Chapter 29 She Took Nothing
When he heard it was an empty car and there was no one inside, William's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and he passed out again.
Tony: "Mr. Smith!"
When William woke up again, it was already midnight.
His clothes were soaked with sweat. He threw off the covers and got up The bodyguard who heard the commotion quickly came in, but William waved him away.
After taking a shower and changing clothes, William sat on the sofa in the hospital room, staring blankly.
The room was dark, with the moonlight casting a silvery glow inside. He leaned back on the sofa, his eyes unfocused, staring at the ceiling in silence.
Tony moved quickly, and once he had the information, he came to find William, only to see him asleep on the sofa, without even a blanket.
"Mr. Smith, we got the surveillance footage."
"Ms. Johnson was likely still in the car before the first traffic light. The car made a brief stop at an alley before the third traffic light, and then appeared at the accident scene. The driver left the car early."
"Ms. Johnson probably knew someone was out to get her."
Tony handed over the urgent information he had gathered last night.
The driver responsible for the accident was drunk, a gambler, and the drunk driver died at the scene, while the gambler was critically injured and taken to the hospital.
All the information seemed to point to a simple traffic accident.
But William didn't believe it.
A dangerous glint flashed in William's cold, refined eyes. "She might not know, but she must have sensed something."
Since reuniting, Sophia had been cautious about everything.
William lowered his head and carefully examined the traffic surveillance on the tablet.
The two cars were clearly targeting Sophia's car. Especially the middle-aged drunk driver, whose determined expression showed he was out for blood.
He did it on purpose!
Realizing this, William's grip on the tablet tightened, his brows furrowed with barely-contained rage.
William looked at the family photo in the information.
"Investigate the drunk driver. See if someone at the school is secretly helping, arranging a good school for his child."
Tony paused, immediately understanding his intent.
As for the critically injured gambler...
William's narrowed eyes signaled danger, his gaze icy and sharp, making his chiseled face even more formidable.
His eyes were like blades. "Deal with him. Send him in."
Tony responded and reported other matters.
"Mr. Smith, we haven't found Ms. Johnson and the child's location yet, but we've stationed people at the Johnson family villa and the Cole family home. I'll update you as soon as we have news."
William's face was as dark as the night.
Upon discharge, he passed Raymond's hospital room. Raymond lay pale on the bed, a far cry from the young man six years ago.
William thoughtfully looked at Raymond inside and told Tony, "Assign two people to keep an eye on this room."
Back at the Smith Mansion.
He found the two children hadn't gone to school, his face cold as he asked why they weren't attending classes.
James' eyes were red. "Dad, Mom's phone isn't working."
Michael looked like he had been crying, too.
William hugged James and Michael, patiently explaining, "Mom's fine. We'll go find her this weekend, okay?"
James' eyes still had tears. "Really?"
William nodded. "When have I ever lied to you?"
James finally smiled through his tears.
He lowered his head in apology. "Sorry, Dad. We were worried about Mom, so we didn't go to school."
Michael also looked at him anxiously.
William patted their heads. "Just this once."
He had the butler take James and Michael to the study to read, then returned to the master bedroom, walking straight to the closet, where Sophia's clothes still hung.
Two years ago, that night.
After Sophia hung up the phone, she never returned to the Smith Mansion.
The divorce was handled entirely by lawyers, including the custody battle for the children. They fought for a long time. She was willing to give up half of the Smith family's wealth just to take James and Michael, but he didn't agree.
In the end, she compromised.
She took the money given by the Smith family.
But Tony found out she left all of it for James and Michael, to be accessed when they came of age.
Five years of marriage, she took nothing with her. The last time William saw her was in court for the divorce. She had lost a lot of weight, her face pale as if recovering from a serious illness.
After the divorce, she left Empire City.
The closet was filled with classic and limited edition jewelry, bags, and dresses from those years, worth millions.
But she didn't take a single piece.
William took out the pajamas Sophia bought for him, remembering they were a matching set. It was the first gift she bought him with her own money, and he had never worn them.
Her set wasn't in the Smith house closet.
Coming out of the bathroom, his headache worsened. He lay on the bed, his mind foggy, and soon fell asleep.
In the study next door.
James secretly packed a small backpack, filling it with snacks, and had Patrick fill his water bottle.
Michael looked at him, puzzled. "James?"
James gestured for him to be quiet.
After packing, James told him, "Michael, I'm going to find Mom and Emily. You stay home and keep Dad calm."
Michael worriedly said, "But Dad said it's dangerous outside, and bad people might kidnap kids like us and sell us to the mountains."
James slung the backpack on, hung his phone around his neck, and patted Michael's shoulder seriously. "I'll be careful."
"Michael, be good at home, listen to Dad. I'll come back once I find Mom and Emily."
James snuck out, took a taxi to the Johnson Villa.
The guards at the gate were shocked to see him and quickly let him in, notifying the butler.
"James, why did you come alone?"
James clutched his backpack straps. "I'm here to find Mom and Emily."
"They went out with Emily. They're not home right now. James, I'll take you back to the Smith house. When your mom returns, I'll let her know immediately, okay?"
James shook his head, eyes red.
With no other choice, the butler arranged for him to stay in the house and immediately notified the Smith family.
William, hearing James had run away to find Sophia, felt his headache worsen. He quickly had someone take him to the Johnson Villa.
Michael hugged his leg. "Dad, I want to go too."
He knew William was going to find James. Seeing William's angry expression while on the phone, he feared William might spank James.
William took Michael to the Johnson Villa.
The butler opened the door. "Mr. Smith, James is upstairs."
William saw James' small backpack on the sofa, his face stern as he strode upstairs, pushing the door open to find James clutching Sophia's pillow, shoulders shaking with sobs.
The anger in his heart dissipated at the sight of James' tears.
William softly called James' name. "James..."
James' eyes were red from crying. He choked out, "Dad, is Mom..."
William sat on the bed, hugging him. "James, your mom and Emily are really okay. I promise."
Michael climbed onto the bed, hugging James and soothing him.
Exhausted from the previous night's lack of sleep, James quickly fell asleep with William and Michael's company. Michael also lay down and fell asleep.
William, already suffering from a headache, didn't notice himself drifting off, the familiar faint scent soothing him.
The butler, waiting downstairs, went up to check, finding them asleep in Sophia's bed.
He took a photo and sent it out.
Sophia stared at the photo for a long time before coming back to her senses, frowning in confusion about the situation.
James and Michael sleeping in her room wasn't surprising, but what was William doing?