Chapter 370:

Theo hadn't seen Elyse in a while, and his concern, fueled by Jayden's evasive responses, was growing. His face paled as he pressed, "What's happened to Elyse, Jayden? I've warned you before: if you can't look after her properly, just let her come back to me."

Jayden's expression soured. "What makes you think I'm not taking care of her? Are you blind?" He felt he'd been attentive; Elyse frequently had tantrums and was rebellious, but he'd remained patient and consistently soothed her. The experience was new to him.

Despite Jayden's efforts, Theo remained unconvinced. "This man must be insane," he muttered, his mood darkening further. Jayden's expression grew severe, and Theo's gaze hardened. "Then where is she? If she doesn't appear soon, it means you've lost her."

"You're being unreasonable," Jayden snapped, his frustration evident. "Are you here just to stir up trouble?"

Kaelyn, who had been observing silently, intervened, placing a hand on Theo's shoulder. He shrugged it off immediately, unwilling to be consoled. Blushing with embarrassment, Kaelyn withdrew her hand, the warmth in her gaze gone. Turning a cool gaze on Jayden, she demanded, "You can't bring Elyse out, can you? Is Elyse really inside? You can't blame us for reacting this way."

Theo fixed his stare on Jayden, awaiting an answer. Jayden looked at Kaelyn with disdain. Her boldness suggested she knew more than she let on. Was she truly arrogant or simply foolish? He didn't know her well enough to say. Firmly, he said, "I can't give you any details. Whatever you think is happening, you're mistaken."

Theo's patience wore thin. "If anything happens to Elyse because of you, mark my words, I won't let you off the hook, even if it costs me my own life." Jayden laughed, clearly unconcerned by the threat.

Elyse wandered over slowly, sucking on a lollipop, oblivious to the tension. As she approached, she overheard the end of Theo's dramatic declaration and widened her eyes in surprise. "Theo, are you talking about dying for love or what?"

Jayden pressed his forehead, wondering why he'd chosen such a naive partner. Seeing Elyse unharmed, Theo sighed with relief, his face lighting up. "Thank goodness you're okay, Elyse. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

Elyse replied, puzzled, "Theo, we barely know each other. Please, this isn't appropriate, especially with my husband right here." She scurried to Jayden with a coy smile, which he met with a stern look that made her giggle nervously.

Seeing Elyse so compliant with Jayden made Theo's heart sink. He remembered a time when she had looked at him that way. When Elyse looked up and saw Kaelyn staring at her in disbelief, a self-satisfied smirk spread across her face. Elyse had learned from Jayden that Kaelyn was the mastermind behind the recent kidnapping plot, transforming Kaelyn from a familiar face into an enemy.

Kaelyn gasped. "Why are you here? Aren't you already…?" Her voice trailed off as she clamped her mouth shut, her eyes wide with a mix of emotions.

Elyse retorted sharply, rolling her eyes, "If I'm not here, where should I be? Did you expect me somewhere else?" Seeing Elyse unharmed, Theo realized Kaelyn had deceived him. He glared at her, his voice icy. "You said Elyse was in trouble. She looks fine to me. How do you explain this?"

Kaelyn flustered under his scrutiny, stammering, "I heard your sister got detained by the police. Why are you here instead?" Elyse watched the exchange with amusement. Despite Kaelyn's apparent distress and guilt, she knew revealing details about the kidnapping would only implicate her further.

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