The wound that Michael had at the corner of his lips was still raw. However, he did not let that distract him as he took Charlotte away from there.
Her heart was still pounding from all the adrenaline as she cupped the bird to her chest.
Despite having eluded the guards whose silhouette vanished into the distance behind them, she felt neither exhilarated nor relieved, but a profound sense of apprehensiveness.
She felt as though she had done something wrong.
“Hey,” Michael said comfortingly. “You’re safe now!”
“The kids are still nowhere to be found, and Mrs. Berry is still at the hospital.” Charlotte was distraught. “Would Zachary harm her if he learned that I’ve escaped? And the children…”
“Not to worry, I’ll figure something out,” he said as he held her hand. “No way that Zachary Nacht is above the law!”
After a brief pause, he continued, “Worse comes to worst, I’ll go look for old Mr. Nacht. I’m sure he would handle this justly!”
“Old Mr. Nacht?” Charlotte furrowed. “He’s a bit of an oddball. I’m unsure if he would help as he doesn’t seem to like me very much.”
“He’d be helping himself more than helping you,” Michael replied with a frown. “If he wants a successful union between the Nachts and the Blackwoods, he’d have to see to it that Zachary stays away from you!”
“It may be worth a shot should we run out of other options.” Charlotte’s mind was in a disarray. “We should try to locate the kids first as I’m really worried about them. Also, Fifi’s still unconscious. Can we get her to a vet?”
“No worries. I’m on it.”
…..
In the president’s office on the sixty-eighth floor.
Zachary was completing some paperwork when Ben knocked on his door with something to report. “Uh, Mr. Nacht…”
He hesitated before uttering cautiously, “Ms. Windt has fled!”
Zachary’s hand hovered over the keyboards as he lifted his eyes. “Come again?”
“Ms. Windt…” Ben steeled himself before he reiterated that last part, “She’s escaped!”
“Escaped?” Zachary was dismayed. “Are you telling me that the stupid woman had escaped from the hospital in the full view of so many?”
“Michael and a couple of his men were there. Ms. Windt took the opportunity to break free when Marino was distracted. They fled in their car before our guys could catch up.”
Zachary frowned intensely, and a bone-chilling glint flashed across his eyes. His hand clenched around the fountain pen he was using.
The pen snapped between his fingers like a twig.
Ben’s face turned as white as a sheet. “Please calm down, Mr. Nacht. I’ve already tracked them to a villa in the western suburbs and will be taking a team over…”
“Leave them be,” Zachary interjected. “She’ll be back on her own!”
“Those who were posted at the hospital. What good are they if they cannot even keep an eye on one woman?”
“Yes,” Ben said as he lowered his head hurriedly. “I know what to do.”
There was knocking upon the door before Bruce entered. “An update, Mr. Nacht. I’ve found out that the three children alighted from the school bus at Happy Avenue after class at three in the afternoon. As Mrs. Berry was indisposed and could not be there to pick them as usual and Ms. Windt arrived about twenty minutes late, they…”
Zachary leafed through the file as his eyes fell upon the photo of the three children.
The adorable trio had fine features and radiant smiles.
Those bright eyes of theirs were communicative and sparkled with life.
Pure and delightful—they were like angels from heaven.
The beauty of innocence!
