Chapter 303: Whereabouts Unknown

“Times have changed. Nowadays, people believe in the freedom to choose who they love. He’s my only son, and I really don’t want things to escalate to the point where we turn against each other.” Carla Shepherd gently shook her head. “A mother can’t control a grown son. Jasmine, as a mother yourself, you should understand my dilemma.”

In the past, Carla had highly approved of Summer becoming her daughter-in-law and had accepted her wholeheartedly. However, judging by her current tone, she had clearly changed her mind and would no longer try to play matchmaker for the two of them.

Jasmine Lester was an astute woman. Since Carla had made her stance so clear, Jasmine wouldn’t force the issue. In the Northolme region, Nolan Forrester wasn’t the only outstanding bachelor. With the Summers family’s current wealth, it would be easy to recruit a top-tier young man to marry into their family. Summer wouldn’t have to suffer the slightest grievance.

She initially wanted to turn and persuade her daughter to drop the matter, but upon meeting Summer’s stubborn and unyielding gaze, she silently sighed.

“I naturally understand how you feel. Unfortunately, Summer is deeply in love with Nolan. She is determined to marry no one but him,” Jasmine said, softening her tone to persuade her. “Summer is young and hasn’t thought things all the way through, but once our two families unite in marriage, the Summers family’s assets will eventually be handed over to Nolan. When that time comes, Summer can stay at the Forrester family’s home in peace, attending to you, raising children, and living a stable life.”

How could Carla not hear the underlying calculation in those words? But Carla had long since figured everything out and seen through all the entanglements. Now that she had made up her mind not to interfere in Nolan’s private romantic life, she would absolutely not relent.

“Jasmine, it’s useless to say all this now. We gave your daughter a chance before, but she failed to grasp it. I don’t want to play the villain trying to break up a couple anymore, only to end up alienating everyone.” She raised a hand to massage her throbbing temples. “I’m a little tired.”

The dismissal couldn’t have been more obvious.

Jasmine’s eyes flickered slightly. She took the cue, pulling Summer up as she stood. “Rest well, then. I’ll come see you another day. Summer and I will take our leave now.”

“Mom!” Filled with reluctance, Summer was forcibly dragged out of the villa by Jasmine.

Stepping out the front door, Summer violently shook off her mother’s hand. “Are we just going to leave like this?”

Jasmine’s face was dark and cold. “Should we stay and humiliate ourselves? Couldn’t you tell? Carla has made up her mind to wash her hands of Nolan’s love life.”

Back then, when Frederick Forrester cheated and divorced her, Carla became terrified of creating a rift with her son, which was why she was now unwilling to interfere too much. Her mind was made up; no amount of persuasion could sway her.

“Then what should I do? Without Miss Forrester backing me up, trying to marry into the Forrester family will be virtually impossible!”

Jasmine looked at her daughter’s obstinate demeanor, feeling both angry and helpless. “Is Nolan the only man in the world? Mom can help you pick out an outstanding young man with excellent background and looks to marry into the Summers family. You won’t have to marry far away, you’ll hold all the power in your own home, and no one would dare give you attitude. Wouldn’t that be better?”

“I don’t want a man who leeches off his wife’s family. I only want Nolan.”

Summer had always been drawn to power. Deep down, she looked down on men who relied on a woman’s resources to establish themselves. They were completely unworthy of a privileged heiress like her!

“Since you’re so insistent, then the two of us will have to plan this out carefully. But even if we get rid of Shiloh Sloan, Nolan might not necessarily choose you. Are you sure you still want to proceed?”

“As long as Shiloh disappears from Nolan’s side, he’ll notice my good qualities sooner or later,” Summer said, her eyes certain and her tone completely resolute.

“If your mind is made up, we have to do this flawlessly. We absolutely cannot leave a single trace.” Jasmine leaned in and whispered a few instructions into her ear.

Hearing this, Summer’s eyes widened sharply. “Mom, you actually have this kind of capability? How come I never knew about this?”

