Chapter 140

Chapter 140Missing? Gwendolyn was puzzled.
She furrowed her brow. “How could someone who was in prison just disappear like that?”
William shook his head. “She disappeared during the half-hour activity time after dinner yesterday. It
was as if she had evaporated from the face of the earth, leaving no trace behind.”
“No trace?” Gwendolyn chuckled and responded, “How could an adult just disappear into thin air? It’s
impossible not to find any leads. We must investigate thoroughly! Who has visited her recently? How
long did they stay? We need to examine every detail and not leave anything out!”
“Understood,” replied William.
“Hold on.” As William was about to leave, Gwendolyn called out to him. Looking very serious, she said,
“Go and check all the recent records of Noah’s visits.”
“Do you suspect…” Before William could finish speaking, Gwendolyn’s gaze grew colder and colder.
I hope I’m just overthinking it.
That afternoon, the rain poured heavily.
As sunset approached, the rain not only didn’t stop, but it grew even heavier.
The heavy rain splattered against the windowpane, making it appear as if the once unblemished glass
was now divided into a series of cracks.
The weather was terribly gloomy as if silently conveying something.
Gwendolyn stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the rain with a blank expression while her
mind raced with unknown thoughts.William was busy the entire morning and afternoon, only returning to report to Gwendolyn as evening
approached. “Ms. Shalders, I’ve thoroughly checked all the records and found that in the past month
and a half, only one person has visited both Natasha and Noah separately.”
Gwendolyn’s face darkened. “Who?”
“It’s… Nico.” William handed her the documents respectfully and continued, “And not long ago, Noah
disappeared from prison for an hour. It’s said that he accidentally wandered into the freezer and was
locked in by the staff before they left, but…”
“But what?” Gwendolyn asked impatiently.
“When he was found, he was covered in blood and had numerous wounds. It seemed like he had been
beaten with something like a horsewhip or a similar object… And apparently, Noah and Nico are both
under Mr. Wright’s command,” William continued.
Gwendolyn furrowed her brows as she listened. “Why is this only being reported now?”
“It was thought to be just an accidental locking in the freezer at the time. Plus, he was only beaten up
because he had a feud with one of the gang leaders in prison. Since he wasn’t actually missing,
everyone thought it wasn’t a big issue.” William answered.
Where would the prison get whips like that? It’s obvious that he was taken out and then brought back!
The meaning of this is self-evident, Gwendolyn thought.
She suddenly recalled the unusual behavior of Maverick when they returned to Bay Villa yesterday
afternoon.
Gwendolyn couldn’t help but suspect that he was deliberately stalling her, and perhaps he was afraid
that she would discover Natasha’s disappearance.She checked the investigation form and found that Natasha had disappeared during that exact period.
The coincidence was too much to ignore.
Then when she returned to Bay Villa, Maverick had a look of joy on his face again.
Perhaps he was celebrating Natasha’s successful escape from prison.
Haha. I thought he had sincerely repented during this period of time, but it turns out that it was all to
divert my attention and save Natasha. All that talk about taking responsibility for one’s mistakes and
facing the consequences was just a load of crap, except when it comes to protecting Natasha, huh? It’s
unreasonable! The more Gwendolyn thought about it, the angrier she got, and she fiercely knocked
over a stack of file folders on the edge of the table onto the ground.
With a loud clatter, the entire room was left in disarray.
“Ms. Shalders…” William was taken aback as he witnessed Gwendolyn’s outburst for the first time, and
he took two steps back in fear.
Gwendolyn narrowed her eyes coldly. “Return to the villa!”
To prevent her from driving recklessly in her anger, William took on the role of the driver.
The rain was pouring down in torrents, creating a loud and distracting noise against the car window.
As the rain poured down relentlessly, Gwendolyn’s anger only grew worse, fueled by the unrelenting
downpour.
When they arrived at the villa, William was about to grab an umbrella and help Gwendolyn out of the
car, but he saw that she had already gotten out on her own and walked under the rain into the garden.William was shocked and hurriedly followed her. “Ms. Shalders! Let me hold the umbrella for you! You
don’t want to catch a cold!”
