REBIRTH : Chasing The Limelight

Chapter 184: Abducted.

Elara poked at the steak on her plate with her knife, her gaze fixed somewhere else entirely. The expression on her face made it obvious that her mind was anywhere but the food in front of her.

Meanwhile, Zia, who was sitting across from her, was busy destroying what looked like a mountain of fries. She had been staying with Elara for almost a week now. Her school had gone on holiday and she had decided that spending it with Elara was a much better idea than staying anywhere else.

Elara had been too tired to cook that evening so she had suggested they come to a nearby restaurant for dinner instead. Ziva had refused to join them, claiming she wanted to stay home and rest. She only reminded Elara to bring something back for her when they returned.

"Why do you keep looking at that woman?" Zia suddenly asked lifting her head from her food. "Is it because she looks like Scary Suit Uncle?"

Elara’s gaze finally left the seat opposite them and returned to the Zia. She wasn’t entirely wrong. The person Elara had been staring at all this time was Mrs Vale.

Elara was surprised when she saw her walk into the restaurant.

What was she even doing in Solmere? More importantly, what was she doing in a restaurant this late at night?

She had been sitting there alone for quite some time now. Even the glass of drink placed in front of her remained untouched. Every few minutes, she would glance toward the entrance before looking away again, and the sight made Elara’s brows slowly furrow.

Lowering her gaze, Elara cut off a small piece of steak and placed it into her mouth.

She wasn’t sure if she should walk over and greet her. It probably would have been the polite thing to do. But since Mrs Vale didn’t seem to have noticed her, Elara remained where she was.

Seeing that her question had been ignored, Zia puffed out her cheeks annoyingly and returned to munching her fries.

After a while, Elara found herself looking at Mrs Vale again.

Something about her felt strange tonight. It wasn’t just the fact that she was alone. Her expression looked kinda distracted, as though she was waiting for someone.

But she had been sitting there for a long while now. Who would dare to delay someone with such status like her.

And considering all the things Elara had been hearing lately about the Vale family, especially Adrian, the uneasy feeling in her chest only grew stronger.

She hadn’t even managed to look away when two men suddenly entered the restaurant and walked straight toward Mrs Vale’s table.

At first glance, Elara assumed they were members of the Vale family’s security team. Their suits were neat and their appearance looked professional.

Both of the men sat down across from Mrs Vale. The three of them spoke for a long time. Elara couldn’t hear what was being said, but the way Mrs Vale listened to them made her feel uneasy. She looked far too focused and serious.

Several minutes later, both men suddenly stood up.

Elara immediately looked away so it wouldn’t seem obvious that she had been watching them for so long. Even so, from the corner of her eye, she still saw Mrs Vale rise from her seat as well.

"Elara." Zia called, cutting her thoughts short. She had already finished her food and was now leaning forward across the table toward Elara.

"I want to tell you something, come." She whispered in a voice that Elara was sure the couple seated at the far end of the restaurant could hear.

Elara leaned forward anyway.

"Those people are bad people." Zia said, pointing at the men who were now walking Mrs Vale out of the restaurant.

"Why did you say so?" Elara asked, raising her brows.

Zia’s expression immediately changed into one of agitation. "Lower your voice, Elara." She shook her head and leaned forward again, her nose almost touching Elara’s. "That woman you were staring at. Those men were forcing her to go with them."

Elara’s eyes followed the direction she pointed.

Mrs Vale had already reached the entrance. The two men stayed close to her on either side. One of them was holding her arm, and from a distance, it looked like he was simply guiding her through her steps.

But Elara felt kinda uneasy.

"Gotcha! You look so scared!" Zia suddenly burst into laughter, clapping her hands together.

The waiters standing behind the counter glanced over before shaking their heads and returning to their work.

Zia pointed her grease stained finger toward Mrs Vale’s retreating figure. "Look, they’re forcing her to go to the dentist. Look at how scared she looks. They’re definitely going to pull out her wiggly teeth. She probably hates brushing her teeth just like me."

She giggled again at her own joke, but Elara’s face remained stern as she continued staring at the three figures.

Just before they stepped out of the restaurant, Mrs Vale suddenly turned her head. Perhaps she had looked back because of Zia’s loud laughter.

Elara immediately wanted to look away, but she wasn’t fast enough. Mrs Vale’s eyes met hers directly.

