THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 249: Kidnapped

The following morning, Kathleen’s final meeting that was scheduled to take place in the afternoon was rescheduled and ended way earlier than she had expected.

With the early closure, instead of following her earlier arrangement of an evening flight, she decided to book the afternoon flight back to Baltimore.

Initially she had called the driver to pick her from the airport around five in the evening but forgot to call him back after changing her plans.

She was already airborne when she realized she hadn’t informed the driver of the change in the pickup time.

There was no way she could reach out to him on the plane as her cellphone had been put on airplane mode in compliance with safety regulations on a plane.

As the plane descended and the announcement was made that their electronic devices could be used, she immediately sent a message to Mr Wallace, the driver, envisaging that before the final clearing is done before exiting the airport, he should have arrived to pick her up.

As she walked out of the airport, Kathleen couldn’t wait to get home and reunite with her children. She had been gone for only three days but it felt like ages and she missed them so much.

Last night when she made a video call with them they kept narrating about all the places they went to and didn’t stop singing the praises of their father.

They even told her that they had informed him of their birthday and he planned to celebrate it with them.

From the way they were going, she was afraid if she delayed any further, she would completely lose her place in their hearts and felt threatened by the thought.

Somehow, she couldn’t help but think that the pace they were going was alarmingly too fast for people that just got to know themselves barely a month ago.

Were they so desperately in need of a father that they went all out as soon as they met him.

She couldn’t really blame them though. It was the same with her when she reconnected with her family.

Surprisingly, those years of living apart seemed to have melted into the shadows as she interacted more with her long lost family.

Also, there were no hitches as prevalent in other families that have experienced the same fate as her.

In her own case, they accepted her on the spot, making her let go of any reservations and sentiments she might have had before meeting them.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she did not notice the hooded man that was trailing her after she left the airport.

As she waited for Mr Wallace by the roadside to pick her up, her lips spasmed in a soft smile when she thought of how her actress of a daughter would want to smooth talk her when she jokingly tells them that they have replaced her with their father in their hearts. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Her black Mercedes Maybach pulled up beside her and before the driver could get down to open the back door for her, she got into the car.

Because she had traveled light, she didn’t need to put her luggage in the boot, so she placed it beside her as she settled into the plush back seat.

However after a few seconds, her forehead furrowed in a frown when she didn’t hear the characteristic, "Welcome back Madam, how was your trip?" that Mr Wallace would always greet her with whenever he picked her up from the airport.

’What was going on,’ she wondered. He had never behaved this way before, not even a greeting?"

She got prepared to ask him what the problem was but didn’t get to in the end.

"Mr Wallace?" she called out when the driver took an unexpected turn, diverting from the usual route but she was met with silence.

Kathleen’s instincts kicked in, realizing something was amiss even before the driver turned towards her and she saw the sinister look in the man’s eyes.

She had already known it wasn’t Mr Wallace and her eyes widened in panic when she saw the nose mask he was wearing and with it came the sudden realization that her life was now in danger.

She tried to open the door, but it was locked and almost immediately, a strange odor began to fill the car.

As a doctor and a renowned pharmacist who had worked with different kinds of drugs, she knew without being told what that smell was as soon as a whiff of it filtered in through her nose.

Instead of wasting her breath asking unnecessary questions and begging for mercy that she was sure she would not get, she decided to conserve that strength to stay awake and work out an escape plan.

She reached for her phone to call for help, but her movements became sluggish, her vision blurring.

In a desperate attempt to stay conscious, she pinched herself hard while she rummaged through her bag, finding a scarf.

With trembling hands, she wrapped it around her nose and mouth, attempting to filter the poisoned air.

The effects intensified and her head spun, but the makeshift filter bought her a few precious moments of clarity.

She forced herself to focus, trying to memorize landmarks outside, hoping to alert someone before succumbing to the gas.

Summoning her willpower, she fought the overwhelming drowsiness, her breaths shallow behind the makeshift mask.

The world around her blurred further, but she continued to fight against the encroaching unconsciousness, refusing to succumb.

She tried to pinch herself again but she realized it wasn’t working.

They must have used a heavy dose of the drug for it to act this fast on her.

She felt the car slow to a stop at an isolated area. Just as the driver moved over to open the door, Kathleen’s weakening voice cut through the haze.

"I... won’t... let... you..."

Her last words hung in the air as she collapsed, the scarf slipping from her face.