Alessia stopped pacing, leaning against her desk as she closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing. “Okay,” she said finally. “I trust you. But this whole thing feels like it’s spiraling out of control.”
“I know,” Theo said softly. “I’ll come by later to check in, but for now, stay focused on your meeting. I’ll handle this.”
Alessia nodded, though he couldn’t see her. “Alright. I’ll call you if anything happens.”
“You better,” Theo said, his voice lightening slightly, though the concern remained. “I love you.”
“Love you too,” Alessia replied before hanging up.
The meeting dragged on longer than Alessia had anticipated. She sat in the conference room, surrounded by colleagues discussing projections and strategies, but her mind was elsewhere. Every so often, she glanced at her phone, tempted to check for updates but unwilling to appear distracted.
Finally, after an hour, the meeting concluded. Alessia gathered her things and walked briskly back to her office. She immediately reached for her phone, a knot of unease forming in her stomach when she saw a missed call from the daycare.
Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly dialed the number, her fingers trembling as she pressed the call button. It rang twice before the familiar voice of Miss Linda answered.
“Happy Steps Daycare, this is Linda speaking.”
“Hi, Linda, this is Alessia Deveraux,” she said, her voice tight. “I saw I missed a call from you?”
“Yes, Mrs. Deveraux,” Linda said, her tone cheerful. “Just wanted to let you know that Avery was picked up a little while ago.”
Alessia froze, her blood running cold. “Picked up?” she repeated, her voice shaking. “By who?”
“By your assistant,” Linda replied casually. “She had the proper identification, just like always.”
Alessia felt her knees weaken, and she clutched the edge of her desk for support. “My assistant?” she asked, her voice rising. “I didn’t send anyone to pick her up!”
There was a pause on the other end of the line, Linda’s tone now laced with confusion. “Oh… she said you sent her. She showed me the ID you approved on file.”
“Linda, you need to call the police right now.”
Hanging up abruptly, Alessia immediately redialed Theo, her hands trembling so much she almost dropped the phone.
“Alessia?” Theo answered on the first ring, his voice sharp with concern. “What’s wrong?”
“Someone took Avery,” Alessia choked out, her voice breaking. “The daycare thought it was my assistant, but it wasn’t.”