Chapter 251

“Madam, Mr. Nichols sent us to pick you up. Please, come with us,” the driver said politely. Debra looked over and found him unfamiliar. “Where’s Joe?”

“Joe had something to handle, so I came instead,” the driver replied, his tone respectful yet hurried.

Debra pressed further, “I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

“I’m new, ma’am. Just hired,” he explained.

“With Juan hiring new drivers, how would I not know?” Debra mused. Only Juan required a dedicated driver in the entire company. Before today, only Joe had filled that role. Even when Joe wasn’t available, one of the other company drivers would step in. She had never seen this man before.

The driver faltered, unsure how to respond, but he swiftly moved to open the car door for her. She leaned in, peeking through the car window, and spotted a man’s silhouette in the backseat. Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around her from behind. A rough hand clamped a cloth over her mouth and nose. Debra’s eyes widened in shock as a gruff voice muttered in her ear, “Sorry, Mrs. Nichols, but someone wants you out of the picture.” Her vision swam, and darkness claimed her as she slumped into unconsciousness.

The man turned to the driver and barked, “Get in the car!” The driver, pale and frightened, nodded and scrambled into the vehicle. From the first floor of the Nichols’ residence, Hester watched the scene unfold through the expansive window. Her face drained of color as she realized the gravity of the situation. Debra was kidnapped.

“Hester, is dinner ready?” Melody’s voice floated in from the living room, pulling Hester from her shocked stupor. Hester struggled to compose herself, her expression troubled as she returned to the living room.

“Mrs. Nichols Sr., it’ll be ready soon,” she managed to say.

Melody noticed Hester’s distress. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“N–Nothing.” Hester averted her gaze, biting her lip. She couldn’t reveal what she had witnessed. If she did, Debra might be rescued. Deep down, she wanted Debra out of the picture. Then the position of Mrs. Nichols would be hers for the taking.

In his office, Juan glanced at his phone as he wrapped up a meeting. A message from Debra popped up on the screen: [Where to?] Juan frowned, his gut tightening with unease. He hadn’t sent Debra any messages recently. He opened the chat and scrolled up, finding the last message had indeed come from his phone.

“Joe!” he called out, his voice laced with urgency. Joe stepped into the office and asked, “Sir, what can I do for you?”

“Has anyone used my phone?” Juan asked.

“No one has, sir. Your phone has been with me the whole time,” Joe replied, shaking his head.

“Then how did…” The rest of the text is unintelligible.