THE SPITEFUL BRIDE: Marry To Rival's Son novel Chapter 175

Chapter 175

Someone who knew exactly who she was, where she was being kept, and what she meant to him. Someone with enough resources and connections to disable a security system without triggering any alarms.

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” Stefan said, standing up from his desk and reaching for his jacket. “Don’t touch anything in her room. Don’t let anyone else inside. And for God’s sake, don’t call the police yet.”

“Mr. Sterling, I really think we should involve the authorities immediately. This is a serious…..”

“Twenty minutes,” Stefan repeated firmly, then hung up before the director could argue further.

He stood there for a moment in the silence of his office, trying to process what this development meant for everyone he cared about.

His mother had been safe in that facility for years, hidden away from the chaos and violence that had consumed the rest of their lives.

She had been his one constant, the one person he didn’t have to worry about protecting.

Now she was gone, and he had a feeling that her disappearance was just the beginning of something much worse.

Twenty-five minutes later, Stefan walked through the sterile corridors of Theresa’s Care Facility with Dr. Matthews hurrying beside him, trying to explain security protocols and patient safety measures. Stefan wasn’t listening to any of it.

His focus was entirely on reaching his mother’s room and seeing for himself what had happened.

When they reached the familiar door, he pushed past the nervous administrator and stepped inside.

The room looked exactly the same as it always did. The bed was neatly made with the pale blue comforter his mother preferred.

Her few personal belongings were still arranged on the nightstand – a photo of him as a child, a book of poetry, a small music box that played her favorite lullaby.

But her clothes were gone. Mia had gotten some clothes for her, insisting she wanted her to dress well.

Stefan walked to the small closet and stared at the empty hangers, his hands slowly curling into fists at his sides. Someone had taken the time to pack her belongings carefully, as if this had been planned rather than rushed.

Dr. Matthews stood in the doorway, touching his hands nervously. “We’ve searched the entire facility, Mr. Sterling. There’s no trace of either of them anywhere.”

Stefan didn’t respond. He was staring at the empty closet, his mind calculating through possibilities and implications.

Someone had his mother, and they had taken her psychiatrist as well. That suggested they needed information from both of them, or that Dr. Harrison had been involved in the planning somehow.

Either way, he knew this was about more than just his mother’s disappearance. This was a message, a threat, and probably the opening move in a game he he knew he’d win.

His phone chipped in his pocket, he already knew it was Mose before even touching it. He pulled it out and looked

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YET HERE SHE WAS, SHOUTING AT HIM WITH PERFECT CLARITY UKE SHE WAS NEVER SICK

+25 Bonus

at the information before him.

A location pin and a message attached to it:

“Tracked the suspicious car down. This is their location.”

Stefan raised his eyebrows. He didn’t doubt Mose’s abilities but this felt too easy. If whoever took his mother could break into a secure facility without leaving any trace, why were they now handing him their exact location?

Something didn’t add up. This felt like a setup, like they wanted him to follow this trail. Maybe the real plan was to get him away from something else entirely. Maybe this was just a distraction from whatever they were really doing.

His first instinct was to protect the people who mattered to him. He quickly sent a text to James, asking him to watch over the company and handle any problems that came up.

Then he sent another message to Elena, asking her to go help James and keep an eye on things.

“Don’t let Mia suspect anything is happening,” he added in the message to Elena. “She doesn’t need this stress right now.”

Elena had been working with their company right from the very beginning, which was long enough to understand how everything functioned.

She and James were the only people he trusted completely to handle things if he wasn’t available.

Next, he called Ethan who answered on the second ring.

“Where are you right now?” Stefan asked without any greeting.

“At my penthouse,” Ethan replied. “I was just about to look through some files.”

Stefan could hear something strange in his voice, like he was nervous about whatever those files contained. But that wasn’t his concern right now.

“I need you to do something for me,” Stefan said. “Can you go check on Mia? Make sure she’s safe and doesn’t go anywhere alone today.”

“Is something wrong?” Ethan asked, immediately alert.

“Maybe. I’m not sure yet. Just keep an eye on her, okay? This is important.”

“Of course,” Ethan said. “I’ll head over there right now.”

Stefan hung up and looked around his mother’s empty room one more time. Dr. Matthews was still standing in the doorway, wringing his hands and looking like he might be sick.

“I’m going to find her,” Stefan told the nervous administrator. “Don’t call the police until you hear from me. If anyone asks where I went, you don’t know.”

Before Dr. Matthews could argue, Stefan walked past him and headed for the exit.

The drive to the location took almost two hours. Stefan followed the GPS through the city and then onto smaller roads that led away from civilization. The further he drove, the more certain he became that this was a trap.

But he didn’t have a choice. His mother was out there somewhere, and he couldn’t abandon her just because the situation felt dangerous.

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YET HERE SHE WAS SHOUTING AT HIM WITH PERFECT CLARITY LIKE SHE WAS NEVER SICK

+25 Bonus

Stefan checked his gun before getting out of the car. The weapon was secure in its holster under his jacket, loaded and ready if he needed it. He wasn’t stupid enough to walk into an obvious trap without protection.

He had been expecting something like this for a year now, actually. Ever since his and Mia’s company started taking clients away from Samuel and Jeremiah, he had known there would be retaliation. Those two men didn’t accept defeat quietly.

The address led him to a mansion that looks like no one had occupied in years, in the middle of nowhere. There were no other buildings around, no witnesses, nowhere to run if things went bad. Perfect place for an ambush.

But he wasn’t scared, he’d seen worse. He approached the building carefully, watching for any signs of movement or hidden guards. But everything was quiet, too quiet.

The front door was unlocked. He pushed it open slowly, and it made a loud creaking sound like it hadn’t been opened in years.

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