Chapter 150
That evening, Maria finished dinner, but Willow still hadn't returned. For some reason, she felt increasingly uneasy.
When Ruth the nurse came in, Maria asked anxiously, "Ruth, has Willow come back yet?"
Ruth, knowing Willow was working, wasn't particularly concerned. "Ms. Spencer left late in the afternoon, so she might be coming back late too. She's probably having dinner with clients right now. Try not to worry."
Maria considered this reasonable, but couldn't shake her concern. After waiting a while longer, she called Willow's phone. The call didn't connect.
Her anxiety deepened. She tried four or five more times with the same result.
Ruth sat beside her, growing worried herself despite her reassuring words. "Perhaps she's busy and doesn't have her phone with her. If you're really concerned, I can find Mr. Bailey and ask him."
Maria immediately asked her to find Blake.
Out on the resort lawn, Blake was playing with Luke after dinner. For some reason, Luke was being unusually difficult, repeatedly trying to pull Blake in a particular direction. After Luke had run off once at noon, Blake had tightened his leash to prevent another escape.
"Luke, be good. I'll take you to see Willow later, okay? Just behave for now," Blake pleaded, silently hoping Willow would appear soon. Despite knowing Blake longer and receiving plenty of treats from him, Luke seemed to listen only to Willow—just like Molly, his troublemaking sister.
With both hands gripping the leash, Blake mentally complained about both the dog and Molly.
"Mr. Bailey." Ruth had checked Blake's room first, then asked staff members who directed her to the lawn. Seeing her approach, Luke barked and tried to pull Blake toward her.
Ruth, intimidated by the dog, kept her distance. "Ms. Spencer hasn't returned yet, and we can't reach her by phone. Mrs. Spencer is worried. Do you know where she might be?"
Hearing Willow's name, Luke barked more urgently. Blake assumed the dog simply wanted Willow to play with him and stroked his ears to calm him down.
"What time did she leave?" he asked.
"Around three in the afternoon," Ruth replied.
Blake checked the time—it was already past eight in the evening. His expression grew serious. "Wait, let me contact Mr. Lancaster."
He knew Willow was working today. If they couldn't reach her, perhaps the Brown Group representative could be contacted. Blake called Sterling first, intending to ask him to contact Henry.
Sterling answered quickly. "What is it?"
"Mr. Lancaster, Ms. Spencer left this afternoon to meet someone from the Brown Group and hasn't returned yet. Could you ask Mr. Brown to contact his staff member?" Blake explained.
Sterling's expression tightened. "Understood." He ended the call.
"Company business?" Harold's aged voice came from nearby. Father and son had a chessboard between them, though Sterling had lost interest in continuing their game.
"Yes," he answered briefly.
Harold set down his chess piece. "Since the company pressure is so high, and Wallace has returned, perhaps he could help share your burden in a few days."
Sterling had just found Henry's number and was about to dial when Harold's words made him pause.
"Michael died young, and Elaine is idle. You're carrying the company alone, which must be tiring," Harold continued without looking at him. "Wallace may not have done well before, but he's been by my side these years. He deserves some consideration. Find him a position in the company."
Though Harold's tone suggested a discussion, his words left no room for negotiation.
After a moment of silence, Sterling complied. "What position do you think would be suitable for him?"
Harold seemed satisfied with his response. "That's for you to decide. He's just there to help you. After all, his abilities don't match yours."
Sterling nodded slightly. "Very well, I'll arrange it when I return." He glanced at the time. "If there's nothing else, I should go now. We can continue this chess game next time."
Harold waved him away, and Sterling left the Lancaster Manor, calling Henry while walking.
Henry answered after a delay, with the background noise of a bar. "What is it?"
"Who's in charge of the resort project from the Brown Group? Call them and ask if they're with Willow right now," Sterling said directly.
Henry had accepted Sterling's feelings for Willow, but still found the request exasperating. "You know she's working. Isn't this an overreaction?"
Sterling, now in his car, cut him off. "We can't reach her. Three minutes. Get back to me." He started the engine.
Henry felt a sense of foreboding. "Glo is handling the resort project now. You know it was meant for her from the beginning."
Sterling's heart sank.
"Wait, let me ask her," Henry hung up and tried calling Gloria but couldn't reach her. He then called his mother, learning that she had returned home alone in the afternoon and also couldn't contact Gloria.
When Sterling called back, Henry reluctantly answered, his stomach dropping. "Well?" Sterling asked.
"Can't reach Gloria. I'm heading over now," Henry replied.
Both men suspected something had happened. Without further comment, Sterling hung up, instructed Blake to check the surveillance footage immediately, ordered the resort staff to begin searching, and drove there as quickly as possible.
He arrived at the resort at ten o'clock that night. Blake, having already reviewed the afternoon's footage, was waiting at the entrance.
"Any leads?" Sterling asked as soon as he stepped out of the car.
"The surveillance shows Ms. Spencer with a woman, likely the Brown Group employee," Blake reported. "But there are too many blind spots in the resort's camera coverage. The footage shows them together but doesn't capture how they separated. When the woman appeared on camera again, she was alone."
"The staff are searching, but there's no news yet," Blake added reluctantly.
The air around Sterling seemed to freeze, but he maintained his composure. "What about Mrs. Spencer?"
"Mrs. Spencer is too worried to sleep. Ruth is with her, and a doctor is standing by."
Sterling's voice was grave. "Tell her that Willow had too much to drink and is sleeping in another pavilion. She'll be back in the morning."