Chapter 260 Anxiety
She initially thought it was Seb calling. When she took out her phone, she found that it was an unknown number without a contact name.
Isabella answered, "Hello."
"Isabella, it's me." Leo said.
Isabella said nothing and hung up immediately.
Leo didn't call back, but a few seconds later, he sent a picture.
Isabella glanced at her phone and saw a picture of Seb's car's rear end. The angle suggested that Leo was tailing him.
Panic set in immediately. Isabella dialed Seb's number, but all she heard was a cold, mechanical voice. "The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later."
She redialed several times, but the message remained the same.
Just as she was about to lose hope, her phone buzzed again.
She looked at the number and hit the answer button; Leo's voice came through. "Don't panic, Isabella. I'm not going to do anything to a blind man."
Isabella gripped her phone tightly. "Leo, what do you want?"
"Nothing much. Just not in the best of moods and thought I'd see you."
"Are you out of your mind? You actually think I'd agree to meet you?" Isabella's tone was one of incredulity.
Leo's voice was calm and almost conciliatory. "Without knowing Seb's secret, I doubt you wouldN'T."Isabella was taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized this might be a trap. She sneered, "You think I'm going to fall for your tricks?"
"No worries. I'll give you time to think. I'll be waiting outside the Jose family's place for the next half hour. If you don't show up, you'll never find out Seb's secret."
With that, Leo ended the call.
Isabella stared at her phone, her disdain clear.
She'd been deceived too many times before. This time, she wasn't going to fall for it.
But her concern for Seb's safety kept her on edge. For the next half hour, Isabella repeatedly tried to call Seb, but his phone seemed to be off, with no way to get through.
The longer time dragged on, the more restless Isabella became.
"Bella, what's wrong?" Nina noticed her unease and turned to ask.
Isabella was far from calm.
She could stay clear-headed and not be deceived, but she couldn't gamble with Seb's life. If Leo really did something crazy, she'd never forgive herself.
She couldn't just sit idly by either.
Isabella stood up. "Nina, can I borrow a car?"
"A car?" Nina and Margaret exchanged concerned glances. "Where are you going?"
Margaret moved closer, her concern evident. "You don't look well. Is something wrong?"
"No," Isabella said, trying not to alarm them, "Seb's phone isn't working, and I'm worried. I'm going to check on him at the Landon Group."
"Oh, I see," Nina said, visibly relieved. "Hold on a second, I'll grab the car keys."
Minutes later, Isabella drove away from the Jose family estate.
She kept a close eye on her rearview mirror as she left the gated community. Sure enough, not long after, she saw Leo's car trailing her.
The drive from the Jose family estate to the Landon Group took about forty minutes. Throughout the journey, Leo's car followed at a steady pace.
When Isabella pulled into the Landon Group parking lot, Leo's car did not follow her in.
She parked quickly and headed straight for the elevator.
As soon as she arrived at the executive office, Laura spotted her. "Isabella, what are you doing here?"
"I'm looking for Seb. Is he in the office?"
"Mr. Landon? He's not in the office today," Laura said, looking puzzled.
"That can't be right!" Isabella's heart skipped a beat. "He left before I did, so he should have been here at least twenty minutes ago."
"Really? Let's check the office. I might have missed him."
Laura led Isabella to Seb's office. They pushed open the door, and the office was empty. They even checked the break room, but Seb was nowhere to be found.
"Did he really not come to the office today?" Isabella asked.
Laura shook her head. "Dr. Finn is Mr. Landon's private physician. Aside from Mr. Landon, only Jack can usually get in touch with him."
"Call Jack!" Isabella pulled out her phone and dialed immediately.
When Jack answered, he told Isabella to stay calm while he contacted Marvin.
A few minutes later, Jack called back. "Marvin's phone is also off, but don't worry. I'm going to go look for him."
Isabella's anxiety was through the roof. She was practically losing her mind!
Jack gave Laura some instructions, making sure she kept an eye on Isabella and not let her run off.
Isabella's mind raced as she tried to hold on to her composure, knowing that every minute counted.
Laura settled Isabella in Seb's office and made her a cup of coffee. "Isabella, don't worry. Jack's out looking for Seb; he probably knows where Mr. Landon is. Just sit here for a bit, and I'll come back to keep you company once I finish up."
Isabella seemed lost, barely registering Laura's words as she sat there, visibly anxious.
Laura, having other tasks to attend to, left the office.
Meanwhile, Jack hung up the phone and headed to the hospital with Kelsey.
It wasn't Jack's idea to bring Kelsey; she had insisted on coming along as soon as she heard about Seb. Jack had reluctantly agreed to bring her.
As soon as they parked, Kelsey unfastened her seatbelt and started to get out, but Jack firmly held her back.
"Stay in the car," he said.
Kelsey looked at him, confused and worried. "Why? Is Seb seriously hurt? What's going on? I need to come with you!"
"Listen, Kelsey Jose!" Jack's tone was stern.
Kelsey flinched, her anxiety mounting. "What's wrong?"
"Mr. Landon is fine. He's not hurt. He's just here for a check-up, and I'm here to make sure he's actually here. As long as he's here and okay, we can reassure Isabella. The rest of it is none of our concern."
Kelsey was puzzled. "What rest?"
"I can't explain everything to you. Kelsey, as Mr. Landon's assistant, I don't get involved in his personal affairs, and neither should you." Jack placed a firm hand on Kelsey's shoulders, his expression serious. "Let me check things out. If everything's fine, I'll take you to see a movie."
Kelsey was quiet for a moment. Finally, she nodded, realizing she didn't want to push him further. "Okay."
Jack let go of her, got out of the car, and locked the doors before heading inside.
Kelsey watched him walk away, feeling restless. She tried the car door but found it locked. With no other option, she resigned herself to waiting inside.
Once Laura finished her tasks, she grabbed some snacks and headed back to the office, only to find it empty when she pushed the door open.
Startled, she quickly called Jack.
At that moment, Jack had just pushed open the hospital room door. He answered Laura's call to hear her panicked voice on the other end. "Mr. Brown, there's a problem—Isabella is missing!"