She pursed her lips.

Mrs Vale didn’t look as terrified as Zia had claimed. Her face was now calm and even composed. But her usual elegance was gone.

Elara gave her a small nod in greeting.

Mrs Vale didn’t return it. She simply continued looking at her even as she was being led out of the restaurant.

Elara felt something tighten sharply in her chest. Her expression changed and without another second of hesitation, she stood up and signaled toward a waiter.

"Elara what’s wrong? Where are you going? I’m just joking." Zia quickly stood up too and hurried to her side. "Maybe they just want to take her to the supermarket because she forgot to buy milk. They’re making her go back to get the chocolate flavor."

Elara ignored the nonsense completely. When the waiter came over, she paid the bill with her card and picked up her phone from the table. Then she moved away from the chair and grabbed Zia’s hand.

"Let’s go."

Zia didn’t argue. She only pursed her lips and nodded as Elara led her outside.

Before Elara could even get to her car, the vehicle Mrs Vale had entered was already pulling away from the restaurant. That only made Elara’s suspicions stronger because Mrs Vale’s own car was still parked at the side of the road. The car carrying her away bore no Vale insignia whatsoever.

Elara quickly got into her car and leaned across to fasten Zia’s seatbelt. After making sure it was secure, she reached for the ignition but suddenly changed her mind and picked up her phone instead.

Since this was Adrian’s mother, she needed to call him. And thankfully, his number was still there.

She had seen it on her phone the very day he bought it for her. She still had no idea how he had managed to save it there, or why he had bothered doing it in the first place.

Normally, she would have hesitated and stare at that name for several minutes before deciding not to call. But she couldn’t care about any of that right now.

She unlocked the phone, her eyes never leaving the car Mrs Vale had entered. At the same time, she started her own car and slowly pulled onto the road behind them.

The moment she did, she tapped Adrian’s number. The phone started ringing.

Elara turned the wheel smoothly, making sure not to get too close and not too far away either. It wasn’t easy. The roads were crowded and the darkness of the night made everything more difficult.

The phone rang for a long time but there was no answer.

Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel. She called again, and again, until the sixth time. Still nothing.

A snort escaped her lips before she tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. It landed directly on Zia’s lap.

Zia’s lips pursed even tighter. It looked as if she wanted to say something but after seeing the expression on Elara’s face, she wisely swallowed the words. Instead, she quietly picked up the phone and stared at the screen.

"Am... bli... am... Abriam..." Then her eyes brightened. "Adrian."

She looked up at Elara. "Isn’t that Scary Suit Uncle’s name? Is he the one you were calling? Is he not picking up? Is he ignoring you? Are you fighting?"

Elara’s jaw clenched harder. She didn’t answer. Her eyes remained fixed on the road as she overtook another vehicle and took the next turn.

It was already night. She knew she was doing something dangerous, especially with Zia in the car. But somehow, she couldn’t stop thinking about Mrs Vale’s expression back at the restaurant. The thought of something happening to her made a chill run down her spine.

Her foot pressed harder against the accelerator.

"Elara." Zia said again. "Why don’t you call the Talkative Assistant if Scary Suit Uncle doesn’t want to talk to you?"

Elara’s brows narrowed.

For once, what she had said seemed quite reasonable.

Of course. Why hadn’t she even thought of that?

Harris’s number was also saved on her phone. She should have called him first.

"Help me look for Harris. H-A-R-R-I-S. Dial the number."

Zia nodded immediately.

Not long after, the phone started ringing. No answer. She called it again.

This time it rang for much longer before someone finally picked up.

"Talkative Assistant, is that you?" Zia’s question was met with silence.

Elara immediately snatched the phone from her and pressed it against her ear.

"Harris." She muttered, her voice sounding strange to her own ears. "It seems... no, I’m sure Mrs Vale has been abducted."

She paused to catch her breath. "I’m following the car right now."

The other end went silent. Then a confused voice came from the other side. "Miss Veyne?"

"Yes, it’s me." Elara replied quickly, her grip tightening on the steering wheel. "I’m following them right now. I can’t afford to lose sight of the car."

There was still no reply. So she guessed Harris was trying to process what she had just said.

"Hurry." Her gaze remained locked on the taillights ahead. "They’re heading toward the Solmere forest road."

Without waiting any longer, Elara handed the phone back to Zia so she could focus fully on the road again...