Chapter 403 I'm Sorry
Mike saw him and rushed over, his face etched with worry. "Mr. McGinnis, Pearl's been kidnapped. She's at Whispering Pines Estates. We gotta get there now."
Carter's expression shifted immediately. He turned to the driver and barked, "To Whispering Pines Estates, and step on it!"
The driver made a sharp U-turn and floored it.
Pearl often used the house phone to call Carter, so he had Elizabeth's home phone number.
Sitting in the back seat, he dialed it repeatedly, but it was always busy.
He urged the driver, "Can you go any faster?"
The driver replied, "Mr. McGinnis, if I push it any more, it won't be safe."
Carter anxiously stared out the window, redialing the number over and over until finally, it connected.
"Hello?"
It was Pearl's familiar voice.
Carter let out a sigh of relief. "Pearl, it's Carter. Are you okay?"
As soon as Pearl heard Carter's voice, her emotions spilled over. "Mr. McGinnis, I'm home alone and so scared. A bad woman threatened me with a knife. It hurts so much."
Carter tried to calm her, "Pearl, hang in there. I'm almost there. Just stay on the line with me."
Hearing his soothing voice, Pearl's anxiety began to ease. "Mr. McGinnis, did you just call me? I was on the phone with Dean until his battery died."
"Yeah, I was worried about you. Don't worry, my phone's fully charged. I'll stay with you."
The driver sighed and shook his head slightly. Carter was speaking so tenderly that anyone who didn't know better might think he was talking to his girlfriend.
Who would guess the person on the other end was just a little kid from kindergarten? Carter was such a good guy; who knew when he'd find time to date and get married?
But with his career on the rise, he probably wouldn't be dating anytime soon.
Pearl's voice was calmer now. "Mr. McGinnis, thank you. I really miss you. The bad woman is gone. I locked the door. I'm alone in the living room. The servants and bodyguards aren't home, but I'm not scared anymore."
Carter let out a long breath. "That's good, Pearl. Let's chat for a bit."
The doorbell rang. Pearl glanced at the security monitor and then said into the phone, "Mr. McGinnis, Michael's here. I'll go let him in. I'll hang up now."
Carter was taken aback; he hadn't expected Pearl to be so unguarded around Michael already.
"Okay, Pearl. Go ahead. I'll be there soon."
Pearl pressed the gate button. Michael walked in quickly, his face full of concern. He rushed to Pearl, looking her over from head to toe.
"Pearl, are you hurt? Did she do anything else to you? Don't worry, once I find her, she won't see the light of day."
His expression was fierce, his eyes cold.
Pearl looked down, nervously fidgeting with her clothes. She glanced at Daniel behind Michael and then tugged on Michael's sleeve. "Come with me. I need to tell you something."
Michael turned to Daniel. "Wait here."
Daniel nodded immediately. "Sure thing, Mr. Thomas."
Michael followed Pearl to her room.
Pearl gently closed the door and locked it.
Michael watched her quietly, waiting for her to speak first.
Pearl stood in front of him. "Promise me first, you won't hit me."
Michael nodded seriously. "Alright."
Pearl emphasized again, "No matter what I've done."
He nodded again. "No matter what you've done."
Pearl took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll tell you. Michael, I took something of yours. A red square box. But I don't know what's inside."
Michael's expression froze at the mention of the red box.
He had searched for that box for so long and even called Elizabeth, who said she hadn't seen it. He had fallen ill over its loss.
Who would have thought Pearl had taken it?
Then again, Pearl was just a child at the time. She wouldn't have been interested in such things. Who would suspect her?
Michael's voice was hoarse. "Does your mom or Nolan know about this?"
Pearl looked at him, her eyes full of anxiety. "Nolan knows. Mom doesn't. We didn't dare tell her."
Michael relaxed, at least Elizabeth hadn't lied to him.
He crouched down, asking patiently, "Pearl, where is the box now? Where did you put it?"
At his question, Pearl couldn't hold back her tears any longer.
Michael was at a loss. He hadn't said or done anything, so why was Pearl crying? Kids could be so unpredictable.
But this was his beloved daughter. He couldn't blame her. What else could he do but comfort her?
Awkwardly, he wiped her tears, trying to soothe her. "Pearl, don't cry. I'm sorry."
Pearl stopped crying, looking at him with tear-filled eyes. "What are you sorry for?"
Michael was stumped. He didn't know how to answer.
He scratched his head, feeling awkward. "I don't know, but you're crying."
Pearl saw his expression and burst into laughter. "Michael, you're so silly."
Then she quickly became serious again. "I'm sorry. The bad woman took the box."
Michael had already guessed that. He asked, "Did she hurt you?"
Pearl showed him the wound on her waist. "She stabbed me with a knife. It hurts."
Michael's face turned icy. "I'll make sure she pays dearly."
Pearl shivered slightly at the words.
"Michael, you don't have to kill her. Just beat her up and get the box back."
Michael didn't want her to know too much. He stood up and nodded. "Okay, I'll do as you say."
Pearl looked up and weakly asked him, "Will you blame me?"
He shook his head helplessly, his voice hoarse, "No, it wasn't your fault."
Pearl lowered her head and said softly, "I'm sorry, I must have caused you trouble."
Michael sighed and gently patted Pearl's head. "Don't blame yourself. Anyway, even if you hadn't taken it, someone from the Thomas family would have been watching that box. It would have been stolen eventually."
Pearl looked up at him, her eyes full of hope. "You really think that?"
Michael nodded. "Really."
Pearl hesitated, then said, "Bend down a bit."
Michael didn't know what she was up to but complied, bending down to face her.
Pearl stepped forward and gently hugged him, burying her face in his shirt. "Michael, you're not what I expected."
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