Chapter 432
Chapter 432
On the third day of Alexander's disappearance, Yvonne finally uncovered Qahira's identity.
Her parents were immigrants who settled in Ustrana many years ago. Qahira was of Chanaean ethnicity, born and raised in Ustrana. When she was ten years old, she traveled to Chanaea with her parents for a vacation. Since then, she never stepped foot into the country again.
Qahira's familial connections weren't intricate. Beyond her relatives, her circle comprised childhood friends and classmates. Despite Yvonne's exhaustive search, she could not find anyone who had crossed paths with Alexander.
Felix had also sent someone to check on Alexander's overseas companies. Similarly, there were no signs of anything amiss.
There was no clear indication of whether Alexander's incident was an accident or foul play. The truth remained elusive.
And the one person who could potentially shed light on the mystery, Qahira, seemed to have vanished without a trace. Both Yvonne and Felix's men had scoured everywhere to find her, but their efforts had yielded no results.
No one knew if Qahira was dead or alive.
Yvonne grew increasingly concerned as Sophia remained silent for a prolonged period of time after learning of the findings. Worried about her friend, Yvonne couldn't help but say, "Ms. Yarrow, sometimes no news might be good news."
In response, Sophia looked at Yvonne with a faint smile. "Yeah, I know." After a brief pause, she added, "Thank you for your hard work. I'll be making a trip to Jadeborough tomorrow. Please help me to continue investigating the matter, Ms. Leighton."
She needed to keep Sunshine Group and Odyssey running. Hence, she couldn't stay in Doveston indefinitely, even if it was for Alexander's sake.
"Rest assured, Ms. Yarrow. We will update you once there is further progress in the investigation."
"Okay. Let's eat." Sophia had lost her appetite over the past few days, and her meals had been meager. But now, with a slight hunger gnawing at her, she lowered her head and ate in silence.
After dinner, Yvonne and Sophia parted ways.
Sophia spotted the Dawson family's car as soon as she stepped out of the restaurant. It turned out that Perrin, who was worried about her, had arranged for the driver to pick her up.
"Hi, Ms. Yarrow," Alfred greeted before opening the car door for Sophia to enter.
The woman responded with a smile, "Thank you, Alfred."
She slumped into her seat, her gaze unfocused as she stared out the window.
As Perrin caught sight of Sophia's return to the Dawson residence, a wave of relief washed over him. He asked, "Have you had dinner? If you are still hungry, I can ask the servants to prepare supper for you."
Sophia's appetite had waned recently, so her complexion had become pallid. Even though Perrin was concerned about her well-being, he knew better than to discuss the matter.
Sophia shook her head and replied, "I have taken my dinner, Granddad. Shall we play a game of chess?"
She knew that Perrin was worried about her. It had been three days since Alexander's disappearance; it was time for Sophia to regain her composure. After all, she couldn't afford to stay dejected indefinitely.
Upon hearing her offer, Perrin could barely hide his joy. "You have a morning flight to catch tomorrow. Will it affect your rest?"
"It's only eight o'clock, Granddad."
"Ah yes! Great, let's play chess. I like playing chess."
With a renewed sense of composure, Sophia seemed much calmer. After playing a game of chess, Perrin let out a sigh of relief.
Sophia wanted to dispel Perrin's worries before she left. Given Alexander's sudden accident, she knew there would be a tough battle to fight when she returned to Jadeborough.
"Please take care of your health, Granddad. I may not be able to visit you for an extended period of time."
The old man looked at his granddaughter affectionately, reaching out to touch her face. "I know you're upset, but we still don't know the truth. Moreover, no one knows how Alexander is doing. When you go back to Jadeborough this time, there will be many challenges that you need to handle. If you encounter difficulties, remember to seek help from Lukas. He may not be talented, but he's definitely able to support you."
"I will, Granddad," Sophia replied gratefully.
"Take care of yourself. For all you know, Alexander could be fine while you are wearing yourself out from exhaustion."
"I will."
After the heart-to-heart talk, Sophia returned to her room and rested.
Her flight was set for ten minutes past nine the next day, which meant she had to be awake by six in the morning.
"Lukas?" Sophia was surprised to bump into the man at the stairwell.
