Chapter 108: Either You Or Her.

Chapter 108: Either You Or Her.
Steven arrived home that night, calling out Dua's name as he entered their dimly lit bedroom. Silence echoed in response, sending a chill down his spine. He quickly checked the bathroom and scanned the common areas, but there was no sign of her. Panic gripped him as he dialed her number, praying for a connection.
“Hello?” It was Desmond on the other end.
“Where’s your sister?” Steven asked, his voice tight with worry.
“I don’t know. I just found her phone ringing here in the kitchen,” Desmond replied, confusion evident in his tone.
Steven hung up, his heart racing, and hurried to the kitchen. On his way, he found Shane and Denise in the living room, engaged in a quiet discussion, their eyes flicking to him momentarily. He didn't want to disturb them.
“You really don’t know where she is?” Steven pressed Desmond once he entered the kitchen.
“Not a clue. Just walked in and saw her phone ringing,” Desmond said, frustration creeping into his words.
“Who was home before you?” Steven continued to pry, desperately seeking answers.
“Denise was,” Desmond replied, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
Returning to the living room, Steven confronted the two lovebirds. “I hate to interrupt, but has anyone seen Dua? Does anyone know where she is?”
“She isn’t with you?” Denise raised an eyebrow, her voice laced with disbelief.
“She isn’t with you?” Steven countered, the urgency spilling over. 
“No, why would she be? We had a quarrel this morning, so we can’t possibly be together,” Denise replied, a mixture of concern and defensiveness in her tone. 
“Strange,” Steven murmured, lost in thought.
Suddenly, a realization struck him, and he shot up, exclaiming, “Diane!”
“Diane? I doubt it. I haven’t seen her since yesterday. She hasn't been in this house,” Shane remarked, his brow furrowing.
“Maybe she's just out with her friends,” Denise suggested, though her voice held a hint of doubt.
“There are CCTV cameras in the house, right? We should check the footage,” Desmond proposed, a planning glint in his eye.
They rushed to the control room, hearts pounding in anticipation. But upon reviewing the cameras, their hopes were dashed— there was no footage for that day. Someone had deleted it. 
“Someone’s tampered with this! The cameras never miss a day of footage!” Panic laced Steven’s words, his voice rising as anxiety clawed at him.
Shane leaned closer, lowering his voice. “The bodyguards outside…”
With renewed urgency, Steven called them over. “Has anyone seen my wife today?”
“Yes, boss, we did,” they chorused, igniting a spark of hope within him.
One bodyguard stepped forward, looking uneasy. “Miss Diane called me in to help carry Madam’s unconscious body to the car. She said Madam fainted and wanted to take her to the hospital.”
“Why didn’t you report this to me?!” Steven’s voice thundered, anger mixing with fear as he glared at the men, who hung their heads in shame.
“We're so sorry, sir. We were about to inform you, but Miss Diane said she’d already contacted you, so we took her word for it,” another bodyguard explained timidly.
Steven closed his eyes, the weight of the situation crashing over him like a cold wave. He gripped his phone tightly and dialed Diane.
“Hi, honey,” Diane answered casually, as if nothing were amiss.
“Where is my wife?” he demanded, his tone sharp and unwavering. He could see through her façade.
“And how could I possibly know that?” Diane shot back defensively.
“If anything happens to her, Diane, I swear I’ll kill you,” Steven warned, the intensity in his voice sending a chill down everyone's spines. She hung up on him.
His heart pounding, Steven quickly tracked Dua’s location and scrambled out of the house, dialing Victoria as he sped down the driveway.
“Wassup,” Victoria’s cheerful voice rang through the line.
“My wife is missing,” he blurted out, panic threading through his words.
“Calm down, Steve,” she urged, a hint of concern lacing her voice.
“I can’t! She’s pregnant and fragile!” His voice cracked, revealing the depth of his fear.
“Okay, I understand. Just take a deep breath,” she said, trying to soothe him. 
“I’ll send you the coordinates now,” he replied urgently before ending the call.
Meanwhile, as Shane attempted to follow Steven, Denise and Desmond rushed out behind him. "No, you guys can't come along." He said but Desmond ignored him and entered the car.
"It's dangerous, love. Wait behind," he said to Denise but she ignored him and entered the car too. Shane sighed and got in too and drove out.
As Steven’s car sped down the darkened streets, a whirlwind of thoughts spiraled through his mind. Panic gripped his heart with each mile. Dua was pregnant and vulnerable—her well-being was his top priority. 
He glanced at the GPS on his phone, taking in the location where he believed Diane had taken Dua. His fists tightened around the steering wheel, and determination surged within him. "I’ll find her," he promised himself.
