Chapter 14 Mom, I messed up
Hector hesitated but responded smoothly, "I thought you were the best at everything. How can a fragile woman like Karen evade you?"
Roger's fingers balled up, feeling insulted. As the eldest among them, he had witnessed things that Hector, Hendrix, or even his twin siblings had not. His experience was an asset to all his close relations.
"Tell uncle Hank that I'm too busy to train you," he lashed out, causing unease to wash over Hector from the end of the line.
"Come on, Roger, it hasn't come to that."
"Then help me find my wife." The icy tone in Roger's voice sent a chill through Hector. Roger was usually kind, but this was not like him.
"Until then, I have no time for anything else," he concluded, his intuition hinting that Hector might be involved, but the latter was too cautious to speak up. "Roger, you don't..."
"I don't want to hear it," Roger cut him off. He couldn't have Tonia, so Karen was like a consolation prize. The fact that he didn't love her didn't matter, and he wouldn't allow Hector to rub it in.
If anything were to happen to her, the mere thought made his blood boil. No, nothing could happen to his Kitten. No amount of blood could pay for it.
“Hector, where is she?” he roared, startling Hector at the other end of the line. The man he had come to love as an elder brother, despite their families being best friends, now seemed like a beast.
All for what? A girl he claimed not to love? The agreement was for Hector to receive Karen after she gave birth, but when the pregnancy turned out to be non-existent, he was finally seeing Roger's beastly side.
“I don’t know. I honestly don’t,” Hector confessed, extinguishing any hope within Roger. He sounded genuine, and that was a major problem.
Without delay, he ended the call but didn’t stop there. Roger contacted the security company he had hired to pose as a bodyguard, which belonged to his uncle Hank, Hector’s father.
“I'm sending an image and identity of my wife, Karen Fletcher," he stated. He didn't ask her to change her last name because he was using a fake one himself.
"Check the airports, subways, and everywhere you can think of. Report back to me directly."
The urgency in his voice, coupled with his authoritative tone, left no room for argument, even though his identity remained undisclosed.
A fake account had been set up for him as a bodyguard, and his only client was Tonia Fletcher.
Despite his heart belonging to Tonia, Roger refused to divorce Karen because he enjoyed her company. However, he now felt he could have handled things better.
After quickly inspecting and noting the items she had taken with her, he left the apartment.
There was no note or farewell message, leaving him with no hope of her return. He was certain she would never come back.
Driving to the agency at a speed that could land one in jail, Roger received fines for speeding upon his arrival.
"Excuse me, you can't go in there," a security guard who had never encountered Roger before said as a tall, muscular man appeared at the entrance.
The security guard cowered in reverence at the man's presence, but the man's focus was on the young man in front of him.
Roger may be the wealthiest man in the world, but in Hank's eyes, he would always be his first son. Their bond didn't require a blood relation.
The love Hank had for Roger was enough. Despite Hank's efforts to train his twins, none of them turned out as tough as Roger. It was evident that Roger had experienced and witnessed things beyond a child's years, making him no ordinary young man.
"Uncle Hank, I never expected to see you here." Roger felt relief wash over him as he saw the middle-aged man.
Hank, dressed in a white Lacoste T-shirt and white pants, appeared ready for a golf game, but he had come solely for Roger.
Hank had handed over the company's operations to Hendrix, Hector's twin brother, but due to the situation, he had to be present. "I received your message, so I came."
His voice was gentle, and his eyes softened at the sight of Roger’s disheveled form, with hair tousled and shirt flying in contrast to the well-organized and yet fierce boy he had helped raise.
He opened his arms, and Roger collapsed into them, breaking down instantly. Something flickered in Hank’s eyes, but it vanished as soon as Roger pulled away from his embrace.
“Uncle Hank, is there any news yet?” The vulnerability in Roger’s voice was palpable.
Hank pursed his lips, his gaze tender. “We’ve activated all signals—airports, subways, transits, wherever you can think of—but there is no sign of her yet.”
A heated sensation churned in Roger’s stomach. “How?”
Hank led him to his office, a place Roger had frequented many times to discuss business. “Who do you think might have her?”
The question had Roger thinking, but nothing tangible came up. For the first time, he felt as if his brain had been cooked.
“I don’t know. She has no friends, but the security camera caught her entering a Maybach.”
Roger knew that having a clear head would help with the matter, but it was too hard not to panic when he sensed danger.
“Why not talk to her family? What if…”
“They won’t,” Roger interrupted. There’s no way Karen’s family would help her to escape. “They disowned her because of me,” his voice lowered, a painful sigh escaping him.
All this time, he blamed her for everything, feeling she deserved being disowned, but now, the truth stared him in the eyes.
“Don’t worry. We shall find her,” Hank assured him. Being used to seeing Roger all strong and mighty, it was hard to see him at his lowest point like this.
“Go to Molly. We shall continue the search and keep you updated.”
Roger didn't argue. At a moment like this, he needed some family support. Knowing his mother's whereabouts, he drove to the recording studio and entered without hesitation.
"Hey, you can't go in there," the security guard tried to stop him, but Roger was determined. However, when his mother, a stylish woman with a beautiful smile, noticed him, she gestured for the session to end.
"Enough for today. Let's continue tomorrow."
She opened her arms, and Roger took a seat on the floor, resting his head on her lap. "Mom, I messed up."