For the convenience of commuting to work, Lukas chose to stay closer to the city center during weekdays, returning to the Dawson residence only on weekends.
Lukas went back to work two nights ago and hadn't been at home since. Given that Sophia went to bed early last night, she didn't know Lukas had come back.
Hence, she was shocked to see the man early in the morning.
However, she could guess the reason for his appearance.
Despite being incredibly busy with work, Lukas rushed back to see her off at the airport.
Sophia blinked and said, "Morning, Lukas."
"Morning," he greeted, taking a bottle of milk and handing it to her. "Remember to eat your meals when you are back."
"Okay," she answered.
As Kylie knew that Sophia would be taking the morning flight, she, too, woke up early for the family breakfast. Finally, Lukas and Sophia left for the airport at half past seven.
At this hour, the traffic on the road was congested.
Fortunately, Sophia arrived at the airport ahead of schedule at a quarter past eight.
After the car came to a stop, Lukas turned his head to look at her. "Odyssey has just stabilized. You won't be able to keep Alexander's incident under wraps for long. When the matter is revealed, the shareholders will definitely be standing against you."
After a short pause, the man continued, "Please call me if you need support."
Sophia pursed her lips and accepted the offer. "Sure."
She was not fighting alone now; she no longer felt helpless, like when her parents had passed away.
Hence, she was confident that she could keep the company running and that it would be in the same state when Alexander returned.
"Hurry on then!" Lukas patted her head gently.
Not only did Alexander's accident catch them by surprise, but none of them had anticipated waking up to the news of his disappearance.
After unfastening her seat belt, Sophia said, "Lukas, can you please spend some time playing chess with Granddad?"
"Okay," the man assured.
Although they had only recently reunited, the unspoken understanding between family members was palpable. They managed to convey everything that needed to be said in just a few words.
Yvonne had opted to remain in Doveston, leaving Sophia to make the journey back to Jadeborough alone.
The plane was set to depart at ten past nine, and after a two-hour flight, Sophia arrived at her destination just as the clock struck twelve.
When she walked out of the airport gate, she caught sight of Felix and Samuel. Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.
Since the day Sophia informed Samuel about Alexander's mishap, he had initially thought it was all just
a joke.
However, when he called her again, she sounded deadly serious. Only then did he know that she wasn't fooling around.
Samuel could not believe the twist of events. If Felix had not stopped him, he would have flown to Doveston to look for Sophia.
After enduring several days of waiting, he finally persevered until her return. He abruptly walked out of the meeting with the company's high-level executives so that he could rush to the airport to welcome her.
"What happened to Alex?" Samuel asked.
Sophia glanced at him and replied, "Let's talk in the car, Mr. Schild."
The man kept silent after surveying his surroundings.
Then, he turned sideways and examined Sophia.
A part of him still believed that Alexander's incident was a joke.
Unfortunately, it wasn't.
Once they got into the car, Sophia briefly updated Samuel on the latest situation.
"Are you saying that Alexander got into trouble after he left the hotel with a mysterious woman?" the
man asked with a solemn expression.
Sophia tilted her head to face him. "Well, you can put it that way."
Suddenly, Samuel looked at her with a strange expression. "Do you really think he's that kind of person?"
Since when did Alexander become a dishonorable man?
Knowing Samuel had misunderstood the situation, Sophia challenged, "What about you, Mr. Schild? Do you think he's that kind of person?"
"Of course not! He wouldn't let any women come close to him before he met you. If not, why did you think in your first three years of marriage, he..."
Samuel immediately stopped himself when he realized he had said the wrong words. "I misspoke."
"Good that you are self-aware, Mr. Schild."
The man let out a cough before saying, "You seem to be in a good mood."
She's still in the mood to banter with me. Is this really not a joke?
The smile on Sophia's face faded as she heard his words. "I trust him."
Samuel was momentarily stunned as he realized it wasn't a joke. "What's your plan?" he asked seriously.
"I'll wait for him."
"Aren't you afraid..."
Sophia lifted her head slightly and looked at the man. "I'm afraid."
Nevertheless, the woman knew being afraid was useless.
She had only loved that one person her entire life.