“You don’t need to ask too many questions. For the time being, don’t initiate any contact with Nolan. You don’t want to come across as too desperate or cheap. Even if you happen to run into him, act nonchalant and offer him your most sincere blessings.”

“Why?”

“Silly girl. Not only will it make you look generous and dignified, but when something does happen later, no one will suspect you.”

Summer affectionately linked arms with her. “As long as I get what I want, I’ll listen to whatever you arrange, Mom.”

In the blink of an eye, it was nearly noon, and Vesper Grayson was still waiting in vain for Jared Hawthorne to return.

The sense of unease in her heart grew stronger and stronger. She pulled out her phone and dialed his number, but only the cold, mechanical voice of an automated operator answered, “The subscriber you have dialed is powered off.”

Even with a flight delay, flying from M-Country back to Veridia shouldn’t result in three hours of total radio silence.

Could something have happened?

Meanwhile, Chadwick Whitman had received a call from his mother informing him that Jared was returning today and asking him to come home for a family meal. After finishing his work, he drove back to the villa.

The moment he walked through the door, he saw Vesper sitting on the sofa, looking incredibly anxious and restless.

“Prue, what’s wrong?” Chadwick walked over and hung his coat on the rack.

“Chadwick, you’re back.” Vesper immediately stood up to greet him, her face full of anxiety. “According to the itinerary, Jared should have been home a long time ago. But there’s no sign of him, and his phone is turned off. Could I trouble you to send someone to look into it?”

On this trip to M-Country, Leon Quillan had accompanied Jared the entire way. Now that both of them had lost contact at the same time, she couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild.

“Don’t panic,” Chadwick said in a deep voice. “I’ll have someone look into it right away.”

He immediately made a call and quickly gave out instructions. Afterward, he wrapped an arm around his restless sister and guided her back to the sofa.

“Relax a little. I’ve already deployed men to track them down. Jared is a steady man; he wouldn’t get into trouble so easily.”

“Mhm,” Vesper replied gloomily. However, her heart was still in her throat, making it impossible for her to calm down.

Ten minutes later, Chadwick’s subordinate called back.

“President Whitman, three hours ago, an armed terrorist riot broke out at the local airport in M-Country. Terrorists attacked the scene with firearms. Following the incident, the airport immediately locked down the entire airspace, and all incoming and outgoing flights were grounded. I have already mobilized our personnel stationed in M-Country to rush to the scene and investigate the latest situation.”

“Got it. Report back the second there’s any progress.” Chadwick hung up the phone, his expression solemn.

Every word of the conversation had fallen into Vesper’s ears. She clasped her hands tightly together, her fingertips icy cold. Her worst premonition had come true.

Chadwick turned to look at his pale sister, gently consoling her. “Prue, don’t worry. My men are already heading to the scene to investigate. Jared will definitely be fine.”

Despite his words, the worry in Vesper’s heart didn’t diminish in the slightest.

Even though Leon had exceptional combat skills and Jared possessed extraordinary composure, they were up against frenzied, heavily armed thugs. Bullets were blind. The danger was entirely unpredictable.

She didn’t dare dwell on it any further, feeling her chest grow tighter and heavier with each passing second.

At this moment, Jenson Whitman and Renee Rhodes walked down from upstairs. Having overheard the tail end of their conversation, their faces instantly turned grim as they hurried over.

“What happened? What were you two just talking about?”

Because of the urgency of the situation, there was no need to hide anything. Chadwick concisely summarized the sudden terrorist attack at the M-Country airport and how Jared was currently stranded there and unreachable.

Her heart aching, Renee wrapped her arms around the distraught Vesper, soothing her gently. “Prue, don’t be afraid. As long as he’s still within the airport vicinity, Chadwick’s men will definitely be able to find him and bring him out safely.”

Vesper buried her face in Renee’s embrace and forced a nod, but her mind remained in a state of suspended turmoil.

Meanwhile, outside the M-Country airport.

Gunfire roared inside the terminal building as crowds screamed and fled. The entire airport had descended into uncontrolled chaos.

