Chapter 596

Everyone sprang into action.

Joseph practically sprinted towards the palm tree, his heart pounding in his chest.

The midday sun blazed overhead, sweat trickling down his temples, but he felt no heat, only a chilling fear.

The sand behind the tree showed clear signs of a struggle.

Joseph crouched down, his fingers brushing over the chaotic footprints—one large, one small, and a deeper drag mark.

Suddenly, a glint of silver caught his eye.

Joseph brushed away the sand and picked up a shattered women's watch, its face cracked like a spiderweb, the glass shards reflecting the harsh sunlight.

"What's that?" Henry's voice sounded behind Joseph.

"It's the wedding gift I gave Claire."

Joseph's voice was hoarse and strained, "She would never leave it behind."

His fingers clenched tightly around the broken watch, the metal band digging into his palm, but he felt no pain.

Joseph remembered how much Claire had loved the watch when he gave it to her.

She had said she would never take it off unless she was bathing.

But now, he had found only the watch, with no sign of Claire. Where could she be?

A terrible premonition gripped Joseph's heart, and he dared not think further, his heart sinking uncontrollably.

Zoey and Celine hurried over, and when Zoey saw the watch in Joseph's hand, her face turned ashen.

At that moment, she sensed that Claire might be in danger.

"Mr. Windsor, the nanny has taken the kids back to the room," she said briefly to Henry, then pulled out her phone, "I'll contact the resort's security."

"No, Zoey, don't alert them just yet," Henry stopped her, "If it's a kidnapping, the kidnappers might harm Claire."

He turned to Joseph and asked, "Where is Finnegan staying?"

Five minutes later, they stood in front of a luxurious beachfront villa.

Zoey rang the doorbell with such force that it seemed she might break it.

The door opened, and Finnegan appeared, looking bewildered. "What are you doing here?"

He thought, could it be that Zoey knew he had tried to reconcile with Claire this morning and had come to warn him?

If that was the case, Zoey was overstepping.

If it weren't for Zoey's current status and influence, Finnegan would have slammed the door shut.

"Where's your son?" Zoey demanded, her voice icy.

Finnegan was clearly taken aback, "Jett? Isn't he with Upton?"

Mabel came over, her face changing when she saw the scene, "What's going on? What happened?"

Celine's sharp gaze fixed on her, "Where did Upton take Jett?"

"Upton?" Mabel's eyes flickered. "They should be having lunch."

Zoey suddenly stepped forward, her long fingers like a vice around Mabel's neck, pinning her against the wall, "Did Upton go to 'deal with' Claire? Speak!"

"Zoey! What are you doing!" Finnegan tried to intervene, but Henry held him back.

Mabel's face turned red, her hands futilely prying at Zoey's fingers, "I don't know anything."

"You're lying!" Zoey tightened her grip, "Upton just got out of the hospital after I kicked him there two days ago, and now he wants revenge? If anything happens to Claire, I'll make sure your whole family pays!"

Finnegan turned to Mabel in shock, "Mabel, what's going on? Where did Jett and Upton go?"

Tears streamed down Mabel's face, but she still shook her head, "I really don't know, Upton just took Jett to eat."

Joseph, noticing Mabel's evasive eyes, suddenly turned, "We're wasting time. Check the surveillance!"

They hurried out of the villa, Zoey casting one last glance at Mabel, making her shiver involuntarily.

The resort's security chief was already waiting in the control room.

Seeing Zoey and the others, he immediately approached, "Mr. Windsor, Ms. Spencer, we've pulled the footage from near the restaurant."

The screen clearly showed Jett leading Claire towards the palm tree.

A few minutes later, a man approached from the other side—it was Upton.

Then came a violent struggle, Upton carrying a large sack away quickly, with Jett running after him.

"That scumbag!" Joseph punched the wall, his knuckles instantly bleeding, "He put Claire in a sack!"

The security chief quickly switched the footage, "They went to the private dock and boarded this yacht."

The screen showed a white speedboat leaving the dock, heading northeast.

"What time?" Henry asked calmly.

"12:23 PM."

Joseph glanced at his watch—it was already 1:10 PM.

"Almost fifty minutes. They could be..."

"Not necessarily," Henry was already dialing his phone, "I'll arrange for a faster yacht, equipped with sonar and radar. They won't get far."

Ten minutes later, a luxurious speedboat docked.

The captain, a sun-tanned local, nodded briefly at Henry, "Everything's ready, sir."

"I'm coming too," Zoey said firmly, turning to Celine, "Celine, please watch the kids."

Celine hesitated, then nodded, "Bring Claire back safely."

The speedboat cut through the blue sea, its engine roaring.

Joseph stood at the bow, the sea breeze whipping his shirt, but it couldn't dispel the anger and fear in his eyes.

Zoey and Henry were with the captain, studying the charts and determining possible routes.

"There are a few uninhabited islands to the northeast," the captain pointed at the map, "The closest is about fifteen nautical miles, the farthest about thirty. At that yacht's speed..."

"We'll start with the closest one," Joseph interrupted, his voice low, "If we don't find them, we'll expand the search."

Zoey walked over to Joseph, handing him a bottle of water. "We'll find Claire."

Joseph didn't take it, his eyes fixed on the horizon, "Claire better be okay, or else..." He didn't finish, but the cold light in his eyes made Zoey shiver.

The speedboat left a white trail on the blue sea, like a sword cutting through the unknown danger.

In the distance, a few white clouds drifted lazily, contrasting sharply with the tension on the boat.

Henry went to the stern and made a call, "It's me. I need satellite support to track a white yacht, last seen at..."

His voice was calm and precise, showing rare composure in a crisis.

Zoey looked at Henry's back, then at Joseph standing like a statue at the bow, and clenched her fists.

The sea breeze brought a salty, damp scent, along with unknown dangers.

But everyone on board knew that no matter the cost, they had to find Claire.