Chapter 424 The Person Hasn't Been Found Yet
Outside the store.
Dylan had barely said a word when the call abruptly cut off, his face darkening instantly.
"Katniss!" he growled through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with anger and resentment.
The store owner glanced at him and said, "You pay by the minute."
Dylan shot the owner a look, paid the money, and left without another word.
He knew that even if he called again, Katniss would just hang up on him.
He needed to think of another way.
As Dylan walked back to his place, he pondered who else he could turn to.
With no one else to ask for help, he thought of Desmond.
Desmond cared so much about Clara; maybe he had already found her?
He quickly dialed Desmond's number.
But all he got was a message saying the phone was turned off.
Dylan didn't know that Desmond was already on a plane.
He even started to suspect that Desmond might have found Clara and was deliberately hiding her.
By midnight, Dylan still had no news about Clara.
Then Desmond called him.
He answered immediately, and upon realizing it was Desmond, he launched into a barrage of questions.
It all boiled down to one thing. "Desmond! Where are you hiding, Clara?"
"Dylan, I haven't hidden her. I was calling to ask if you had found her," Desmond replied, feeling both wronged and confused.
Earlier, Maximilian's people had taken his phone, and he hadn't had a chance to get it back until he was on the plane.
Once he got it back, the phone was dead, and he couldn't contact anyone.
He was only able to call now because he found an airport hotel to charge his phone.
So, he hadn't had time to look for Clara, let alone hide her.
"You didn't go looking for Clara?" Dylan was furious again.
This was even more infuriating than the thought of Desmond finding Clara and hiding her.
"I'm in Luminous City now. Maximilian's people..." Desmond stammered, explaining how Maximilian's people had sent him back to Luminous City and forbade him from going to Starhaven.
Dylan was so angry that his head hurt.
If this had happened back when he was trying to get Nathan to donate a kidney to Clara, he would have been thrilled to see Desmond sent away.
But now, with Clara missing and possibly assaulted, he needed Desmond's help to find her, and Desmond was gone.
This was infuriating.
And the fact that Maximilian sent Desmond back at that critical moment; could it be that Maximilian was involved in Clara's disappearance?
Feeling like he had uncovered the truth, Dylan couldn't hold back.
He shouted, "Was it Maximilian? Are you covering for him?"
"What?" Desmond shook his head. "I don't think so."
Dylan, hearing his hesitation, snapped, "Don't think so? How could it not be? I called Katniss earlier, and she hung up on me out of guilt!"
He became more convinced as he spoke, continuing to rant, "It must be Maximilian! He and Katniss did this together!"
He had been anxious about Clara all day and hadn't slept. By now, he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
If he were thinking clearly, he would know he was talking nonsense.
But his mind was a mess, and he couldn't stop himself from rambling.
Desmond, hearing Dylan's unstable emotions, quickly promised, "I'll ask Maximilian."
He said this, but he had no intention of disturbing Maximilian.
Desmond remembered Maximilian's previous warnings and Emma's harsh treatment, and he still felt the pain.
So, late at night, he didn't dare to bother Maximilian.
Dylan paused, "Go ask him now."
"Okay," Desmond said, carefully hanging up the phone.
After hanging up, he didn't call Maximilian.
Instead, he tried calling Clara's number again.
But Clara's phone was still off.
Realizing it was late, Desmond only tried twice before giving up.
After a while, Desmond called Dylan back.
"Maximilian said he didn't do anything to Clara," Desmond said as soon as Dylan answered.
Dylan, now much calmer, simply responded with a grunt.
Desmond, unsure if Dylan was truly calm or not, said, "Dylan, don't worry. I'll ask someone to help find Clara."
"By the time you look, Clara will be..." Dylan started to say, but then abruptly stopped.
Desmond didn't catch the implication and, feeling guilty for upsetting Clara before, said, "Maybe Clara is just mad at us and hiding."
At first, when he couldn't reach Clara, he worried she might have been kidnapped.
But now, with no ransom demands, he was less worried.
He guessed Clara was hiding because she was mad at them.
Or maybe she was hiding because she didn't want Nathan to donate a kidney to her.
His Clara was so kind; she probably couldn't bear the thought of Nathan donating his kidney.
Dylan was silent for a moment, then dropped a bombshell. "Clara's phone was answered by a man earlier."
He hadn't wanted to tell Desmond about the man, fearing it would affect Desmond's feelings for Clara.
But with Clara still missing and Desmond naively thinking she was just hiding, he couldn't keep it a secret any longer.
"What?" Desmond was shocked.
Clara's phone was answered by a man?
Desmond's eyes reddened. "Dylan, explain clearly."
Dylan, clutching his phone, closed his eyes and repeated what the man had said when he answered Clara's phone.
"Why didn't you say this earlier?" Desmond felt a mix of blame and an indescribable disgust.
Clara had been taken by another man and possibly assaulted.
Just thinking about Clara's phone being off and her possibly being in another man's bed made Desmond furious and sick.
"Blame me? I told you to find Clara earlier!" Dylan was even more furious. "Desmond, if anything happens to Clara, you'll pay!"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
