Chapter 206
Panic surged inside Ivy as she paced the room.
Silas’s eyes widended with concern. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. It’s Mason… Cheryl…” Her words caught in her throat, her chest tightening.
“Easy now,” Silas said gently, stepping closer. He took her hand and pulled her close. “Breathe slowly and explain.”
Ivy obeyed, taking a deep breath. She counted to ten inwardly before she told him everything.
“Okay,” Silas said softly. “Are we sure Mason is being serious? What if this is all planned? I’m just saying.” He shrugged.
She considered it for a moment, then shook her head. “Cheryl was ready to leave town. She can’t possibly be part of this…”
“Only one way to find out. Let’s go to Walter Street,” Silas suggested.
Ivy nodded and hurried to the bathroom. She took a quick shower and got dressed. She and Silas, along with Bud, drove straight to the street.
Halfway down the road, Ivy’s heart skipped. “Look, cops,” she said, pointing, her heart pounded harder.
As they drew closer, her panic intensified. A cab was parked in the middle of the road, all its doors wide open. Police officers stood around it–some talking among themselves, others directing traffic.
Silas reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. “Let’s get closer.”
She nodded and waited for Bud to park properly before she and Silas approached the officers.
“Hello,” Silas greeted the two nearest officers.
“Hello, Mr. Stone,” one officer said, stepping forward. “This is a crime scene, sir. You can’t be here.”
“Crime scene?” Ivy asked, her voice cracking.
Silas held her hand, trying to calm her. “What happened here?”
“A cab driver was found unconscious. We’re suspecting a robbery gone wrong,” the officer replied.
Ivy’s stomach dropped. “A robbery? What about the baby?”
The second officer moved closer, his brow furrowed. “What baby?”
Her eyes widened. “There’s supposed to be a baby in the cab!”
“Easy now,” Silas said, but she was already spiraling. Her chest tightened, her head spinning with dreadful thoughts.
“No baby was found at the scene,” the first officer said.
“Maybe you’ve got the wrong street,” the second one added.
Ivy looked around. This was definitely Walter Street. Had Mason lied? Or was this the wrong scene?
“Maybe,” Silas said. Then he turned to her. “Call Cheryl’s phone. Mason said he left it with her.”
She nodded. With trembling hands, she took out her phone and dialed Cheryl’s number. Her heart raced with each ring, unsure whether she wanted it answered or not.
“I hear a phone ringing,” the second officer said with a frown.
She heard it too faint ringing sound. Her heart skipped again. She looked at Silas, who seemed to hear it too.
Keep dialing,” the first officer instructed.
Both of them approached the open cab, peering inside. A moment later, the ringing tone became clearer as one of the officers brought out Cheryl’s phone.
“It’s her phone!” Ivy yelled.
More officers joined them immediately, speaking into their shoulder mics.
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Chapter 206
The first officer approached her. “Ma’am, I need you to tell me everything you know about this.”
“Are you up for it?” Silas asked, his eyes gleaming with concern.
“Yes,” she nodded.
Ivy followed him away from the car.
She told him everything, leaving nothing out. “I thought I was going to find… the baby here.”
“Now that we know there is a baby, we’re doing everything in our power to find her,” the officer said reassuringly.
“Him,” she corrected.
“Him,” he echoed. “I’ll let you know how it goes, ma’am. Please leave your phone number with that officer over there.” He directing traffic.
pointed
to
a young man
THE
Ivy nodded and walked over. She saw Silas talking to some officers with Bud behind him.
“Hello, I want to drop my number,” she said.
“Alright, ma’am,” the officer replied, pulling out a notepad.
She called out her number, nodded, and left.
Halfway back, she met Silas.
“How are you feeling?” he asked gently.
“Good,” she replied. “How was it?”
“The officers are working on finding the baby,” he said as they walked to the car.
Her forehead furrowed. “Are we going home?”
“There’s nothing more we can do right now, except wait. I understand how you’re feeling.”
