Chapter 33: Overnight Search (1)
Willis’s face grew even darker.
He picked up his phone and called the bodyguards responsible for Helena’s protection. “You were supposed to watch over Helena. Where is she?”
The bodyguard spoke respectfully, “Helena said we’ve been guarding her for so many days and needed a break. She granted us two days off, saying it was your decision.”NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.
Willis raised his lips slightly, almost smiling. The usually gentle and obedient woman had actually falsely claimed his orders.
He asked coldly, “Where did she go?”
Sensing his displeasure, the bodyguard cautiously replied, “She didn’t say.”
Willis hung up the phone and dialed the maid’s number.
Her phone was also turned off.
Frowning, Willis instructed his assistant, “Check the surveillance.”
“Yes, Mr. Santana,” the assistant promptly led a team to the hospital’s surveillance room.
Ten minutes later, the assistant called, “Mr. Santana, all the surveillance footage showing Mrs. Santana has been deliberately deleted.”
Willis clenched the phone in his hand, gradually applying more force, almost deforming it.
After a moment of contemplation, he stood up and walked towards the Nephrology department.
Entering Helena’s grandmother’s ward, he knocked on the door and entered.
Zena was tucking in her old mother with a blanket.
Seeing Willis, she raised an eyebrow without much expression and asked, “Anything wrong?”
Willis calmly said, “Mom, Helena has been discharged. Do you know where she went?”
Zena chuckled, “You’re her husband, and you don’t know where she went. How would I know?”
“She misunderstood me and left in anger. A young girl with an injured hand running around is dangerous. Please tell me where she went so I can find her.”
He spoke politely, but there was a hint of command in his tone.
Zena, perceptive as she was, noticed.
She pulled a chair and sat down, crossed her legs, grabbed a handful of melon seeds, and nonchalantly said, “In those two years when your health was poor and your temper was bad, she served you diligently. Day and night, she took care of you with all her heart. Now that you’re recovered, you don’t need a caretaker, so naturally, you don’t want her anymore.”
Willis’s gaze deepened, and he pursed his lips in silence.
Zena laughed at herself, “Well, it’s true. In your eyes, my daughter is just a maid. Now that you’re back on your feet, you don’t need a maid, so naturally, you don’t want her.”
Willis curved his lips, “I’ve never treated her as a maid.”
Zena gave him a sidelong glance, “Don’t just say nice things. If you want her, be more dedicated. If you don’t, divorce her straightforwardly. My daughter is beautiful, has a good temper, is intelligent, and skilled. Even if she gets divorced, she’s only twenty-three. What kind of guy can’t she find? There are plenty of divorced men nowadays, it’s not a big deal.”
Willis’s lips curved a little more, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. He said coolly, “You’re busy; I’ll keep looking.”
He turned and left.
The door made a rather loud sound when closed.
Zena clicked her tongue twice, saying to the old lady who was dozing off on the hospital bed, “Mom, look at his temper. I said a few words to him, and he got angry and slammed the door. Helena followed him; who knows how much grievance she’s suffered.”
The old lady moved her eyelids but didn’t speak.
“When she got married, those relatives behind our backs ridiculed me, saying I sold my daughter to a disabled man for money. Thinking he stood up, I thought Helena’s good days had come, but I didn’t expect him to be restless again. Marrying someone from a different background is looked down upon; they’ll bully you if they want to and humiliate you as they please.” Zena turned away, secretly wiping the corners of her eyes.
The old lady sighed, taking her time to say, “It’s my fault for burdening her.”
“Mom, please don’t say that. It’s because I’m useless,” Zena’s throat felt dry.
Next, Willis and his team searched all the places Helena might have gone. As the night dragged on, they still hadn’t found her.
In the middle of the night, lying on the large bed in his bedroom, Willis tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
After much contemplation, he suddenly thought of a place.
He immediately put on his clothes, took his team, and rushed to Parvis Village.
Parvis Village was Helena’s grandfather’s hometown.
Helena grew up there.
When the group arrived at Parvis Village, it was already three or four in the morning.
Willis got out of the car, pushed the courtyard door, but it didn’t budge.
Helena should be asleep by now, and he didn’t want to wake her. Willis opened the car door, reclined the seat, and closed his eyes, intending to take a short nap.
After all the commotion, tiredness overwhelmed him, and he drifted into sleep as soon as he closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, the sky was already bright.
Willis pushed open the car door and got out.
One of the bodyguards hurried over, saying, “Mr. Santana, someone is talking in the yard, and it sounds a lot like Helena.”
Willis nodded slightly, walked to the courtyard gate, and pushed it.
This time, the gate opened.