Chapter 228

Chapter 228

"Milo?"

That evening, Samuel woke up groggily and reached over to feel the space beside him.

Milo wasn't there.

Hearing sounds from the living room, Samuel got out of bed and walked out. "Milo, are you thirsty?"

The living room was empty. No one answered.

Looking at the dining table, he saw Milo's water cup and one of his slippers lying on the floor.

"Uncle Jasper! Someone took Milo!" Samuel shouted and rushed out the door.

Milo was a Fields family child and had a thing about cleanliness—he would never walk on the floor without his slippers.

Earlier, half-asleep, he'd heard the sound of a door closing. Someone must have taken Milo.

Jasper was also very alert. He woke with a start, got up, and ran to the living room. "What's wrong?"

"Uncle Jasper, I can't find Milo. His slippers are on the floor. Someone must have come in and taken him!" Samuel was a bit scared.

"Don't panic." Jasper looked at the door lock. There were no signs of forced entry, clearly someone with a key had done this.

Opal had lived here for a while and had a key to the house.

"Samuel, call your mom and come with me." Jasper didn't feel safe leaving Samuel alone at home.

If it really was Opal who took Milo, then she must have taken the wrong child.

Opal had been angry with Nora lately and couldn't see her when she wanted to. The one she meant to take was definitely Samuel.

"Uncle Jasper, Milo's wearing a smartwatch." Samuel hugged Jasper's neck tight, "His uncle should be able to track his location."

Jasper hurried out the door while calling Opal.

Opal didn't answer. She even turned off her phone.

Frowning, Jasper was truly angry. What was his mother trying to do?

She was already out of prison. Instead of living a decent life, did she really have to stir up trouble?

Michael's place.

Nora's face had gone pale with anxiety, "If something happens to Milo, how can I face the Fields family? What do I do?"

"Daryl's already tracked his location. We're heading there now." Michael pulled Nora into his arms and patted her back soothingly, "Jasper said it's probably Opal wanting to see you, and when she couldn't, she took the child."

Michael hadn't yet told Nora that she and Jasper weren't actually biological siblings. This needed further verification.

And Opal's true purpose, what was it really?

They couldn't tip their hand yet.

"She meant to take Samuel but took Milo instead." Nora's voice was shaking.

"She doesn't have the guts to hurt a child, but this time she messed with the Fields family. She brought this on herself." Michael's voice was low.

If Opal had taken Samuel, out of consideration for Jasper, Nora would probably have let it go.

But this time, Opal took Milo—a Fields family child.

Nora couldn't protect her from this.

Nora kept her head down, gripping her clothes tightly.

That was exactly what she was worried about.

The Clark family.

Aria lay in bed, her face deathly pale.

"Please eat something." The housekeeper's voice was choked with tears.

"Get out." Aria swept everything on the bedside table onto the floor.

"Ms. Clark hasn't eaten properly in days." The housekeeper looked worriedly at Eloise.

Eloise felt sorry for Aria.

Aria stared at her phone and broke down crying, "Why! Why!"

These past few days, she'd kept sending Michael messages, apologizing humbly, trying to please him, but every message seemed to sink without a trace.

Not only that, Michael had deleted her from WhatsApp and blocked her number.

Why was he being so heartless?

What had she done wrong?

She just liked him—what was wrong with that!

"Aria, sweetheart, please eat something." Eloise looked at Aria with heartache, "If you eat, it'll make Mom feel better."

Aria refused to eat and just kept crying.

"Stop crying. Michael's made up his mind to go against the Clark family." Haven walked in, looking pale, "I never thought he'd go this far for Nora."

"Aria, the Clark family might go bankrupt." Eloise choked out, "Recently, the Clark family has been hit hard by public opinion. Our food and home textile brands have taken a huge hit. On top of that, Michael's cutting all cooperation and financial ties between the Smith Group's hotel business and us."

Aria clenched her fists with hatred, "Why is Michael trying to completely destroy the Clark family!"

Hadn't she been good to Michael?

She'd been so supportive of him, even wanted to help him deal with Luna and James.

Was this how he repaid her?

"Even without working with the Smith Group, our family's foundation shouldn't lead to bankruptcy." Aria looked at Haven, confused.

"It's strange. I don't know if it's related to the public opinion backlash, but do you know Unity Realty? It's a company that's suddenly risen in recent years. Some say Unity Realty is backed by foreign capital, but no one knows who's really in charge." Haven didn't know how they'd offended Unity Realty either.

"In recent years, Unity Realty has already surpassed the Smith Group in hotels, entertainment investment, and other areas. The Clark family's two biggest partners are Unity Realty and the Smith Group. A while back, Michael gave us a lot of support because of what happened six years ago, and Unity Realty also gave us many partnership projects." Aria frowned. "Now Unity Realty wants to pull out too?"

"Yes." Haven looked miserable.

Both the Smith Group and Unity Realty pulling out at the same time was a huge blow to the Clark family.

"Michael and Unity Realty's CEO must know each other. This is probably Michael's doing too." Aria gripped the blanket tightly, "What does Nolan say?"

"He just said the Smith Group could compensate in other ways, but it's far from enough. The Clark family has been hit by wave after wave of bad publicity lately, and many partners have cut ties." Haven's face looked terrible.

"It's all that Nora's fault. She's nothing but trouble. Whoever gets close to her has bad luck. And our Pearl is all alone abroad. She just called crying, saying it's not safe there and people are bullying her. My poor daughter." Eloise cried hard.

The whole family's mood was heavy and dark.

Aria clenched her fists, "Stop it."

Eloise stopped crying.

"We need to save ourselves." Aria's voice was low. She would never accept defeat.

She was no worse than anyone else, especially not some Nora.

"What about the marriage alliance with the Smith family? What does Nolan say?" Aria knew Haven had leverage over Nolan, so Nolan didn't dare offend the Clark family for now.

"That weasel." Haven cursed coldly, "Nolan's a weasel who only cares about profit. The Fields family proposed a marriage alliance with Michael. He doesn't have time for the Clark family now!"

Nolan wasn't stupid. The dirt the Clark family had on him wouldn't be released unless things got really desperate, because once those secrets came out, the Clark family would be implicated too—they were accomplices.

Besides, the Clark family was still counting on making a comeback in the medical equipment field.

"The Fields family?" Aria frowned, "Don't the Fields family only have three sons? Wasn't their daughter lost?"

"I had someone look into it. The Fields family said they reached an agreement with the Smith family—within a year, they'll find the Fields family's real daughter. If they find her, she'll get engaged to Michael. If not, Michael will get engaged to the Fields family's adopted daughter Tessa."

Aria frowned and narrowed her eyes, "Mom, isn't the Fields family daughter about my age?"

Eloise paused, then nodded, "Seems like it. Mrs. Fields went into premature labor while in Emerald City for a business deal and had the baby at a county hospital. Your dad and I were also part of that project bid at the time."

Aria was silent for a moment, "Mom, Dad, I have an idea. If it works, it could not only save the Clark family but bring us endless benefits."