Chapter 53: The Hunt

Chapter 53: The Hunt
Colton’s thin lips suddenly formed a straight line, and he hung up the phone after listening to Jeff. He made a mistake by letting her get out of his sight. He had not expected her to do something so drastic and so sudden!
Throwing down the file, he leaned back on the chair irritably, his face was very dark, but soon, he felt that something was wrong, and he opened hie eyes, his dark pupils became deeper. Tanner should not have interfered in his affairs and since Giselle was still his affair, he was going to put everything he had on the line to search for her.
Obviously, Giselle had already guessed that he would go all out to search for her and since he was suspicious of her pregnancy, she had to prepare in advance for this possibility. After all, she had to go away from him in order to save her father and her unborn child!
Back in New York, Colton was seated on his chair facing the floor to ceiling bay windows smoking a cigarette that almost burnt his fingers. He hissed and butted out the cigarette “I am going to find you, Giselle, and once I do, you are going to pay dearly for all the trouble you are putting me through!” he said to himself.
After thinking for a while, Colton dialed Giselle’s number, again, he has been calling her number ever since he got to know that she had resigned from her job. The reason he entered into a partnership with JS Tech was to be closer to Giselle, who might be carrying his child.
Colton was seemingly lost in his thoughts when his phone rang and disturbed his thoughts “I have sent you the report.” It was his best friend, the gynecologist that Giselle was visiting when she was in New York. He has a gut feeling that she is no longer in New York and the reason his well – trained staff was unable to find her whereabouts is coz she must have changed her identity.
“Run all you want, Giselle! You won’t be able to run forever.” Colton mumbled to himself playing with a pen.
Colton got a phone call from Jeff, again “Sorry, Colton! I did not get much information but there is something” The man’s tone was plain, and he did not look ashamed of it at all, and then asked, “Are you still in New York.”
“I have to go on a business trip to Venice, but I am not flying out until tonight.” Colton placed the pen on his table and walked to the bay window tucking his hands in his pocket.
“Her father is released on bail and is filing for the case to be dismissed based on newly found evidence. He might know of her whereabouts. Do you want me to trace his calls?” Jeff asked, knowing how much Colton respects Giselle’s family even if he did not show it when he was with her.
“…” Colton was silent as he was lost in his thoughts, he was in a dilemma as to whether or not he should cross that line of respect with his ex – wife’s parents, even though they never mattered to him, they mattered to her.
Jeff took a deep breath, and his curiously got the best of him, “I never saw you worry about your ex – wife like this before your divorce! Now that she wants nothing to do with you, you keep wanting her. Have you… fallen in love with her by any chance?”
Colton’s deep and dark eyes quietly looked forward, and he was silent for a moment, then he heaved a heavy sigh rubbing his hands down his face, “I don’t know.”
Colton seldom hid anything from his friend as they grew up together and have been best friends ever since they were kids. When Jeff asked him that question, he realized that his emotions were very complicated, and he was feeling restless because of his workload recently. He only felt very upset, but he did not have time to calm down and think about it.
Jeff was quite speechless with his friend’s words, he has seen Colton as a man who knew what he wants and would never stop till he got what he wanted, he knew him as a shrewd businessman that no one dared to cross, he knew him as a man that never let other’s see his emotions, so seeing him confused about a woman that he left, shocked him.
Though Colton had spent 4 days a month with her in the three – year time that they were married, he failed to realize when he had fallen in love with her. He was only feeling bad that Giselle initiated the divorce and not him. A woman who he slept with for three years, yet he didn’t even know if he had fallen in love with her or not.
Knowing his temperament, Jeff did not ask much, but simply responded, “Okay... so, about her father...”
Colton looked up at the vast blue sky, “Do we have any other choice?”
“Ok, got it” Jeff disconnected the call and wondered if his friend had finally turned into a human! Jeff had seen the things that his best friend went through growing up and he knew that Colton was never one to voice emotions, so for him to even say that he didn’t know if he had fallen in love or not was a BIG thing!

Flashback
Half a month earlier, Giselle’s father’s case opened for trial. As a well-known Judge in the city, he naturally attracted attention from all walks of life. Many observers and reporters have already entered the venue in order to catch a glimpse of the man.
As the defendant’s family members, Annalise arrived early. She stood in the crowd wearing a mask and looked at the stage with solemn eyes. Tanner Knight also rushed over and sat beside Tom as he was also Mr. Smith’s lawyer.
“It’s okay, don’t worry.” Tanner stroked Annalise’s shoulder lightly, softly comforting her before the trial started.
Annalise’s eyes were focused on the man with handcuffs, standing in the center, her heart broke into pieces to see the man she loves, being accused of a crime he did not commit! She sniffled gently, her voice was a little hoarse, “I am fine.”
Accused of abusing his power, embezzling and accepting bribes, he would have spent his whole life in jail had they not got their hands on the evidence to prove that he is innocent. One question that bothered Annalise was ‘Why is someone targeting her husband?’
Annalise turned her head to the side as she was already crying, and she was trying her best not to make a sound by covering her mouth with her hand. She felt a sudden pain in her heart. She hugged herself and said to herself “Everything will be fine! He is not a criminal.”
Neither Annalise nor Tanner noticed the woman sitting in the back rows wearing sunglasses. She was observing the whole trial play out like she wanted. The sinister smile on her lips failed to conceal her happiness. Her plan was a great success and got her what she wanted “Good riddance!” she mumbled to herself.
After more than an hour of trial, and finally being released as a freeman in lieu of the new evidence brought to light to prove his innocence, Annalise could not stop her tears of relief, she cried till she fainted. Tanner Knight and Annalise’s husband hurriedly helped Annalise to lie down on a chair.
Once Annalise regained her consciousness, they called Giselle “Your father is a freeman now and it is all thanks to you, my sweetheart.”
Giselle’s father took the phone from Annalise and spoke to his daughter with tears streaming down his face. For the first time in his life, he was the one that was on the other side of the bars, and he was going to make sure that he would never put himself in that position ever again! “I am sorry, my little angel... I am sorry for putting you through so much hardship!”
Giselle cried hearing her father apologize to her for something that was not his fault in the first place “It is not your fault father, so please stop apologizing for it. All that matters now is that you are free! No one can say that you are a criminal now!”
Mr. Smith thought for a moment and the silence stretched for a few seconds that got Giselle wondering if the line was disconnected, but before she could speak her father broke the silence “But once that tag of ‘Criminal’ it will be hard to get rid of it even if I am proven innocent.”
“Father...” Giselle was lost for words coz she knew the reality of it. She knew how people treat a person that has gone to jail even if they were not the ones that committed the crime!
After a few seconds of silence, she did want to talk about sad topics, she stroked her belly, and chuckled as she delivered the news to her father “Father, I am pregnant... with twins.”
Mr. Smith was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes suddenly widened, his voice trembling in surprise, “Twins? Wow, Colton really knows how to make the most of anything!”
“Father!!” Giselle’s eyes widened at her father’s words. She was surprised at the way her father was talking about her ex – husband.
“Well, am I wrong? He is a shrewd businessman!” Giselle could not help but smile at her father’s admiration to the man that stole her heart only to crush it. “Although, as a man, I wouldn’t say anything good about him where it concerns my daughter. He is not man enough to handle, my angel”
That comment from her father made Giselle laugh, she knew that her parents worried about her all the time and now their worry would extend to the little babies growing in her stomach, “I will be well, father.”
Flashback Ends