Chapter 227: Kidnap

Angel was spending the day with Ocean at the Del Rosario mansion, hoping the company of her grandmothers would help distract her from the growing worry weighing on her mind. Her little Omega daughter had crawled off somewhere in the house and was happily playing with the workers, leaving Angel alone in the living room with her phone clutched in her hand.

Her eyes had barely left the screen all morning. April had not answered any of her calls since the previous night. At first, Angel had assumed her wife was exhausted after the business meeting and had gone to bed early. However, as the hours passed without a message or a return call, her concern gradually grew into something she could no longer ignore.

She had even contacted April’s office, hoping someone could tell her where her wife was or when she might be available. The response had been that April was probably in a meeting, so Angel had continued waiting, checking her phone every few minutes in case her wife finally decided to call.

"My Bella, stop staring at that phone and come help me in the kitchen..." Grandma Lucinda called from where she stood, her voice carrying through the mansion.

Seeing her granddaughter sitting in the same spot for hours, constantly checking her phone, had begun to worry her. Angel was usually full of energy, but today she looked as though her entire world depended on a single phone call.

Angel reluctantly rose from the couch, still holding her phone, and followed her grandmother into the kitchen. Lucinda had been preparing vegetables for their meal, so Angel joined her at the counter and began helping with the carrots and peppers.

Her hands moved quickly as she diced the vegetables, but her attention remained fixed on the screen beside her. Every few seconds, she glanced at it, hoping to see April’s name appear.

Nothing.

"What is happening...?" Angel muttered under her breath, her worry becoming harder to conceal.

Before she could dwell on it any further, Ocean’s giggles reached the kitchen from somewhere outside. The little girl sounded perfectly happy, apparently enjoying herself with the workers who had been entertaining her.

Angel briefly turned towards the sound, relieved that at least her daughter was having a good day. She was about to return her attention to the vegetables when Priesto walked into the kitchen, wearing the innocent expression of a man who had never caused trouble in his life.

"Mommy, do you need my help?" he asked sweetly.

Lucinda immediately turned towards her son, looking him over with the kind of disappointment only a mother could deliver.

"Gabriel, the only help I want from you is for you to go out there and bring me a daughter-in-law or son-in-law. You are not getting younger, are you?"

"Mommy, I already told you, I am married to God..." Priesto replied without the slightest hesitation.

"Which God? Because I know the God you are serving is different from the God I serve..." Lucinda retorted, shaking her head. "Look at your niece. She is married and has two children. You are almost thirty, my boy. Before you get old, go and get me my grandchildren."

Priesto remained unfazed by his mother’s complaints.

"If you are looking for a grandchild, I have many ways to give you one..."

"If I see a nun birthing me grandchildren, I will disown you, boy!" Lucinda declared.

"No, no, I was not going there. I am talking about adoption. I am a very good boy who loves doing the Lord’s work. You can ask Angel. She will tell you the same thing..."

Unfortunately for Priesto, the niece whose opinion he had invoked was not paying attention to their conversation.

Angel was still staring at her phone, wondering why April had not called. She even began wondering whether her wife and Lucy May might have gone to visit Mr. January and the children...

The thought did little to calm her nerves. April would usually let her know about such plans, and even if something unexpected had come up, she would have found a moment to send a message.

Something was wrong, and Angel could feel it.

After finishing the kitchen preparations, she returned to the living room and immediately dialled April’s office again. This time, she was told that they had received an update about April’s schedule. There had only been one meeting, which had taken place the previous night.

Angel did not even wait for the person on the other end to finish explaining.

She ended the call and immediately dialled Mr. January’s number, hoping he might know something about his daughter and granddaughter. When he failed to answer, she called his wife instead.

Thankfully, the woman picked up.

Angel asked whether April and Lucy May were with them, but the answer she received made her heart sink.

They had not seen April or Lucy May.

By then, Angel’s concern had turned into genuine fear. She picked up Ocean, gathered what she needed, and hurried to Priesto’s restaurant, where she sought help from the nuns.

The women helped her track April’s phone, and the location they discovered led them to the hotel where April had checked in after arriving in the United States.

For a moment, Angel felt a flicker of relief. At least they knew where her wife had last been. She immediately contacted the hotel and asked to speak with someone about April January Del Rosario.

The receptionist confirmed that April had checked in, but when Angel asked whether she was currently in her room, the answer was not what she had hoped to hear.

April was not in her room, and the hotel staff had neither seen nor heard from her.

Angel’s grip tightened around her phone.

She tried to keep herself calm, but her mind was racing through every possible explanation.

Where was April? Where was Lucy May? Why had neither of them contacted her, and why was her wife’s phone still showing a location at the hotel when nobody could find her there?

Before she could make another call, her phone suddenly rang.

An unfamiliar number flashed across the screen.

Angel stared at it for a moment, her heart beating harder as she wondered who could be calling her at such a time. She eventually answered, pressing the phone against her ear.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Hello, Angel Morningstar . It’s me, Charlie. I have April and your daughter. If you want them alive, book a flight to the States, and when coming, bring my Percy with you..."