Chapter 222 Gone
Inside the somewhat shabby rental apartment, everything had been turned upside down.
Samantha sat amidst the chaos, her expression somewhat bewildered, with traces of tears still visible on her face. Leo came in. "Where's the child?"
Samantha picked up a writing board from the floor and wrote on it. "Sent away."
Leo grabbed her wrist, his face fierce. "Where to?"
Samantha shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.
Since Sweetie was born, she had been the one caring for the child. The bond they had formed over day and night had made Sweetie deeply precious to her. The sudden disappearance of the child was tearing her apart.
Leo let go of her and dialed Charles' number.
He immediately questioned, "Mr. Landon, where did you take the child?"
Charles replied emotionlessly, "That's not for you to ask."
"Bring the child back!" Leo gritted his teeth. "You promised not to touch the child!"
"Leo, do you think I can't see through you? If I let Samantha keep the child, were you planning to secretly send them away?"
Leo was stunned.
He had indeed considered this plan, but he had never mentioned it to anyone and thought he had kept it hidden. Charles had seen right through him.
Charles sneered. "Do you think I don't know your game? I thought you were playing for the Anderson group, but it turns out you've got real feelings for Isabella. Leo, if you want to succeed, you need to let go of your emotions. Your feelings for Isabella will only hold you back. If I don't exploit your weakness, and you end up having a change of heart and return the child, helping her and Seb, everything I've done will be for nothing."
"The child is innocent!"A sudden wave of helplessness surged within Leo's heart.
"Don't worry. As long as you and Isabella's matter is settled, the two-year period won't change." Charles said.
Leo gritted his teeth. "Fine!"
He hung up the phone, and Samantha came over, using the writing board to ask: [Are you really going to marry Isabella?]
Leo glanced at it and said indifferently, "Yes."
He was about to leave when Samantha grabbed him, hugging him tightly from behind.
Leo paused.
He understood that Samantha was trying to keep him.
He hesitated, then pried her hands off."Samantha, I'll give you some money. You should leave."
Samantha looked confused, shaking her head as she clutched his hand.
"Lakina is in turmoil now, and I'm already involved and can't get out. But you can still leave. If you can go, just go. Leave Lakina, go far away, and never come back." Leo said.
Samantha cried and shook her head, holding onto him with both hands, refusing to let go.
Leo looked at her, forcefully pried her hands off, and left a bank card. "This card contains three hundred thousand dollars, enough for you to settle in a city."
After saying that, Leo left quickly.
By the time Samantha chased after him, he had already driven away.
Late that night, the Landon family phone rang suddenly, waking Charles and Emma from their sleep.
Charles reached for his glasses with one hand and grabbed the phone with the other. Seeing the caller ID, he pressed to answer.
The voice on the other end was urgent. "Mr. Landon, the child is missing!"
"What did you say!" Charles was instantly wide awake. He stood up abruptly, pacing back and forth by the bed. "Explain clearly! Didn't I tell you to keep a close watch?"
"Everything was going fine. We took the child on a cruise, and several of us took turns watching over her. But suddenly, the cruise hit some rough seas, and the stroller tipped over. By the time we managed to right the stroller, it was empty."
Charles gritted his teeth. "Then hurry and investigate!"
"Yes." The other end responded urgently.
Charles hung up, his face a mask of worry as he started pacing by the edge of the bed, hands clasped behind his back, clearly rattled.
Emma asked, "What's wrong?"
Charles stopped, looking straight at her. "The child is missing!"
"What?" Emma was also shocked. "How could that happen? Have they searched everywhere?"
"They're already on it," Charles replied, glancing at the clock on the bedside table. "The decision to send the child away was sudden. Besides you and me, only a handful of trusted confidants knew—Leo and Samantha were caught off guard too. Who could have leaked this?"
Emma remained silent.
Charles pondered for a moment but couldn't figure it out. Seeing Emma standing there quietly, he felt a bit sorry and patted her shoulder. "It's chilly out. You shouldn't just stand there."
Emma flinched at his touch, taken aback.
Charles paused."What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Emma shook her head, but her face was unnatural. "I'm just worried about the child. Do you think it could be someone Seb arranged?"
Charles frowned.
That was indeed possible!
He had just received the call and immediately thought of Seb.
If Sweetie had been taken by Seb, their entire plan could go up in flames.
After all, Sweetie was their only leverage, both to control Isabella and to make Seb obedient.
"Arrange a lunch tomorrow, I'll test him face-to-face. Then we will find out."
Emma nodded. "Okay, I'll arrange it."
Charles thought, 'If Sweetie were in Seb's hands, with Seb's temper, he definitely wouldn't be manipulated anymore.'
As he dialed the number, unease gnawed at him.
Finally, Emily called back, saying Seb had agreed to come over for lunch.
But halfway through his relief, he tensed up again.
Even with the lunch set, he still couldn't confirm whether Sweetie was in Seb's possession.
Overthinking wasn't going to help; he needed to confront Seb directly to get the answers he sought.
When Emily and Seb set off, Leo also went to the Jose family's residence to pick up Isabella.
The two cars arrived almost simultaneously, and they met in the yard.
Emily supported Seb, smiling and greeting them. "Leo, Isabella, you're here too."
Leo nodded, politely calling, "Emily."
Emily responded warmly, her gaze slowly turning to Isabella.
It seemed she was waiting for Isabella to call her.
Isabella's gaze calmly swept over Emily's face, then moved away indifferently.
She made no move to speak.
Emily felt slightly awkward, but her smile remained unchanged. "Let's go in. Charles and Emma must be waiting."
Since they had arrived first, and Seb had vision issues, Isabella and Leo were trailing behind them.
As they ascended the steps, Seb suddenly pushed Emily's hand away.
His white cane wobbled, and Seb lost his balance, his knee slamming hard against the edge of the step.
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