Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
There was a telephone on the desk, though.
Audrey picked it up, yet it failed to establish a connection.
Following the power outage, the network remained offline, leaving her unable to connect.
Audrey set the telephone down with a heavy heart, realizing her own cell phone was her last remaining lifeline.
She persisted in searching the floor, despite the scant warmth offered by the thin carpet. The carpet was frigid, sending shivers coursing through her body.
Eventually, her fingers brushed against something solid, and to her relief, it was her phone.
Her excitement turned to disappointment as she grabbed it, only to discover that it had run out of battery.
As the temperature continued to plummet, the wall thermometer ominously displayed an indoor temperature of -0.4 degrees Fahrenheit!
Despair suddenly overwhelmed Audrey.
The darkness’s chilly air morphed into a menacing presence, as if it were lurking around Audrey, ready to pounce at any moment.
Wrapped tightly in the only blanket she had, Audrey shivered, unable to gather her thoughts. Cornell was her sole beacon of hope. She hoped that if it was noticed she was missing, he would think to check his office.
Luckily, Erick, always diligent despite his busy schedule, made it a routine to call Audrey each night to confirm her safety.
This particular night, as work stretched late, Erick contemplated calling Audrey but hesitated, fearing she might already be asleep.
Choosing instead to send a text, Erick texted Audrey and resumed his tasks.
His focus returned to the upcoming celebration for the babies, mere days ahead.
To either delay Davey or capture him if needed, extensive planning and coordination were necessary at the event venue.
Erick revisited the design plans that he had scrutinized repeatedly, looking for any missed details. By the time he set the plans aside, it was close to midnight. He checked his phone again, yet he received no response from Audrey. Assuming she was sleeping, he went to freshen up.
After his shower, a persistent unease nagged at him. Erick decided to make a call to Audrey’s villa.
The phone rang repeatedly before someone finally picked up.
Victor and Judd were tasked with escorting Audrey’s babies to Ardlens, leaving only a few servants and bodyguards concealed in vehicles outside and at the villa.
“Hello, who is this?” a drowsy servant inquired through the phone.
Erick’s brow furrowed, noting the servant’s deep sleep. “It’s Erick. Is Audrey asleep?”
Typically, Erick only needed to announce his name, as all at the villa recognized him as Audrey’s brother.
Wiping sleep from her eyes, the servant responded, “I’m not sure. Miss hasn’t been seen much today.”
Not seen? Erick’s anxiety mounted. With the babies no longer there, Audrey had no reason to remain secluded in her room all day. “Check on her right now and report back immediately,” he instructed sharply, his tone stern.
Jolted by his urgency, the servant quickly replied, “Right away, sir!”
As the servant started to hang up, Erick interjected firmly, “Don’t hang up. I’ll wait.”
“Okay. Setting the phone aside, the servant hastened away to Audrey’s room.”
Minutes later, the servant’s rapid footsteps returned to the phone.
Erick’s anxiety escalated with each passing second.
Catching her breath, the servant reported, “Mr. Foster, I knocked on Miss’s room, but there was no reply.”
Erick’s concern deepened. Audrey’s bedroom was typically restricted to keep the babies’ departure confidential. But normally, she would respond to a knock. The absence of a reply confirmed Audrey was not there. Where had she gone?
As worry overtook him, Erick ended the call and sped toward Audrey’s villa, driven by a growing sense of alarm.
After Audrey’s previous fainting spell, she had left a spare key with Erick for emergencies.
Upon unlocking the door, Erick found the room desolate, the perfectly made bed signaling that Audrey had not come back.
Instantly, his face drained of color. Exiting, he encountered a servant who had just woken up and, in his frustration, lashed out physically. Audrey was still absent, yet the servant had already fallen asleep. Erick was infuriated by such negligence.
In truth, the servants’ neglect stemmed from Stefan’s prolonged absence, which led them to presume Audrey was disfavored. Not even motherhood had secured her standing in the household.
This perception caused the servants to neglect their duties, becoming deceitful and disobedient, disregarding Audrey.
Audrey herself, quiet and unassuming, rarely dealt with the servants directly and largely ignored their negligence.
