Chapter 292: Stay Out of It

“What?”

Richard was stunned by Frederick’s unexpected question. “You may go now.”

Frederick seemed to notice his momentary lapse and dismissed Richard without another word. Richard stared at Frederick’s back before turning toward the door. At the threshold, he suddenly stopped and looked back. “General Hawthorne, I don’t believe Ms. Prescott would elope with Antony.”

Though Frederick hadn’t said anything, Richard could see how much he was hurting. In just these few days, Richard had caught Frederick zoning out multiple times. This wasn’t like Frederick at all, especially during such a crucial time in his presidential campaign. The only possible explanation was Claire’s disappearance. Plus, Frederick’s temper had been getting worse lately. He would fly into a rage over the most minor things.

Neither turning around nor saying a word, but Richard knew Frederick was listening, so he continued, “Ms. Prescott must understand the consequences of such actions. With your resources, if they had eloped, finding them would be a matter of minutes. Besides, it doesn’t make logical sense. If Ms. Prescott was planning to leave, why would she fight so hard to get into the Hiokech Group?”

Frederick remained motionless at his spot, not responding to Richard’s words. But Richard knew his message had gotten through. He turned and left the office without another word.

After Richard’s departure, Frederick stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, feeling nothing but irritation. He lit a cigarette and took slow drags. As the sky outside gradually darkened, Claire’s face unexpectedly flashed before his eyes. Three whole days had passed, and despite mobilizing every resource at his disposal, he hadn’t found a single trace of Claire. It was as if she had vanished entirely from the face of the earth. He suddenly caught himself wondering, what if Claire really had disappeared forever and he never saw her again?

That should be good, right? After all, she had killed Anna… wouldn’t it be better if such a murderer disappeared? He should be celebrating. Though it was a shame he couldn’t torture her one last time before she vanished. Four years ago, Anna had lost her life, after all.

As these thoughts ran through his mind, his phone rang. It was Harrison calling. “Claire is missing?”

Harrison got straight to the point as soon as the call connected. “Yes, she’s gone,” Frederick confirmed. He didn’t need to ask how Harrison knew. If the eldest son of the Prescott family couldn’t even manage that much, he wouldn’t deserve his position. “She’s… come to Eclipse Nightclub.”

Harrison opened his mouth as if to ask something more but then seemed to think better of it, changing his words at the last moment. “Alright,” Frederick nodded. A long time had passed since he’d seen Harrison. Their last encounter was at Elizabeth’s birthday celebration, where Harrison had caused a scene over the announcement of Claire and his engagement. They hadn’t seen each other since.

At eight that evening, Frederick arrived at Eclipse Nightclub. The manager, recognizing him immediately, led him straight to a private room. Inside, Harrison sat drinking, a cigarette in hand, looking like he’d been there for a while. “It’s been ages since we sat down for a drink together, hasn’t it?”

As the manager tactfully closed the door and left, Frederick had barely settled onto the couch when Harrison spoke. “Yes, it’s been a while,” Frederick nodded, poured himself a glass of whiskey from the table, and took a sip. “No time like the present. Let’s clear everything up tonight.”

Harrison drained his glass in one go. “Alright,” Frederick followed suit, gulping down his entire drink. “Claire’s missing, and you haven’t found her after searching for so many days?” Harrison went straight to the point about Claire’s disappearance. “No,” Frederick poured himself another drink, being honest. There was no need to lie to Harrison, given their relationship.

Harrison took a deep drag of his cigarette. “How about this, stop looking for her. I’ll find her myself. Of course, when I do find her, you’re not to interfere with how I handle Claire.”

“What are you planning to do?” Frederick asked immediately. “Whatever I choose to do, even if I use the same methods as four years ago on Claire, you stay out of it.” Harrison exhaled a long stream of smoke, his tone extremely forceful. Frederick’s grip on his glass suddenly tightened.