She bit her lip as she slid into the car. Her emotions were a mix of fear, curiosity, and worry.
A baby was missing. And her only hope was that Mason had changed his mind and taken his son along with Cheryl. Slowly, she began to piece the events together in her mind. If Mason had truly abducted Cheryl and his son, then he was mentally unstable.
Silas touched her arm, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Sorry.”
Her mind drifted to Jonathan, and fresh anxiety churned in her stomach. “Thanks, baby,” she whispered, kissing him.
She sighed and reached for her phone, dialing Cole.
“Hey, Cole.”
“Hey,” Cole said gently. “How are you? I was just about to call.”
“I’m good. How are Jonathan and the others?”
“Nothing yet. They’re all still unconscious,” Cole replied.
Ivy rubbed her face, sweat beginning to bead her forehead,
“Have you heard from Cheryl? Geo said she left in a hurry.”
The anxiety returned, hard and sharp, as she explained things to Cole.
“What the hell!” he exclaimed. “He’s a sick man!”
“Absolutely,” she agreed.
“I hope they find them. Keep me posted.”
“Defmitely. We’ll talk later.”
“Bye.”
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Chapter 206-
Ivy sighed as she tucked the phone away, her palms sweaty. The car went silent for a while before a question struck her.
“Who was the driver?”
Silas leaned closer. “The officers said they found an unconscious man behind the wheel. I think he’s the driver.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Ivy muttered, shaking her head. “Why did Cheryl leave home? unconscious driver… it’s… just weird.”
did Mason know where she was? And an
“Yeah,” Silas said, rubbing her thigh gently.
The touch soothed her a little, and she relaxed for the first time until they got home.
Aria was waiting in the living room. She rushed over as soon as she saw Ivy.
“Welcome home! I missed you.”
Ivy’s heart softened as she hugged her. “Thank you.”
“Theresa rushed to work. She’ll be back soon,” Aria said, then turned to Silas, her cheeks flushed. “How’s it going?”
Ivy immediately understood what she meant, but let Silas respond.
“Still working on it,” he said.
Aria’s blush deepened as she hugged herself. “I know I’m in no place to talk, but… it’s really hard. Two companies have dropped ambassador.”
Ivy’s heart ached for her. “Oh, Aria… Let me get to work.”
As she turned to leave, Silas gently held her back. “Are you sure? There’s been… a lot going on.”
She heard the concern in his voice and nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m okay.”
Silas‘ hand lingered on her arm a moment longer before he let her go.
She rushed to the room, logging into her computer while dialing Jade.
“Hey, ma’am,” Jade answered.
“Hey, Jade. We’ll be launching Aaliyah Salvatore’s shoot today,” Ivy said.
“Today?” Jade’s voice rose with concern. “We still-”
“Let’s get to work immediately, please,” Ivy cut in. “As soon as we can.”
Jade swallowed her protest “Yes, ma’am.”
me as their
Ivy worked from her room, hopping on conference calls with her staff. They spent hours perfecting the design, and when they finished, it was worth every minute.
“Thank you, guys,” Ivy said, her voice full of gratitude. “Let’s have it released today.”
A chorus of agreement followed before the call ended.
Just as she stood from her chair, her phone rang. It was an unknown number, and she answered,
“Hello, Ms. Stone. This is Detective Shaw from the San Francisco Police Department: We’ve found the baby. Please come in.“.
Ivy didn’t know how she made it to the station. But she did, on an empty stomach too. When Bud pulled up, she and Silas rushed inside.
Several officers were gathered at the reception. It was when they got closer did she see one of the officers carrying the baby.
Her heart leapt with excitement. “Where’s Cheryl?”
The officer handed her little Cole. “We haven’t found her yet. We suggest he stays with you until we do.”
Ivy’s eyes widened as she took the baby. How the hell was she supposed to care for an infant–let alone one fathered by her ex–husband?
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Chapter 206
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