Chapter 37 The Odds Aren’t in Her Favor
Chapter 37 The Odds Aren’t in Her Favor
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Luke slammed his hand down on the table, his anger boiling over. This is bullsh*t! What makes you think. you can draw such a conclusion?”
“Mr. Bolton, please calm down, the assistant quickly urged.
Luke straightened his collar, sat back down, and took a sip of his iced coffee. His gaze cold as he stared at the private investigator, Dwight Bowman
“Go on,” he said.
“Mr. Bolton, we live in an information age. A person, especially a young person, can’t just vanish without leaving some trace. Even if Mrs. Bolton was prepared with cash for her trip, she would still need an ID to book any form of transport, the investigator explained
“She could have taken an unregistered taxi,” Luke muttered.
“Yes, that’s certainly possible. Mrs, Bolton might have deliberately hidden her whereabouts to upset you. But no matter where she went, she would still need to rest. Hotels always require an ID for registration. Someone of her social standing would never stay in a cheap inn, right? Besides, with how strict things are now, even remote places require identification.
“There’s no record at any hotel, and I checked the rental market. No listings under Mrs. Bolton’s name. It also reviewed the properties listed under Roy’s name, but there’s no trace of Mrs. Bolton.
“Furthermore, I scoured all social spots in the city–internet cafés, bars, and private cinemas–and found nothing. I also heard that on your second day after your wedding, they pulled a high–end wedding dress out of the river. Not only was it stained with blood, but it had knife cuts on it. My advice, Mr. Bolton, is to call the police. I can help find missing people, but when it comes to the dead, that’s beyond my expertise.
Luke threw his coffee cup across the room. “F*ck off! My wife is just throwing a tantrum. How could something bad have happened to her?”
The private investigator hesitated, then spoke, “Mr. Bolton, I apologize for the interruption.”
Roy quickly spoke up, “Mr. Bolton, let me walk him out and check if there’s any more information on Mrs. Bolton
Luke remained frozen, staring blankly ahead, not speaking or responding.
Roy hurried after the investigator, stopping him outside to settle the remaining balance for the job.
I leaned against the door, eavesdropping on their conversation.
Tm sorry, Mr. Bowman. Our CEO has lost his composure because of Mrs. Bolton’s disappearance. He’s usually not like this Roy explained.
Tunderstand Dwight replied.
Dwight took a moment to think before continuing, “Based on what I’ve found and the wedding dress, it’s highly likely that Mrs. Bolton is deceased. However…
17:52 Sat, Dec 7 G
Chapter 37 The Odds Aren’t in Her Favor
Chapter 37 The Odds Aren’t in Her Favor
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Luke slammed his hand down on the table, his anger holing over. “This is bullsh’t! What makes you think you can draw such a conclusion?”
Bolton, please calm down, the assistant quickly urg
Luke straightened his collar, sat back down, and took up of his iced coffee. His gaze cold as he stared at the private investigator, Dwight Bowman.
“Go on,” he said
“Mr. Bolton, we live in an information age. A person, especially a young person, can’t just vanish without leaving some trace. Even if Mrs. Bolton was prepared with cash for her trip, she would still need an ID to book any form of transport, the investigator explained.
“She could have taken an unregistered taxi, Luke muttered.
“Yes, that’s certainly possible. Mrs. Bolton might have deliberately hidden her whereabouts to upset you. But no matter where she went, she would still need to rest. Hotels always require an ID for registration. Someone of her social standing would never stay in a cheap inn, right? Besides, with how strict things are now even remote places require identification.
“There’s no record at any hotel, and I checked the rental market. No listings under Mrs. Bolton’s name. I also reviewed the properties listed under Roy’s name, but there’s no trace of Mrs. Bolton
Furthermore, I scoured all social spots in the city–internet cafés, bars, and private cinemas–and found nothing. I also heard that on your second day after your wedding, they pulled a high–end wedding dress. out of the river. Not only was it stained with blood, but it had knife cuts on it. My advice, Mr. Bolton, is to call the police. I can help find missing people, but when it comes to the dead, that’s beyond my expertise
Luke threw his coffee cup across the room. “F*ck off! My wife is just throwing a tantrum. How could something bad have happened to her?”
The private investigator hesitated, then spoke, “Mr. Bolton, I apologize for the interruption.
Roy quickly spoke up, “Mr. Bolton, let me walk him out and check if there’s any more information on Mrs. Bolton”
Luke remained frozen, staring blankly ahead, not speaking or responding
Roy hurried after the investigator, stopping him outside to settle the remaining balance for the job.
