Chapter 256 He Couldn’t Wait Any Longer

Chapter 256 He Couldn’t Wait Any Longer

So that's how it was. She hadn't forgotten him—it was just that someone had used a machine to wipe the feelings out of her head.

Alex stood up and walked to the window. He stood there with his back to Grace for a long while.

"Michael," he called.

Michael came in from outside. "Mr. Baker."

"Take Miss Miller to the airport and book her on the next flight out of the country."

Grace was led away. Before she left, she glanced back at Alex, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.

She'd already tossed the spark into the dry wood. Now all she had to do was wait for the fire to catch.

After Grace left, Alex sat alone in the study all night.

The next morning, he called Emily's parents.

"Uncle, Aunt, I need a favor."

Following Alex's plan, Andrew and Lillian invited Emily and Matthew to the Baker house to visit Eleanor, using the excuse of a regular check-in.

Emily was eager to see her daughter and agreed right away.

Matthew had a gut feeling something was off, but when Emily softened her tone and said, "Come with me," he didn't think twice.

Once they arrived at the Baker house, Eleanor ran into Emily's arms just like last time. But this time she didn't cry. She just clung tightly to her mother's neck, buried her face in her collarbone, and whispered something.

Drinks and snacks were set out in the living room. Lillian chatted with Emily while Andrew played chess with Matthew.

The atmosphere seemed perfectly normal.

But after Matthew had a few sips of tea, his eyelids started to droop.

By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late.

In his last moment of consciousness, he saw Alex coming down the stairs and stopping in front of Emily.

Then everything went black.

Alex put Emily in the car. She'd had some tea too, but a much smaller dose than Matthew, so she was only drowsy. Leaning back in the seat, half-asleep, she felt someone holding her hand—warm and tight, like he was afraid she'd disappear.

"Take her to the hospital I arranged," Alex told the driver. "The specialists are already waiting."

The car slowly pulled out of the villa gate.

Emily was taken to a private hospital with the country's top neurology team. Alex had arranged everything two weeks earlier. The doctors had reviewed her records and put together a full treatment plan.

When Matthew woke up, he found himself in a strange room. He struggled to sit up and looked around, not recognizing where he was. His wheelchair wasn't beside him, and his phone was gone. He called out a few times, but no one answered. Using all his strength, he dragged himself off the bed and onto the floor, then crawled toward the door on his hands.

The door was locked.

Matthew leaned against the wall, his eyes full of hate. He'd gone to so much trouble to keep Emily by his side—brainwashing her, changing her memories, making her believe he was the one who cared about her. But the moment Alex made a move, everything fell apart.

He wasn't willing to accept it.

Footsteps sounded outside, and the lock clicked open from the other side.

It wasn't Alex's people who walked in—it was Matthew's assistant.

The assistant helped him onto a wheelchair and said quietly, "Mr. Moore, Mr. Baker had me come find you. He took Miss Johnson."

Matthew's dark eyes swept over him.

The assistant understood at once. "I checked the airport and train stations. No records of them. I don't know where they went."

Matthew sat in the wheelchair, his fingers slowly tightening on the armrests.

"Find them," he said, his voice hoarse. "Search the whole world if you have to."

But the assistant checked every possible lead, and Emily had vanished without a trace—no immigration records, no travel records, no spending records. Alex had hidden her even more thoroughly than Matthew had hidden her before.

Matthew waited three days, but the people looking for her still had nothing useful. He couldn't wait any longer.

Matthew completely lost it.

He started attacking Baker Corporation with everything he had. All the connections and resources he'd built up over the years turned into weapons. He stole clients, poached partners with threats and bribes, and sent high-paying job offers to the company's top employees. Even worse, he had hackers leak internal secrets, including unreleased financial reports and upcoming project contracts.

The news spread fast. Reporters swarmed in, and Baker Corporation's stock dropped twelve percent that same day.

When Michael reported the news to Alex, he was sitting outside Emily's hospital room.

"Mr. Baker, the stock's still falling. The shareholders are demanding you come back and explain."

Alex hung up and leaned against the hallway wall, rubbing his forehead. He'd barely slept a full night in days because of Emily. His body was running on empty, but he couldn't stop now.

He called Michael back. "Handle two things. First, report this to the police—hand over the leaked company secrets for them to investigate. Second, tell the shareholders there's an emergency board meeting tomorrow morning. I'll give them an explanation."

After hanging up, he walked to the hospital room door and glanced inside through the glass. Emily was lying in bed with her eyes closed, resting. The heart monitor beside her beeped steadily.

The specialist team had done the first treatment. It went smoothly, but recovery would take time.

Alex stood there for a moment, then turned and left the hospital.

He rushed back to the city overnight.

At the emergency board meeting, the shareholders were even more worked up than he'd expected. Several major ones slammed the table and demanded answers.

Alex sat at the head of the table. Once everyone had finished shouting, he finally spoke, calm and unhurried.

"Baker Corporation was attacked on purpose. I understand you're all losing money." He slid a document to the center of the table. "But take a look at this first."

It was a letter of intent for a new project.

While taking care of Emily, Alex had found time to finalize a deal with a new energy company he'd been watching for six months. The project was twice the size of Baker Corporation's biggest deal last year. The partner was a top player in the industry, and the terms were very favorable.

After the shareholders passed the letter around, the tense atmosphere in the room turned completely silent.

"Mr. Baker, when can we sign the official contract?"

"Next Monday." Alex stood up, hands on the table, looking at everyone. "I built Baker Corporation from the ground up. I won't let it collapse. If you trust me, give me one week. If you don't, sell your shares now—I'll buy them."

No one spoke.

After the meeting, the shareholders filed out. A few even patted Alex on the shoulder as they passed, showing their support.