The moment the crisis erupted, Leon, relying on combat instincts honed through years of life-and-death trials, immediately shielded Jared. Using the panicked crowds and the architecture for cover, they managed to evade the concentrated gunfire. Familiar with all the airport’s emergency escape routes, Leon forcibly tore open a path of survival through the hail of bullets. He escorted Jared past layers of blockades, successfully breaking out of the overrun terminal.

Both men were exceptionally capable and had managed to escape death, but it was ultimately impossible to avoid all danger entirely. While dodging stray bullets during their breakout, both had sustained various cuts and wounds. Combined with their all-out sprint to freedom, their physical stamina had long since been completely depleted.

Upon fleeing to a deserted roadside outside the airport, their overstretched nerves suddenly snapped. Intense pain and utter exhaustion instantly swallowed them whole.

Unable to hold on any longer, Jared and Leon’s visions went black. They lost consciousness completely, collapsing motionlessly beside the wild grass on the side of the road.

A short while later, a black sedan slowly pulled up to the curb.

The car window rolled down. A woman took off her sunglasses, her gaze indifferent as she looked toward the distant, still-chaotic airport.

The subordinate beside her reported in a low voice, “It’s a sudden terrorist riot. Fortunately, we left early, or we would have been trapped inside too.”

Just as the woman was about to put her sunglasses back on and order the driver to leave, the subordinate’s gaze suddenly hardened.

“Zeth, there are two people lying by the road.”

“Go take a look.”

The subordinate quickly stepped out to investigate and hurried back, speaking in a hushed tone. “They must have escaped from the airport. They’re both severely injured and completely unconscious.”

The woman pushed open the door and stepped out. Her slender figure slowly approached before she bent over, casting her eyes downward.

When she got a clear look at the man’s deeply contoured, devastatingly handsome, and sharp features, a profound look of surprise flashed across the depths of her eyes.

It was him. She never expected to run into Jared Hawthorne here again.

She straightened up, her tone firm and decisive. “Load him into my car, and take the other one to the car in the back. We’re splitting up.”

The subordinate immediately looked hesitant. “Zeth, we came here specifically to find Seth. If we rashly bring back two severely injured strangers and Seth gets angry… why don’t we just call emergency services and send them to the hospital?”

“Watch your mouth.” The woman’s eyes turned sharp, her aura overbearing. “If anything goes wrong, I’ll take full responsibility. You don’t need to worry about it. Just do as you’re told.”

Not long after, Chadwick’s subordinates sent back word, but they didn’t bring any good news.

“President Whitman, we’ve finished searching. Mr. Hawthorne and Leon Quillan are not inside the airport. Security footage shows that the moment the riot broke out, the two of them utilized their exceptional reflexes to successfully break out and evacuate the terminal’s lockdown zone.

“However, both men sustained external injuries during their escape. The high-intensity evasion exhausted their stamina, and they ultimately collapsed by the roadside on the outskirts of the airport.

“Later, an unlicensed vehicle passed by and took the two unconscious men away. They were not taken to a legitimate hospital. Once the vehicle drove into an unmonitored stretch of road, it completely vanished without a trace. Their whereabouts are currently unknown.”

As the voice fell silent, the atmosphere in the living room instantly dropped to freezing point.

Vesper snapped her head up, her eyes filled with panic and stubbornness. “Mom, Dad, Chadwick, I want to go to M-Country.”

She had to go look for him herself.

Renee immediately objected. “Prue, you’re still pregnant! You can’t handle all that traveling and tossing about. The situation over there is chaotic and dangerous; you absolutely cannot go. Stay home and wait for news. Chadwick’s men will search with everything they have.”

Jenson also chimed in with a deep voice, “The chaos over there hasn’t settled yet. It’s too risky for a pregnant woman like you to go. Even if Jared knew, he would never agree to it.”

Suppressing the grim look in his eyes, Chadwick softly consoled her, “Prue, since he managed to break out successfully and was taken away, it means he is still alive and not in any immediate, fatal danger. Don’t worry. As long as he’s still within the borders of M-Country, I promise to find him and bring him back safely.”