Chapter 70 Wild animals

Mellisa dashed out of the hotel, her heart thumping in her chest. She had been scouring the place for Maxwell, but he was nowhere to be seen. She had a premonition that something was amiss, and she was determined to locate him.

She sprinted down the street, her eyes frantically scanning from side to side, searching for any trace of her spouse. But it was too late. As she turned the corner, she witnessed a van speeding away, and she knew deep down that her husband had been abducted.

Mellisa was engulfed by a wave of panic. She wanted to pursue the van, but she knew it was futile. She had failed to safeguard her husband, and now he was gone. Tears streamed down her face as she watched the van vanish into the darkness.

She hurriedly returned to the hotel, attempting to maintain a facade of composure so as not to ruin Pathy's wedding. Luckily, she spotted Michelle, Linda, and Shina seated at the same table. She made her way over to them. "We must leave now, let's go," she said.

"What happened, Mellisa?" Michelle asked, noticing Mellisa's pale complexion.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I have a feeling that Maxwell has been kidnapped," Mellisa replied, hunching over and trying to stifle her sobs. "I'm terrified that something terrible will happen to him, and I can't bear the thought of losing him."

"Please, Mellisa, calm down," Shina interjected. "Let me review the CCTV footage before we jump to any conclusions or make any rash decisions. You must remain composed and wait for me, as you are in no condition to be upset."

Shina rose from her seat and hurried to the storage room, leaving Mellisa and Michelle to wait anxiously.

"Sit down, Mellisa," Michelle said softly. "Perhaps Maxwell is simply in the bathroom."

Mellisa nodded and took a seat, but tears were already welling up in her eyes. Her heart was telling her that Maxwell was in grave danger.

After several agonizing minutes, Shina returned.

"Did you find anything?" Mellisa asked, her voice trembling.

"Maxwell has indeed been kidnapped," Shina replied gravely.

Melissa clutched her stomach, feeling as though her heart was sluggishly beating. Time seemed to stand still as tears streamed down her face.

"Melissa, please calm down. If you cry, everyone will stare at us and ruin Pathy's wedding," Michelle said. "I'll contact Mark about this. You go home, okay?"

Melissa nodded, and the trio left the hall. Everyone was too busy congratulating the newlyweds to notice their departure from the hotel.

The three of them climbed into the car, and the driver pulled away with two other cars following them.

After thirty minutes, the car came to a stop in front of the Williams mansion. The three of them got out of the car.

"Pray tell, who were the supposed guards assigned to watch over Maxwell?" Mellisa inquired with a frigid tone, standing at the doorway.

Four guards hurried towards her, bowing their heads in submission. "I demand that you find my husband and bring him here," Melissa commanded icily. "And if you fail to do so, I suggest you take your firearm and put yourselves out of your misery before I do something that will make you all despise me." With that, Melissa stormed into the house, with Linda following closely behind.

Mellisa retrieved her phone from her handbag and scrolled through her call history. Fortunately, she found Zick's number and dialed it. After a few rings, he answered.

"My dear wife," Zick sneered through the phone. "I knew you would come to your senses. When will you return home? Or do you want to witness the demise of your lover?"

Mellisa balled her hand into a fist. "Listen to me very carefully. I will find my husband and teach you a lesson like no other. I will never return to you, never." Melissa hung up the phone with a cold demeanour. Her body trembled with anger as she threw her phone against the wall, producing a loud bang. "I'm going to kill you, Zick Nadia," she muttered, running her hands through her hair in frustration. Melissa knew that Zick was behind this, and she was not going back to him without a fight. It was time to save the love of her life and their marriage. There was no way she was going to return to him after he betrayed her. This was not the time to cry, but to take action.

Shina tried to calm Melissa down, but her efforts were in vain. Melissa's stomach tightened, and she clutched it with her hands as she sat down. Her thoughts were spinning, and she felt dizzy. Tears flowed freely from her eyes. The situation was hopeless, and Mellisa felt like time had stopped.

"Mellisa, I implore you to cease this madness," Shina exclaimed, grasping Mellisa's hand tightly. "My father happens to be the wealthiest man in this entire nation, and he has connections with the Mafia. His assistance will contact them, and they will assist us in locating him. Stop your incessant weeping, for it will only harm your unborn children."

"How can I possibly calm down, Shina?" Mellisa wailed, tears streaming down her face. "My husband has vanished into thin air, and I am powerless to do anything about it." Shina embraced her, rubbing her back, unable to bear witness to Mellisa's pitiful sobbing. She prayed that Maxwell would be found soon, or else Mellisa might succumb to illness due to the overwhelming stress.

