Chapter 348 There Is A Place

Chapter 348 There Is A Place
It had been a full week since Rebecca was kidnapped, a whole week since she had woken up alone in that fancy, unfamiliar room with no idea where she was, who had taken her, or what they wanted from her.

It had been days since she had first spoken to her mysterious captor over the phone, and ever since that first call, he had continued calling her constantly, making sure that not a single day passed without him speaking to her or reminding her that Derek's life was in his hands.

Sometimes, he would ask whether she had eaten, almost as though he genuinely cared about her well-being, while other times, his voice would become cold and threatening as he reminded her that Derek would pay the price if she refused to cooperate.

The strangest part was that, despite speaking to him so often, Rebecca still had not seen him, not even once.

She had seen the lanky men who occasionally came into the room to hand her the phone, and she had seen the young woman who brought her food and clothes without ever saying a word, but she had never seen the man behind the voice.

And after almost an entire week of being locked inside the same room, she was beginning to feel exhausted by everything.

She was tired of staring at the same walls, tired of sleeping and waking up without knowing what was happening outside, tired of being watched, tired of waiting, but most importantly, she was tired of not knowing what had happened to Derek.

Every time the door opened, a small part of her hoped that perhaps this time, someone would finally come inside and tell her the truth. Maybe Derek had found her. Maybe Ryan had found a way to track her. Maybe someone had finally discovered where she was.

But every time, that little hope disappeared when she saw the same set of people, and she had no idea how much longer she could keep herself together.

Meanwhile, since the day of their failed rescue mission, Derek had barely allowed himself to rest.

Even though he was still recovering from the injuries he had sustained during the attack, he had refused to slow down, refusing to allow his body to become another reason why Rebecca remained missing.

The signal the security personnel had picked up a few days earlier had indeed come from Rebecca's phone, but by the time they reached the location, they discovered that the phone had already been abandoned.

Adrian had somehow gotten rid of it, and Derek still couldn't understand how Adrian might have known that the phone would be used as a lead, and the thought bothered him constantly.

They had searched the area thoroughly. They had searched nearby buildings, roads, abandoned properties, and even the surrounding areas, hoping that there might be another clue that could lead them to Rebecca.

But they had found nothing, not a single useful lead.

It had been one of the most frustrating moments for Derek because, for a brief moment, he had believed they were finally close to finding her, only for that hope to disappear almost immediately.

And after exhausting almost every possible means of finding Rebecca, they were now left with only one option.

Henry.

They had gotten his address from Mrs. Cole earlier that evening, and now Derek, Ryan, and two security men were on their way there.

Derek sat quietly inside the car, his eyes fixed on the road ahead as the passing lights reflected faintly across his face.

Mere looking at him, one could see how exhausted he was. His face carried the signs of several sleepless nights, and there were dark circles beneath his eyes, but his expression remained hard and focused.

He had spent the past week searching for Rebecca, and every failed lead had only made the desperation inside him worse.

Ryan, who was sitting beside him, turned and looked at him but said nothing for several minutes. He knew Derek was barely holding himself together, but he also knew they needed to get something straight. After a few minutes of contemplation, he eventually broke the silence.

"Derek, try not to lose your temper when we get there," he said calmly. "If Henry knows something, we need him to talk, and if you scare him into shutting down, we might lose the only information he has."

Derek's eyes remained fixed on the road ahead, the only indication that he had heard what Ryan had said was a little tick in his jaw.

"I'm not going there to scare him," he replied quietly. "I'm going there to make him understand that every minute he keeps something from us is another minute Rebecca remains in Adrian's hands."

Ryan sighed softly.

"I know," he murmured softly.

This time around, Derek finally turned his head toward him.

"Then you understand why I don't have the patience to hear excuses tonight," he replied firmly.

"I understand," Ryan replied quietly, he stared at him for a few seconds before looking back at the road.

He knew there was no point arguing with Derek, just as they both knew that nothing was going to make Derek stop until Rebecca was back in his arms.

The rest of the drive passed in silence, and after a few more minutes on the road, they eventually arrived at Henry's house.

