Chapter 171 - I'm Dead

She hurriedly closed the door before rushing back to the panic-stricken girl. She gently untied her limbs and her heart ached when she saw the red marks around her wrists and ankles. Who would bear to do this to a child?

"Little girl, how are you? How did you get here?" She pried in the gentlest tone possible.

When she peeled the duct tape of her mouth, the girl burst into tears. "Daddy…"

Zaria wiped her tears in panic. "Don't cry, I will help you find your daddy."

"Do you know your dad's name?" She asked for confirmation. Perhaps she was mistaken but whether or not this was Laia Qin, her parents must be worried sick.

The little girl merely stared at her blankly. Perhaps because she was scared and didn't trust the woman before her, she didn't say a word.

"Do you know who brought you here?" Zaria continued to pry as she tried to lift the girl off the floor.

The latter kicked up a fuss and didn't want to be touched, making Zaria helpless. Her whole body trembled. What kind of situation was this? She fished for her phone in her pocket and checked Leo Qin's Creszone. His display picture was a little girl and when Zaria checked the similarities, it was a complete match. So the girl before her was really Laia. Not only was she Leo and Shera Qin's daughter, but she was also Kara Williams' and Carlos Aubert's goddaughter as well as the mayor's granddaughter.

"I'm dead." She mumbled. The only sane thing was to either involve the police or directly call the Qins—but no matter what she did, she would never be able to explain what the girl was doing in the attic of her villa.

Her mind instantly wandered to Desmond. He was closer to them and may have a way out, so she dialled his number.

"Desmond…" She was on the verge of fainting when she called out his name.

"What is it, my love?" Desmond worriedly asked when he heard how she sounded.

She moved to the farthest end of the attic and snuck a glance at Laia who was curled up in the corner with Des running around in front of her. "I found a girl in the attic of my house. She is Laia Qin." She briefly explained the situation.

"What in heaven's name is she doing at your villa? Who brought her there?" Desmond was puzzled.

"I don't know!" She tried to keep her voice down even though she was in panic. "I don't even have a lead… I just followed Des to the attic and… I'm dead. The Qins are already suspecting me."

"Calm down." He tried to console even though he was too shocked. "We have to get to the bottom of this but the first thing we have to do is send her back home. Hell knows what chaos will break out if the Qins find out she is there."

"I know. But how will I prove to them that I don't know how she got to my house?" This was her greatest worry. Heaven knew that she might simply end up dead a few seconds after sending the girl to her parents.

"I'll take care of it." Desmond promised.

"Is that possible?" Zaria was doubtful.

"Don't worry. Take care of Laia and wait for my signal." He hung up before she could ask for more details.

She heaved a breath when the call ended. Of course it was nearly impossible. He was probably taking a risk which is why he didn't want her to ask.

She turned to look at the girl who was now paying attention to Des. If she left her here, she might be taken away or worse, murdered.

She poked her head out and when she ensured that all the servants were out, she picked Laia up and made a beeline for her room. Based on her cautious movements, one might mistake her for the kidnapper.

She sighed in relief when she finally got to her room without bumping into anyone. She put the girl on her bed and opened the door for Des who had followed them.

"Sweetie, stay here okay? You will be safe here."

The girl did not respond so she added, "I had someone call your daddy. He will pick you up soon."

The girl finally nodded.

Zaria sighed in relief and snuck to the kitchen to get some food, bringing with her some anti-inflammatory drugs while at it.

Luckily, the girl didn't cause a scene and was distracted when Des played with her. She soon fell asleep after eating and taking her medicine. Zaria hugged Des and rubbed his coat. "You're a lifesaver."

She heard the front door open so she quickly covered Laia and rushed downstairs.

"Dad, you are home." She greeted Theodore who had just arrived.

As soon as she saw him clearly, her eyes squinted as she thought back to the results of Desmond's investigation. The incomplete text message on the phone that was found in the bathroom was an order from someone whose name was Williams.

At first, she thought it was merely a horrible coincidence but now that she looked at him… his surname was Williams too!

Besides, only two people had access to all the rooms in this house—him and her. But would her dad do such a cruel thing as kidnap a toddler? It was uncertain how long she had been in the attic since she rarely accessed it. If Des didn't sneak in there while playing, how long would the little girl continue to stay in the attic? Thinking about it sent chills down her spine.

Most importantly, if Theodore was the culprit, what would he gain from doing that?

But the harder she thought about it, the more it seemed like she had found the missing pieces of the puzzle.

She was the major suspect because of the time she was on the balcony. If she remembered correctly, the only time she appeared on the balcony was when she was speaking to him. They left at about the same time too…

The realization made her stiffen. Could it be that all this time the Qins harassed her when their actual target was her dad?

"Have you had dinner?" He asked when he noticed that she had spaced out.

She nodded listlessly.

"Is anything bothering you?" He asked as he made his way to the couch.

She followed him to sit opposite him. "It's just the Qins. They think I kidnapped their daughter. Two days ago, Shera's best friend sought me and threatened to kill me if I didn't give the child back—but I didn't kidnap her. Aren't they strange? Why would they suspect me?"

She was carefully observing his expression but nothing seemed out of place.

"They should take care of their kids and stop bothering other families about their disappearance." He sneered.

She frowned at his bizarre response. That didn't sound like something he would say in such a situation. He would usually fawn on her and ask if she was alright if she so much as scratched her finger. What was with the sudden cold answer? It was as though he wanted the topic to be over and done with.

She thought about it and added, "I found some leads."

He didn't answer her and seemed lost in his own world, which worried her. Did he really have something to do with Laia's presence here?

"Anyway dad, you have been coming home late." She sounded as though she was changing the topic, but in a real sense, all she wanted was to use a different approach to pry for the information she wanted. She wanted to know what he usually did that got him returning home so late.

Theodore didn't feed her curiosity. He rubbed his temples tiredly. "Princess, I'm a bit cold. Could you get me a cup of coffee?"

"Of course." She stood and went to the kitchen.

She refilled the coffee beans as her hands trembled slightly. She had wanted to know whether or not her father had anything to do with Laia's kidnapping but from her sorry attempt at interrogating him, she was only more confused.

Should she let him know that Laia was now in her room? If he didn't know that she was here under the same roof as them, he would reprimand her for doing something illegal. But what if he knew all along that she was in the attic? What if he was the one who had locked her up there?

She didn't know what scared her more, between finding out that her father had committed a crime and the possibility of watching a little girl meet her end because she couldn't keep her mouth shut.

She slapped her forehead in the next second. What was she thinking? That was her dad. She had known him for twenty seven years and he had never done anything to hurt anyone. How could she start suspecting him now?