Chapter 73 How Devon Got the Adams's Family Artefact
After Bryce left to get food for Angela, the doctor came to Angela's ward.
"Great, you are awake now. Your test results came out fine. So you are free to go home for now," the doctor said, and Angela nodded.
She grabbed her bag and quickly searched for her phone. She dialled Zora's number and waited for her to answer.
"Hello Zora, I want to come over to your place. This is urgent," Angela said on the call.
"Okay, I went to get something in town. I will hurry to my place. If you can make it in within the next half an hour, I will wait for you," Zora replied.
"Thank you. I will be there shortly," Angela said and ended the call before dropping the phone into her bag.
With Bryce away, she seized the opportunity to leave the ward. She knew if he returned, it would be difficult to leave. She grabbed her bag and was soon out of the ward. She exited the hospital and used the pavement heading for the exit. She kept her eyes on the lookout for the car park. She was happy it was on the other side of the building. Meaning none of Bryce's men would see her leave. She walked out the gate and stopped a taxi immediately. She gave Zora's location to the driver and was soon on her way there.
A couple of minutes into the journey, her phone began to ring. She searched her bag for it and finally found it. She checked the caller ID, and it was Bryce. She stared at the phone screen and tears filled her eyes. She looked away, and the call dropped. Her phone started ringing again, and it was still Bryce calling. This time, when the call dropped, she turned off the phone, dropped the phone into the bag and shifted her gaze to the window. She knew Bryce was back and probably looking for her.
She arrived at Zora's place and paid the driver. She entered the building and was soon on Zora's apartment floor. She knocked on Zora's door, and Zora opened the door. Angela hugged her and broke down.
"Hey, okay," Zora said wondering what was wrong with Angela this time.
Zora helped Angela to the sofa and sat down next to her. She grabbed a box of tissues for Angela and waited a while for her to calm down.
"Okay, what happened?" Zora asked, checking her time after Angela was calmed.
"I need to rest. You can go back to work. Let's talk when you get back," Angela said, not ready to talk about it now, and Zora nodded.
"Okay, I will see you in a couple of minutes. If anything, don't hesitate to call me," Zora said and hugged Angela before hurrying out of the apartment.
Angela was left alone in Zora's apartment. She lay down on the sofa, resting her head on the armrest. It's only been a couple of minutes since she left and she was already missing Bryce.
Growing up, she was all about avenging her parents' deaths. She was working very hard and making good grades so she could get a good-paying job, which would earn her good money, and she could afford a good lawyer and a private investigator to find the murderers. She didn't believe the report about her parents' murderers dying mysteriously. Mr and Mrs Anderson, especially Mrs Anderson, were the ones who slowly talked her out of it and told her to let go so she could move on in life. She slowly let go of her quest for revenge and decided to focus on making her parents proud by becoming the best she could ever be. She visited her parents' graveside regularly with her little achievement.
She landed a job with Diamond Corporation, and that unexpected night happened, landing her in an unplanned marriage, which she had kept hidden from all except her friend Zora. She was unable to visit her parents' graveside as she was always occupied with a lot and deadlines to meet.
Now, just when she thought her nightmares were behind her, the past has made its way into her present. When she was looking, she found nothing. Now that she is not looking, that is when she found something.
"Bryce, why must it be connected to you?" Angela asked, her voice trembling, and her heart filled with pain.
Her hand went to her belly, and she rubbed it gently.
"You chose the wrong time to be a part of my life. Now what are we going to do? Mummy has to stay away from Daddy because Daddy's family could be dangerous," Angela said, rubbing her belly.
Meanwhile, after looking around the hospital premises for a while, Bryce knew Angela was long gone. He left for his family's house, wondering if perchance his father said something to Angela for her to behave the way she did. It was strange for Angela to request a divorce right after waking up. It didn't feel like a coincidence for Bryce because his father was asking him to leave Angela.
At the Bryces' family home, Devon was in his study holding the artefact in his hand. He recalled the scene that greeted them when he and Bryce walked into the living room, following Angela's scream.
"She recognises the artefact," Devon said. "It is the only explanation for her screaming and fainting," he added. "If that is the case, she would come after me," he said to himself. "I need to do something before she comes exposing me," he added.
His mind quickly moved to how he had come by the artefact.
Ten years ago
Devon was pacing up and down a small room. It was very late at night. Two men strode in, and he walked up to them with expectations.
"How did it go?" Devon asked.
"It is done," the man replied, and Devon saw he had something in his pocket.
"What do you have in your pocket?" Devon asked.
"Oh, something I picked up from Mr Adams's home," the man said and showed Devon the artefact.
"I see, let me have it," Devon said, and the man had no option but to hand over the artefact to Devon.
Devon knew the artefact and its worth because of his limited background in artwork. He intended to sell it. He had convinced Mr Adams multiple times in the past to sell the artefact any time he visited, but Mr Adams had refused.
"Sir, we wiped the entire family," the man reported.
"Idiots, you were supposed to kill just the man. Now, who would take care of their thirteen-year-old girl?" Devon questioned.
"We shoot the girl too. So the whole family is gone," the man replied, and Devon calmed himself.
He gave the men the rest of their money in cash after collecting the document, which Mr Adams had signed, and the men left. He quickly dialled a number and waited for the person to answer.
"It is done. Now all we need to do is split his shares of the company among ourselves. He signed the document," Devon said. "Well, no one will come after us. They shot his wife, so they shot the little girl too," he added. "Well, he deserves it. I don't feel pity for him or his family. If he weren't greedy and had his wife advise him right, there would be no need for us to do this," he added. "Well, it is already done. You have your shares in the company. I don't care what you do with it," he added and ended the call with a chuckle.
The next day, he was taking the artefact to a place to sell it when he saw the news on social media reporting the tragic incident at the Adams home and the mention of a family artefact going missing. He quickly went back without selling the artefact, knowing he would be arrested in connection with the murder if he proceeded to sell the artefact. Since he had kept the artefact hidden in his home.
Back to the present
Devon was wondering how Angela had found the artefact. His mind also went to the report on Angela.
"So Angela survived the gunshot wound, and Mr and Mrs Anderson adopted her," Devon thought.
"Dad, what did you say to Angela?" Bryce barged into the study without knocking, asking a question with a frown.