Shina's phone rudely interrupted her peace, buried deep in her handbag. Linda, who was sitting next to her, fished it out and handed it over. Reluctantly, Shina answered the call.

"Who is disturbing me?" she grumbled. "What do you want?"

"I'm calling from the hospital," the voice on the other end replied. "Father asked me to call you if he couldn't be reached. It's about Mrs. Tina. Her flight to Australia has arrived. I'm calling to confirm if we should send her or if you've changed your mind."

Shina's expression turned sour. "If everything is in order, then send her away. I'll send you a picture of the father of her child. Give it to her. Maybe it'll jog her memory and remind her of her husband."

"Very well, ma'am. Thank you for your time. I'll end the call now," the doctor said.

Shina hung up her phone, feeling disgusted. Mellisa, who had been crying and was now asleep in her arms, looked so frail and exhausted.

After a few minutes, Michelle returned, accompanied by Mark and five other gentlemen.

"Did you find anything about my dad?" Shina inquired, causing Melissa to jolt awake at the mention of her husband.

"Did you locate my husband?" she stuttered, her breathing became laboured as her lungs constricted.

"We were able to locate him thanks to his necklace, which has a GP tracker," explained a young man in his early twenties. Despite his age, he appeared mature, with a strong jawline, black eyes, and black hair. His name was Shayne.

"So where is he now? Why aren't you going to get him?" Shina asked coldly.

"Because that location is exceedingly dangerous," Shayne replied. "We require a solid plan to retrieve your father and return safely, as the area is surrounded by wild and perilous animals."

"Is he alright, though?" Melissa inquired, tears streaming down her face.

"Your husband is fine, but your ex-husband is absolutely insane," Shayne said with a tone of disgust. "I've sent one of my men disguised as his assistant, and I found out that he has a video of your dear daughter bathing in the bathroom naked. If you don't follow his words, he will post the video online."

Melissa's mouth fell open, her heart racing with fear. Her eyes widened as she saw the anger in Shayne's face, making the air around the room heavy and hard to breathe.

Shina's face turned red with fury, her expression tightening and her muscles quivering with anger. "I'm going to kill that man," she said through gritted teeth. "He has hurt Melissa enough. There's no way I'm going to let him hurt her again and again. If he wants to post the video, then so be it. Melissa isn't going back to that monster.

"Shina, stop it," Mellisa stuttered. "This is a matter of your self-respect. Do you honestly believe that I will just sit here and allow Zick to ruin your reputation in front of the entire world? Absolutely not! I cannot and will not stand for it," Mellisa burst into tears once again, and Michelle rushed to her side to prevent her from falling.

"Mellisa, please get a hold of yourself," Michelle said.

"Proceed with your plans," Shina said coldly. "I will not allow Zick to use me to hurt the person I love the most. If he wants to post a video online, so be it." She rose off the couch and ran out of the house.

"Shina," Linda quickly rose off the chair and followed her sister.

"Mellisa, come on, you need rest now. You are pregnant, and it is already complicated, but you are busy stressing yourself out. If you don't want to lose your babies, come with me and let me handle the situation, please," Michelle said, her tone a bit strict. Mellisa rose off the couch, and Michelle took her to her room.

"What do we do now?" Mark asked, his voice filled with uncertainty. He walked to the couch and sat down, Shayne followed suit and sat next to him, leaving his men standing like a bunch of lost sheep.

"We must find a way to delete the video first," Shayne said, his tone heavy with concern. "But let's face it, we're doomed. We simply can't let him upload the video. Then we will make a solid plan to save Maxwell, which will be the easy part," he added, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I think we should keep other information a secret," Mark said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Mrs. Melissa is pregnant, we can't afford to give her shocking news. It might endanger her babies," he added, his words laced with worry.

"What information are you talking about?" Shina asked, her voice filled with suspicion. She had just walked in and overheard their conversation. She turned her back to Linda. "Go to your room and sleep," she said coldly. Linda ran to her room upstairs.

Shina walked to the couch and sat down with a stern look on her face. "Tell me now," she demanded, her voice filled with disapproval and extreme pessimism.

Shayne's throat constricted, causing him to gulp audibly. "The location of your father's captivity," he began, his tone heavy with foreboding.

Shina's eyes narrowed, her expression demanding an explanation. "What of it?" she snapped.

"He has a mere five days to live. If we fail to rescue him within that time frame, he will surely perish. The surrounding wildlife will undoubtedly discover his presence and make a meal of him."

Shina's face flushed with anger, her heart pounding with dread. "Leave the video to me," she declared, her voice laced with determination. "You focus on devising a plan to save my father."

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