Meanwhile, Kenneth had been frequently visiting the rooftop restaurant ever since that night.
Each time he was there, he would scan his surroundings with the hope that Natasha would appear once more.
However, the receptionist told him that Natasha did not return since that day.
It was hard for him not to feel disappointed at the news. If only I wandered around the other day, I might've run into her.
Right then, Dave returned after making a phone call. When he saw Kenneth's dejected expression, he patted the latter's shoulder to console him. “This is just like the saying in Chanaea—waiting in the wings, right?”
Kenneth forced a smile and side-eyed him. “What is it?”
“I've got both good and bad news for you. Which one do you want to hear first?” Dave asked.
“Unless she shows up in front of me right now, all news is considered bad news,” Kenneth replied indifferently.
Raising a brow, Dave uttered, “Okay.”
He then sat beside Kenneth and continued, “We've combed all the hotels nearby but came out in vain.”
Kenneth's brows furrowed when he heard that.
That's impossible! I know her well enough, and she's definitely still in the area. She won't go far unless...
“The men have searched high and low for her everywhere they could. Unfortunately, she's nowhere to be found,” Dave reported.
Instantly, Kenneth's frown deepened. “Did anything happen during the search?” he queried.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Was there any sudden emergency? Did you notice anything weird or peculiar?”
Dave whipped out his phone and set it on the loudspeaker. “Did you encounter any special incidents when you guys were ransacking the place?”
“Special incidents? Nope.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Oh, there was this one hotel where the staff recalled seeing a gorgeous lady. However, she wasn't able to confirm when we showed her the photo, so we headed to the room to check. Suddenly, a fire alarm sounded, and everybody was urged to evacuate. Does this incident count?”
Kenneth listened with knitted brows.
Upon noticing the slight change in his expression, Dave queried further, “Was there a fire at the hotel?”
“Nope. They announced it was a fire sensor malfunction,” the man replied.
Without saying anything, Kenneth got to his feet and darted outside.
Knowing what was going on inside Kenneth's head, Dave requested over the phone, “Send me the hotel address immediately!”
In the car, Dave looked at Kenneth and said, “Don't put all your hopes on this. It might not be her.”
The latter shook his head and stared at Dave intently. “It's her. It must be her!”
Since he was resolute and unswerving, Dave did not want to rain on his parade. Instead, he floored the accelerator pedal and sped off.
It took about twenty minutes for them to arrive.
They headed straight to one particular room, but it was completely empty.
“This is the room that the lady stayed in for one week,” informed the hotel staff.
Kenneth looked around, only to realize that the room was spick and span. There were no signs of her presence.
However, he seemed to be able to imagine what it was like when Natasha was occupying the room.
“When did she check out?” Dave asked.
The hotel staff thought for a moment before replying, “When you came searching for her the other day, the fire sensor was faulty, and this room was unsearched. It's listed as available after that. I think she must have checked out then.”
Upon hearing that, Kenneth scrunched his brows.
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