Chapter 142 Ethan Is Missing
"This is terrible! Charles! Emily! I've searched the entire back garden and there's no sign of Ethan! I even checked the tool shed! Ethan is nowhere to be found!"
"What?" Emily's face went white as she shot to her feet, the chair legs scraping harshly against the floor.
"How is that possible? Emma said he was doing morning training in the back garden!"
Charles's expression immediately darkened as he set down his silverware, his gaze turning razor-sharp. "You're certain you checked everywhere? Every corner?"
"I searched everywhere!" Kate was nearly frantic. As a former reconnaissance officer, if even she couldn't find him, Ethan had definitely vanished.
"Butler!" Charles's voice cracked like a whip.
The butler and several staff members who had already rushed over at the commotion immediately stepped forward.
"Organize everyone immediately for a carpet search of the entire estate! Every room, every corner, including the attic, basement, and garage! Now!" Charles's commands came rapid-fire.
"Yes, Mr. Windsor!" The butler immediately led the staff to disperse and begin searching.
Windsor Manor was instantly shrouded in an atmosphere of tension.
Staff hurried about with urgent footsteps, calls of "Ethan" echoing from all directions.
Ten minutes later, the butler returned sweating profusely, his face grim. "Mr. Windsor, ma'am... we've searched thoroughly, and he's truly not here! We even checked the security room, but unfortunately... unfortunately the surveillance cameras covering the back garden area malfunctioned this morning! They're saying it's aging wiring that hasn't been repaired yet!"
"Malfunctioned?" Emily's vision went black and she nearly collapsed. The surveillance just happened to break down today? Too much of a coincidence! A chill ran up her spine. "How could the timing be so convenient? Charles, could it be that... someone..."
She couldn't bring herself to voice that terrifying thought, but the fear in her eyes revealed everything.
Charles's expression grew so dark it could have dripped water.
He caught Emily as she swayed, pressing her back into her chair. "Emily, don't panic, stay calm! I'm here!"
He turned to Nathan, his voice commanding: "Nathan! Mobilize every resource we can deploy immediately. Block all nearby roads and pull surveillance from all surrounding streets! Contact the police for coordinated search efforts! I want to know where Ethan was last seen and what direction he went! Any suspicious vehicles or persons—don't let anything slip by!"
"Yes, Mr. Windsor!" Nathan didn't dare waste a second, quickly grabbing his phone and rushing aside to coordinate.
"Kate!" Charles called out.
"Understood!"
Kate immediately pulled out her phone, her expression grave as she dialed an encrypted number. "Hello? It's me, Kate. Activate emergency authorization, initiate... yes, searching for a five-year-old boy named Ethan Johnson, description... I'll send the photo immediately! Range centered on Windsor Manor, covering all of Emerald City! Highest priority!"
After coordinating everything, Charles took a deep breath and grabbed his coat. "Emily, stay here and wait. I'm going out to search!"
"No!" Emily grabbed his arm firmly. "I'm coming with you! I need to find Ethan!"
In this moment, all awkwardness and estrangement were cast to the wind.
"Alright! Let's go!" Charles grasped her hand, feeling the ice-cold trembling of her fingertips. His heart ached with pain and urgency. Without hesitation, they rushed from the dining room and sped away in their car.
Kate followed close behind. "Emily, I'll take another direction! Keep in touch!"
Her military SUV roared through the gates.
In the dining room, only Wallace, Emma, and the unusually quiet Jasper remained.
The atmosphere was suffocatingly oppressive.
Emma's little face was deathly pale, her large eyes brimming with tears as she clutched Wallace's sleeve, her voice breaking: "Grandpa... Ethan... what if Ethan was really taken by bad people? I'm so scared."
Wallace tenderly pulled Emma into his arms, gently patting her back in comfort. "Don't be afraid, Emma. Ethan is so clever—nothing will happen to him!"
While he comforted Emma with his words, his gaze turned to Jasper, who had been sitting silently at the table throughout.
The little boy kept his head down, long lashes concealing his eyes, small hands placed on his knees as he sat perfectly straight and motionless. This abnormally calm composure made Wallace's heart skip a beat.
After Emma had calmed somewhat in his arms, Wallace gestured for a nearby maid to take Emma to the adjacent living room to watch cartoons and stabilize her emotions. The dining room fell completely quiet, leaving only Wallace and Jasper.
Wallace sat down beside Jasper. "Jasper, this is part of your plan, isn't it?"
Looking into Jasper's eyes as they suddenly lifted—clear as crystal yet showing no surprise—Wallace felt incredulous. "Making Ethan disappear? This is... going too far, isn't it? Charles and Emily are nearly out of their minds! Kate is even using her military privileges! With such a commotion, if something goes wrong..."
"Grandpa."
Jasper's unexpectedly calm voice interrupted Wallace's concerns. He raised his head, his young face showing no panic, only a nearly cold rational analysis. "If the commotion isn't big enough, it won't seem real. If it's not real, Mommy won't truly be afraid or truly worried."
He looked toward the window where his parents' car had disappeared, his gaze as profound as someone Wallace remembered from long ago. His composed response continued: "Only by making Mommy experience the fear of loss will she see her own heart clearly. The same goes for Daddy. Besides,"
He paused, looking at Wallace with utterly serious eyes. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. There are bodyguards with him who will keep him safe."
Wallace stared at Jasper's young face, so childlike yet filled with certainty, momentarily speechless.
Jasper's strategic planning and ruthless determination surpassed even the Windsor family patriarchs of old! To bring his parents together, he'd even dared to orchestrate a kidnapping scenario!
"But Jasper, what if something goes wrong?" Wallace's heart still raced. This was far more extreme than his original thoughts of heroic rescue or creating small accidents for stimulation!
"There won't be any accidents, Grandpa." Jasper's tone was absolute, carrying a sense of control that didn't match his age. " The bigger the commotion, the better the effect."
He jumped down from his chair and walked to Wallace. "Grandpa, you promised to help us."
Wallace looked into those eyes full of wisdom and extraordinary determination, then thought of Charles and Emily's frantic departure and Emma's frightened appearance. His emotions were truly mixed.
This plan was too ruthless and too risky!
But seeing Jasper's commanding presence, he took a deep breath and finally nodded heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alright! Grandpa will follow your lead! But Jasper, I hope you never do anything like this again! Now tell me, what should we do next?"