I leaned against the door, eavesdropping on their conversation
Im sorry, Me Bowman. Our CEO has lost his composure because of Mrs. Bolton’s disappearance. He’s nually not like this, Roy explained.
Tunderstand. Dwight replied.
Dwight took a moment to think before continuing. Based on what I’ve found and the wedding dress, it’s highly likely that Mrs. Bolton is deceased. However….
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Chapter 37 The Odds Aren’t in Her Favor
He pondered for a moment and continued, “Based on what I’ve found so far and the wedding dress, it seems highly likely that the lady was murdered. However … ”
“However, what? Go on, Roy pressed.
“There’s another possibility. Have you heard? There have been many women going missing around the city lately. If Mrs. Bolton isn’t dead, then this could be the only explanation.”
“I’ve heard about it. The missing ones are all women, right? Mr. Bowman, do you have any sources to look into this? My boss is going mad trying to find his wife.
“But that bloodstained wedding dress….
Roy nodded grimly. “To be honest, I don’t believe Mrs. Bolton is dead either. She was a kind person who gave hope to so many children without homes. She was beautiful, kind–hearted, and never made enemies. Who would want to hurt her? And just before she disappeared, she mentioned someone was following her.
“She said that?”
“Yes, I forgot to mention it before. If you have any leads, please help. We’ll pay whatever is necessary to get Mrs. Bolton back.”
Dwight looked at Luke, then lowered his voice. “Roy, since I’ve taken on this job, I’ll follow through, but I have to be clear upfront about the stakes. If Mrs. Bolton wasn’t murdered and was taken, that’s still bad
news.
“If she had been searched as soon as she went missing, we might have been able to intercept and save her. But now, it’s been over 20 days. She’s probably been taken out of the country by now.”
Dwight wanted to light a cigarette but quickly stopped when he realized where he was.
“Recently, human trafficking and exploitation abroad have been on the rise. Many families have been devastated by it.”
Roy said: “I’ve seen the news.”
“News?” Dwight scoffed. “What you see in the news doesn’t even come close to what’s really going on. Women are the worst off. Once they fall into the hands of those demons, it’s like hell. The only good thing is that Mrs. Bolton is young and beautiful, so she’s not likely to be treated like some other helpless womTEIN. But sometimes, beauty isn’t an advantage.”
The rest of what Dwight intended to say remained unspoken, but Roy understood. His face darkened with
concern.
“Even if we find her, Mrs. Bolton might not be the same as she was. A family like the Boltons, would they still accept the changed Mrs. Bolton?”
Luke’s voice came from behind and said, “No matter how Chloe changes, I’ll find her. You need to go find out if she’s in their hands now.”
“Yes, Mr. Bolton.”
Dwight rushed off, and I smiled silently.
Sat, Dec
Chapter 37 The Odds Aren’t in Her Favor
Luke, should I praise you for being so devoted?
You’d rather think I’m a victim of human trafficking than that I’m dead.
IfI really turned out to be suffered that awful fate as they claim, would you still be able to accept me?
Clearly not.
Luke was a high and lofty man. It was his pride that got in the way.
Once Dwight left, Luke sat back in a chair in the garden.
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It had rained heavily the night before, and the air was thick with the smell of fresh vegetation. The world seemed brighter after the rain.
The flower on the tree had opened. Luke stared at them; his mind was clearly elsewhere.
“Mr. Bolton, you d Roy said gently.
look well. Would you like to rest for a while? I’ll let you know if there’s any news.”
Luke gripped the armrest of the swing, his eyes distant Chloe used to love sitting here in the sun.
Roy, noticing his low mood, attempted to comfort him “Yes, back then, you and Mrs. Bolton were very close. She’d swing in front, and you’d push her from behind.”
I noticed the veins on his hand trembling as he spoke, his voice tinged with regret. “But I haven’t pushed her in two or three years.”
He opened his hands, one still marked by the grip on the armrest. “How did we get to this point?”
I wanted to ask him the same thing. How did two people who once loved each other so much end up this way!
Separated by life and death, I hate him with all my heart, but I can’t get revenge. I can only watch as my enemy swings before my eyes.
Roy sighed deeply and said, “You really don’t know, do you?”
It was because of Anna.
Everyone knew, except for him.
“Did I really do wrong? Is it too late to fix things? Can Chloe forgive me?”
Roy shook his head and said, “As Mr. Bowman said, Mr. Bolton has been missing for over 20 days. If she’s been sold abroad, I’m afraid the odds are not in her favor.
