93

Suzanne woke up with a start in her bed, her breathing labored as she tried to remember where she was.

The heavy curtains let in just a sliver of sunlight that faintly illuminated the room.

Turning her head toward the door, her heart skipped a beat. There was her friend Dylan, accompanied by several men.

She recognized two of the faces: Enzo Mancini, the man from Italy, and Jamie, Nathan's friend and Dylan's fiancé.

Those two had to postpone their wedding because of the kidnappings, and Suzanne felt guilty that they couldn't live their love just as she and Nathan couldn't.

Dylan approached her, relief evident on his face, taking her hand.

"Suzanne, you're safe," he said softly. His features were marked with concern. "How do you feel, darling?"

Suzanne slowly sat up, her mind still foggy with confusion.

"Who rescued me?" she asked hurriedly, curious.

"It was Rebecca," Dylan replied with a proud smile.

Suzanne's eyes turned to Rebecca, the woman from the auction, standing beside Dylan.

"Thank you, thank you so much for rescuing me," she said, her voice breaking.

Rebecca nodded slightly. "The important thing is that you're safe now," she said with a smile.

"Thank you," Suzanne could barely contain her tears, "but I need to see my babies."

Dylan nodded and turned to the other men, who exchanged glances before one of them left the room to call the nurse.

Suzanne felt her heart race as she waited. Finally, the door opened and the nurse entered with her children in her arms.

Suzanne cried with relief upon seeing her little ones.

"How was I rescued?" she asked, never taking her eyes off her babies. "Has Nathan... returned?"

"Nathan is no longer with his grandfather, Suzanne," Enzo was the first to speak.

Suzanne looked up, confused by his statement.

"Why didn't he call me if he was with him all this time?" She didn't understand anything.

The men looked at each other, and it was Jamie who responded.

"According to our reports, Nathan has been held captive. Jarek Strong had him prisoner."

"No... there must be a mistake," Suzanne covered her mouth with her hand, horrified. "Jarek is strict with Nathan, but he wouldn't kidnap him."

"Jarek hid many things from you," Jamie shook his head, his face somber. "He even made you believe that you and your newborn son were dead. He showed us... bodies."

"I can't believe it," tears began to roll down Suzanne's cheeks. "Richard is the enemy, why are you trying to make Jarek look like another villain?"

Enzo stepped forward, his expression grave.

"Jarek has strange methods to achieve his goals," he said seriously. "He's guilty until proven otherwise. Richard won't rest until he sees the whole family destroyed, and Jarek knows it."

"Maybe Jarek locked Nathan up to protect him," Suzanne tried to find some logic in all this.

The others frowned.

"I hope so," said Dylan, "but we need to find Nathan to clear up all this mess."

Suzanne, holding her babies, felt a mix of hope and despair.

"We have to find him. I won't rest until we do," she had a lump in her throat and a pain in her chest that wouldn't go away.

The room fell silent, filled with the tension and weight of the revelations.

Everyone present knew that the path to the truth would be arduous and dangerous, but Suzanne couldn't afford to lose hope. Nathan was somewhere out there, and she would do everything she could to bring him back.

Rebecca approached Suzanne and took her hand tenderly.

"Don't worry, Suzanne. You need to take care of your children now," her voice was sweet and calm. "We'll take care of everything else. Trust that Nathan will appear soon; he loves you very much, and he loves his children too.”

Rebecca's words managed to calm Suzanne a little, though the doubt persisted in her chest.

What could Jarek's true intentions be in locking up his own grandson?

She felt a mix of relief and anxiety, wanting to believe in the hope Rebecca offered, but fearing the complexity of the situation.

The men left the room, leaving Suzanne to rest. Outside, Enzo Mancini was the first to speak.

"We can't trust Jarek Strong for now," he said decisively. "We must start searching for Nathan immediately."

Rebecca nodded, showing a similar determination.

"I know all the places he might have gone. Let's start making plans to recover him."

Meanwhile, in another location, Jarek Strong was meeting with his men. They had discovered that Enzo Mancini's men had been asking about Nathan.

Jarek scoffed, worried that the situation would be misunderstood. His only desire was to prove that what he had done was for the good of his family.
“Maybe Nathan hates me, but I love him. I must find Richard Quirrell and finish him before he strikes again,” said Jarek, with a mix of sadness and determination in his voice.

He was speaking with his right-hand man and assistant, Elias, when one of his men arrived breathlessly at the office.

“We’ve found the redhead who helped kidnap Suzanne,” the man announced.

Jarek looked up with interest.

“And Richard?”

“No sign of his whereabouts, sir.”

Jarek nodded, not at all surprised.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” he hissed through gritted teeth. “That criminal has managed to hide many times, but this time I will be smarter. The years have given me wisdom.”

He briefly reflected on the mistakes of the past. He wished he could have helped his daughter more and planned not to repeat the mistake of letting Richard get away with his crimes.

He was worried about Suzanne, but the report that Rebecca had rescued her calmed him a bit.

He knew that Suzanne was surely finding out about all the lies he had hidden, but he was determined to bring Richard down and reveal the truth once and for all.

Jarek stood up from his desk, his imposing figure casting a long shadow across the room. He turned to Elias, his expression resolute.

“Prepare the men. We need to tighten our search for Richard. And bring the redhead to me. I want to know every detail of how Suzanne was taken.”

Elias nodded and left the room, leaving Jarek to his thoughts. He knew the coming days would be challenging, but he was prepared to face whatever was necessary to protect his family.

Meanwhile, Suzanne was sitting in the quiet room, her children asleep in their cribs beside her. The weight of recent revelations bore heavily on her.

The idea that Jarek had hidden so much from her, that Nathan had been a prisoner, was almost too much to bear.