Your Guise Is Slipping, Miss Pearl

Daniel wore a somber expression as he spoke, "Mrs. Lawson, I don't resent you. I understand your sentiments entirely. Were it my daughter, I would hesitate to see her with an anti-drug officer too." Shelly turned to look at Daniel, sensing in him a man of integrity. If not for his profession, marrying Sienna to him would be like winning the lottery.
"About Felix's medical bills-"
Shelly's words were cut short by Daniel's reassurance. "Mrs. Lawson, it's a small matter. There's no rush for repayment.
"Once Felix wakes up and recovers, he can take his time to repay me when he's financially stable. There's no deadline."
Shelly was moved beyond words. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she clasped his hand gratefully. "Thank you, and thank you on behalf of Felix," she choked out.
Daniel offered a gentle pat on her shoulder, feeling a pang of sadness. To him, matters that money could resolve were insignificant. As long as he could help Sienna, he would do so without hesitation or regret.
After a brief pause, Shelly suggested, "Captain Morrison, if you don't mind, you could become like a brother to Sienna..."
Daniel's expression darkened instantly, cutting her off. "Mrs. Lawson, that's unnecessary. I'm fine with the breakup, but becoming her brother? That's absurd."
Shelly felt a twinge of embarrassment and forced a smile. She felt guilty but had no clue how to make it up to Daniel.
Daniel felt mentally drained. Shelly knew exactly how to twist the knife.
Being a brother to Sienna meant they could still have a connection, but without romance, without crossing boundaries, and without sharing their lives together. He'd even have to witness Sienna's marriage and address her future husband as his brother-in-law. Even if it cost him his life, he couldn't do it.
Standing up, Daniel politely excused himself. "Mr. Lawson, I have some work to attend to. Feel free to call if you need anything."
Shelly replied, "Of course, go ahead."
With a nod of farewell, Daniel walked away.
As Shelly watched him leave, she sighed deeply. If only Daniel would quit his job as an anti-drug officer, that would solve everything. She wondered if he'd be willing tomake that sacrifice for Sienna.
Leaning back in her chair, Shelly sighed once more.
When Sienna learned that Felix's medical bills were taken care of, her first thought was of Daniel. Though Shelly didn't explicitly say it, Sienna knew it was Daniel's doing. When Shelly suggested that Daniel resign so they could be together, Sienna felt a mix of excitement and anger.
Disregarding their mother-daughter relationship, she countered, "Mom, you can't make such unreasonable demands of Daniel. Don't force him to make a decision. Do you realize how despicable your actions are?"
Shelly still held onto hope and said, "Captain Morrison is truly a good person. I just "
Sienna couldn't contain her emotions. "Of course, he's a good person, but look at me. I come from a modest background, average education, job, and abilities.
"There are plenty of women like me.
It's already lucky that Daniel chose me. Do you think I'm so
extraordinary? Do you still want him
to sacrifice his career? Isn't that
selfish?"
Shelly acknowledged that Sienna's words held some truth. She couldn't bring herself to make such selfish demands of Daniel, so she abandoned the idea.
As Felix's health improved, he was moved out of the ICU and into a regular ward.
Daniel returned to the hospital with Finley once again.
How could there be a cigarette butt in the ladies' restroom?
Pearl was sure a man must have taken Esther. Maybe it was a crime done by many people.
Richard picked up the cigarette butt and looked at it closely. Then, he sadly shook his head. "This brand is found everywhere. It looks like we won't find much here."
"No," Pearl said as she carefully wrapped the cigarette butt in a napkin. "We can check it for DNA. I have to find out who it is."
Richard gave Pearl an admiring look. "Should we go get the test done now?"
Pearl frowned. "No, going back now will waste too much time. I'll call Wayne to come here, and I'll give it to him to test. Let's keep looking for Esther."
Richard looked at the floor. The floor was muddy because it had just rained. There were unclear footprints in the mud.
"This might be the culprits' footsteps."
Pearl squatted down to look at the footprints closely. She had learned how to investigate from an experienced police officer abroad. So, she was sure that two tall men, over 180 cm, had taken Esther. After they left the restroom, they saw tire tracks by the road.
"They must have waited for Esther in the restroom before taking her to a car by the road. Then, they drove off."
Unfortunately, it was too dark, and Pearl couldn't tell if the car had gone east or
west.
Richard looked both ways and said, "He must have gone west."
Surprised, Pearl asked, "Why?"
"If you go east, you'll reach the city. The city has many lights at night, and the roads are straight with few turns. There are also police checking cars. It would be easy to catch the bad guys there. "But to the west, it's near the mountains."
Pearl turned pale thinking about the mountains. "Could it be human trafficking?"
Richard looked serious. "I think so."
If they were dealing with human trafficking, they needed to act fast to save Esther. "Richard, go get your car. We'll head west."
However, Richard was worried. He
t take her away like they digest
t someone might attack F
and
Esther.
"Don't worry about me. I can defend myself. I'll be fine."
Feeling better, Richard got in his car,
and the off. On the way, Pearl
Cs to tell him to pai
attention to the east.
They didn't want to miss anything by making the wrong guess.
It was late at night.
Esther slowly opened her eyes in a moving car.
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She wanted to scream when she saw
she was in a strange place. But she realized she couldn't. Her mouth was taped shut. The content is on Novelxo.org! Read the latest
chapter there!
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She was in a cramped van with a
man driving and another and another guy sitting
next to her. The content is on Novelxo.org! Read the latest
chapter there!
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When the guy saw her wake up, he
laughed and turned to stare at her. "Hey, the pretty girl is awake." The
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