THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 124: The Only Way.
She cautiously opened her car door and brought a foot down from her car, at the same time glancing at her phone for any further instruction.
She was certain they already knew about her arrival.
She didn’t have to wait for long as a four worded message popped up on her phone.
"Follow the guard inside."
She looked up and saw a guard with a uniform quite different from those of the six she counted earlier approaching her.
Also, he wasn’t as burly like the others but he was in perfect shape as could be seen from the muscles displayed through his tight fitting suit.
With so many guards with intimidating appearances scattered all over the place, one would have expected Kathleen to be afraid but strangely enough she followed the man inside as if she was there for a business dinner and not in any form of danger.
From the outside, there was nothing suspicious about the place as everything looked normal but the same could not be said about the inside of the building when she got inside.
"You acted quite fast," a cold voice sounded the moment she stepped foot into the house.
"I didn’t expect that someone as beautiful and fragile like Ms Crawford would be so brave and daring to come all the way alone."
"Since I was invited so honorably by Mr Anonymous, I dare not refuse, so I came as fast as I could in order not to keep you waiting," Kathleen’s tone was filled with sarcasm as she surveyed the place.
It was actually a spacious living room, darker than the usual setting of a room but with just the right amount of light to see the person a few feets away from where she was standing.
Although the small square panes of the french windows added to the exterior attractiveness of the house, they provided very little light inside, creating an unusually sad aspect that was reminiscent of prison bars.
There was a grandfather clock in the corner which chimed irregularly and slowly; every now and then it would wheeze a little, pause for a brief period of time, before continuing again with a calm tenacity.
A cold laughter reverberated in the entire house before the same voice uttered, "You are also blessed with a great sense of humor, I must say Ms Crawford," however, there was a cruel undertone to his laughter that would have sent chills down anybody’s spine.
"Why have you lured me here?" Kathleen demanded, clearly not affected by the man’s attempt to scare her with his cruel laughter.
"You seem to be in such a hurry? You just arrived."
"I don’t have time for dilly dallying about. Where have you kept her?" Her eyes flashed with fury at the nameless and faceless individual.
"Sorry to disappoint you, our boss is not here yet so you need to be patient," he explained in what he felt was his most polite way.
"So you are not even the boss. No wonder I felt you were so creepy." Kathleen decided to provoke him so that he would get angry and reveal his identity.
"What little game do you think you are playing? I would advise you to drop it as you won’t get to know who I am," the voice scoffed.
"Could it be that you are scared and dare not reveal your identity or you are too ugly to let others see you?" Kathleen jeered, her tone filled with mockery.
She seemed to have struck the right chord as the next second a crashing sound like something being kicked was heard.
"You had better watch it, woman!"
"Why? Is it because you are not man enough that you can only stay in the shadows and issue commands?" Kathleen went a step further and twisted the knife deeper into the wound that was already dripping with blood.
She waited, but got no reply.
Out of nowhere a shadow glided past and Kathleen raised her arms in defense but before she knew what was happening she was already on the ground.
From the corners of her eyes, where she was on the ground, she saw a kick coming and this time she was fast enough to avoid it.
She quickly rolled to the side, using that opportunity to stand to her feet.
Her arm swung swiftly, blocking the oncoming blow that was aimed at her face. Its impact was like steel on her arm and she winced inwardly in pain.
The man was not any better as a groan escaped him before he could suppress it.
His eyes narrowed dangerously as he glared at Kathleen, something akin to surprise darted across his face. ’’What is this woman made of?’
"Don’t provoke me young lady. I’m warning you. People that have dared to do so didn’t live to see the next day."
"Is this all you’ve got?" Kathleen sneered, wiping her hands as if she just disposed of a feather.
’I can’t believe I wasted my time and energy just to see a masked idiot,’ she muttered to herself.
"The only reason I’m leaving you alive is because my boss left instructions that nothing must happen to you, but that doesn’t mean I will put up with your nonsense."
Hearing the man’s words, Kathleen laughed slowly, each chuckle dripping with so much sarcasm that it practically dripped onto the floor.
"Tsk! What a lame excuse," she snorted in disdain.
"Tie her up," the man roared which was soon followed by hurried footsteps in Kathleen’s direction.
From the little light available in the room, she saw one of the guards in the same uniform as the one that led her in, approaching her with a rope.
’If I allow them to tie me up, it might be clumsy later. How do I stall for time?’ Kathleen thought as she looked around.
She had not yet seen Ariel and didn’t even know whether she was in this same building or held hostage somewhere else.
’Before I do anything I need to confirm Ariel’s location first.’
"Hey, hold on," she thrust out a hand to stop the man, who quickly stopped in his tracks.
He had just witnessed the brief combat between their second boss just now and this lady. Although she looks fragile, she is definitely not simple and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
"Why did you stop? Hurry up and tie her up," the masked man ordered, his patience completely depleted.
The man approached cautiously, not daring to act recklessly.
The vibe emanating from Kathleen was chilling and frosty, almost immobilizing him as he got closer.
Kathleen on the other hand stood, facing the man, legs spread apart and glared at the man like a predator who had just seen his next target..
She didn’t look like one who was ready to take the blow lying down.
Her glare seems to be saying, ’before you can tie me up, you need to defeat me first."
"What are you still waiting for? Tie her up this instant." Just when the man got ready to engage in a fight with Kathleen, a furious voice barked.
"What is going on here?"
Kathleen’s head directly snapped in the direction of the familiar voice and her mouth hung open the moment she saw the person’s face.
"Mr Beazell? "You?"
"Yes, it’s me, Ms Crawford," he hung his hands in his pocket as he strolled towards Kathleen, his steps casual and unhurried.
Kathleen’s eyes narrowed in doubt. "What’s the meaning of this, Mr Beazell? Do you know you can be charged for kidnapping?"
"That’s not true," he denied. "You seem to have forgotten that you came here on your own accord."
"If you had not taken Ariel away, would I be jobless enough to come here?" Kathleen threw back, disdain coating each word that left her mouth.
"I’m sorry, but that was the only way I could get you to meet me."
"Do you have any idea how many times I’ve tried to get in touch with you but all to no avail?" His voice sounded tired and worn out.
Kathleen’s lips turned down at the sight of the man. He was looking haggard and seems out of touch with fashion and has suddenly aged these few days.
The last time she had seen him was in a business meeting that she attended with Jason after The Beazell Group lost the bidding through Linda’s shamelessness. Then, he was full of life and a perfect representation of a big shot.
That aside, what Kathleen needed answers to now was how he was able to connect her with Ariel?
"The young lady you kidnapped..."
"Let’s get one thing straight here," Mr Beazell interrupted Kathleen before she could finish what she intended to say. "She was not kidnapped," he refuted.
"Really?" Kathleen arched her brow upward and folded her arms across her chest. "What else would you call it when you force someone against their will to a place where they didn’t plan to be nor have any idea about?"
