"Emma, don't be like this."
Elijah's hand trembled uncontrollably. He kept telling himself that it wouldn't happen, that it absolutely wouldn't. But his foot still pressed down on the accelerator, speeding home like lightning.
Emilia arrived at the Grand Orchid Hotel with Christopher. By now, Captain Reed's team had already arrived and was discussing the search strategy with Liam. Emilia looked at Liam's grim expression and didn't dare to approach him to ask about Emma. She just stood quietly, watching him.
"Liam, I'm afraid this was clearly aimed at you. Who have you offended recently?"
Captain Reed held his chin, his face serious as he looked at Liam.
"Don't you already know?"
Liam's tone was harsh, but Captain Reed was understanding. He thought of the man behind this and shook his head.
"You know that's not realistic. After all, he just got out of prison. Even if he wanted to do something, he wouldn't do it during such a sensitive period. Since he could become a major crime boss, he wouldn't be that stupid."
"Other than him, I can't think of a second person."
Liam was telling the truth. What he was thinking about now was whether Elijah had any enemies, which would allow that person to take Emma.
He told Captain Reed about the enemies he had made in this city. Captain Reed was a little stunned, then thought that what he said might have some truth. He quickly called his subordinates over, whispered instructions in their ears, and then they all went their separate ways.
Emilia wasn't close enough to hear them. She only saw them from a distance, looking serious as if they were discussing something important. Then everyone scattered and disappeared.
What possibilities had they thought of?
Emilia was a little anxious, but she had no countermeasures. She had no idea what was happening now.
Elijah drove back to his home. He opened the door to the darkroom as fast as he could. When he saw his father take out a set of surgical tools, he couldn't help but look at the operating table.
He felt cold all over, his breath catching in his throat.
Emma seemed to be asleep, lying unconscious on the operating table, unaware of the danger she was about to face. Standing on the other side of the operating table, his father's assistant was reaching out, about to unbutton Emma's clothes.
But in an instant, the assistant's expressionless face changed. His gray, lifeless eyes widened for a second. The next second, his body was thrown into the corner like a rag doll. His back slammed hard against the cold wall, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood, along with a tooth.
"What are you doing? This is the first time you've interrupted my operation."
Elijah's father had just picked up a scalpel. He looked at Elijah with displeasure.
"That's because this is the first time you've touched someone I care about! Haven't you seen the photos in my study? Don't you know who has been with me since childhood?"
For the first time, Elijah spoke to his father in such a fierce tone. He had always spoken lightly to his father. Since he was five years old, he had rarely shown such intense emotion towards him.
Elijah's father looked at him with slight surprise, then turned his gaze to the operating table, to Emma, who was sleeping like a coma victim. His cold eyes were always clear.
"You're not just interested in her? I remember she's a married woman. I didn't expect my son to fall for a married woman."
"It's not like, it's love. She's the woman I've known since I was a child. If I could have come back earlier, the man who married Emma wouldn't be that man. I would have taken Emma back for myself."
Elijah's chest heaved violently. He still hadn't recovered from his excited mood. His eyes were wide, red with blood.
"So?"
Elijah's father looked at him thoughtfully.
"So I'm asking you not to touch her. Anyone but her is fine."
For the first time, Elijah spoke to his father in a tone of request. Although his father felt that if he really started, his son would forcibly interfere and not let him proceed.
After all, in more than twenty years, this was the first time he had seen his son so excited.
Was it because of the woman lying on the operating table?
Elijah's father narrowed his cold eyes slightly, looking seriously at Emma on the operating table for the first time. Well, aside from the fact that she had become someone else's wife, she looked good. She was a good match for his son. Most importantly, she was his son's childhood sweetheart. This kind of bond couldn't be replaced by anyone.
"Do you have the confidence to take her from her husband?"
"Yes."
Elijah's bloodshot eyes looked at his father. His hands clenched into fists as he spoke heavily.
"Well, remember what you said today."
Elijah's father put down the scalpel, took off his rubber gloves, and then raised his hand to yawn. He glanced faintly at the assistant, who had stood up holding the wall, and said, "Go to the dentist yourself. I didn't get enough rest last night. I'm going upstairs to catch up on sleep." The assistant nodded respectfully to him and said nothing. He just picked up the teeth from the floor and left the darkroom.
Elijah's father didn't give Elijah any explanation for why he had captured Emma, and Elijah didn't plan to ask. In his opinion, it was probably just a whim of his father's. He had done so many things without any reason.
In the darkroom, only Emma remained, still lying on the operating table. Elijah's eyes were full of heartache and regret.
"Emma, I'm sorry. It's all because I didn't notice in advance. I almost came too late. If anything had happened to you, I wouldn't want to be in this world anymore."
Elijah murmured his apology and feelings into Emma's ear, but unfortunately, Emma couldn't hear him at all.
At the Grand Orchid Hotel, Liam looked at the hotel manager with gloomy eyes, a faint sneer passing by the corner of his mouth.
"It seems your hotel doesn't want to be rated as a five-star hotel at the end of this year. I have serious doubts about your hotel's equipment."
The hotel manager was sweating on his forehead, nervous. How could he have thought that the president's wife would disappear in their hotel? That was a lot of bad luck. Who didn't know the influence of the Williams family in this city? They had extensive connections in both political and commercial circles. As long as Liam let out a little bit of information, or casually found some hotel mistakes to expose to the authorities, it wouldn't be difficult for him to destroy the Grand Orchid Hotel's chance of becoming a five-star establishment in an instant.