Chapter 326
The Wilson Group
Atticus was in the conference room, listening to the annual report, when his phone buzzed. It was his bodyguard. He stood up immediately.
"What? Isabella's missing?"
Atticus's face went pale, and Emilio, the company's vice president sitting next to him, noticed. He watched as Atticus quickly left the room.
Emilio followed him out.
The company had been swamped lately, and Emilio, as vice president, hadn't had much time to check in on Isabella. He'd heard she was back at the Wilson Family estate to recover.
He hadn't seen her in a while.
And now, out of nowhere, she was missing!
"I told you, your job is to protect Ms. Taylor. How could you lose her? What good are you?"
"Keep looking. If you don't find Isabella, don't bother coming back."
Atticus was visibly shaken, his hands trembling as he hung up the phone.
They'd taken every precaution, but those people still wouldn't leave Isabella alone.
"Mr. Wilson, let me come with you. I can't just sit here knowing Isabella's in trouble. An extra pair of hands might help."
Atticus was usually the picture of calm, both at work and outside. Seeing him this rattled was a rare sight.
It was clear how serious Isabella's situation was.
How could he just stay put?
Hearing Emilio's offer, Atticus took a deep breath.
He glanced back at the conference room, then patted Emilio on the shoulder. "Listen, the company needs you here. I'll handle Isabella's situation. Don't worry too much."
With that, Atticus left the company, his face set in determination.
On the way, Atticus watched the surveillance footage on his tablet, tracking Isabella from the Wilson Family estate until the last sighting of a suspicious black sedan.
But the other party was clearly prepared. The car's rear license plate was fake, and they couldn't trace it.
Atticus immediately began tracking the car through the city's roads.
When they finally found the car, it was at the foot of a mountain, burned to a shell.
The ground was littered with the remnants of the fire.
"Mr. Wilson, what do we do now?"
Their only lead was gone. Where could they find Isabella?
Looking at the charred remains of the car and the scorched earth, Atticus clenched his fists.
He wouldn't let those who hurt Isabella get away.
No matter what, he would find her.
Just then, Holden called. "Atticus, don't worry about Isabella. I'll explain to Dad. You focus on finding her."
Atticus realized he had been so focused on finding Isabella that he had forgotten about Daniel at home.
Isabella was staying with the Wilson Family. If she didn't return that night, Daniel would definitely get suspicious.
His health had just improved. If he found out Isabella was missing, he might faint from the shock.
"Holden, Dad can't handle any stress. Don't tell him about Isabella's situation. Keep the news from everyone, including the servants and bodyguards."
"Got it." Holden was already on his way to the Wilson Family home.
Holden had contacted Atticus as soon as he got the news from the bodyguards. Now that Atticus was handling the situation, he needed to keep Daniel calm.
When he arrived home, he found Daniel in the living room, chatting with the injured Renee.
The topic of conversation was Isabella.
"Mr. Wilson, Isabella only took Aaron to the hospital because I was hurt. Please don't blame her. I couldn't move, so I had to ask for her help."
Isabella had told Renee to make up an excuse if Daniel asked about her whereabouts.
Renee took the blame. Daniel had treated her and Isabella equally well during this time.
She couldn't lie.
And every time she saw Daniel, she was reminded of her own grandfather.
Her grandfather had passed away long ago.
His greatest wish was to see her get into her dream college and do what she loved.
But no one had expected that just as she was on the path to success, earning a spot to study abroad and further her research, the Adri Family had targeted her work.
They had threatened her family, forcing her to stay in their research facility.
She had to develop special medicines for them.
She had hoped that once she completed the research, they would release her. But then Bianca had discovered her and chosen her as a subordinate.
After that, she had followed Bianca back to the country, obeying her orders without question.
Her thoughts raced as she looked at her immobile legs and sighed.
She couldn't protect her family, nor could she protect herself.
Renee's sincerity made Daniel unable to blame her. He knew Isabella too well.
If a friend was in trouble, Isabella wouldn't just stand by.
"Renee, don't blame yourself. Isabella has people with her. She'll be back soon."
"But what about Aaron? He stood out in the cold for so long. Make sure to call and check on him."
Daniel was very understanding. Instead of blaming Renee, he tried to ease her relationship with Aaron.
"I will, Mr. Wilson. I'll call him soon."
Holden arrived as they were chatting.
Daniel was holding a tablet, watching a variety show.
Holden couldn't help but tease, "Dad, you're really keeping up with the times, watching variety shows?"
Daniel gave him a mock glare. "You have the nerve to say that? None of you are ever home. Only Isabella and Renee keep me company. Without them, I'd be overwhelmed by boredom."
Mentioning Isabella, Holden's expression changed. To avoid Daniel noticing, he joined the conversation.
With Renee and Holden's company, Daniel quickly shifted his attention.
He even brought up Holden's age and the need for him to start dating.
Seeing people his age with girlfriends, even Michael's assistant Aaron had found someone as good as Renee.
Holden wasn't lacking. Why hadn't he brought home a girlfriend?
Thinking about it gave Daniel a headache.
He used to think they'd change their minds with age, but after his illness, he had to consider their futures.
But Atticus wouldn't listen, Kian and Holden had their own ideas, and Orion and Thomas were always abroad.
Seeing them was hard enough, let alone getting them to get girlfriends.