His subordinate nodded fervently, secretly admiring their boss's wise choice. Matthew's wife should indeed possess such qualities. Fearless in the face of danger, strong, and resolute.
"The brothers have already discreetly initiated the search for the boss. In fact... no news could also be considered good news. There's a high probability that the boss is still alive because nobody would hide a worthless dead body." Matthew's subordinate affirmed.
Matthew's influence was extensive. If the enemy had the audacity to assassinate him, they would likely leverage his death to cause chaos and usurp his territory, not hide his body.
Flora agreed with his reasoning: "You're right, his survival would be best. I just went to Ethelbert's place for a probe, and preliminarily, he doesn't seem to be involved in this."
"It's good that we can rule out that white-eyed wolf." Matthew's subordinate nodded: "Don't worry Miss Flora, the brothers will spare no effort to find the boss."
After everyone finished speaking, Emma, who had been standing quietly in a corner, finally spoke: "Miss, there's one more thing. Earlier... when you went to Ethelbert's, a court representative came and delivered a summons. Selena is suing you, she claimed... Matthew disappeared at your place."
By law, Matthew and Selena were a legally married couple. This move of hers was indeed cunning. Legal marriage was protected by law. Selena indeed had grounds to sue Flora if she could provide evidence proving that Matthew was last seen at Flora's apartment. But Flora had never thought that woman would be so ruthless.
Little Mimi snatched the court summons from Emma, her eyes darkened, she cursed under her breath: "That mad woman!"
"Matthew's disappearance isn't even resolved yet, and now Selena is causing trouble!" Flora sighed deeply, her current mood was indescribable: "What does she gain from doing this!"
"Why wouldn't she gain anything? Auntie, she always wanted to become uncle's official wife, of course, she's extremely jealous of you. She wants to take advantage of uncle's absence to 'deal with' you." Mimi gritted her teeth.
There's no denying that she has successfully caused quite a bit of trouble for Flora. But her actions were utterly contemptible.
Matthew's subordinate frowned: "The boss's whereabouts are unknown, this problem is tough to solve."
It's clear where justice lies, even if everyone here knows Flora is the wife Matthew recognizes and she has no motive to harm him, the legal wife on his marriage certificate is still Miss White.
When the legal wife accuses Flora, the court will never care that Flora is the one who is most worried about Matthew's disappearance. All it takes is for Selena to insist that her husband disappeared at Flora's place. Besides, the influence of the White family in politics isn't for show.
Handling Matthew may be impossible, but dealing with a delicate woman like Flora is far from difficult.
"No, amidst such turmoil, such a boiling crisis, I cannot face her in court!" Flora clenched her fist, resolutely stating: "Let the others continue searching for Matthew, I will handle Selena."
The best solution she could conceive of was to seek Patrick's aid.
Having roamed the ruthless business world for years, he must undoubtedly be acquainted with numerous lawyers. With his recommendation for a competent legal attorney, her rights would be better protected.
The café was unusually quiet in the afternoon.
Patrick sat, his gaze deeply engrossed in the visage of the woman across from him.
Her beautiful face failed to conceal her exhaustion, dark circles subtly appearing beneath her eyes, her complexion unmistakably pale.
He shook his head gently: "Flora... you haven't changed at all since the past. Regardless of the magnitude of the problem, you always insist on carrying the burden alone, only seeking help when you're at the end of your rope."
In reality, those who knew Flora well understood that she was far from the delicate creature she seemed.
In many aspects, she was incredibly resilient, and equally obstinate.
"Only a few days apart, and you've already tormented yourself into this state..." He could not help but sigh.
Flora stirred her chilled coffee with a small spoon: "I can't even make sense of my own state right now... I feel... so unsettled... Matthew's sudden disappearance, the lack of any news... Selena's... The pressure is too much..." Her voice was on the brink of hysteria.
"Do you remember the Matthew I described to you? My senior from university, an individual born with extraordinary capabilities, even stronger than most. A Matthew like that won't easily encounter mishaps, he knows how to protect himself."
Flora shook her head: "I know... but he... has too many enemies..."
"That's just you being overly concerned and entangling your thoughts, pushing yourself into a corner. Trust me, he'll surely return safely." Patrick's fingers tapped on the piece of paper on the table: "The urgent matter at hand is to deal with this."
Selena's preparations this time were meticulous.
She had plenty of evidence proving the last sighting of Matthew was him entering Flora's apartment. If she pushed this further, court proceedings would become inevitable.
"...More seriously, you could even be suspected as the perpetrator, even face imprisonment if the White family exerts their power." And the Whites undoubtedly possessed the capability to do just that.
