Chapter 402 Coerce
The young woman yanked Pearl roughly. "Let's go!"
Pearl now realized that the young woman was a bad person. But the bodyguard had already been rendered unconscious by her, leaving Pearl with no one to protect her.
She glared at the young woman and shouted, "You liar! You tricked me!"
Just as she was about to scream for help, the young woman quickly covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief. Everything went black.
When Pearl woke up, she was in a minivan, with the young woman sitting next to her.
The young woman smiled slightly. "Pearl, you're awake? Good timing, we're almost at your house. You better behave, or else..."
Pearl felt a sharp pain in her side. She looked down to see a small knife pressed against her waist.
The young woman kept smiling, but to Pearl, it looked like a snake's hiss.
Pearl was just a child and could do nothing but hold back her tears and fear, staying silent.
At the entrance of Whispering Pines Estates, the car was stopped at the gate. The young woman rolled down the window and pressed the knife harder against Pearl's waist.
"Tell the guard to open the gate. Don't say anything else, or you'll never see your mom again."
Fear filled Pearl's heart. She forced back her tears and obediently leaned out the window. "Sir, please open the gate. I need to go home."
The guard saw the unfamiliar vehicle and apologized to Pearl. "I'm sorry, but unregistered vehicles can't enter the community. You'll have to walk in."
Pearl was about to breathe a sigh of relief when the knife pressed harder, sending a sharp pain through her. She closed her eyes in pain, sweat forming on her forehead.
The guard noticed her discomfort. "Are you feeling unwell? You can drive in, but please make sure to leave quickly. Other residents might complain."
He opened the gate, and the young woman sighed in relief.
The driver hit the gas, and the car sped into the community.
Tears welled up in Pearl's eyes as she glared at the young woman. "You're horrible! No one has ever hurt me like this!"
The young woman laughed. "Pearl, now you know how cruel the world can be."
She motioned for Pearl to give directions.
The car stopped in front of Elizabeth's villa.
Pearl prayed someone was home. Nolan, Dean, a servant, a bodyguard, anyone.
She scanned her face to unlock the door. The yard was eerily quiet, and her heart sank with fear and disappointment.
The young woman still held the knife against her. Pearl had given up resisting.
She grabbed a shovel from the tool shed and went to the garden, finding the rose bush. She knelt and started digging slowly.
She hoped that if she took long enough, someone would come home.
The young woman seemed to read her mind. She yanked Pearl up. "Pearl! What are you digging for? Is it buried underground?"
Pearl looked up at her. "Nolan was afraid someone would find the box, so he buried it. Only this way, it wouldn't be easily found. But it's been so long, I can't remember the exact spot. I just know it's around here."
The young woman finally dropped her smile, revealing a sinister look. "Pearl! You better be telling the truth! Otherwise, I won't be so kind to you!"
She grabbed the shovel and pushed Pearl aside. The young woman quickly dug under the rose bush.
Pearl fell to the ground, scraping her left knee, blood seeping out. She hadn't even looked at her injury when the shovel hit something hard.
The young woman grinned with excitement, tossing the shovel aside. She quickly cleared away a layer of soil to reveal a metal box.
Pearl stared at the box. Michael's red box was inside that metal box.
The young woman excitedly opened the metal box, finding a red box inside, just as Jennifer had described.
She took out the box, pulled a large bag from her pocket, and placed the box inside.
She flashed a sinister smile at Pearl. "Pearl, you're smart! I'm leaving now!"
Pearl couldn't stop her and watched helplessly as she drove away.
Pearl quickly shut the door and ran into the main house, crying and wiping her tears. She had been terrified but couldn't cry in front of the bad woman.
Now that the woman was gone, she finally let herself cry.
She sobbed uncontrollably, running to the phone and calling Dean. "Dean..."
Dean, busy at work, knew something was wrong when he got Pearl's call.
Pearl was crying too hard.
He asked urgently, "Pearl, don't worry, take your time. What happened?"
Pearl was almost out of breath from crying. "Dean... call Michael... I don't have his number... tell him to come, quickly..."
Dean was deeply worried, not knowing what had happened to Pearl, but he followed her instructions and quickly dialed Michael's number using the landline on the table.
He kept the line open, worried Pearl might be scared.
"Michael, I don't know what happened to Pearl, but she's crying and asking for you. Go to Whispering Pines Estates right away."
Michael hung up immediately, grabbed his coat, and rushed downstairs.
Daniel, who had been briefing him on work matters, saw his actions and quickly followed, calling out, "Mr. Thomas..."
Michael left a quick message. "I'm going to Whispering Pines Estates. Pearl's in trouble. We'll talk later."
Daniel was shocked. 'Pearl's in trouble? Oh my God! I need to go too. Maybe I can help. Dean might be there.'
At The Jones Group, Dean ended the call with Michael and immediately called Pearl's bodyguard, Mike Watson.
"Where are you?"
"Mr. Palmer, Pearl was taken by a young woman. I'm at the TV station's dance studio. I was drugged and just woke up. Pearl is missing."
Dean's voice was cold. "Get back to the villa immediately. Pearl is home."
Mike responded quickly. "Yes, Mr. Palmer."
Dean put down the phone, put on his Bluetooth headset, and grabbed his coat. "Pearl, don't be scared. I'm coming home. Michael is on his way. Don't worry."
His tone was gentle, but his face was unusually serious. The front desk staff saw his cold expression and didn't dare greet him.
Dean got into his car, hit the gas, and sped towards Whispering Pines Estates.
At the TV station entrance, Carter had just arrived and saw Pearl's bodyguard.
He frowned, asking, "Mike, why are you here alone? Where's Pearl?"
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