Chapter 77
78 A Call Ignored
Every breath felt like sharp needles piercing her lungs, a constant torment,
Suddenly, her eyes flew open. She leaned over
the side of the bed, coughing violently, bringing up mouthfuls of blood that splattered onto the floor.
The coughing wouldn’t stop. Her face was ashen, and she lacked the strength even to sit up.
Darkness crept into her vision. Each gasp felt like a countdown to death.
With tremendous effort, she found her phone and tried to make a call. Her vision blurred. She instinctively pressed the first number in her call history – Jasper’s, from the night before.
Her head felt like it was splitting open. Warm liquid trickled from her nose, dripping onto the white bedsheets.
The phone rang for a long time before someone answered.
“Hello? Mr. Jackson’s secretary. Mr. Jackson is currently in a meeting. Please state your business p>
Her consciousness was fading. Coughing wracked her body. She managed to force out a few words. “Please… tell him… I don’t feel well… I need to go to the hospital… Can I p>
She was confined to the house, unable even to leave. She needed Jasper’s permission.
“Very well, miss. I will inform Mr. Jackson when his meeting concludes p>
The call ended. Tatiana lost consciousness.
On the other end, the secretary pursed her lips in disgust. “Still pulling the same old ‘playing sick‘ routine? How pathetic. Hmph, she’s not even worthy of polishing Ms. Lowell’s shoes p>
Today’s meeting was critical. Jasper was always meticulous about work, rarely allowing interruptions.
But today, he couldn’t shake a profound sense of unease, a nagging feeling that something terrible was happening.
Finally, he cut the meeting short. “Let’s take a break.” He stood and left the conference room.
His secretary was waiting outside. Felix was off today, replaced by another secretary named Wendy.
“Anything come up p>
Wendy hesitated, thinking of the phone call, then shook her head. “No, Chairman. Nothing.” The Chairman doesn’t care about that woman. Why let her ruin his mood? A good secretary shields her boss from unnecessary distractions.
Jasper paused, rubbing his temples. “If any calls come in, bring them to me immediately p>
173
She hesitated again.
He noticed her subtle reaction, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “Are you hiding something p>
Pinned by his sharp gaze. Wendy panicked, unable to conceal anything, “N–no p>
“Tell me!” he snapped.
Wendy crumbled. “Y–yes, there was a call, but… but p>
His expression changed instantly. “Give me the phone p>
During important meetings like this, Jasper never carried his phone. He disliked interruptions, entrusting it to Felix, who would screen calls and only notify him if absolutely necessary.
Wendy didn’t dare hide anything further and quickly handed over the phone. “Here. It was… Tatiana called
earlier p>
He scrolled through the call log. Sure enough, there was a received call from two hours ago. Tatiana’s number.
Since leaving the hospital, she almost never called him, except last night from the police station. Why would she call today?
Without hesitation, he dialed her number back and asked Wendy, “What did she say p>
The call didn’t go through. Her phone was off. For more chapters visit.net
Wendy stammered, “Tatiana… she was pretending to be sick again… saying she didn’t feel well and needed to go to the hospital… I think she was just trying to get your attention, Chairman. You shouldn’t believe her. It’s just one of her little tricks p>
“Shut up p>
Startled by his ferocity, Wendy looked up and met his eyes, nearly fainting from fear.
“As of today, you’re fired. Get out p>
Wendy tried frantically to explain. “I p>
“Get out p>
Jasper spun around and strode away, an inexplicable panic rising within him, intensified by the unanswered call.
He drove back to the manor himself, speeding.
“Tatiana p>
He threw open the door to her room, only to find it empty.
She wasn’t there.
2/3
The bed was neatly made, the room tidy. But Tatiana was gone.
He stood there, stunned for a moment, then searched the entire manor. She was nowhere to be found.
Tatiana had vanished.
His face darkened. He returned to her room and yanked open the wardrobe. The few sets of clothes that had been inside were gone,
He let out a humorless laugh. “Tatiana… Fine. Just fine p>
So the phone call was a ruse. Just another one of her games. This push–and–pull tactic… she never tired of it. Perhaps escaping and being chased had inflated her sense of self–importance.
Rage surged through him, burning away his reason.
This time, he wouldn’t go after her.
He was certain she wouldn’t miss Grandpa’s birthday banquet. She would come back on her own.
After standing there for a moment, he called the maids and ordered them to thoroughly clean the room, erasing every trace of her presence.
“Should we throw these things away, sir?” a maid asked, holding up a small bag containing the few cheap trinkets and decorations Tatiana had left behind.
120
Sara Lili
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.