Chapter 164
Chapter 164
Once again, Maxine was jolted awake by the sudden ringing of her phone.
A splitting headache hit her the moment she got up. She instinctively rubbed her temples
with one hand while answering the phone with the other.
“Hello?” Maxine mumbled, still half–asleep as she answered the call.
Urban’s voice came through the phone. “It’s me. Are you still asleep?”
Maxine mumbled sleepily, “Yes… what’s up?”
Urban said apologetically, “Well, there’s something I’d like to discuss. Would you be available to meet later? I’ll send someone to pick you up.”
Maxine climbed out of bed and glanced at the time. It was nearly the next afternoon. Seeing that Jessica was still asleep, she quietly left a note and some cash on the table before heading out.
The person Urban sent was waiting downstairs. The previous driver had been replaced, and she didn’t even recognize the new one at first, until the driver called out to her.
In recent years, Hatholand had been developing at breakneck speed, especially in the capital, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. As Maxine traveled through the city, she saw countless unfamiliar buildings lining the roads, making it hard for her to recognize the streets she once knew.
Urban was sitting in the private dining room. When he saw Maxine walk in, he smiled and said, “The city’s changed so much these past few years, hasn’t it? I’ll show you around properly when we get the chance.”
Maxine rubbed her temples and asked, “So, wh
this about?”
Hearing this, Urban’s expression darkened. “Well, Cleo has gone missing,” he said.
Maxine shot up from her chair. “What? When did this happen?” she demanded.
Urban rubbed his temples, looking troubled. He explained, “There was supposed to be a party this afternoon. When I called her, she hung up on me, and right after that, she sent me a text.”
He placed his phone on the table.
On the screen was a single message from Cleo. [1.]
“Just a single number?” Maxine asked.
He nodded. He remebered that Cleo had joked about this before.
Back when she was reporting on business circle exposés, she attracted quite a few enemies. Since Urban had promised Maxine he’d look after her, he even hired two bodyguards to follow her around. Cleo joked at the time, “If I ever run into danger and can’t pick up the phone, I’ll just send you a single- digit text.”
Urban was still puzzled when he received Cleo’s text. He was about to call her back when he suddenly remembered their earlier conversation about sending a single–digit message in case of danger.
“Then why are you just sitting there?” Maxine urged anxiously. “We need to call the police right now and find her!”
Urban said, “I’ve already contacted the police. They’re checking the surveillance footage to find the car she was driving. I asked you here to see if she mentioned what she’s been up to lately.”
He massaged his temples in frustration. The bodyguards had been tailing her lately without incident until yesterday. When Cleo picked up Maxine, she was worried the bodyguards might scare Jessica, so she asked them to leave. And now, of all times, this had to happen.
1/2
09:04 MON 39
Chapter 161
“Don’t worry,” Urban said gently, “I’ve already got people looking into it. But there’s another reason I asked you to come today!
Truth be told, the two incidents might not be entirely unrelated, though that was just Urban’s own conjecture.
Urban hesitated for a long moment before finally asking, “Did Cleo ever mention anything to you… like what happened with your family back then
Maxine was stunned, her brows furrowing tighter. “What?”
‘I can’t believe this involves my father,‘ she thought.
Maxine shook her head and said hesitantly, “She… she never mentioned it to me. After she drove us home last night, she just said she had some business
to attend to.”
At her words, Urban wavered. “Actually,” he admitted, “I only heard her mention it in passing.”
