Chapter 22

Chapter 22
★★★ WINTERS ESTATE ★★★★

Saul was curled up in his favorite chair, the sun streaming in through the window and casting shadows on the pages of his newspaper. He was so engrossed in the latest political news that he didn't hear the soft knock at his door. The maid gave a second, slightly louder knock, and Saul finally looked up.

"Come in," he called out. The door opened, and the maid stepped inside.

"You have a visitor, sir," she said.

Saul raised an eyebrow. He wasn't expecting anyone, and he was a bit curious as to who it might be.

"Send them in," he said, folding up his newspaper and setting it aside.
The maid nodded and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her. A few moments later, the door opened again. Saul looked up as the door opened again, revealing a man in a tailored suit. He had a warm smile and a confident air about him, and he extended his hand to Saul.

"Hello, Saul," he said. "I'm Mia Alberto. It's nice to finally meet you in person."

Saul shook the man's hand and gestured to a chair.

"Please, have a seat," he said.

"I was working with Jessica before her, um, unfortunate incident" Alberto said, choosing his words carefully.

"I came here to talk to you about the project she was working on, and see if there's any way you can help me get it back on track."

Saul nodded, grateful for the man's tact.

"Yes, I can. Jessica was a very girl before the incident but I pray she's found" he said. Alberto smiled and flashed him a mocking look for a second before comporting himself again.

"I'd like to know more about the project," Saul said. "What can you tell me about it?"

"Well, I don't know too many details," Mia said. "But I understand it was a groundbreaking project that could potentially change the course of history. I know that's rather vague, but that's all I've been told."
Saul leaned forward in his chair, intrigued.

"Can you tell me anything else?" he asked. He lost track of his company since Jessica took over but after her disappearance, so many projects were left hanging that he had to tell his assistant manager to take over the company until Jessica is found. He's glad that one of Jessica's partners had the courage to come to him and talk about business.

"I know that Jessica had made some significant progress on the project before her disappearance," Mia said. "And I know that whoever was behind her disappearance was likely after the project itself. They want to stop it from coming to fruition."
Saul's eyes widened.

"You think the project has something to do with Jessica's disappearance?" he asked, his voice tinged with worry.

" Yes because Jessica has been threatened a lot of times but she keep on heading higher and going to higher places is not minding the hindrances in her way so I think that the project is behind her disappearance on her wedding day or there is something bigger than lead to her disappearance" Alberto said. Saul rested back, Jessica is not someone that runs away from threats or hindrance is rather she stands strong and faces them head-on. Whatever thing that's happened on her wedding day is connected to Carlos and Veronica. How surprising that the two of them has never asked of her ever since she disappeared and even when he tried reaching out they never give him a concrete reply. It's been months she disappeared and his company has been left unattended. He prays that Sandra comes back with a positive reply soon or he will be forced to call his second daughter back home to take over his company.

" Okay, Mia I've heard all you said I will get my assistant to give you a hand financially in your department" Saul said.

"I appreciate your time, Mr. Saul," Mia said, rising from his chair and offering a slight bow. "I know this must be a difficult time for you, and I don't want to add to your burden. If you ever need any help, please let me know."

"Thank you, Mr. Alberto," Saul said, rising from his own chair. "I'll keep your offer in mind."
Mia nodded, then turned and left the room. Saul sat back down, his mind racing with thoughts about Jessica.

As Alberto left the room, he scoffed.

" Fool, his daughter has been missing for the past 4 months and he sat down there unmoved. So much for the father whose a billionaire, he didn't even try to look for her to know if she's alive or not all he does is sit down and read his newspapers like nothing happened" he murmured angrily, as he made his way out of the mansion.

Fifteen minutes later, a maid emerged from the house and ducked into a nearby alleyway. She pulled a mobile phone from her apron pocket and dialed a number that was unfamiliar to her. The phone rang for a few moments, and then a man's voice answered.

"Hello?" he said, sounding a bit confused.

"Hello," the maid said, keeping her voice low. "This is Margaret. I'm one of Mr. Saul's maids."

"Oh, hello," the man said, his voice became more alert.

"I'm calling to tell you that Miss Sandra is about to make a discovery regarding Miss Jessica's disappearance," the maid said, her heart pounding in her chest. "If she finds out the truth, it will be bad for you to get to her before her father and you might never have the chance to see her again pending on the decision her father will make upon her arrival. You must do something to prevent her from uncovering the truth."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. Then, the man spoke again, his voice hard and cold.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"You must tamper with the evidence before Miss Sandra gets back. Miss Sandra might be spoilt and rude to everybody but one thing everybody in this Mansion knows is that she loves Jessica more than life itself and would never stand the chance of her being hurt. We all know the tantrums that she has been truly ever since Jessica left, her brother was not an exception to you and that was why she took it upon herself to find Jessica no matter the cost. The decision is left for you to make, now the ball is in your court" the maid said, her voice shaking. "If you don't, we could all be in danger."

"I understand," the man said, his tone now steely and determined. "I'll take care of it. Don't worry."

The maid felt a wave of relief wash over her, but she knew that the danger was far from over. She hung up the phone and hurried back to the mansion, her mind racing with thoughts of what could happen next. She wasn't here to work as an ordinary maid. She was sent here as a spy to find out if they found anything about Jessica and recently she overheard Saul talking to Sandra over the phone saying that she found informations on Jessica. But if whatever thing she found gets to this mansion before he does that means he will never have the chance of claiming Jessica has his true love anymore.

As she walked back in she makes all standing by the hallway staring at her causing her to panic. Did he over here her phone call? And why is he staring at her like that? So many thoughts flooded her mind as sge made her way towards him.