Chapter 154 - Could It Be Andrew?

"Yes," Chloe began to cry. Her excitement for the toys and colorful candies had already worn off.

"Okay, but you have to be a good girl."

"I am," she squealed.

"I know but you have to listen to my instructions." 

Chloe nodded like a sheep in a slaughter, being anxious already with a stranger. Chloe may have a developmental deficiency but her intelligence quotient was very high.

"I will, what is it?" "You have to go back to the hotel by yourself. As soon as you see a guard, ask for his help to bring you to your parents."

"But I don't know where is it?" she protested.

Chloe grew up being overprotected and this task she had to do now was too difficult for her. She was not even exposed to a large crowd. Her constant association was only with her schoolmates but they were already familiar to her.

"I will drop you by the entrance, okay?"

"Okay," was all she said but fear was registered in her eyes.

Soon after that, Joey stopped a few meters from the entrance. He opened the door and assisted her in going down the car. As soon as Chloe walked a few steps away, Joey zoomed away and in the next block, he went down from the car and boarded to another car waiting for him.

His heart was heavy. He was not born to be an assassin. If it were not for the life of his daughter, he would never get himself entangled in this dark world. Getting out was already impossible except seeing himself in bloody torture or death itself. Through time he learned to carry out his task without batting an eyelash but this one was different. It involved a child. And this one would remind him of his pain and fear for his daughter.

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Ajie joined Ryan in coordinating with the local authority in searching for Chloe. With Ryan's negotiation, several troops were sent in different areas to look for Chloe.

"Brother, I'm asking for your favor. Please send your men over to help us look for a lost child," Ajie heard Ryan said the same request a couple of times already.

"I'll send a photo of the child. We were in Chinatown yesterday. She was choosing some toys displayed on the stall while we got hooked up to a product demonstration. None of us realized that she had wandered away already," Ryan went further.

"Kidnap-for-ransom is a possibility but until now, no one has called," explained Ryan further. Perhaps, the receiver of his call asked what could be the motive of the abduction.

In the next moment, he frowned and glanced up at Ajie, his brows were gathered together in a split of a second. "What? If money is the motive, it is acceptable but revenge?"

Ryan then turned the speaker on so Ajie could hear. "If the abductor has not called yet, the motive is most likely revenge..." the receiver on the other line further explained.

Ryan then ended the call and looked at Ajie in the eye. His expression was really serious. "Can you think of someone who could be behind this? Or someone who could be carrying a revenge against you?"

Ajie nodded without saying a word. He got lost in his thoughts and then remembered what Cherry said. Could it be Andrew? Just how deep was his hatred toward him that he had to involve a child? Thinking back to his latest encounter with him, it seemed that he was angry at him for not telling him the truth about Cherry. He must have felt he was betrayed or being fooled around. On the other hand, Ajie thought he had changed already. He thought his girlfriend had already helped him with his anxiety disorder.

Yet, this was merely speculation. He could not point him out as there was no evidence yet that he did something illegal. He just couldn't believe that Andrew would stoop as low as this just to carry out his baseless revenge. Could it be him or there was someone else? But who? If it was indeed him, why would he risk his fame over his trivial paranoia?

They were roaming around the city inside the patrol car, helping in the search operation. Ajie remained silent throughout, his eyes were on the road but his mind was on Andrew and how despicable he was. He looked so respectable in his dark suit during his concerts but his soul was eaten up with jealousy and paranoia.  Old habits die hard, indeed.

As the skies turned crimson, giving way to the early morning sunshine, Ryan's phone rang. Ajie glanced up to him and then to the screen of his phone, hoping it was a call to announce that Chloe was found already. Ryan must have noticed him so he turned the speaker on.

"Sir, a child is seen being dropped near the entrance of the hotel. According to the description, the child looks exactly to the photo you sent."

"Get the car's plate number and chase it!" ordered Ryan, his voice almost broke Ajie's ears.

Ajie's fatigued eyes lit up. "Chloe is found?" he asked, "where?"

"We will get the full story once we'll get back to the hotel, " replied Ryan whose face also lit up with joy.

"Can we go back now?"

"Of course."

Meanwhile, at the hotel, Allie's anxiety was increasing in every minute that passed by. She kept facing back and forth, making the rest worry about her as well. She was with a child and her anxiety might affect the baby. Even the elderlies did not sleep. They kept on waiting for an update but it hours had already passed and still, there was no news about her.

Allie's mother, being the one who personally took care of the child, began wailing and such action brought tears to everyone's eyes. Sam comforted her but somehow, it did not lessen the weight she carried in her heart. She blamed herself. If only she was careful enough. If only she did not entrust the responsibility to someone else.

Just as they were all sniffing in their silent tears, being carried by Mary's wailing, a child's voice broke into their ears. "Mommy," she paused as she looked into their faces, "why do you cry?"