Rally the troops to find Letitia!â
Upon hearing his words, any hint of drowsiness instantly evaporated from Samson, âWhat? Letitiaâs
gone missing?â
âYes,â
âHow did she⦠vanish again?â
Elgin didnât respond and hung up the phone, making a beeline for the three bodyguards he had
assigned to
shadow Letitia.
His commanding presence made them quiver in their boots.
âI hired you guys to protect her,â Elgin said with a venomous tone, âSo where is she?! What the heck
kind of protection is this?â
âUh⦠Mr. Ramirez, we were just following orders to keep tabs on Mrs. Ramirez all the time. Today,
after she left the hospital, she got into the car heading back to Ivory Towersâ¦â
âAnd then what? You didnât follow?â
âWe got made by Hawleyâs understrappers,â the bodyguard explained. âThey told us theyâd take care of
getting Mrs. Ramirez back to Ivory Towers and not to worry. Given that we were all on the same teamâ¦
Ouch!â
Before he could finish, Elginâs foot had already connected with a solid kick!
Useless, utterly useless!
After Letitia got in the car, the bodyguards slacked off, thinking sheâd be taken straight to Ivory Towers,
so they didnât keep on her tail.
And now.. no one knew where she was!
The only lead they had was that car arranged by Hawley!
Elgin stormed out of the hospital, his left hand hanging limply by his side, throbbing with acute pain, but
he
couldnât care less.
As he was about to get into his car, he heard Neilâs voice. âMr. Ramirez?â
Elgin turned around.
There was Neil, all suited up, looking like he just sprinted from the office. He said, âMr. Ramirez, I heard
you were under the weather and came to check on you.â
âNo need.â
âIâve got my reasons actually.â Neil said, âI havenât seen Letitia in a hot minute and wanted to catch up
on how sheâs doing.
Elgin darkened his face, ââ¦Sheâs missing.â
âWhat?!â
âBut Iâll find her.â There was a rock solid confidence in Elginâs voice, âShe can never slip through my
fingers!â
Nei! studied him and then said, âOr is it that she chose to walk away from you, not that sheâs missing?â
âImpossible!â
That was Elginâs darkest fear deep down.
Since the moment he heard Letitia was gone, heâd been dodging the worst scenario in his mindâ¦
Perhaps Letitia left on her own accord and she wanted to leave him.
But Elgin couldnât face that. Heâd rather believe she was taken away by his grandfather and forced
away!
Neil continued, âIâve always noticed something delicate about your relationship with Letitia. Itâs almost
like lovers, but even more like strangers. If⦠she wants to leave, just let her go, thatâs her choice.â
âI wonât let her go, she canât leave me!â
Neil looked at him, âMr. Ramirez, clinging to someone who only wants to flee from you is a sad thing to
do.â
Elgin scoffed, âAre you lecturing me?â
âI want whatâs best for Letitia. And I think she wants to leave you. Only by leaving you can she break
free and have a better life.â
âYou have no clue about the complications between her and me!â Elgin headed towards the car, saying
coldly, âNeil, if you care for her, youâd use your clout to help find her! Her being is not a good sign!â
Elginâs people might have Hawleyâs spies who were likely not to search for Letitia with full effort, maybe
even muddying the waters and making trouble.
So, if Neil could get involved, the odds of finding her would be much better.
âFine.â Neil agreed, âIâll make sure sheâs safe and sound, but not for your sake.â
Elgin had already stepped into the back seat of his Rolls-Royce.
Neil turned to his assistant, âPull every string and tap into every contact to find Letitiaâs whereabouts.
Keep it on the down-low and report back as soon as possible.â
âGot it, Mr. Thompson.â
The Rolls-Royce sped down the highway with Elgin urging, âFaster.â
âMr. Ramirez, this is fast enoughâ¦â
âFaster!â
The trip to the Ramirez Mansion, which should have taken half an hour, was done in a mere fifteen
minutes.
Hawley was startled when he saw him, âElgin, why are you running around like a headless chicken?
You donât care about your left hand anymore?â
He cut straight to the chase, âWhereâs Letitia.â
âWhat are youâ¦â
âWhere is she!â Elgin exploded his voice, âSpill it!â
At that moment, he was like a lion on the verge of madness â seething with anger, restless with anxiety,
and teetering on the brink of instability.
His voice echoed in the living room, deafening.
Hawley was taken aback, âYou⦠youâre talking to me like that over a woman?â
âGrandpa, Iâve made it clear time and again, Letitia is my red line! If you take my words for mere wind,
then donât blame me for casting aside kinship!â
Those were fighting words.
Elgin never would have spoken to his grandfather like this in the past.
But now, he not only yelled, but also laid down the gauntlet!
Hawley was shocked, âYou.. youâre rebelling!â
âRebelling? You drove me to it!â
Right, you got it!â Since Elgin had come to him, Hawley simply admitted, âYes, I sent Letitia away, and
youâll never see her again for as long as you live!â
Elgin arrived faster than Hawley had anticipated.
Hawley had planned to soften Elgin up first, persuade him, and reason with him. But at the sight of
Elginâs attitude, Hawley had to have a showdown!
Hawley couldnât believe that Elgin would sever their kinship over Letitia!
Elgin bulged his forehead with veins, âGrandpa, you know I canât live without her, why would you do
this?â
âBecause sheâs the daughter of Dr. Sanders who killed your father! Because she was carrying your
child but couldnât keep it! And because you almost died at Shelaâs hands trying to save her!â
Hawley lobbed reason after reason at him.
âSo, Elgin, how do you expect me to swallow this pill? For the sake of the Ramirez family and the
Ramirez Group, Letitia has got to hit the road and get out of your life!
When I was grooming you to be my successor, I drilled into you that you must be invincible without any
Achillesâ heel to reach the top above the rest! Everything is replaceable, and thereâs not a single soul
you canât live without!
And what now? Elgin, where did all my words go? Did they just go in one ear and out the other?â
Elgin looked steadily at Hawley, âGrandpa, what if I told you⦠that it was me who caused the death of
our child?â
Hawley staggered, âWhat are you saying?â
âIt was me who caused the death of the child Letitia and I were expecting,â Elgin said, âThe fault is all
mine and has nothing to do with Letitia. On the contrary, she did everything she could to protect our
baby.â
Hawley couldnât come to terms with this truth. He had always thought that it was Letitiaâs fault for not
taking care of the pregnancy properly, which led to the miscarriageâ¦