Chapter 36 A Stranger
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, not even bothering to change her expression as she kept munching away.
The folks next to her were yapping with Michael.
One man piped up, "Mr. Thomas, your nephew Anthony's in deep with some loan sharks. Since you two ain't exactly best buds, just act like you don't know when I go shake him down later."
Another guy chimed in, "Mr. Thomas, how'd the Thomas family end up with a loser like Anthony? Dude's got no shame. He tricked some college chick into a hotel room and got busted by her parents. Total scumbag."
"I heard Anthony's broke and mooching off women now." The guys at the table cracked up, laughing their heads off.
Michael shot a glance at Elizabeth, who was still eating.
Elizabeth acted like she didn't hear a thing, just kept on ignoring him and chowing down.
They were ragging on Anthony. What did that have to do with her?
She'd already dumped Anthony. No more strings attached.
It was the Thomas family's rep on the line, not hers.
The food was bomb, and she was stuffed.
Her dress was way too tight, and after eating, she felt like her waist was in a vice.
Elizabeth took a sip of the juice on the table.
Then she said, "Michael, I'm stuffed. If there's nothing else, I'm outta here."
Michael, who'd been quiet next to her, grabbed her wrist as she stood up, "Who said there's nothing else? Hang out a bit longer."
Elizabeth looked at him, confused, and tried to yank her wrist back.
"Why should I stay? Your convo's boring as hell. I'd rather go back to the mansion. I'm too full, and this dress is squeezing me. Plus, the heels you got me are killing my feet. I'd rather rock some slippers." She leaned in close to Michael's ear, whispering so only he could hear.
After that, she straightened up and instinctively touched her stomach, her lips pouting a bit.
Elizabeth had never shown this side to Michael before.
Michael was momentarily stunned, seeing her pout like she was wronged. Without thinking, he loosened his grip.
In the past, she had always been scared stiff around him, her eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. She'd bolt whenever she saw him.
Lately, she seemed to have no more filters around him, always acting all high and mighty, challenging him at every turn.
But today, she showed a bit of a softer side, with a hint of the girlishness typical of her age.
This stirred something weird in Michael's heart.
His heart suddenly softened.
When Elizabeth spoke to him just now, her lips were so close to his ear. Her breath lightly brushed against his neck. Her chest accidentally touched his shoulder.
She didn't know that beneath his calm exterior, his heart was doing somersaults.
Michael's hands, originally resting on the sides of his wheelchair, unconsciously gripped his clothes tightly.
His Adam's apple bobbed.
Luckily, she didn't notice his reaction at all.
Elizabeth pushed back her chair and left the second floor.
Out of her sight, Michael turned his head and smiled slightly.
He didn't even realize that the smile had lit up his entire face.
Elizabeth came down from the second floor.
As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she spotted Anthony in the hall.
He stuck out like a sore thumb, bowing low, plastering on a fake smile, and schmoozing with someone.
Elizabeth didn't even give him a second glance.
The doc had warned her to be extra careful in the early stages of pregnancy and to ditch the high heels.
Tonight, her heels were sky-high, and she'd been in them way too long.
She needed to get back to the mansion and swap them out, pronto.
She hustled through the hall, dialing Susan as she made her way out, "Susan, I'm stuffed. I wanna head back. Can you get the driver to pick me up?"
Susan's voice came through, "Sure thing, Mrs. Thomas. Hang tight, the driver will be there soon."
The hall was packed, and Elizabeth felt suffocated.
She stepped out of the estate and wandered into the garden outside the wall.
There was a quiet corner in the garden, dark and deserted.
Elizabeth checked her phone. It was 8 PM.
She sat down to wait for the driver.
She'd been sitting for less than two minutes when suddenly a big hand clamped over her from behind.
A soft cloth, like a handkerchief, covered her mouth and nose.
She blacked out almost instantly.
Forty minutes later, the driver called Susan, "Has Mrs. Thomas made it home?"
"No, didn't you go to pick her up?"
The driver replied, "I couldn't find her. I've been calling, but she’s not picking up. The estate's got tight security, and I need an invite to get in. I couldn't go in to look for her."
"Maybe she changed her mind and decided to come back with Mr. Thomas?" Susan suggested.
"Could be. I'll head back to the mansion first."
At 10 PM, Michael walked into the living room.
Susan approached him, glancing behind him.
Michael looked at her, puzzled, "Susan, what are you looking for?"
"Mr. Thomas, didn't Mrs. Thomas come back with you?" Susan asked.
Michael frowned, "She left early, said she wanted to come home to change. Why? Isn't she home?"
"Mr. Thomas, Mrs. Thomas hasn't come back. She called me around 8 PM saying she wanted to come home. I sent the driver to pick her up, but he couldn't find her, and she hasn't answered her phone," Susan said, her voice tinged with worry.
Michael's frown deepened.
She said she was coming back, but she didn't. Where could she have gone?
Could she have lied to him?
No way she went to see Anthony.
When Michael left, he saw Anthony still brown-nosing in the hall.
When Elizabeth woke up, she found herself in the middle of nowhere.
Her hands were tied behind her back, making her super uncomfortable. She tried to wriggle free, but the ropes were too tight.
She looked around and saw she was in an open field, with no one in sight.
Elizabeth thought to herself, it seemed she had been kidnapped. But she had no money. Why would the kidnappers bring her here?
Could they be trying to use her to threaten Michael?
Unlikely.
Everyone knew that Michael couldn't wait to divorce her. If he found out she was kidnapped, he'd probably be thrilled, let alone pay a ransom.
As Elizabeth was lost in thought, a stranger appeared.
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