Still pacing about the study room, the door flung open, revealing Riley who was drenched with sweat. Closing the gap between them she quickly stretched her hands out to her, "Please calm down, we are still searching for her."
"Still searching for her? For how long? Moreover, the guards are involved in this too and even if they are checking the rooms one after the other, they must have found her long ago."Laura shot back.
Wiping her eyes with the back of her palm, she turned around only to return her gaze to her. Grabbing her shoulder now, she said, "Tell me the truth Riley, please stop hiding things from me."
"Alexa would soon be found."Riley said with a reassuring tone but she wasn't buying it.
"She is missing, she has been kidnapped, that's what you should be saying to me instead of covering up."She yelled, throwing her hands in the air.
Not knowing what to do, Riley turned around to leave but fearing that Laura might do something stupid, she quickly retraced her steps and then helped her sit on one of the chairs.
"We will wait here for Christian."She said, holding her shoulders while she shook her legs widely as tears rolled down her cheeks in torrents.
Meanwhile, Christian was in the middle of the garden, waiting for his men to return with their reports. One after the other, they all returned to him, giving him a negative report which in turn made him more confused.
Before the search began, he had questioned all the guards who had claimed not to see Alexa . They even went further to watch the footage and they saw Alexa walking through the corridor about half an hour before she was declared missing but she didn't head to the exit.
"What are we going to do now?"One of the guards asked as he panted.
"Since we can't find her, that means… but… I can't say she is kidnapped but I suggest we should just inform the cops about it. I really don't know what to make out of this situation."Another grumbled.
They were all giving their various suggestions while Christian just looked on, stamping his feet against the ground.
"Sir, don't you think we should drain the pool?"Some asked and at once all attention was fixed on Christian who shook his head in the negative.
"I already did that."He said and gasps erupted from all corners.
"Please let's search around again."He said and at once they all dispersed in different directions.
Now pacing the length and breadth of the garden, Christian had his hands across his chest. The last thing he wanted to do was returning to the study and facing Laura with the negative news.
He had already visualized her reaction in his head and he didn't want to be a party to that.
"Or maybe she teleported?"He muttered only to facepalm himself the next minute as he tossed his head to the side.
While all these were still going on, the guard who had been left in the wire room to oversee the cameras was almost drifting off from staring at the screen for too long when he was drawn to the camera that had captured Antonia and Alexa.
At once, she reached out for his phone and then called Christian who immediately called off the search as he headed towards the direction the guard had said.
"Where is everyone?"Alexa asked, they were climbing down the stairs now. Usually, guards were always loitering about but this time around, there was no guard in sight.
Before Antonia could give a response, the sound of running footsteps attracted her and immediately she grabbed Alexa's hand tightly as she wondered what the issue was.
Suddenly, Christian appeared and she gasped in relief.
"Is anything the problem?"She asked, peering at his tired face.
"We have been looking around for her."He replied, nodding at Alexa.
"I told you, didn't I? Let's get you to your mom now."She said but before she could take a step Laura who had been informed about the recent development appeared from nowhere and then whisked Alexa from her grip.
After glaring angrily at her for a while, she began to plant kisses all over Alexa's face who was looking around since almost everyone was staring.
"What's going on?"Alexa asked but instead of giving her a response, Laura turned towards Antonia who was just staring at the scene.
"How dare you?"She yelled.
"Laura."Christian called and then dismissed the guards.
"You stay out of this."She snapped at him and then returned her gaze to Antonia who was wearing a confused look on her face she wondered what was going on.
"Why did you keep my daughter hostage?"
"Keep your daughter hostage? Come on, I wouldn't do that for any reason. I was…"
"You won't do that for any reason? You expect me to believe that bullshit? How funny of you?"
"Please stop acting overboard and explain what happened. I just learnt you guys were searching all around for her, I had no idea beforehand otherwise, I would have brought her to you."
"That's exactly my question, what in heaven's name is my daughter doing with you? Just in case you don't know, she is mine and now yours, you can as well get yours if you are desperate."She yelled at her and without waiting for her response, she swirled around and then stormed off.
For a moment, Antonia didn't say anything, she just stood there staring at their departing figure with her mouth slightly apart.
"You don't have to listen to her."Christian said, trying to close the gap between them but before he could, she turned around then ran off.
Knowing fully well that it was going to be a hard chore trying to console her, Christian began to blame himself for everything but that didn't stop him from going after her.
"I know it is a hard pill to swallow but you really don't have to dwell on what she has said."Christian said he was crouching beside her now.
"If that is what you want to say, then you can as well leave from here."Antonia said with a shaky voice.
"I'm sorry."He muttered, holding her shoulders with both hands but she slapped them off.
Pulling herself up, she walked to the other end of the room and with her hands across her chest, she began to sulk.
"I'm sorry."Christian said again, trying to walk up to her but she raised her hand, halting him on his tracks.
"Save your apology. If you are really sorry, you wouldn't have allowed her to go just like that after making fun of me."
"What should I have done?"
"Are you really asking me that now? Hadn't been you didn't bring her in, she wouldn't have mocked me for being childless."She yelled in his face.
"I get how you feel but please you have to understand her too. It was her motherly instincts that had kicked in for her to say something of that sort. Trust me, when she returns to herself, she will realize the gravity of what she has done."
"There's no point talking to you here, I should have known you would support her."She scoffed, pulling herself away from the wall and with her hands crossed, she began to walk towards the door.
"You have no believe me, I'm not taking sides with her here. She is the one at fault and I'm going to see to it that she apologizes to you."He said only for Antonia to increase the intensity of her gaze.
Now a few feets apart, she pushed her hair behind her ears and then proceeded towards the closet. Thinking that she wanted to take down her clothings, Christian was quick to pull her away.
"Are you leaving?"He asked, tightening his grip around her waist.
"Get off me."she yelled, slapping his hand off but he wouldn't budge.
"I never said I'm leaving so please get your hands off me, okay."She stressed her words but Christian didn't let go immediately. It took a while before he finally released his grip around her and when he did, he quickly locked the door, gripping the key tightly.
"If I had known she was going to react this way, I would have left her in the alley. It was barely up to five minutes when she came around that I suggested she returned to her mom."She mumbled, biting her bottom lips as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
She was trying as much as she could to forget about her words but she couldn't, they kept replaying in her head.
Suddenly, she snapped her head in Christian's direction who immediately raised his brow at her.
"Don't lie to me."She said, wrapping her hands across her chest.
"About what?"
"Laura, you love her right?"