Chapter 924 A Friend

Chapter 924 A Friend

Jeff paced his hotel room, his mind a storm of worry and fear. He hadn't heard from Mia since their last conversation, and each passing minute felt like an eternity.

He replayed her words over and over, the anxiety gnawing at him relentlessly. Frustrated, he tossed the phone onto the couch and ran a hand through his hair.

Sick with worry, Jeff finally decided he couldn't wait any longer. He picked up his phone and dialed Tom's number disregarding the fact that it was late at night over there in Ludus.

His heart pounded as he waited for an answer. "Tom, sorry to disturb you so late in the night," he said urgently when Tom picked up. "Have you heard from Mia? I can't get in touch with her, and I'm losing my mind here."

Gruff

Tom's voice was gruff with exhaustion since he had only just gone to bed, "I understand. Call Barry. He knows what's going on. He will explain everything."

"Barry?" Jeff repeated, a flicker of hope igniting. "Alright, I will call him. Thanks, Tom. Sorry for disturbing your sleep once," Jeff apologized as he hung up.

Jeff quickly dialed Barry's number, his fingers trembling. After a few rings, Barry answered.

"Barry, it's Jeff. I need to know what's happening with Mia. Is she okay?"

Barry's voice was calm. "Yes. Mia is at home now. She's safe. We managed to get her away from Henry."

"Henry took her? What happened?" Jeff asked and Barry calmly explained everything to him.

Relief flooded Jeff, and he sagged against the wall. "Thank God. Thank you, Barry. I will head over there now."

Without wasting another second, Jeff grabbed his room key and rushed out the door. The drive to Mia's house felt agonizingly slow, but he finally arrived, his heart pounding with anticipation.

He hurried up the steps and knocked on the door, trying to calm his racing thoughts.

The door opened to reveal Mia's father, Robert, his expression wary and tense. "Can I help you?"

Jeff took a deep breath. "Mr. Lawson, I'm Vanessa's friend. I need to see her," Jeff explained and Robert let him in.

"Vanessa is indisposed right now, so you can't see her," Robert said, his brows pulled together as he tried to place Jeff's face and why he looked so familiar.

Maria, who was seated in the living room, raised her head when Jeff walked in, and she recognized him instantly, "Aren't you one of Henry's domestic staff? What are you doing here?"

Recognition flickered in Robert's eyes, followed by a surge of anger. "You work for Henry? Get out of here. We don't want anyone associated with that man near our daughter."

"Please," Jeff implored, his voice breaking with desperation. "I'm not associated with him. Just tell Vanessa I'm here. I'm sure she would want to see me. If she doesn't want to see me, I will leave."

Robert's eyes narrowed. "I said, get out. If you don't leave now, I'll make you." Robert threatened.

"Please leave. Our daughter has been through enough in one day. We don't want any more drama for her," Maria pleaded.

Desperate, Jeff shouted, "Vanessa! Vanessa, are you in there? Please, come down!"

Robert's face turned red with fury. He grabbed Jeff by the collar and began pushing him toward the door. "I told you to leave!"

Jeff struggled, calling out again. "Vanessa! Please, I need to see you!"

"I wanted to find something I could use against Henry. But then I realized that the security in the house was too much and I couldn't do anything. I wanted to leave but when I saw how she was being treated I felt really bad and decided to hang around for her sake to make sure she doesn't get hurt," Jeff lied.

Diana frowned since his explanation wasn't really making sense to her, but before she could ask any more questions, Robert spoke, "I'm sorry for treating you that way earlier. I had no idea you were looking out for my daughter."

"No. It's okay. I understand. I appreciate that if it wasn't me you would have kept away any threats from her," Jeff rushed to assure him.

"Thank you very much for looking out for my daughter," Maria said as she handed him a cup of tea while Mia looked at Diana with interest.

"Won't Henry be mad that you came to see me?" Mia asked, wanting to check if Diana knew that Henry was missing.

"He isn't in any position to be mad at anyone right now. I just want to know what happened. I heard from your parents that he took you earlier, and then I saw him in a hilarious state. How did that happen?" Diana asked, looking at Mia curiously.

"You saw him? Where? How?" Mia's father asked curiously.

"At an abandoned Asylum. Is that where he took you?" Diana asked and Vanessa nodded.

Vanessa took a deep breath and then told them how Henry had dragged her there and how the people there had turned on him and injected him instead of her and let her go.

"There is some sort of poetic justice to this, isn't it? He took you to the Asylum but ended up being admitted there instead. Just like he wished to do to you, I'm going to make sure he spends what's left of his miserable life in there. You don't have to worry about anything, Nessa. You can go. I've handed the divorce papers to his lawyer to process it. You should leave the country. Go to somewhere far away. You can come back after you hear of his death if you want to," Diana advised.

"Won't that make me a suspect if they find out he is missing..."

"Not at all. He won't be missing. Don't worry. He bought the dilapidated asylum himself because he was trying to keep his mental state a secret. And now his mental health has deteriorated and he doesn't even want to let anyone else close to him," Diana said with a confident smile.

"I will handle it all," she assured them.

"What if you get caught?" Mia asked with a frown.

"I plan to turn myself in after I kill him anyway. But for now, I just want to enjoy ruining him and all he has," Diana said and Mia sighed.

"Is it worth it? Ruining your life just so you can ruin a person like him?" Mia asked with a frown.

"Unfortunately, that's the only way to destroy a person like Henry. Only a monster can destroy a monster like him. And I don't mind being that monster. He destroyed my family. Do you know how it feels to attend to an emergency call at the hospital only to find out the victim is your only family? My only brother, Nick committed suicide because of him. He was the only family I had. His wife was heavily pregnant and she went into premature labor when he died. Her blood pressure was too high and she died, and so did the baby. Do you know what that feels like? Losing all the family you have in the twinkle of an eye? I am dead inside, Vanessa. And destroying Henry is the only thing keeping me alive," Diana said with a deep sigh.

"I have to go back to him. Go live your life, Vanessa. Forget your past and be happy. You too, Josh. I don't know what he might have done to you but don't worry. I will pay him back for every one of you," Diana promised as she rose.

"This is all so heart-wrenching," Maria said as they all sighed deeply.

Mia embraced Diana, "I'm sorry for all the pain Henry has caused you."

"As I am for all he has done to you," Diana said, patting Vanessa's back.

"Be safe," Diana whispered to Vanessa before pulling away, and with a nod at the rest of them, she headed for the door.

They all remained silent for a while after she left, and then Mia turned to Jeff, "I suppose Tom knew about Diana's plan?"

"Yeah. I guess so," Jeff said.

"Who is Tom?" Robert asked in confusion.

"And who are you?" Maria asked looking at Jeff.

"A friend," Jeff and Mia said in unison and then smiled at each other.