Chapter 116
Chapter 116
“It’s not my style to force anyone into doing something they don’t want to. You can pretend that I never said what I said last night.”
No sooner had he spoken than a chilly breeze blew past, causing Angeline to shudder.
Rubbing her arms to keep herself warm, she lowered her eyes to hide the disappointment in them. “Okay. I never took it seriously anyway.”
Given that those words were uttered under such amorous circumstances, she didn’t dare put too much hope in them.
She took it as if she was rehearsing for a role. After all, she was extremely adept at acting out such scenes.
Ding Dong…
It was then that her phone suddenly rang.
When Angeline picked it up and saw the caller ID showing Jonathan’s name, a grim expression descended upon her face. It had been a long while since she last contacted him.
Before she even had time to take leave from Evander, she dropped the coconut she was holding and hurriedly wore her slippers before rushing off to a secluded corner.
Once the coast was clear, she called Jonathan back and asked in a deep voice, “What is it?”
“Why have you become so cold just because we haven’t seen each other in a long time? Do all pretty girls behave that way?” Jonathan teased over the phone.
Feeling annoyed, Angeline lowered her voice as she reminded him, “I’m in the middle of filming. Whatever it is, make it quick.”
It was understandable for her to be harsh, as their collaboration was considered top secret, where a single error was enough to cause them to fall into a trap.
At her cue, Jonathan stopped joking and spoke in a serious tone instead. “What I’m going to tell you is shocking. You had better prepare yourself.”
“Go on.”
As if something dawned upon her, Angeline’s throat bobbed minutely while her grip on her chiffon dress tightened.
“I found the lady who adopted your child back then.”
He broke the news slowly on purpose.
The revelation blew Angeline’s mind, causing blood to rush into her brain as a sense of breathlessness descended upon her.
She questioned anxiously, “You found her? Where?”
“My subordinate reported that she goes by the surname Green. Over the last five years, they moved quite a number of times before settling reclusively in a small village near Gerton. Also, I heard that the family is poor.”
“A small village?” Angeline’s expression drastically changed. The blood that was boiling within her seemed to instantly freeze.
How much has my child suffered over the last few years?
The thought caused Angeline’s heart to ache as if it was being squeezed by a large pair of hands. Consequently, she didn’t dare let her imagination run any further.
“Can I… see the child now?”
Jonathan inquired, “Are you inside the country now? I can arrange for you to see her, but we have to be careful not to alert them.”
“All right. I’ll return on the next available flight,” she agreed without hesitation.
At that moment, Angeline was so overwhelmed by her emotions that her feet simply froze. They refused to budge despite how she willed them to.
When she finally struggled to get back on her feet, she rushed back to her room to pack. Thereafter, she quietly slipped out of the guesthouse with her luggage in tow.
She told no one of her plans for fear of causing any problems.
Just before she boarded her flight, she gave Nancy a call and informed the latter about her departure without revealing too much.
The compensation for reneging on the contract at the last minute was twice the normal fee.
Despite Nancy’s furious screams over the phone, Angeline was too preoccupied to do anything about it. In fact, her hand was even trembling while holding a cup of water.
All the money she had painstakingly made over the last five years had only a single purpose—finding her child.
All this while, she had been blindly looking for her child regardless of how much it cost. Now that she had the child’s location, uncontrollable emotions swamped her.
“I’m sorry to inform everyone that Angeline has a family emergency she needs to deal with. In spite of that, we’ll continue filming the show.”
The host’s report brought a drastic change to Evander’s expression.
She’s gone home? Why didn’t she say a word?
“Why is this happening? Did something happen to Angie? Is it bad? Does she need our help?”
“Mr. Zane, I’m not at liberty to divulge the personal affairs of our stars.”
Nonetheless, Jacob was persistent as ever and continued to follow the host, demanding to know what happened.
It’s evident that Angeline’s departure was so sudden that even Jacob wasn’t told of it.
Evander frowned upon the realization.
When he saw Angeline’s disappearing silhouette at the beach in the afternoon, he sensed something amiss with her mood.
Unfortunately, he didn’t give it much thought. NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.
What in the world happened to have caused the usually calm Angeline to fly back home without telling anyone?
“Daddy.”
At that moment, he felt someone tugging his sleeve. He looked down at Floretta, whose eyes were brimming with concern.
A single glance between them was enough for Evander to read her mind as if they were telepathically connected.
Holding her hand, he led her away from the beach.
“Mr. Golding, where are you going?” the show’s director called out, noticing that something was wrong.
“Home,” Evander replied concisely.
His words ignited the anxiety within Jacob. If Evander and Angeline were to be together, wouldn’t she be letting the fox into the hen house?
The thought caused him to remove the microphone attached to his shirt as he ordered his assistant, “I quit filming too. Book me a flight home.”
“My dear, don’t be hasty. The compensation you have to pay for breaking the contract is twofold Angeline’s. Also, Mr. Golding is an investor in the show.”
“F*ck!” the enraged Jacob cursed, losing his composure on the spot.
Why does Evander seem to own everything? Regardless of how principled Angeline is, there’s no way she can resist such temptation.
As Jacob’s contract was held by his father, his pay was only enough for his living expenses despite his popularity in the entertainment industry.
After a seven-hour flight, Angeline arrived at Gerton airport at three in the morning.
Upon emerging from the airport terminal looking exhausted, she was greeted by the sight of Jonathan leaning against a black sedan while smoking.
At that moment, the first light of dawn illuminated the nearby buildings.
As she approached with her luggage in tow, she could see that Jonathan was wearing the same black shirt from their first meeting. With his chin covered in stubble, he looked more haggard than before.
Given that they hadn’t met often, Angeline—unable to fully trust him—spoke in a wary yet cordial tone.
“I’m sorry that my case kept you up the whole night. I do appreciate what you have done.”
After loading her bag into the trunk, Jonathan flashed a casual smile. “Don’t worry about me. I never fail to make a profit in my deals.”
Angeline’s expression turned frosty following his words, for she had almost forgotten that her relationship with Jonathan was transactional.
She knew he had something to gain from spending so much effort looking for her child and sharing with her the latter’s location.
Nevertheless, she still couldn’t figure out what it was.
Once they got into the car, Jonathan instructed her to fasten her seatbelt before they sped out of the airport.
“It’s a five-hour journey from here to the village. To save time, I won’t be taking you to a hotel to rest. If you’re tired, you can just sleep in the back.”