Chapter 572: Disappeared

"Val, what happened? Why are you two here?" Preston queried as he and Aria approached them. He gave the two girls a concerned look, only to find Valerie smiling at him faintly to comfort him. He saw her expression and he understood that she had learned the truth about Aria and her relationship. He could only smile at her sadly in return and shake his head in despair.

Preston glanced at Aria, who was staring at her sister, his eyes filled with love and indulgence. But soon, he shook his head, giving up on this blissful dream he had created over days. Aria was not meant for him, and he was glad that he found out about her before he fell deep into the pit. 

Although he knew that it would take him some time for his feelings towards the girl to vanish for she was the first girl he had ever liked this much, Preston knew that over time, he would come out of it. Aria was meant to be his friend, a good friend and he decided to keep it that way.

"We were bored inside Ian's office. So, we just came out." Ivy shrugged lightly, and Aria let out a sigh.

"What about Ian and Stuart? Did they come out yet?"

Ivy was just about to shake her head when she saw the two men in question come out of Charles' ward. "They are here." She gestured behind Aria, watching the two men approach them with a grave expression.

"Ian, why do you look so angry?" Nobody missed the way Ian's face had darkened. It was as though he was ready to punch someone hard in his anger. Even Stuart looked vexed, completely unlike his calm and relaxed self.

"Charles is just unbelievable." Ian huffed and gnashed his teeth. 

"What do you mean? What did he do?" Ivy stepped forward and frowned lightly.

"He isn't cooperating with us and complaining non-stop. It's as though he deems us responsible for him staying in a coma all these days. He is a lunatic, Aria. I tell you, a complete lunatic." 

"Why is he blaming you guys when he knows that he had fallen sick?" Valerie queried, frowning hard.

"I have no idea, Miss Evans. That man is just ridiculous. I just want to kick him out of this hospital."

"We can discharge him if he alright." Aria offered, and Ian shook his head.

"Not in the next few hours at least. He is too weak to even get up, let alone walk out of the hospital."

Ivy looked around, her frown deepening as soon as a realization hit her. She continued to look around and to confirm her notions, she even took a walk in the corridor they were, confusing the people with her bizarre behavior.

"Guys," She spoke when she returned to her group. "Did you notice something strange?" She looked around her once again before she focused her attention on Ian and Aria, for they were only one might know what she was speaking about.

"Strange?" Aria too followed suit and looked around to see what Ivy was hinting at. "What are you speaking about?"

"Didn't you guys notice that all the men who were guarding Charles are now nowhere in sight?" Ivy stated her observation, and again another round of looking around followed suit to confirm her words.

While Stuart, Valerie and Preston had no idea what she was talking about, Ian and Aria's expressions turned solemn at once.

"Would you guys mind involving us too in your conversation?" Preston enquired, and Valerie let out a chuckle listening to his words.

"Since the time Charles was admitted to the hospital, his men have been guarding him. Although they haven't made their presence known, we all realized their purpose right on the first day. But I am unsure as to why nobody is here to guard him today. What might be the reason?" Aria answered him and cleared the doubts the three people had.

"Are you sure that they were men guarding him and not just random people who were not involved with him?" Valerie queried, finding the situation to be fishy. Why would his men stop guarding him all of a sudden?

"Positive. They were his men." Ian replied immediately. "They kept wandering in this corridor all these days." 

"I see. In that case, there something seems to be wrong here." Valerie too could not stop the suspicions from raising in her mind. "Even though Jared is in cell currently, I do not think his men know about it. So, they might not have left the hospital on their own."

"Yeah, he and his assistant are both in the Intelligence interrogation cell currently. And as far as I can say, his men his yet to find out about it for." Preston added.

"What if Jared himself made a call before he was held captive by your guys?" Ivy mused.

"That's not possible. We arrested him without any warning. If he really cares about this old man, he would not have asked his men to return and why would he do so when Charles is one in power?" Preston objected immediately. "Moreover, we have Jared's cell phone with us. So, he could not have called his men back after he came to the Intelligence."

"What if he informed someone to do it before he was arrested?" Aria continued.

"That might be a possibility. But again, why would he do so if Charles is his Godfather? I presume he would want to take care of him and make sure he is alright. As far as I can say, Charles is the only one who can save Jared, that is if he is not arrested before then." Preston continued.

Everyone turned silent at once and nobody knew what had happened for Charles' men to abandon him like this. 

"What are we going to do now?" Ivy started, unable to tolerate the silence any longer.

"I cannot keep this stupid man any longer. He seems fine for now, except for being a little weak. Let him stay in the hospital for a day and if necessary, I will discharge him tomorrow night." Ian stated and everyone found this to be the best possible solution.

Valerie too agreed with him. "Good. That will give us ample time to plan our next course of outcome. Maybe we might find out why his men have stopped guarding him."