Chapter 335 Delivery Person
Ms. Parker froze for a moment, then said, "Yeah, she said she was Lucas's grandma and signed the papers. But she had on sunglasses and a mask, so I couldn't really see her face."
Emma's heart sank, and she clenched the hem of her shirt tightly.
She thought, 'Phoenix! If you dare hurt my Lucas, I swear you'll regret it!'
She dialed Phoenix's number, but all she got was a cold automated message: "The number you have dialed is currently unavailable."
"Lucas, hang in there." She muttered to herself.
Meantime, Zaid sat in the corner of the bar, nursing a glass of whiskey, his gaze unfocused. He'd been tailing Phoenix for days, but her routine was mind-numbingly boring—beauty treatments, home, and the occasional coffee shop visit. This monotonous task was driving him nuts, making him question if he was just wasting his time.
Initially, his job was to stir up trouble for Phoenix, but she was so cautious that he never found an opportunity, so he ended up just waiting.
After all, he was just an ordinary guy trying to get by, and he would avoid extra work whenever possible.
But even when he was slacking off, he still felt utterly bored.
Zaid downed his drink in one gulp. He checked his watch; it was past ten at night. Phoenix was still out drinking with friends. Once they called it a night, he planned to grab Phoenix and have some fun.
"Another one!" he called to the bartender.
The bartender quickly refilled his glass. Zaid took it and downed it in one go. The alcohol gave him a brief rush, but soon his head started to spin, and his vision blurred.
"Phoenix, here I come," he muttered, staggering to his feet and heading out of the bar.
However, when he woke up the next morning, he found himself in a hotel room, his head pounding. He sat up abruptly, his mind blank, unable to recall anything from the previous night.
"Damn it!" He suddenly remembered his task and quickly checked the surveillance footage on his phone. The last recorded entry was from 8 PM the previous night, with nothing after that.
Zaid's heart sank, and his fingers trembled slightly. He knew he had messed up by drinking too much and losing track of Phoenix. He quickly opened the tracking app, trying to locate Phoenix, but the screen showed: [Signal Lost.]
"It's over." Zaid's face turned pale. He knew he was in deep trouble. Phoenix had slipped away, and he had been too drunk to notice.
For the next few days, Zaid tried every possible way to track Phoenix but found nothing. He didn't dare report it, fearing Joshua's wrath, so he continued searching in vain.
On the third day, Joshua suddenly showed up at his apartment.
"What's the status with Phoenix?" Joshua asked, scrutinizing Zaid.
Zaid's heart tightened, and his fingers trembled. Forcing a smile, he replied softly, "Nothing much, she's been behaving herself lately."
Joshua frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the answer.
Sweat beaded on Zaid's forehead. He knew he couldn't hide the truth any longer. Lowering his head, he said with a trembling voice, "Mr. Thomas, I'm sorry and lost track of Phoenix."
"What?" Joshua's voice rose sharply. "Are you telling me that not only did you fail to create trouble for her, but you also lost her?"
Zaid's voice wavered with anxiety. "I drank too much a few days ago and lost sight of her. I've been looking for her ever since but haven't found anything."
Joshua's face darkened, and he slammed his hand on the table.
Zaid lowered his head, not daring to meet Joshua's eyes. "I know I messed up. I'll find her as soon as possible."
Joshua let out a bitter laugh. He had thought Zaid was reliable, but it turned out this thug was useless. However, it wouldn't help to blame Zaid now; the priority was to find Phoenix.
Joshua added, "Immediately pull all possible surveillance footage and contact all informants. We must find Phoenix!"
Phoenix was no ordinary person. Given how she had pressured George, there might be someone backing her.
George didn't want to eliminate Phoenix completely because he wanted to use her to find out who was behind her.
Zaid nodded quickly, his voice tinged with panic. "Yes, Mr. Thomas, I'll get on it right away!"
Joshua said nothing more and left the apartment. He thought for a moment and then dialed George's number.
"Mr. Russell, we have a problem. Phoenix is missing, and I suspect she might have made a move."
On the other end, George's voice was calm and cold. "Mobilize all resources and find Phoenix. I want to know who she's working for."
"Yes, Mr. Russell, I'll handle it immediately." Joshua hung up, a cold glint in his eyes.
Meantime, Emma sat in Mia's living room, clutching her phone tightly. Michael's number was on the screen, but no matter how many times she called, all she got was the cold message. "The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable."
"Michael went back to Sunterra, and I can't reach him," Emma said softly.
Mia, sitting next to her, patted her shoulder gently. "Don't worry, it's just one person. We still have us. We'll find Lucas."
Ethan and Billy sat across from them, their expressions equally grim. They had used all their connections, even reaching out to some shady contacts, but there was still no sign of Lucas.
Just then, the doorbell rang. The four of them looked up, a hint of confusion in their eyes.
"Who is it?" Mia stood up and walked to the door. She peered through the peephole and saw a delivery guy. She opened the door, and he handed her a plastic bag with several takeout containers.
"Here's your delivery," the delivery guy said with a professional smile.
Mia took the food and closed the door. She placed the takeout on the table, ready to dig in, but then she realized something was off. She frowned and looked at the others. "Did any of you order takeout?"
Emma shook her head, her voice hoarse. "No, I didn't have the mind to order food."
Ethan and Billy also shook their heads, indicating they hadn't ordered anything.
"Then who sent this?" Ethan asked quietly, a hint of caution in his eyes.
Billy picked up one of the containers and inspected it. There was no order information, not even the name of the restaurant.
"Something's not right," Billy said softly.
Emma's heart sank, and her fingers trembled slightly. "Open it."
Mia nodded and carefully opened the container. As the lid came off, all four of them gasped—the container held a blood-stained toy, Lucas's favorite stuffed bunny, its white fur matted with dark red blood.
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