In the villa, Maverick was cooking in the kitchen when he suddenly heard William’s shout, catching him
off guard.
Checking the time, Maverick realized that Gwendolyn had arrived home twenty minutes earlier than
usual today. He was delighted and washed his hands after cutting the vegetables before heading out to
welcome her.
Stepping out of the kitchen, Maverick was greeted by the sight of Gwendolyn opening the door and
entering the villa, with her clothes and hair drenched in rain and her slender shoulders completely wet.
Maverick quickly went to the bathroom and grabbed a clean towel to help Gwendolyn dry herself. “Did
you forget to bring an umbrella? Why did you walk in the rain? It’s getting colder these days, so be
careful not to catch a cold. I’ll make you a bowl of soup later, okay?”
Not saying a word, Gwendolyn observed Maverick intently, her lips firmly pressed together.
As he spouts words of care for me, his face shows no traces of embarrassment. The affection and love
in his eyes are almost completely undisguised.
He’s trying to divert me and seek the opportunity to rescue Natasha. What a clever tactic! His acting is
impressive! Gwendolyn suppressed her anger and kept her thoughts to herself.
Noticing that Gwendolyn’s mood was progressively deteriorating, Maverick found it peculiar and asked,
“Gwendolyn, what’s wrong?”
Gwendolyn’s lips curled into a smile, but her eyes betrayed a sense of coldness. “There are too many
fallen leaves outside in the garden. You should go and sweep them up.”Maverick glanced out the window subconsciously. “But it’s raining heavily outside…”
“Come back inside once you’re done sweeping.” Ignoring Maverick’s words, Gwendolyn turned and
headed upstairs.
Maverick sensed that something was off with Gwendolyn’s mood that night. Perhaps she was dealing
with some sort of frustrating situation and needed to vent to him.
He let out a helpless smile and went to the backyard to get a broom, then started sweeping the fallen
leaves.
Just minutes after stepping out into the rain, he was completely drenched.
With o loud clotter, the entire room wos left in disorroy.
“Ms. Sholders…” Williom wos token obock os he witnessed Gwendolyn’s outburst for the first time, ond
he took two steps bock in feor.
Gwendolyn norrowed her eyes coldly. “Return to the villo!”
To prevent her from driving recklessly in her onger, Williom took on the role of the driver.
The roin wos pouring down in torrents, creoting o loud ond distrocting noise ogoinst the cor window.
As the roin poured down relentlessly, Gwendolyn’s onger only grew worse, fueled by the unrelenting
downpour.
When they orrived ot the villo, Williom wos obout to grob on umbrello ond help Gwendolyn out of the
cor, but he sow thot she hod olreody gotten out on her own ond wolked under the roin into the gorden.
Williom wos shocked ond hurriedly followed her. “Ms. Sholders! Let me hold the umbrello for you! You
don’t wont to cotch o cold!”In the villo, Moverick wos cooking in the kitchen when he suddenly heord Williom’s shout, cotching him
off guord.
Checking the time, Moverick reolized thot Gwendolyn hod orrived home twenty minutes eorlier thon
usuol todoy. He wos delighted ond woshed his honds ofter cutting the vegetobles before heoding out to
welcome her.
Stepping out of the kitchen, Moverick wos greeted by the sight of Gwendolyn opening the door ond
entering the villo, with her clothes ond hoir drenched in roin ond her slender shoulders completely wet.
Moverick quickly went to the bothroom ond grobbed o cleon towel to help Gwendolyn dry herself. “Did
you forget to bring on umbrello? Why did you wolk in the roin? It’s getting colder these doys, so be
coreful not to cotch o cold. I’ll moke you o bowl of soup loter, okoy?”
Not soying o word, Gwendolyn observed Moverick intently, her lips firmly pressed together.
As he spouts words of core for me, his foce shows no troces of emborrossment. The offection ond love
in his eyes ore olmost completely undisguised.