The driver slowed the car and parked outside the compound while Derek immediately opened the back door and stepped out, with Ryan and the two security men following behind him.

They walked toward the front door together, their footsteps echoing quietly against the pavement.

When they reached the entrance, Derek raised his hand and knocked firmly. For several seconds, nothing happened, then seeing that no one was coming, he knocked again, this time louder.

A few moments later, they heard footsteps approaching from inside the house, and when the door finally opened, Henry was on the other side.

The moment his eyes landed on Derek, the colour seemed to drain from his face, his expression changed immediately, and for a brief second, he simply stood there staring at them.

"Mr—Mr. Hemsworth?" he stammered, clearly shocked to see Derek standing outside his house. His eyes quickly moved from Derek to Ryan and then to the two men standing behind them. "What... what are you doing here?"

Derek stared at him without saying anything for a few seconds while Henry swallowed nervously, clearly uncomfortable with the silence.

"What do you want?" he asked again, his voice becoming increasingly uneasy.

"We need to talk," Derek replied.

Henry hesitated briefly before replying.

"About what?" he asked slowly.

"Adrian."

The moment Derek mentioned the name, Henry's expression became even more uncomfortable.

"I already told Mrs. Cole everything I know," he replied. He didn't want to get involved more than he already was, and he already felt so guilty for not saying anything all those months when he had known about Adrian's plan.

"No," Derek replied firmly. "You told Mrs. Cole what you were willing to tell her."

Henry looked away for a moment.

"I don't understand." He murmured almost inaudibly.

Derek stepped slightly closer.

"I want more information about Adrian's location."

Henry's eyes widened.

"Like I told Mrs. Cole, I don't know where he is."

"Then tell me about the places he owns," Derek said. "Any apartments, houses, private properties, farms, offices, warehouses, or anywhere else he could disappear to. I want to know everything."

Henry remained silent while Derek watched him carefully.

"Does Adrian have any hidden property?" he asked, rephrasing his earlier statement. "Somewhere outside the city? Somewhere he could use as a hideout if he wanted to disappear?"

Henry remained silent, and Ryan and everyone else could see that Derek was beginning to lose his patience because of the silence.

"Henry, I'm asking you a simple question," he said, his voice hard with barely concealed anger and frustration.

"I don't know if I should get involved in this," Henry finally admitted.

Derek stared at him in disbelief.

"Get involved?" he scoffed causing Henry to look down.

"Mr. Hemsworth, Adrian is my friend, but I still don't know what he is capable of anymore."

"Neither do I," Derek replied, his voice becoming heavier. "And that's exactly why I need to find him."

Henry remained quiet, Derek took another breath, trying desperately to control the anger and frustration building inside him.

"You have a girlfriend, right, Henry?" he asked quietly.

Henry slowly lifted his eyes toward him, but said nothing, causing Derek to continue.

"Think about your girlfriend then. Think about what you would feel like if someone took her away from you and you had no idea where she was, no idea whether she was safe, and no idea whether you would ever see her again." Derek said, his voice becoming softer, but somehow the words carried even more weight.

"Think about Rebecca being somewhere right now, locked inside a room, not knowing whether anyone is coming for her." He said, while Henry's expression softened.

"Then also think about the fact that she is pregnant, Henry." Derek continued, his voice becoming more emotional. "She isn't alone in this. She has our child with her, and whatever stress or fear she is going through right now, that child is going through it with her."

Henry lowered his gaze again, guilt beginning to show on his face while Derek swallowed hard.

"Imagine if it were your girlfriend in her place. Imagine waking up every morning knowing the person you love is somewhere out there, probably scared and wondering why you haven't found her yet, while you're standing here knowing there might be something you could tell me that could help bring her home."

There was a long silence.

Derek stared at him, his eyes filled with desperation.

"Please, Henry," he finally said, his voice softer. "If you know something, tell me. I don't care if it's a small detail. I don't care if you think it doesn't matter. Give me something."

Henry looked at him for several long moments, then finally, he sighed heavily and rubbed a hand over his face.

"There is a place," he admitted quietly.