Chapter 175 - Missing

A few days passed in peace as Jackson and the others waited for Trojan to wake up. During these few days, Jackson's team guarded the hospital room like a fortress and no unexpected incidences happened again. However, the man's condition didn't seem to improve. In fact, the doctors predicted he had permanent brain damage. Even if he did eventually wake up, it wasn't likely that he would be able to provide any useful information.

Knowing this, SPU concluded that the case had reached a dead end and decided to hand the entire case to Interpol. They then called for Sean and Halia to return to Beijing. After all, they had many more cases waiting for their two agents to crack.

But, at this time, Auntie Lily suddenly came looking for Jackson. "Jaclyn's gone missing!" she said.

Halia looked at the woman in surprise. Jaclyn Wu? Jackson's stepsister?

"What do you mean?" Jackson asked.

"I usually speak to her on the phone every night, but she hasn't responded to my calls for two days!" Auntie Lily replied.

"Have you spoken to her friends or her roommates?" Jackson questioned.

"Yes, but no one's seen her. They said she went out on a date with a boy, but never returned after that," the middle-aged woman said worriedly. "At first, they thought she must have stayed the night with the boy, but when she didn't turn up to class, they began to get worried."

Jaclyn had been studying in the UK for the last 15 years and currently lived in the dorms of her university campus. She only came back every so often to visit. So, the fact that she was missing in a foreign country was frightening.

"Have they called the police?" Jackson asked.

"Yes, but I want you to look into it. I know Emma did it..." the woman said with a trembling voice. The certainty in her eyes showed that she knew something.

"Why would you say that?" Jackson looked at the woman with suspicion.

"That woman is frightening. I've lived with her for the last 20 years, so I know her better than anyone. Jack's been blinded by her lies but I've always seen completely through her. I even caught her beating up Emerson a few times when he was just a small child," Auntie Lily explained.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Halia asked in horror. Emerson was such a kind person; she couldn't imagine how his mother could beat him up.

Perhaps, this explained why he didn't have many friends. With such a two-faced mother, how could he trust anyone?

"You don't think I tried? I spoke to Jack about it, but Emma claimed that I was slandering her so I could steal her husband and replace her. Then, when no one was around, she pulled me aside and threatened me. She told me if I went against her again, she would kill me and my daughter," Auntie Lily cried. "I could see from her eyes that she wasn't lying. She wasn't afraid of getting blood on her hands. That woman terrified me. I was so frightened, I immediately sent Jaclyn overseas to study. I didn't want her to be around this cruel woman. But, as soon as Jaclyn went missing, my gut instinct told me that Emma was involved."

"To confirm my suspicions, I went to visit her this morning and I confronted her about it. She didn't admit to it directly, but she told me I was never seeing my daughter again and that I was never going to benefit from her misfortune," Auntie Lily explained. "I know it's her. She definitely did something!"

"If Jack divorces her and marries me, then Jaclyn would become the rightful heir to Jack's fortune and Emerson would be left with nothing. She would never allow that..."

Jackson furrowed his brows. Auntie Lily's reasoning made sense. But, how would his stepmother have connections all the way in the UK that was capable of doing something like this? 

Jackson immediately went to visit his stepmother. If Auntie Lily was right, then Jaclyn was in serious danger. She could be dead, or even worse, be smuggled across the European borders without a trace. Human trafficking was a huge issue all around the world and it was often said that if a person wasn't found within 72 hours, the chances of ever finding them again were practically impossible.

"What happened to Jaclyn?" he asked straightforwardly as soon as he saw the woman.

It had only been a few days, but the woman looked worn and frail like she hadn't eaten and showered. 

The woman looked at Jackson and simply laughed, "Perhaps you could try asking Mr. Rong. Oh wait, you can't, I heard he's still in a coma!"

"Did you get Trojan to coordinate another kidnapping for you?" Jackson asked with realization.

The frail woman did not reply, she simply smirked, obviously proud that her plan had worked.

"Where's Jaclyn and what did you do with her?" Jackson demanded for an explanation.

"I'm sorry, I simply pay money and my wish gets fulfilled, I don't know what happens behind-the-scenes. Only Mr. Rong can give you that answer," the woman replied smugly. "If there's nothing else, Captain Wu, I need to get back to my lunch. I'm starving..."

Jackson slammed his hands on the table in frustration and walked out. Auntie Lily was right, Emma Wu was definitely involved. Unfortunately, his only lead was the comatose Stanley Rong; a complete dead end.

As soon as he left the visiting room, Auntie Lily and Halia rushed over anxiously.

"Did she tell you anything?" Auntie Lily asked.

Jackson shook his head, "She paid Stanley Rong to do something, but Stanley Rong is currently in a coma. We have no idea what he's done to Jaclyn."

Auntie Lily collapsed on the floor in tears. "My precious daughter," she cried. Jaclyn was all she had.

Halia watched as Auntie Lily cried and felt her heart break. Her mother died when she was young and she had never experienced the love of a mother, but she could tell how much Auntie Lily loved Jaclyn.

Jackson saw the sympathy in his fiancee's eyes and wrapped an arm around her shoulder to comfort her. He understood how difficult it was to watch a person in anguish and not be able to help, so his heart was breaking too.

"Jackson, can you fly over to the UK and track Jaclyn down? You're Interpol, you must have connections. There must be a way! Jaclyn's your sister!" Auntie Lily kneeled in front of the couple and pleaded.

Jackson quickly helped the middle-aged woman up from the floor. Sure, Jaclyn was his stepsister, but he had been away from the Wu household for so long that the young woman was no different than a stranger. Plus, he was supposed to quit and lead a normal life with Halia...

Did he really need to get involved?

Jackson glanced at Halia helplessly and Halia understood what he was thinking. Neither of them were selfish people. If they were, they would have never put their lives in danger as undercover agents, especially not Jackson who had done it for so many years. So, she held her man's hand and nodded her head. "Jackson will go and I will help him," she said, "We will find Jaclyn for you."

Jackson looked lovingly at his fiancee and smiled. This was why he loved her: her bravery, her kindness, and her selflessness.

Auntie Lily immediately hugged the couple thankfully, "Thank you, thank you, thank you..."

Jackson then led the woman outside.

"Don't worry, we will update you soon," Jackson said comfortingly as he helped the woman into her car where the driver was waiting. "You should go home and get some rest."

The middle-aged woman nodded her head and waved goodbye as the driver started the car and drove off. All she could do now was trust in Jackson and Halia...

After the car disappeared around the corner, Jackson pulled his fiancee into his arms. "How do you plan on investigating a dead-end case like this?" he asked worriedly. 

Halia pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "I have an idea," she said.

Jackson took a curious glance at the caller ID. Who was she calling?

That's when he saw, written on her screen, was the word, 'BAE'...

Jackson furrowed his brows and Halia smiled awkwardly when she saw her man's expression; she had forgotten to change Eric's name on her phone.