Chapter 431: Taken
"Is she safe?" the woman asked slowly, her voice tight as she watched the man lean down and place the mask back on the unconscious girl’s face.
"Yes," he said at once. "She should be safe for now. But we will keep her under observation. Even though she inhaled some of the sleeping gas, she was lucky. They had been out on the balcony where the air was clearer despite the leak. That gave her some protection. Otherwise, things could have been far worse. But due to her pregnancy, we have to monitor her longer."
The woman exhaled slowly and gave a short nod, though her eyes never left the girl’s face. After a beat, she asked, "What about the others?"
"Dr. Jung and his man are already on their way back to the island," the man replied, his voice steady though his hands betrayed his unease. "We were fortunate that their security team noticed in time. If not, it would have been impossible to pull them out."
"You call that fortunate?" the woman snapped, her gaze snapping to him like a blade. "What were you doing? Didn’t I tell you to protect Adam in secret and keep watch over everything? How could you be so careless?" Her tone hardened further, each word cutting. "And Adam-what about him? Is there any word at all?"
The man lowered his head and gave a small shake of his head, shame etched into the motion. "No... no word. Nothing." He paused, swallowing hard before continuing. "It happened too fast. We didn’t sense it in time. By the moment we realized, the entire apartment was already ablaze. Only then did we understand something had gone terribly wrong."
"And then, he insisted that we take this lady and the others first. But... he did escape. We just don’t know where he.... went." The man finished off in a small voice.
Things really had happened too fast. According to their investigation, they had already sensed something was amiss. But this was not what they had expected. For someone to have done something like this. Their two security teams had struggled to even break in through the balcony to go and rescue Dr Jung and Cadence Sint.
By the time they had returned, Adam had already been gone and they had no idea if he went inside or outside the balcony.
The woman was silent for a long moment after the man finished, her fingers tightening in her lap as if to contain the storm building inside her. Then she gave a firm nod and in a voice full of urgency ordered, "Go," she said. "Look for Adam. Search every street, every corner, every ruin if you must. Do not stop until you find him. I want him safe. I want him brought back to me-whole, unharmed. Do you understand?"
The man bowed his head quickly. "Yes, madam. I will not rest until he is found." His tone was heavy with guilt, at having made such a big mistake already. Without another word, he turned and left, his footsteps echoing down the corridor as he hurried away.
When the sound faded, the woman turned her attention back to the bed. Slowly, she lowered herself into the chair beside it, her gaze falling on the unconscious figure before her. For a moment she only studied the girl’s pale face, the soft hissing of the mask filling the silence.
Her hand lifted, hesitating for just a second, then she reached out and lightly patted the girl’s head, almost as if testing the fragility of her. "So," she murmured, her tone quieter now, "you are Melanie."
She let the name linger on her tongue, her eyes narrowing faintly. "You are my daughter-in-law, hmm?" A soft sigh slipped past her lips, and for the first time her sternness eased. "I wish we had met under better circumstances. At a homecoming. At a family table. Not like this-half-conscious, struggling to breathe, after attempted murder and fire."
Her hand smoothed over the girl’s hair, and she smiled softly "But this is good too, in its own way. Because at least we meet now, and I can see you for myself." Her eyes softened slightly as she leaned closer. "And you will bring my Adam back to me. I can already see it."
"I am going to be a grandmother." The words were spoken with quiet conviction, as if she were declaring something sacred. "Do you understand what that means, Melanie? It means Adam’s future is bound to yours. It means that no matter what has happened, no matter what will happen, the two of you have already created something larger than all of this. A child. My grandchild."
She paused, brushing a stray lock of hair from Melanie’s forehead. "That is why you must live. For Adam. For the child. For all of us. You will not be abandoned. I will see to it personally."
For a long moment she sat there, her hand still resting gently against Melanie’s head and then she sighed in a tone that was almost regretful, though her eyes betrayed no softness. ""It’s just that... I don’t approve of you as my daughter-in-law. I already have a girl in mind for Adam. Someone who would suit his place, his future. Someone I can trust."
Her fingers lingered on Melanie’s hair, stroking lightly, but the gentleness was hollow. "You were never meant to be part of this family. And yet, fate has played its hand. You are carrying my grandchild. That is the only reason I will allow you to remain alive for now."
The woman stood up then and clenched her hands. Finally, she had found a way to bring Adam back to her side. Her son would be with her in the next part of her fight soon. And with Adam beside her, she would never lose.
Just then, she received a phone call that had her smiling. Adam had been found. He had escaped the fire and was now in the hospital. Perfect. She would go to him now.