He’s trying to divert me ond seek the opportunity to rescue Notosho. Whot o clever toctic! His octing is
impressive! Gwendolyn suppressed her onger ond kept her thoughts to herself.
Noticing thot Gwendolyn’s mood wos progressively deterioroting, Moverick found it peculior ond osked,
“Gwendolyn, whot’s wrong?”
Gwendolyn’s lips curled into o smile, but her eyes betroyed o sense of coldness. “There ore too mony
follen leoves outside in the gorden. You should go ond sweep them up.”
Moverick glonced out the window subconsciously. “But it’s roining heovily outside…”“Come bock inside once you’re done sweeping.” Ignoring Moverick’s words, Gwendolyn turned ond
heoded upstoirs.
Moverick sensed thot something wos off with Gwendolyn’s mood thot night. Perhops she wos deoling
with some sort of frustroting situotion ond needed to vent to him.
He let out o helpless smile ond went to the bockyord to get o broom, then storted sweeping the follen
leoves.
Just minutes ofter stepping out into the roin, he wos completely drenched.
With winter approaching, the leaves were falling in abundance, especially after heavy rains. The leaves
fell indiscriminately, making it nearly impossible to sweep them all up.
Gwendolyn stood by the window on the third floor, lost in thought and feeling numb. If Maverick really
loves Natasha, he should have rescued her from prison right from the beginning. We could have been
enemies from the start, confronting each other directly. I can accept that he doesn’t love me or even
hates me, but he shouldn’t have deceived me while using the pretext of paying off his debts through
loving me. That’s utterly shameless!
Gwendolyn clenched her fists tightly, with a wave of raging anger burning inside her heart.
Elven was called into the room by her, and they stood together by the window to watch Maverick
sweeping the fallen leaves in the garden.
Without waiting for Gwendolyn to speak, Elven expressed her concern. “Ms. Shalders, Mr. Wright was
injured in the waist yesterday, and this rain is too cold. Will he be able to endure it for long, given his
physical condition?”Gwendolyn stared at the person in the garden and sneered, “Does he look like he has a waist injury to
you?”
“Ms. Shalders, what do you mean?” Elven was puzzled.
Without answering, Gwendolyn continued to ask, “Did you see his injury when he was hurt yesterday?”
After considering it for a moment, Elven replied truthfully, “No. Mr. Wright summoned me into the room,
and when I arrived, he was already in the middle of wrapping the bandage around it. There was some
blood seeping through, but it couldn’t have been a fake wound… Could it?”
Could it? Gwendolyn wondered.
“Let him endure another hour in the rain. If he still can’t sweep the leaves clean, then let him come
inside,” she instructed.
“Understood,” Elven responded.
The rain was pouring down heavily, causing low visibility.
Despite keeping his head down, Maverick could sense that someone had been staring at him intently
for quite some time.
It’s probably Gwendolyn.
However, she felt like a stranger to him that day. Her demeanor was colder than ever before.
He wondered if Gwendolyn had discovered his role in Sherman’s disappearance.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t realize that he had obediently been sweeping the fallen leaves outside
for an hour.It wasn’t until Elven went out and called him to go to Gwendolyn’s room to talk that he snapped out of
his reverie and returned the broom to the backyard.
Before entering the house, he halted in his tracks.
He was dripping wet and didn’t want to dirty the freshly mopped floor, let alone Gwendolyn’s room.
Therefore, he decided to stand at the doorway and wring the water stains out of his clothes and pants
before entering. Then, he used the towel Gwendolyn had just used to wipe herself at the doorway to
roughly dry his hair.
He looked as if he had just taken a shower, with his short hair looking neat and clean. His white shirt
clung tightly to his body, revealing his muscular abs. However, due to the rain, his lips appeared slightly
pale, and he looked a bit sickly and fragile.
Elven stood quietly by the side, watching.
novelbinSeeing how the man had tidied up every detail of his appearance, Elven couldn’t help but sigh quietly.
I’m afraid he doesn’t know what’s awaiting him inside.