involved in this sort of thing. This place is clearly just a transit point to the destination. They took Ella from here with extreme caution. By doing so, they ensured no one could track where their aircraft went." Eric’s voice grew calmer, though the deep pain in his heart spread relentlessly. But since Ella had told him to wait for her return, he knew he had to pull himself together.
John exchanged glances with the others, then immediately called Mira, a renowned hacker who had rushed in from Country W. She was a woman with gorgeous golden hair, personally mentored by Lucas.
Unlike Eric’s own team of hackers, each with their own specialties, Mira excelled at infiltrating government databases in Country W, while Che was a master of Country S’s cybersecurity systems and websites.
"Mira, can you hack into Country W’s satellite monitoring system? We need to trace Mrs. Nelson. We suspect she boarded the opposing party’s helicopter on Iceberg Island."
"This will be a significant challenge, as there are many experts within Country W, but I’ll do my best," Mira replied without hesitation, her voice as calm as ever.
She seemed perpetually unshaken, neither surprised nor thrilled by anything. After John thanked her and hung up, he spoke softly to Eric.
"Boss, Mira said she’ll give it a shot. With Che’s help, hacking into the satellite systems of both Country W and Country Y shouldn’t be a problem. They’ll figure something out."
"Return to S City immediately," Eric ordered, his face darkened. In truth, John’s words were merely to comfort him.
Those monitoring systems were never meant for public access, and their security measures were top-tier.
It was something to hope for, but not something they could truly rely on.
As they sped across the water on the speedboat, Lucas called, informing Eric that Mason hadn’t left his house and was reportedly ill.
"That’s impossible. Even if he’s sick, he wouldn’t stay home the entire time. I suspect... he might have disguised himself as a driver and slipped away! Dad, make sure your people keep a close watch. Even if a driver leaves, they need to follow discreetly."
Lucas was stunned. "What? Are you saying... Mason might have used a decoy tactic? I’ll look into it immediately!"
After hanging up, Eric’s heart grew even heavier.
Mason, that cunning old fox, had probably left his house already.
Two minutes later, Lucas called again.
"Eric... we’ve been tricked. A day ago, Mason’s driver did indeed leave the house. My men noticed the driver had a full beard and wore sunglasses. Looking back now... it was probably Mason in disguise!"
Eric took a deep breath, his anger boiling to the surface. He almost hurled his phone into the sea out of frustration.
"Then... we need to find a way to confirm whether Mason is still in the house!"
"Understood. I’ll update you as soon as I have news!"
Eric squinted at the vast expanse of ocean before him. The howling sea wind sounded like wailing ghosts. Occasionally, massive cargo ships passed by, churning up dazzling sprays of white foam.
He wanted to smoke, but the wind was too fierce, forcing him to abandon the idea.
The warm sunlight fell softly over the scene, yet Eric felt cold to his very core.
If Mason had indeed left his house, it could only mean he was headed for the place where Ella was being hidden. Given his personality and lack of interest in children, Ella...
Hope nothing goes wrong!
Eric clenched his fists tightly, his breathing almost stopped.
Suddenly, a thought struck him. He immediately picked up the phone and called Michael in S City.
"Michael, look into this for me right away: the friends Mason was close to six months ago but hasn’t been in contact with since. Also... any suspicious characters among his distant relatives!"
After hanging up, John looked at Eric in confusion. "Mr. Nelson, why investigate the friends he was close to six months ago? Do you suspect Mason worked with one of them on this?"
Eric nodded. "With Mason’s level of intelligence, there’s no way he could have come up with such a flawless plan on his own. He must have a partner."
"Then why check his distant relatives?"
"The Scott family is full of deceitful people. Mason used all sorts of ruthless tactics to secure his position as the head of the family. Yet, none of the elders stepped in to stop him—they condoned that survival-of-the-fittest mentality. And ever since Mason became the head, all the elders have been loyal to him. It seems...I’ll have to get in touch with Logan. He’s been suppressed so badly over the years that he’s no longer even a shadow of the actor he once was—not even as good as a third-rate performer." Eric let out a cold laugh.
Logan, stripped of power, had been abandoned by the family. With the passing of his backer, Logan’s life had been miserable these past few years.
But if Logan could be used, it might make gathering information much easier.
Ella was soaking in the bathtub.
She sat quietly, having just spent a good fifteen minutes scrubbing the tub to ease her discomfort. In truth, she had a mild case of germophobia and disliked using things others had already used.
The gleaming knife she had meticulously cleaned lay on the side.
The knife was small, so small that a large hand could completely conceal it. For Ella, it was the perfect weapon in this situation.
As the thought crossed her mind, Ella’s expression turned cold. So, the other party wasn’t going to let her see Elias easily. Then... their purpose must be to humiliate her?
Coming back to her senses, Ella realized her body had warmed up, and her stomach began to growl.
She quickly left the bathtub, dried herself off, and got dressed. Charlie had indeed been quite considerate, arranging for a variety of clothes in different styles to be prepared for her.
She chose a very conservative black tracksuit, layered it with her own coat, and suddenly felt like she had returned to her student days. Then, she slipped the small knife into the pocket of her coat.
When Ella opened the door, Mina was already waiting outside. "Miss Davis, Mr. Charlie is waiting for you to join him for breakfast."
Ella nodded calmly and headed downstairs.
The dining table was already laid out with an abundant breakfast spread, both Chinese and Western styles. Charlie sat leisurely at the head of the table. When he saw Ella approaching, his burning gaze fell upon her.
There was no love in his eyes, only pure desire.