Chapter 298 Snatching the Child
The feeling of panic lingered in Isabella's heart, making her chest feel heavy and uncomfortable.
Isabella felt a bit better after Seb opened the window once they were inside the hospital room.
In the room next door, Vanessa was holding Sweetie and leaning against the door, her face pale.
Vanessa's mind was in a mess. Who had she just see? It was Isabella and Seb! Had they came to Emerald Isle City? Why did they show up here? Could it be that they had known Sweetie was with her?
"Vanessa." A man walked out of the bathroom, holding a freshly washed baby bottle. Seeing Vanessa's current expression and posture, he was startled and quickly put down the bottle to walk over. "Why are you covering the baby's mouth?"
As he spoke, he took Sweetie from her arms. Sweetie started crying loudly again.
Vanessa seemed to be triggered by something, hurriedly reaching out to cover Sweetie's mouth. "Stop crying!"
"What are you doing?" Peter Prescott was shocked by her behavior. He avoided her hand, protectively cradling Sweetie in his arms."Are you crazy? The baby is so small; if you cover her like that, she'll suffocate!"
Peter took Sweetie to the window and gently soothed her, preventing Vanessa from covering her again.
Perhaps feeling safe, Sweetie gradually stopped crying and fell asleep in Peter's arms.
The room fell silent. When Peter looked at Sweetie's peaceful sleeping face, a fatherly smile appeared on his face. He gently kissed Sweetie's forehead and then noticed Vanessa sitting there, making a phone call.
"The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later."
"The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable."
The cold, robotic female voice echoed from the phone's speaker. Vanessa hung up and dialed again. She seemed determined to get through, continuously dialing.
Peter couldn't stand it anymore and took the phone from her. "Vanessa, are you calling that godmother of yours again?"
Peter was Vanessa's current husband. He was an honest and straightforward man, working at a small company.
They got married through a blind date. Peter always knew Vanessa had something on her mind, but she never talked about it, so he never asked. He could only guess that her past had been filled with pain.
They had a flash marriage, without even holding a wedding, just a simple registration. Peter was an orphan with no parents or siblings. Vanessa had parents, but for some reason, she never introduced Peter to them.
Peter wasn't in a hurry. He liked Vanessa and was willing to wait until she was ready to open up to him.
In the later stages of Vanessa's pregnancy, she often talked on the phone with a woman.
Peter had caught her a few times, and Vanessa said it was her godmother.
When Vanessa gave birth, Emma visited once, wearing a mask. She gave Peter a bank card, asking him to take good care of Vanessa and buy her some nutritious food.
With Vanessa's consent, Peter checked the bank account and found it had a whole million dollars.
This startled Peter. A million dollars was a huge sum for ordinary people like them.
Vanessa told Peter that her godmother, Emma, was from a wealthy family, and this amount was nothing to her. It was just a token of her goodwill, and Peter should accept it with peace of mind.
At first, Peter didn't touch the money, mainly fearing that Emma might change her mind and ask for it back someday. However, later on, due to Sweetie's significant expenses, as time went by, Emma never showed any intention of asking for it back. Besides, she frequently called Vanessa, often inquiring about Sweetie's well-being. It seemed that Emma was quite dependable and truly cared for Vanessa. Then, Peter felt reassured.
But just half a month ago, Vanessa secretly bought plane tickets, intending to take Sweetie away. Fortunately, Peter discovered it and stopped her.
Upon questioning, Vanessa said it was Emma's arrangement, asking her to take Sweetie away. From then on, Peter's goodwill towards Emma vanished, replaced only by vigilance.
Especially a few nights ago, Vanessa was even on the phone with Emma in the middle of the night. Peter didn't hear the details, but since that night, Vanessa had been acting strangely. She had been acting erratically for a while, unable even to take proper care of Sweetie, who ended up with a high fever for several days and had to be hospitalized.
Seeing her call Emma again filled Peter with a deep sense of unease.
Vanessa didn't answer his question, reaching out to grab the phone. "Give me the phone!"
Peter hesitated but eventually handed it back to her.
Vanessa continued to call, but it went straight to voicemail every time.
Gradually, she stopped calling, sitting on the bed with a blank stare. "Something's wrong; something must have happened!"
Vanessa thought,' Isabella and Seb came to Emerald Isle City; they must be here for Sweetie. Now Emma's phone is unreachable; something must have happened!'
Vanessa searched online, finding only news from a few days ago about Charles being arrested, nothing else.
Peter placed Sweetie on the hospital bed. "I'm going to get some hot water; I'll be right back. Vanessa, watch the baby."
Vanessa nodded.
Her gaze fell on Sweetie's sleeping face. A glint of madness flickered in her eyes.
In the next room, Mira's arms were numb from holding the baby for so long. Maximilian had gone to handle the hospital admission and hadn't returned yet.
Seeing Mira exhausted, Isabella stood up and walked over. "Let me hold her for a while?"
Perhaps it was the hospital setting that lowered her guard; Mira hesitated briefly before handing the child to Isabella.
Seb also walked over.
The moment Isabella took the baby, her heart almost broke. To reassure Mira, she sat down by the bed, feeling the warmth of the baby in her arms, her eyes welling up with tears.
At that moment, the baby stretched out her little fist, waving it in the air. As she moved, the blanket covering her eyes slipped off, revealing her small face.
"Sweetie." Seb's voice was low, filled with uncontrollable excitement and elation.
But Isabella's face froze when she saw the baby's face. She immediately turned to Seb and firmly said, "It's not Sweetie!"
Seb was stunned. Before he could ask, the door was forcefully pushed open, and Maximilian ran in, out of breath. Seeing the baby, he rushed forward to take her.
Jack's eyes turned cold, and he blocked Maximilian in time.
"Give me the baby!" Maximilian shouted.
Mira was frightened by Maximilian's reaction. She held onto his arm, still confused, and asked, "What's going on? What's wrong with you?"
Maximilian pointed at Isabella and Seb, his expression furious. "You're not here to buy a house! You're from Lakina, aren't you? You're here to take the baby, aren't you?"
Mira's legs started to go weak upon hearing this.