Flora nodded: "I understand. But it doesn't matter. I just want to find Matthew." Seldom was she so firm, so obstinate.
"If Matthew resurfaces, you'll be proven innocent quite easily. However... have you considered..." Patrick shifted his gaze to Flora's abdomen: "You're not alone. Your current emotional state will certainly affect the development of the child."
Flora jolted, lost for words.
She had been running around non-stop due to Matthew's disappearance.
Had Patrick not reminded her, she would have forgotten she was pregnant.
She was carrying a small life in her womb, she should not be overexerting herself, nor should she be tormenting herself.
Thankfully, the little one in her belly was being quite obedient, not giving her any trouble for the past few days.
Seeing her reaction, Patrick instantly realized that this silly woman had completely forgotten about her pregnancy.
His gaze was a mix of exasperation and tenderness: "Let me handle this summons, you should go home and rest. If not for yourself, think of the baby. You wouldn't want Matthew to come home to a sick mother and child, would you?"
"But..."
"Matthew's disappearance, let his comrades handle the search. Digging three feet into the earth if need be, they will surely find him sooner or later."
On ordinary days, Patrick was the embodiment of gentleness, approachable and easy to converse with. Yet when he stood firm, he held the vigor of a man commanding the grand scheme of things.
Flora bowed her head for a long moment before reluctantly nodding, conceding to his suggestion that she should rest.
Watching her silhouette recede, Patrick exhaled a muted sigh.
Returning to her apartment, fatigue hung heavily on Flora, each step towards her room an ordeal.
She hadn't considered rest before, but now that it crossed her mind, her body felt as though it was coming undone.
Ever since Matthew's disappearance, she hadn't managed a single night of peaceful sleep.
"Flora! You vile woman, trash! Give me back my husband!" A shrill shriek suddenly shattered the silence, causing Flora to jolt in surprise.
Before she had a chance to react, Selena was storming towards her, pointing accusively: "This is Flora. My husband disappeared in her house. Seize her now!" A spiteful glare was cast at Flora: "Even Patrick's lawyer can't save you. Have you forgotten who my father is?"
She turned to the uniformed officers, her tone forceful and determined: "Arrest Flora! As long as my husband doesn't appear, she remains a suspect."
"Ms. Flora, you are suspected of being involved in Matthew's disappearance. We invite you to accompany us to the police station to assist in the investigation." The two officers, maintaining an air of "professional business." moved a step forward, ready to restrain Flora.
She furrowed her brows, countering: "Do you have an arrest warrant? Is there any evidence that Matthew's disappearance is my doing? Based solely on Selena's words, you arrest people. Isn't that excessively biased?"
By this point, Selena had moved aside, smirking triumphantly. Of course, she wouldn't have dared to bring them here if she wasn't confident of victory.
"We are only inviting you to assist in the investigation, not arresting you." one of the officers sniggered.
Seeing Selena's approving nod, the other swiftly grabbed Flora's arm, twisting it harshly: "If you refuse to cooperate, it will be an obstruction of justice."
Pain shot through her arm into her brain, Flora shot Selena a venomous glare: "Selena... you're pushing this too far!"
Leaning comfortably against the wall, Selena shrugged: "Not yet. At least I, Selena, was raised properly, not luring married men..." Pausing for effect, she dropped the bombshell: "By the way, to ease your mind while in prison about your illegitimate child, I've taken him to my and Matthew's mansion. Rest assured, I will treat him 'nicely'."
Her tone took a dark turn on the word "nicely". God only knows how "nicely" she planned to treat a six to seven-year-old child. She was, after all, not saintly enough to overlook the son of her rival.
Flora paled, her hand shaking as she mustered the strength to break free from the officer's grip. She lunged at Selena, rage burning in her eyes as if ready to tear her apart.
"Let my son go! Why are you dragging a child into adult matters? I warn you, if anything happens to my son..."
"Ms. Flora, we urge you to calm down." the two officers swiftly restrained Flora, preventing her from getting close to Selena: "In the presence of the police, you are threatening the legal wife of Matthew. This gives us more reason to suspect your involvement in his disappearance."
"You people..." It would have been a waste of her twenty-odd years of life if Flora hadn't realised at this point that these people were in cahoots.
Seeing Flora subdued, Selena's smugness grew. She sauntered forward, delivering a hard slap across the face of the beautiful woman before her.
With no place to escape, Flora's cheek took the full brunt of the woman's heavenly smite of a slap.
The skin that had contact with the woman's palm immediately swelled up red, with the shape of her hand imprinted onto it.
Her nails scratched across the face, leaving a painful sting.
She gritted her teeth, holding back the tears that were brimming in her eyes, ready to spill out at any moment.
"Let my son go!"