Ch.105

Ch.105
Ayanna Pov 

It had been three months since Henry stopped contacting me, and I decided it was time to tell Travis everything.

I was nervous because I knew he would be angry. But I couldn't stay silent any longer-at this point, I had no idea what Timothy was going through.

Travis was still asleep. I hesitated, unsure if I should wake him up or wait. Fortunately, he stirred and gradually sat up.

"Aya, why are you still awake at this time of the night?" he asked.

"Uhm... I'm just thinking."

"About what? Is something wrong?" Travis asked, his voice laced with concern.

I hesitated before mustering the courage to speak. "Do you remember the day I went out and told you I wanted a change of scenery?"

"Yes, I remember. You didn't take any bodyguards with you."

"Well... I, um... I went to meet Henry."

"What?! Why?"

"He texted me and threatened to hurt Irene and Allison if I didn't show up. I had no choice."

Travis just stared at me in silence.

"I didn't know how he found out about the surrogate, so I didn't want to take any chances. I agreed to meet up with him."

"And? What happened then? What did he want?"

"When I got to the restaurant, he invited me to his apartment. That's where I saw he had the wife and child of Tyler-my boss at the agency. At first, I thought that was all... until he brought out Timothy, badly beaten up."

Travis's eyes darkened with rage. "Seriously? My brother has been held by that asshole for months, and you didn't think to tell me?" he snapped.

"I'm sorry," I pleaded.

"Are you still in contact with him?"

"He hasn't contacted me since then. I don't know why."

"What did he want you to do?"

"He wanted me to make you believe I wanted to divorce you and then marry him."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But I refused. I told him there was no way you would believe that, but he insisted I had to find a way to convince you when he needed the job done."

"And he hasn't contacted you since?"

"No. We have to report this to the authorities. My brother is missing, and I can't stand here doing nothing."

Travis sighed, his anger simmering down. "I understand you were trying to protect us."

"But how did he know about the surrogate?"

"I don't know, Travis. I really don't. And he also threatened to harm the surrogate-she's just a poor girl trying to survive."

Travis ran a hand through his hair. "I know you won't be able to sleep, but just try, okay, Ayanna? Tomorrow, I'll meet with the authorities."

"Okay," I whispered, turning over to lie down.

In the morning, I woke up to see Allison already dressed, which made me wonder where she was going so early.

"Good morning, Ayanna," she greeted.

"Morning, Allison. Where are you off to this early, all dressed up?"

"It seems you forgot-I have a medical checkup today. Since Irene is going to school, I thought I'd just tag along."

"I'm sorry, it slipped my mind," I said apologetically. "Can you wait? I'll get ready and go with you to the hospital."

"Don't worry. I'll just go with Irene, and the driver can drop me off. I might not get back early, so can I pick Irene up from school?"

I hesitated. "The driver can pick both of you up. Just tell him what time you'll be done, and he can take you to Irene's school."

"Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, totally fine."

I watched as Irene and Allison left the house before heading upstairs. Travis was sitting on the bed, deep in thought.

"I already called the cops to report the issue," he said. "They'll start investigating soon."

His voice carried a hint of frustration. "I don't know if our family name has changed to The Kidnapped or something."

I sighed. "I'm sorry, Travis, for keeping you in the dark. I should have told you the moment Henry texted me. Maybe we wouldn't be in this situation now."

"It's fine, Ayanna. I told you not to worry. Anyone in your position would have done the same."

Some hours later, The cops arrived, and I explained everything. They started asking questions, including where we got the surrogate.

"We found her through an agency affiliated with the hospital," I answered honestly.

The detective gave me a hard look. For some reason, I felt like he was insinuating that Allison was involved.

So I asked directly, "Do you suspect Allison?"

"In cases like this, everyone is a suspect-including the doctor. If the surrogacy was so discreet that even your extended family members didn't know, then how did Henry Holt find out?" the detective questioned. "He must have had an informant inside."

His words sent a shiver down my spine.

"We need to question Miss Allison as well," he added. "Where is she?"

"She went for a medical checkup. She won't be back until later-she offered to pick up Irene from school too."

Travis looked at me, then glanced at his watch.

"Ayanna?"

I met his gaze.

"It's past the time Irene should be home."

I felt my stomach drop, but I tried not to panic. "Should I call her?"

I looked around for my phone but didn't see it. "Hold on, I think I left my phone upstairs."

I rushed to get it, but before I could dial, I heard a car pull into the driveway.

I let out a relieved sigh. "That should be Irene's driver-no need to call."

But when the door opened, only the driver, Ben, walked in.

"Ben? Where's Irene?" I asked, dread creeping in.

He hesitated before answering, "I actually came in to check if they were already here."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ben's face turned pale. "I went to the school to pick up Miss Irene, but the teacher said Allison had already come to get her. Irene confirmed she knew her so they let Alison take her, so I thought they were home and drove back."

My knees almost gave out, but Travis caught me just in time.

"Calm down, Ayanna." His grip on my arms was firm. "Call her first-maybe she just took Irene somewhere."

I couldn't believe he was vouching for Allison. He never trusted her before.

I called her. No answer.

I called again. Still nothing.

I tried a few more times, but it went straight to voicemail.

Then my phone vibrated with a message.

It was from Henry.

"I told you not to mention anything to Travis. Now I have your precious little daughter with me. Ah, yes-Allison is here too."

The phone slipped from my trembling hands and crashed onto the floor.