A few minutes later, Nico, who had received Cedrick’s orders, hurriedly ran over and eagerly followed closely beside Cedrick.
“Cedrick, are you suspecting that Charles took advantage of Gwendolyn’s vulnerability and did something inappropriate to her? Or even hid her away?” Nico asked.
Cedrick did not answer and merely walked forward with a solemn expression. It was evident that he was indeed thinking the same.
Nico sighed and said sincerely, “Cedrick, Charles helped us before, and because of your support, he managed to gain control of the Newton family. He has been well-behaved all these years. Moreover, he has a girlfriend now. I don’t think he would do such a thing.”
His voice became softer as he spoke, and he even started doubting himself. However, Nico had known Charles for many years. They even challenged each other to a fight before and bantered like teasing friends. He did not want Charles to repeat the same extreme actions as the S404 RNA virus incident from the past. Nico did not want the latter to end up in prison again.
When he saw the complicated look in Nico’s eyes, Cedrick stopped in his tracks and stared coldly at him. “How well do you know him? How can you guarantee that?”
Nico ultimately lowered his head upon hearing that and did not respond.
“Back then, I thought he was willing to be Benny and Zendy’s godfather because he wants to let go of the past and his obsession with Gwendolyn completely to move on with his life. However, as soon as something happened to Gwendolyn, he would pursue her quickly, almost like a rabbit darting forward. He has the same level of urgency and impatience as me. Considering their ten years of childhood friendship, are you certain that he won’t resort to extreme actions if he finds Gwendolyn before I do?” Cedrick continued.
At that point, Nico found himself increasingly unable to argue and instead lowered his head in despondence.
Then, with a composed tone, Cedrick reprimanded him, “Call him right away. Do it in front of me. Hopefully, I’m overthinking things.”
“Yes,” Nico answered as he obediently took out his phone. He found Charles’ number in his contacts list and dialed it, putting the call on speaker in front of Cedrick and Swain.
At the same time, Swain quickly asked the technical department to enable location tracking. As soon as Charles answered the call, Federal Bureau of Investigation could monitor his whereabouts immediately.
The phone kept ringing, but no one answered.
Cedrick sat nearby with a grim expression while Nico stood obediently.
No one spoke.
The phone rang for over a minute, then the call automatically disconnected without anyone answering.
Nico’s resolve wavered. He found himself unable to offer any more explanations to help Charles. It’s afternoon, and he’s not even answering the phone. Is he feeling guilty?
The air grew tense, and Nico’s back stiffened. He discreetly glanced at Cedrick’s expression, ready to follow his next command.
After thinking about it, Cedrick said in a low voice, “Send him a text and let him know that something has come up with Gwendolyn. It’s challenging, and we need his help.”
“All right.”
Nico tapped on his phone’s keyboard, typing the message carefully, and then sent it.
Two minutes later, he called Charles again.
This time, Charles answered the phone almost immediately, asking, “What happened?”
Nico instinctively glanced at Cedrick and spoke with a slightly anxious tone, “The Gwendolyn that we found is an imposter. She passed away on the operating table this morning.”
There was silence on Charles’ end for quite some time after he heard what Nico said. It was as if the former needed to process the news.
After a long while, he still did not say anything.
Even Nico sensed something was off with Charles and could not help but raise his voice, “Charles, where on earth have you been?”
Before, Charles would have been extremely anxious upon hearing that something had happened with Gwendolyn. However, he remained calm and did not ask anything after learning that the Gwendolyn they found was an imposter while the real Gwendolyn remained missing.
There was definitely something wrong with him.
Nico gritted his teeth and said with emphasis, “Charles, you’d better don’t resort to any extreme actions. You know Federal Bureau of Investigation’s influence in Chanaea very well, and the truth will be exposed sooner or later. You…” However, he was interrupted by Cedrick’s cold glare. Nico’s words trailed off, and he did not say anything more. “You’re on your own!”
With that said, he hung up the phone and walked to Cedrick, his head hanging low, knowing he had made a mistake. Nico’s broad shoulders slumped slightly, and he helplessly clenched his fists. “I’m sorry, Cedrick. I couldn’t control myself and threatened him a little.”
Before Cedrick could respond, Swain spoke up first. “Boss, we’ve located him. The signal is weak, but there’s no sign of movement at the moment.”
“Where is he?” Cedrick rose to his feet and walked over, looking at the red dot on the computer screen.
Swain answered, “He’s at a small village about ten kilometers from Quawak. No. Actually, he seems to be in the mountains behind the village. It’s far from the transmission tower, which is why the signal is so weak.”
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