Chapter 87 The Night She Vanished
Aniya's suggestion hung in the air, and for a moment, silence engulfed the room. Wilson's eyes flickered between fear and contemplation.
"You're suggesting we... get rid of her?" Wilson muttered, his voice low and fear filled.
Aniya nodded. "We can go to jail if this goes wrong," Wilson exclaimed softly.
"Do you want to get caught?" Aniya asked, changing her face.
"No,but if Rowan finds out, he will not let it slide." Wilson continued.
Aniya leaned in further, her eyes locked onto his. "It's the only way to salvage what's left of your plan. Rowan has turned the tables, and the media is swallowing his narrative. If Amanda is out of the picture, the focus shifts back to your accusations against her."
"And if they question her death?" Wilson questioned Anita out of fear.
"We will leave no traces." She responded.
Wilson's jaw tightened, torn between the reality of Aniya's advice and the fear of the consequences. "But how?"
Aniya smirked, revealing a calculating side. "Leave that to me. I know someone who can make things happen discreetly. All you need to do is corporate, get Amanda out of her house and ensure the police don't dig too deep into your claims."
Wilson hesitated, his mind racing through the possibilities. Aniya seized the moment, her tone turning threatening.
"Do you want to see your grand plan crumble? If you step out of this house, I can guarantee you would be stoned to death. Rowan has painted you as the villain, and now you need to act like one to reclaim control. Amanda is the weak link. We cut her off and your revenge stays on course."
She looked into his eyes, "isn't that what you want for Mabel?"
Reluctantly, Wilson nodded. "Fine, but this better work, Aniya. If it doesn't, it's going to ruin me and I won't be the only one to go down."
Aniya grinned, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes. "Trust me, this will work. But remember, Wilson, you owe me. If you even think about crossing me, your downfall will be swifter than you can imagine."
"I should be the one saying that to you. You can call me anything but Judas." Wilson exclaimed.
"So we are good to go," Aniya answered.
"When do we strike?" Wilson requested.
"What else are we waiting for? Tonight! We will get it done tonight."
Wills drove Amanda back to the house silently, with tension thick between the walls. When he got to the house, the car came to a halt immediately. Unable to contain his emotions, he exploded.
"Damn it, Amanda! I was going to grant you bail." he snapped, his frustration evident. "I was doing all I could to get you out of there"
Amanda was lost. She was trying to process what he was saying. She looked at him with a confused expression. "Yes I know, I believed you would get me out of there sooner or later somehow"
Wilson scoffed as if he didn't believe what she said. "You believed that yet you ran into his arms like a 3 year old running from his mother's chastisement."
"Wills, I... I don't know what is going on here. Rowan got me out. He helped me, so…" Amanda said, her disgust rising.
Wills's eyes narrowed, hurt piercing through his gaze. "So, what? You just run into his arms every time there's trouble?"
"Wait…wait…hold up" Amanda responded sharply. "You can't snap at me because Rowan got me bail"
Wills clenched his jaw, his anger palpable. "I would have you trust me enough to let me help you. Instead, you run to him."
Amanda, her own emotions spiraling, responded defensively, "Wills! Please stop it already. This is not the time, please. I needed help and Rowan was there for me. What would you have me do?" She yelled, "I should have rejected the help because it came from Rowan?"
"You ran into his hands like that was all you have ever wanted. You kept me by the sidelines." Wills yelled back.
"I didn't keep you by the sidelines!" Amanda exclaimed, loudly. "I hugged him because I was grateful. And you need to understand the goal here. Either you helped me out or Rowan did, the goal was for me to get out. Why make it such a big deal?"
Wills wanted to respond but Amanda shunned him immediately. "If you are going to make this about Rowan then I better leave you to your immaturity" Amanda said as she got out of the car.
"You call this immaturity? I was just airing my feelings" Wills yelled, still in his seat.
"Yes Wills. Grow up and stop acting like a child." Amanda slammed the door and yelled at him before she walked away. In anger, Wills also walked back into the house without following Amanda.
Hours later, the night had stretched on. Wills had slept off in anger after entering the house. The soft knock on his door woke him up.
"Yes?" He answered from his sleep. He was surprised to see Mrs. Roberts came into his room by that time of the day.
"I thought you said you came back with Amanda, I still haven't seen her." She said, worried.
The sleep disappeared from his eyes immediately. "Yes, we came in together. We had a minor argument like I said when I came so I felt she needed her space. She should be in the compound." Wills added.
"It's been hours" Mrs. Roberts said softly.
Surprised, "what?... That can't be. How long have I been sleeping?" Wills asked as he hurried out of bed.
"Like three hours, I guess." Amanda's mother responded, trying to maintain her composure.
"She should be somewhere in the house." He started searching while Mrs. Roberts joined him. "Where could she be?" She fretted, scanning the surroundings with anxiety.
Wills, his concern evident, replied, "I don't know, Mrs. Roberts. But I am sure she didn't get out of the house."
The two of them searched every room and corner, calling out her name and checking the surroundings. As the minutes ticked by, worry etched deeper into their expressions.
Wills was about to leave the pool area when he saw something that made his heart skip a beat. It was Amanda's hand chain, stained with what looked like blood. Panic surged through him.
"No... this can't be happening," Wills muttered, his voice barely audible.
Mrs. Roberts, noticing his distress, rushed to his side. "What is it? What did you find?"
Wills held up the blood-stained hand chain, his expression grim. "It's Amanda's. Something's wrong. There was somebody else in the house."
Mrs. Roberts gasped, her eyes widening with fear. "Oh, no! Not again"
Wills, adrenaline rushing through him, started searching the area more intently. His eyes darted around, scanning for any sign of Amanda and shouting her name at the same time.
"She is not here. Call the police," He exclaimed before running inside to get his phone. He dialed Rowan's number.
"Hey" Rowan's voice was husky when he answered. He was asleep. "Sorry for the bother, I need to ask you a question." Wills said hurriedly.
Rowan's voice became clearer when he heard Wills's tone. He knew immediately that something was wrong. "What is going on? He asked, fear evident in his voice.
"Amanda…erm…how…how did you find her the other time she was kidnapped?" Wills asked, stuttering.
Rowan became sensitive and agitated. "Where is Amanda?" He asked, his voice questioning and loud.
"I think she has been kidnapped" Wilson said softly as if he was trying not to be loud so Mrs. Roberts would not hear him.
"What!" Rowan exclaimed.