Her mildness only emboldened the servants further. They probably wouldn’t notice even if Audrey vanished for a few days.
Erick observed the servants, who were defiantly avoiding proper submission. Their disrespectful stance spoke volumes. They underestimated Audrey, assuming she had lost her status.
Enraged, Erick commanded the bodyguards, “Bind them and have them kneel outside all night. Ensure they do not sleep!”
The servants loudly voiced their objections to this punishment, “Mr. Foster, why are you punishing us? Miss Foster is an adult. We can’t monitor her constantly!”
The servant who had been kicked by Erick was the first to object with raised head.
“Why?” Erick’s expression chilled. “You think you’re beyond discipline because Stefan isn’t here, right?”
The servants straightened their backs defiantly and declared, “Only Mr. Clifford has the right to punish us!”
Erick retorted, “Oh, you think I can’t take action against you?”
He immediately made a speakerphone call in their presence. Upon hearing the situation, Stefan became incensed and ordered the defiant servants to be taken outside and stripped of their outer garments to endure the cold.
Hearing Stefan’s commanding voice left the servants dumbfounded.
Wasn’t Stefan indifferent toward Audrey? Why, then, such severe punishment? Perhaps they had misjudged the situation…
Erick wasted no time. He rallied everyone in the villa to search for any clues about Audrey’s disappearance. Yet, Audrey’s whereabouts were unknown to all.
In his fury, Erick shattered a large vase.
Every servant was responsible for attending to Audrey, yet none had any information about her
current location, and she hadn’t been seen since the morning. Their negligence was apparent.
Erick commanded all the servants to kneel outside, hoping it would clear their mind. Amidst them, a middle-aged man nervously claimed to have a lead.
“Speak,” Erick urged him.
“I’m the night shift driver. The day shift driver is missing,” the middle-aged man disclosed, providing a crucial piece of information.
Relieved from immediate punishment due to his helpfulness, the night shift driver was spared as Erick then focused on locating the day shift driver and alerted local authorities to aid in searching for Audrey.
After a lengthy search, they discovered that the day shift driver was merely at his home.
Erick arrived in haste, and the trembling day shift driver explained that after dropping Audrey at the conference center and waiting for about thirty minutes, he had an emergency that forced him to leave early.
He had expected Audrey to call if she needed further transportation, especially since a night driver was available to take over. With the lack of further instructions from Audrey and assuming his shift was over, he did not return.
Overwhelmed with frustration at their slacking off, Erick realized that had anyone been attentive, Audrey would already be home safe and sound.
In his urgency, Erick called Cornell around three in the morning to understand the situation better.
Cornell, hadn’t yet fallen asleep, responded promptly. He told Erick that Audrey had visited him this day but had left soon after, which was precisely what the secretary had told him.
After the call, Erick sought assistance from law enforcement to access and review conference center surveillance footage, hoping for any clues.
Meanwhile, feeling restless, Cornell prepared himself and requested his driver to head to the conference center, the first logical place to search, despite the odds.
Knowing the conference center was secured after hours by a system that only senior officials could disable, Cornell tried to reach the duty officer for access but received no response. He then instructed Matteo to track down the official directly.
Taking matters into his own hands, Cornell managed to enter the building using a security key.
Navigating the dark stairwell with a flashlight held in his mouth, Cornell carefully climbed, relying on the railing and his cane. As fatigue set in, he placed the flashlight in his coat pocket to use both hands to feel his way through the darkness.
Fortunately, his office was located on the eighth floor, not the eighteenth.
After a grueling twenty-minute ascent, Cornell arrived at his destination.
Exhausted, he moved toward his office and knocked on the door.
The office was inaccessible due to a power outage, as entry required both electricity and a security code.
The door, perfectly integrated into the wall without seams, offered no glimpse inside, and the windows on the opposite side made any attempt to break in unfeasible.
Cornell repeatedly knocked on the door while calling Audrey’s name, each shout filled with hope that she was not inside.
The chilling temperatures of Aurora at night could plummet to minus forty degrees Celsius outside, and nearly minus twenty-two inside.