Chapter 164 Gone Girl
"The number you're trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please try again later." Raymond's ears buzzed with irritation at the cold, robotic voice. His fist tightened on its own.
Nancy grumbled, "What did you do to her? After you left that day, I texted her, but she didn't reply. I called, and her phone was always off."
Worried he wouldn't believe her and might take it out on Marlon, Nancy quickly pulled up her chat history with Margaret and showed it to Raymond. He glanced at it and saw Margaret hadn't replied.
Raymond squinted at her. "You really don't know where she is?"
"I really don't," Nancy shot back with a sarcastic smile.
Raymond sneered, "Starting today, I'm cutting off Marlon's medication! He'll get it back when Margaret returns!"
"Are you insane? Marlon just started to recover, and stopping his meds now could kill him!" Nancy exploded. "Your marital issues have nothing to do with us! You're truly despicable!"
"Nancy, instead of wasting your breath calling me names, why don't you find a way to contact Margaret and get her in front of me! I'm warning you, if anything happens to my child, I'll make life hell for the Hughes family." Raymond gave a cold smile as he turned and left the hospital room without looking back.
Nancy cursed at him, but he didn't turn around. Outside the room, Raymond told two bodyguards to keep an eye on Nancy and not let her leave until Margaret showed up. The bodyguards were shocked by the cruel order but didn't dare question Raymond and nodded.
Leaving the hospital, Raymond called Alvin. He sat in the driver's seat.
Alvin answered, "Mr. Howard, Mrs. Howard seems to have vanished! There's no trace of her! Do you think something might have happened to her?"
"Whatever it takes, find her!" Raymond's voice was as cold as ice as he gripped his phone. "Contact the media and announce that the former chairman of the Hughes Group, Marlon Hughes, has passed away. The funeral will be at the funeral home at 3 PM the day after tomorrow."
Alvin got the message; Raymond wanted to lure Margaret out. Margaret cared most about Marlon. This would surely make her show up.
Alvin worked fast. Twenty minutes later, Raymond saw the news of Marlon's death all over social media. It was on TV, in newspapers, on Twitter—everywhere. Even at the Hughes Group, it was the hot topic.
Raymond was sure Margaret would show up soon. But reality had other plans. An entire night passed with no sign of her. She hadn't contacted him. When he called her, his number was still blocked. Raymond used Alvin's phone to call her. It was off too.
"She still hasn't shown up at the hospital?" Raymond held his tea, feeling his patience wear thin.
Alvin nodded. "Mrs. Hughes has been stuck in the hospital room these past few days. She's really anxious and has been trying to contact Mrs. Howard but hasn't been able to."
Raymond's face darkened. "Mr. Howard, I don't think Mrs. Hughes knows anything about Mrs. Howard's disappearance. You know how much she cares about Mr. Hughes' health. If she knew where Mrs. Howard was, she wouldn't keep it to herself. She doesn't seem to be faking it," Alvin suddenly said.
Raymond checked his watch, anxiety creeping in. "Have the people from the Taylor Group arrived?"
"They're already waiting in the conference room," Alvin replied respectfully.
Raymond got up and headed to the conference room. He saw unfamiliar faces, but he could tell they were high-level execs from the Taylor Group.
A professional woman, dressed to impress in business attire and high heels, with her hair up and a faint scent of perfume, had clearly dressed up for the occasion. She was good at socializing and greeted Raymond.
Raymond sneered, "Where's Mr. Taylor? He's the one I've always dealt with, right?"
She replied, "Mr. Howard, Mr. Taylor is on a business trip, but he's approved all our collaboration plans. You can rest assured."
"He sure is busy."
"Well, he's the newly appointed president of the Taylor Group, so naturally, he's got a lot on his plate."
Throughout the meeting, Raymond didn't listen to her presentation at all. Margaret had run away, and Daniel was on a business trip. Was this a coincidence or something more? Could Margaret have run off with Daniel?
The thought of them together made Raymond's jealousy flare up. They weren't even divorced yet, and Margaret was still carrying his child. Had she run off with Daniel? Hadn't they agreed to separate after the baby was born and the divorce cooling-off period ended? Was she that impatient?
A day passed. Raymond still had no news of Margaret. She seemed to have completely vanished. Thinking he hadn't acted convincingly enough, he hired a filming team to set up a chapel of rest and livestreamed it. Netizens praised his consideration.
Another day passed. Still no progress! Raymond suddenly didn't know what to do.
"Mr. Howard, Ms. Martinez has woken up, but she refuses to eat." Hubert's words left him breathless.
Raymond went to the ward. Sarah's constant crying irritated him. He was already fed up with the situation with Margaret.
"Raymond, has Margaret come back?" Sarah asked through her tears.
Raymond said, "No."
"She cares most about Marlon. Now that you've even spread fake news about him, and she still hasn't shown up, could she be dead?" Sarah interjected.
Raymond's eyes turned vicious as he glared at her. "Shut up!" How could Margaret be dead? No one was healthier than her. If anyone were to die, it wouldn't be her.
"Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry. I know you see me as a burden now. I'm not pretty anymore," Sarah sobbed.
He impatiently said, "I didn't mean that. But I don't want to hear you say such things again."
"Raymond, if you find her, can you make her apologize to me?" As he was about to leave, Sarah suddenly said, "I only want an apology, nothing else. I don't need you to marry me. I just want justice. Raymond, can you be fair for once? If you can't even do that, I really can't go on living."
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