Meanwhile, Shane’s car was fast on his tail. As Shane navigated the corners, Denise glanced nervously at Desmond. “Do you think Diane has something to do with this?” she asked. 
Desmond shrugged, his face taut with concern. “Possibly.” 
“You think she’d actually hurt her?” Denise asked, fear creeping into her voice.
“Let’s hope it’s not that bad,” Shane replied, trying to keep his own anxiety in check. 
As they approached a secluded warehouse located on the outskirts of city, they could see a flickering light in the distance. Steven’s heart raced as he pulled into the gravel lot, scanning the area for any sign of Dua. 
“Stay close, and don’t make any noise,” Shane instructed Denise, and Desmond, who nodded in unison. 
They stepped out of the car, the crunch of gravel beneath their feet seeming impossibly loud in the eerie silence. Steven led the way, his mind honed in on the possibilities. He peeked through a grimy window and saw silhouettes inside. He held his breath, bracing himself for what he might find and hoping Dua was safe. 
“Please, please let her be okay,” he whispered under his breath, pushing aside the fear gnawing at the edges of his resolve. 
Shane motioned for everyone to stay put while he peeked through the crack in the door. He gasped, and that alone sent chills down Steven’s spine. “There’s a figure in there,” he said quietly, panic written across his face. 
Feeling a surge of adrenaline, Steven pushed the door open just wide enough to slip inside without making too much noise. The dimly lit interior revealed Diane standing over Dua, who was slumped on a chair, unconscious and pale. 
“Dua!” Steven called, his voice breaking through the tension in the air.
Diane turned, a smile gracing her lips as she welcomed him. "Welcome, honey." 
But Steven's gaze was cold, brimming with cruelty as it fixed on Diane. His attention quickly shifted, drawn down to the crimson liquid pooling on the floor. The trail of red led to Dua, who lay bleeding, her life ebbing away with each second.
Without thinking, Steven lunged forward, but the sharp sound of applause from behind stopped him dead in his tracks. He turned to find Bob smirking, flanked by Mark, who joined in the mockery.
"Impressive, you made it here quickly," Bob said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "And I see you're not alone. But I hate to disappoint you—your company is of no use. I’m not here to fight; I want a peaceful truce."
Bob tossed a gun to Steven, its cold metal glinting ominously under the dim light. "So here’s the deal," he continued, the gun now pointed at Dua. "It’s either you or her."
"Dad, no! We agreed you wouldn’t hurt him!" Diane shouted, panic rising in her voice.
"I said I wouldn’t hurt him," Bob replied, his tone chilling. "I didn’t say he wouldn’t hurt himself."
"Dad, no! That wasn’t the plan!" Diane’s voice cracked, desperation palpable in the air.
"Silence!" Bob roared, causing Diane to flinch, her fear evident.
Steven clenched his fists tightly, his heart pounding as he stared at the gun lying on the floor between them. It felt like a countdown to chaos.
Just then, Victoria burst into the room with some men, her eyes widening in horror at the scene unfolding before her. "Steven, no!" she cried, urgency lacing her voice.
He met her gaze and offered a fleeting smile, but it was overshadowed by the gravity of the moment. He bent down, picking up the gun, the weight of it heavy in his hands. 
"No!" Shane shouted from the back, panic in his tone as he tried to reach out.
Victoria, her breath ragged, pulled her own gun, aiming it at Bob. "Put it down! Don’t you dare!" she warned, fury igniting in her chest.
Bob laughed, a twisted sound. "You do anything stupid, and she's bye bye," he threatened.
“Everyone stay put and do nothing,” Steven commanded, his voice a low, commanding rumble that echoed in the stifling silence of the room.
“But…” Victoria began, her brow furrowing in confusion and desperation.
“That's an order—and a plea,” he interrupted, his gaze piercing as it settled on Dua. The air felt thick with unspoken words, a heaviness that made it hard to breathe.
Steven’s eyes were filled with an urgent sorrow as he took a deep breath, not wanting to let this moment slip away. “I love you,” he whispered, the words tumbling from his lips with a fervor that could break hearts. 
Just as her eyes fluttered open, dim light streaming through the fog of pain in her mind, she struggled to piece together reality. Confusion washed over her as she stared into his eyes, searching for answers. 
Before she could utter a word, before she could grasp the gravity of the situation, Steven made a fatal choice. With a swift motion, he pressed the cold metal of the gun against his temple, his hand steady yet trembling. The air thickened with an unbearable tension, a palpable mixture of fear and grief hanging around them like a storm cloud.
“Steven, no!” Victoria screamed, her voice cracking as she lunged forward, but it was too late. In one agonizing moment, he pulled the trigger.