Chapter 419 No News is Good News
As Chris studied her request, he fixed Ashley with a searching gaze for a long moment before finally saying, "Don't try to pull anything over on me."
"What could I possibly do while you're out getting supplies?" Ashley replied with a thin smile. "As long as you don't harm me or my baby, I won't do anything rash."
Chris chuckled softly, twirling a strand of her hair between his fingers. "Smart girl."
Ashley's eyes darkened with disgust as she turned her face away from his touch.
"I'll have someone else handle the shopping," Chris said. "Just write down what you need. In the meantime, you'll join me for dinner."
Deliberately maintaining her distance, Ashley said, "I'll need paper and a pen."
Chris provided them, and Ashley carefully listed all the ingredients and equipment required. "Everything must be here before dawn," she emphasized.
"Fine," Chris replied. "Now come along. It's time for dinner."
Ashley glanced down at her swollen belly. Despite her revulsion at spending time with Chris, she knew she had to cooperate for her child's sake.
When Chris reached for her hand, Ashley's entire body went rigid. She instinctively tried to pull away, but he'd anticipated her reaction and tightened his grip, giving her a menacing look.
"Being difficult again?" he asked, his gaze dropping to her pregnant stomach. "Do you want them to survive or not?"
Ashley trembled, suddenly feeling like a broken doll in his hands.
With a cruel smile, Chris led her to the dining room where a full spread awaited them. Despite her hunger, Ashley hesitated to touch the food.
"Worried I've poisoned it?" Chris asked with amusement.
Ashley just stared at him coldly.
Taking up his utensils, Chris sampled each dish before her. "See? Perfectly safe. I'd never hurt you that way."
Only then did Ashley begin eating, knowing she needed to keep up her strength if she and her baby were to have any chance of escape.
As she glanced at the clock showing 8 PM, she wondered about Ethan. Did he know she was missing? Was he searching for her? An inexplicable sense of foreboding washed over her.
The following morning, Ethan woke in a hospital bed. He'd been unconscious since the car accident the previous night, his head now bandaged and throbbing with pain.
"Ashley," he murmured, struggling to sit up.
Ryan and Pauline entered just as he was regaining consciousness.
"You're awake!" Ryan exclaimed.
Clutching his head against the pain, Ethan asked hoarsely, "Why am I here? Has Ashley come home?"
Ryan's expression grew grave. "You need to rest. You suffered a concussion in the accident."
"I don't care about that," Ethan insisted, desperate for information. "Is Ashley home?"
Ryan and Pauline exchanged troubled glances.
"Ethan," Ryan said gently, "we believe Ashley's been kidnapped."
The color drained from Ethan's face. "What? That's impossible! Has anyone demanded ransom?"
"You called me before your accident," Ryan explained. "I've had teams investigating all night. No ransom demands yet, but we're still looking. No news could be good news."
Ethan slammed his fist against the bed in frustration. "Damn it! Do we know who took her?"
"We have surveillance footage showing a man and woman forcing her into a vehicle," Pauline said. "We tracked them on highway cameras, but they switched cars and disappeared."
"Show me," Ethan demanded.
Pauline handed over her phone with the images. Despite his splitting headache, Ethan studied them carefully, zooming in on the faces.
"It's Felicity and Chris," he said in shock. "What the hell are they doing together?"
"We identified them last night," Ryan confirmed. "We're searching nationwide for their location."
"Find them," Ethan ordered. "We need to get to Ashley as quickly as possible."
Just then, Ethan's phone rang. It was Diannel.
"Mr. Yates," she said when he answered, "I have urgent information."
"Go ahead," Ethan replied impatiently.
"The news about Mrs. Yates being Evil Spirit has sent our stock soaring. Also, since her video went viral, everyone's been trying to buy the ingredients for Panacea. However, someone used enormous funds last night to purchase the entire city's supply. I had them followed, as their intentions seemed suspicious."
Ethan's mind raced. Could this be connected to Ashley's whereabouts?
"Do we know where they went?" he asked urgently.
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