Chapter 359-Heart To Heart

Verity:

"I’m sorry about earlier," I apologized awkwardly as I settled into the car with Ragnar again.

"It’s okay," he replied dryly.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to face him.

"I know you are worried about Gigi, I just don’t know how to help locate her," I uttered, watching him breathe slowly.

He took off his glasses and tossed them onto the seat.

Ragnar occupied quite a lot of space.

He was a big guy, but it didn’t help that I had squeezed myself all the way into the corner.

This was always how I sat beside him, and I didn’t even know why.

"You’ve known Gigi for a very long time," he began.

I pouted but nodded.

"Yes, I have."

"Then do you know anywhere she might have gone?"

For the first time, Ragnar seemed lost, as though he needed someone to point him in the right direction, and I didn’t like seeing him that way.

It only meant he was worried about that bitch.

"You’re asking the wrong person. I knew her, but we weren’t that close. I mean, I wasn’t exactly popular or attractive back then," I admitted with a smile, briefly zoning out before shaking my head to pull myself from my thoughts.

"Anyway, if there was one person who went everywhere with her, someone who really, really knew her, it would be Rochelle."

Ragnar sighed and shook his head, clearly displeased with the answer.

"We spoke with her. She knows nothing," he replied in his heavy, rough voice.

"I mean, she came by early this morning. She was really anxious. She said something about her sister being really depressed and worried."

I was still talking when Ragnar threw his head back.

"I know. Everybody’s worried about her. I think they were all very close to Gigi."

I immediately shook my finger at him.

"No, it wasn’t about Gigi. Rochelle said her sister is extremely anxious and worried, and that’s worrying her."

As I tried to explain, I noticed Ragnar slowly shift in his seat.

"It seemed like she was hinting that her sister was going through the same kind of anxiety Jenna had been dealing with. You know how people now understand the way Jenna was behaving during the abuse and blackmail? It sounded like Rochelle was trying to say it was something like that, but then she just left."

Before we could completely divert the subject, I added, "Besides, there’s still a guy out there."

I paused, biting my bottom lip. I couldn’t bring myself to say the actual words.

After filtering them through my mind, I finally found something less traumatizing.

"He showed up where Jenna was at the exact spot of the river, and...you know."

I slowly raised my eyes to Ragnar and saw him nod.

His jaw clenched so hard I swear I heard a little pop.

"So you’re saying maybe Oliver wasn’t alone? Maybe there were two of them?" he asked, trying to understand exactly what I was insinuating.

That was the thing about Ragnar. He wanted you to say things plainly.

"I mean, that place was really isolated. For a stranger to just show up and know exactly how to control Jenna seems a little too fabricated. So I wouldn’t be surprised if Oliver had asked him to go there." I paused to breathe since he was staring really hard at me.

"Besides, he never showed up again. If a man knew that kind of activity was going on there, you’d think he’d visit more often, taking advantage of whatever he was using to control her. But he did none of that. He just left, almost as if he knew he could come back whenever he wanted."

I watched Ragnar lower his head and grunt under his breath.

"Did Rochelle ask Diana what’s been bothering her?" he questioned, suddenly far more interested in everything I was saying, especially after this other man I had brought into the conversation.

"No. Diana isn’t saying anything. Remember, Jenna didn’t confide in anyone either. But I was thinking..."

I pressed my back against the car seat and took a deep breath before continuing.

"What if..." I paused. "What if you, as the Alpha King, could check her phone? Maybe see if she’s been in contact with someone?"

I watched Ragnar’s face light up with the possibility before he shook his head.

"That would be an invasion of privacy. If she doesn’t want us to, we can’t just go through her phone."

I sighed. On the surface, these Alpha Kings certainly liked to act as though they never did anything wrong.

"Okay, then how about I meet her and try to convince her to come forward about whatever is troubling her? Maybe then we can–I mean just maybe–"

I rubbed my hands together.

I knew Diana’s problems might have nothing to do with any of this, but Jenna’s situation had taught me not to dismiss things so easily.

Just because Gigi was missing didn’t mean everyone else’s problems suddenly stopped mattering.

Diana was just another teenager, and I would hate for us to discover too late that she had needed help and no one had been there for her.

"Okay, then. That would be a great idea," Ragnar agreed with a nod.

He adjusted his posture again, and before I could turn away and give him my back, he spoke softly.

"You’re really strong."

I cleared my throat and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Time made me strong. I realized nobody was there to help me, so there was no point in continuing to live like a victim. I had to grow up and get myself out of everything if I wanted to survive."

Then I finally turned my back to him.

We got home, and I prepared to call Rochelle over.

However, she told me there was no way Diana would come and speak to anyone, which meant I had to go talk to her myself.

So, I did.

Jaguar accompanied me, and we got into the car, determined to see if I could get any information out of Diana.

The moment we arrived and stepped out of the car, Rochelle completely bypassed me and hurried straight to Jaguar.

"Thank you so much for coming. I knew you wouldn’t ignore my cries."

Those were her exact words.

Jaguar and I immediately exchanged a glance.

It seemed there was some kind of competition between us.