Chapter 338 Randy is Missing, Charlotte's Doing
Sitting in her office, Patricia caressed her bulging belly, troubled by her thoughts.
Ever since Martin had assured her he didn't mind her gaining weight, Patricia's appetite had surged, and so had her size. Once seemingly immune to weight gain, she had gained a few extra pounds in just a month, and oddly, it was all in her belly. The rest of her body remained unchanged.
WorriedThe rest of her body remained unchanged.
worried about gaining more weight, she contemplated dieting to rein it in.
While she was still in two minds, aA pair of little hands patted her belly, followed by Eva's astonished voice,. "Patricia, have you gained weight recently? Your belly seems so much larger."
Their bond had strengthened into a sincere friendship after the wedding, evolving from formalities to warmth, adopting 'Patricia' instead of 'Professor'Dr. Watson.'
Patricia's face fell as she grappled with the realization, feeling close to tears.
"You noticed I've gotten fatter?"
Eva nodded and cautiously added, "Don't get mad, okay? But I think it's not just a little—I mean, you've put on quite a bit!. Plus, your belly feels really firm, it couldn't be..."
She let the sentence hang, the implication clear without another word.
Patricia broke out in a cold sweat.
Eva's voice was gentle,. "I had a relative who went through something similar. Her lower abdomen suddenly started to swell – we all thought she just put on weight, but it turned out to be a tumor. By the time it was discovered, it was already late-stage. You might want to get checked, just to be on the safe side?"."
Patricia was jolted by her words, standing up from her chair abruptly.
Lately, life had been sweet as honey; Martin doted on her, and Randy was getting better each day. In the midst of such bliss, she had neglected her own health concerns. But now that she thought about it, her body had been sending unusual signals. Not only was her abdomen enlarged, but her periods were also missing. Tumors could cause that too.
Tumors could cause that too.
The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became.
Unable to sit still, she hastily took off her white coat and handed it to Eva,. "I'll get checked out now. Can you hang this up in the break room for me? Thanks!"." Without looking back, she rushed off.
Entering the elevator, her cell phone in her pocket began to ring.
It was Jessica calling.
Patricia answered, and before she could even speak,.
"Patricia, i-it's... bad!" Jessica's anxious voice came through. "Patricia, it's... it's not good..."
Her voice trembled so much she couldn't finish a sentence.
Patricia, not knowing what had happened yet, replied with a laugh,Patricia laughed. "Grandma, relax, calm down... What's wrong?"
Through tears, Jessica choked out, "Randy... Randy's gone!"."
Patricia's heart sank in an instant.
"How could Randy just disappear?"
As she asked, she simultaneously pressedpressing the elevator buttons.
Ding.! The elevator stopped, and she burst out, taking the stairs two at a time towards the cardiac ward where Randy's room was located.
Jessica continued,. "Your grandpa and I took Randy out to eat. Charlotte accidentally spilled water on him, so she took him to clean up in the restroom. She had to use the bathroom herself, so she told him to wait outside. But when she came out, he was gone."
Hearing theCharlotte's name Charlotte, Patricia halted in her tracks.
"Charlotte?"
Through sobs, Jessica said, "It's all my fault. I should have gone with them. What do we do now, Patricia? I can't even get ahold of Martin."
Patricia's brows were tightly knit, her gut telling her that Charlotte had something to do with it.
"Didn't Charlotte leave? How could you and Grandpa be with her?" she asked.
Jessica recounted the sequence of events. After listening, Patricia was almost certain Charlotte was involved.
After listening, Patricia was almost certain Charlotte was involved.
Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? Grandpa and Grandma had taken Randy out countless times without incident. Yet, the one day Charlotte iswas there, Randy goeswent missing. How could there be such a coincidence?
It was also Charlotte who had accidentally spilled water on Randy.
It was she who had taken Randyhim to the restroom to clean up.
And it was Charlotteher, again, who left Randy alone outside the restroom while she went inside.
Putting all the pieces togetherConnecting these dots, Patricia was convinced that it was all Charlotte's doing.
But with her grandparents feeling guiltyfelt certain Charlotte played a role in Randy's disappearance. Yet, given the grandparents' guilt about Charlotte and no proof in hand, even voicingthe lack of concrete evidence, she knew airing her suspicions might notcould be believeddismissed. They might even think she was trying to stir upaccuse her of causing trouble.
With this lead, Patricia forced herself to stay calm.
and instructed, "Don't panic. Check the restaurant's security footage. I'm going to get in touch with Martin, and we'll be there as soon as we can," she instructed.."
After ending the call, Patriciashe immediately dialed Martin's number.
Sure enough, only to find it off, just as Jessica had said, his phone was off.
mentioned. Next, she tried calling Alan.
This time the call connected, and Alan answered respectfully, "Ma'am, how can I assist you?"
"Alan, can you hand the phone to Martin? It's urgent," she said.
"One moment, please!"." There was a rustling sound as the phone was handed over.
After a rustling sound, Martin's deep voice then came through:. "What's up? Miss me? Why didn't you call me directly?"
"Your phone was off..." Patricia began, but before she could explain further, Martin interjected, —"
"Oh!. Must have run out of battery. You..."—"
Not in the mood for his excuses, Patricia cut him off: "Randy's missing, and !" Patricia said, cutting him off impatiently. "I suspect Charlotte is behind it..."."
Martin's eyes narrowedtone changed as he listened, a frosty look crossing his handsome face.
processed the information. "I'm on my way. Wait for me there..."."
"Okay!"."
Once the call ended, Martin quickly switched his SIM card into a spare phone and, along with Alan, they. They sped off in their car, heading to the restaurant where Randy had disappeared.
Patricia, meanwhile, was in the midst of negotiationsengaged in a detailed discussion with the restaurant manager.
She was, her demeanor unusually composed today, her mind sharp; she inquired about each detail meticulously.
Jessica, overwhelmed by emotion, was sobbing uncontrollably, clinging to finding solace in Gregory's embrace.
On the sidelines, Charlotte stood silently to the sidequietly, her expression neutralunreadable, betraying no sign of emotional turmoil.
It wasn't until heMartin walked in that Charlotte seemed to snap out of her daze, suddenly grabbing him and bursting into tears. "Brother, I'm sorry,. iIt's all my fault. I didn't take good care of Randy. You must be mad at me, brother... punish me..."
Sneering where Martin couldn't see, the scene took on an ominous air.
Inwardly, however, she was sneering.
Martin felt little in response to Charlotte's self-blame.
If this indeed was Charlotte's doing, he resolved to forever disown her as his sister.
He could forgive her for anything but harming his own child.
Martin pushed her away indifferently, glancing at Alan.
Alan, who nodded in understanding and immediately went to check the security footage.
Charlotte, findingFinding no engagement from Martin, Charlotte retreated to the corner disinterestedly, feigning sobs as she clung to Jessica.
Martin's brow twitched, barely containing his anger as he directed firmly,. "Grandpa, gGrandma, and Charlotte, you allplease head back first. I'll handle things here."
But Jessica strongly objected. "No, we're not leaving without finding Randy."," Jessica said.
Through gritted teeth, Martin enunciated clearly, through gritted teeth, "Listen to me and go back!. You're only causing a distraction here, and you can't help. Randy is my son,; I will find him, trust me."
Still, Jessica refused to budge, until Gregory forcefully tugged her away.
Charlotte was taken along by them as well.
Martin and Patricia proceeded to the security room, only to receive troubling news.
The camera wasn't working—.
Chapter339
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