Chapter 518 Missing
It was evening in Bay City when the skies suddenly turned dark with heavy clouds.
After flashes of lightning and claps of thunder, a torrential downpour ensued.
Thalassa drove in a hurry to the villa she bought for Maria.
That afternoon, she had called several people who frequently interacted with Maria.
In the past half-month, Maria hadn’t contacted anyone.
"Slow down, don't rush," Fiona called out as she saw Thalassa nearly trip over the front steps.
She quickly trotted over.
"I'm okay, I'm okay," Thalassa replied, either to Fiona or as a self-reassurance.
She ran to the front door but didn't immediately unlock it, instead pressing the doorbell for a while.
No one came to open the door.
Even if Maria wasn't there, there should be a staff or two around in the house.
However, still, no one answered.
Thalassa’s anxiety deepened.
Using the direct fingerprint scan, she entered the dimly lit villa. Nobody had bothered to turn on the lights, leaving it pitch-dark.
Thalassa flipped the switch.
"Mom?" She called out, stepping further inside.
She was greeted by silence.
Following that, Thalassa, growing increasingly anxious, nearly burst into every room of the villa looking for any sign of where Maria could be.
In the walk-in closet, Maria's clothes, her favorite handbags, her luggage - it was all still there.
She couldn't have gone on a long trip.
Taking a deep breath, she took out her phone and called Justin.
Justin's phone rang through, but there was no answer.
Fuming, she hung up the call.
Then, she dialed a number she didn't know by heart.
The phone rang a couple of times before someone on the other end picked up. Without waiting for Thalassa to speak, the voice hurriedly said, "Thalassa?"
"Chris, has my mom been in touch with you recently?" Thalassa asked coldly. "Her friends haven't been able to contact her for two weeks. Justin isn't answering my calls. Can you check if she's with him?"
Chris was taken aback.
"He's with me now; your mother isn't here."
"Give him the phone," Thalassa demanded sternly, her words sharp with anger.
"He told me your mother wants a divorce and has gone back to your place. Hasn't she come to see you?" Chris asked somberly.
Thalassa's mind went blank.
Her knees buckled, and she nearly fell.
"Be careful." Fiona caught her and took the phone from her hand. "Chris, tell Justin we're about to call the police."
"Ms. Fiona, what's wrong with Thalassa?" Chris asked urgently.
"That's none of your concern. Just pass the message."
Fiona ended the call and helped Thalassa sit down.
"My mom's not in trouble, is she?" Thalassa asked, eyes red and filled with dread, gripping Fiona's hand.
"No matter what, we need to call the police first," Fiona reassured, patting the back of her hand.
"Yeah." Thalassa nodded, trying to hold back tears.
They didn't have to wait long after reporting to the police.
Kenny rushed into the station, out of breath.
"Kenny..." Thalassa began, on the verge of tears seeing him.
"Sister-in-law already filled me in." Kenny crouched down to her level, taking her hand. "Don't panic yet. Maybe she just needed some space and found a place to stay quiet for a while."
Thalassa knew deep down.
That wasn't possible.
Maria had no ability to live independently.
She was too timid.
Yet that seemed to be her only hope now.
"Where's sister-in-law?" Kenny inquired.
“She's on the phone with Burl. They're trying to track down the last IP address that Mom's cell phone signal came from,” Thalassa's voice still trembled.
Kenny held her hand tightly. " Are you hungry?"
Thalassa shook her head.
Then, a flash of lightning tore through the night sky, followed by a thunderous roar that seemed to rip the heavens apart.
Thalassa flinched violently.
"My mom is terrified of thunder and lightning."
"Kenny, I'm such an idiot. She messaged me before she went missing and I thought she was trying to scam me again, so I didn't bother to look… If something's happened to her, I..."
"Don't think like that."
Kenny frowned slightly.
Thalassa looked at him, her eyes wide with alarm.
Kenny sat down beside her, wrapping his arms around her to comfort her with a gentle embrace.
After a while, several people rushed in hurriedly.
"We're Maria's family, she's missing?"
A familiar voice then followed.
Thalassa lifted her head from Kenny's embrace and saw Justin standing in the middle of the police station.
Behind him were his lawyer, Charles Walker, and Chris, with Crystal trailing behind him.
They were all dressed up, as if they'd come from some important event.
"Justin," Thalassa spoke coldly.
They all turned to look at her.
Chris, upon seeing her, immediately moved toward her, but was held back by Crystal's arm.
"Thalassa, wasn't your mom supposed to be looking for you? How could she go missing?" Justin quickly approached. "Today is Chris's engagement party. I left my phone at the hotel, that's why I missed your calls."
"She never came to find me," Thalassa replied firmly, word by word.
That's impossible.
"Remember, the day she left, she was with several men. Could it be..."
"Mr. Justin, are you referring to the men Maria was with to catch a cheater?" A strong and beautiful voice rang out from behind them.
The Shaw family members instinctively turned around.
They saw Fiona returning from her phone call.
"It's Ms. Fiona," Justin said with a forced smile.
"You don't have to rush to pin a bunch of men on Maria. They're on their way here to give their statements, bringing those videos from that day. Instead of eagerly slinging mud, maybe you should think about how you're going to explain your own suspicions during the questioning."
"Ms. Fiona, this is our family matter," Walker said, his face darkening as Fiona paid him no mind.
"Thalassa isn't part of your family, so don't try to grace yourself with undue merit," Fiona said impatiently, cutting him off.
She then eyed Chris and Crystal who was standing by his side.
"How unfortunate, an engagement today, right? Congratulations are in order."
"Ms. Fiona, long time no see. Your family lawyer really did a number – the settlement my grandma got, that's all been taken care of, right?"
It was last month.
While Fiona was overseas, the incident where the Ayre family matriarch injured Carey had finally been resolved.
The Ayre family lost the case, and paid a hefty sum.
"Maybe you're barking up the wrong tree?" Fiona glanced at her. "The plaintiff's right over there."
She nodded toward Thalassa with a tilt of her chin.
"The plaintiff doesn't want to talk to them either," came Kenny's icy remark.
The faces of the Shaw family members were a contest of who could look sourer.
This was the first time they'd seen Kenny since Chris nearly strangled Thalassa to death.
He loathed Kenny and felt guilty, so he avoided eye contact.
After a while, the team who followed Maria to catch a cheater came in.
Justin had just finished giving his statement and came out, looking as dark as the bottom of a burnt pot.
"Hey uncle, how come you didn't bring your mistress today?" The ringleader of the young guns greeted Justin with a warm, cheeky smile.
Justin was stunned.
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