Chapter 69
Footage
Veronica’s POV
We were all panicking at this point. Both for the baby and our lives at once. Orthon was driving at an insane speed to get to his apartment and I must add that I don’t even know how he was able to evade the number of cars that he did.
The tension in the car was suffocating as Orthon gripped the steering wheel like it was the only thing holding him together. Maybe it was.
I was still trying to make sense of this whole thing. I knew for a fact that she was crazy but I didn’t think she would be this crazy.
I clutched the edge of my seat, barely able to breathe, while Arie sat quietly in the back, biting her nails, a clear sign of her guilt.
“Arie, how could you leave a baby alone?” I finally burst out, unable to hold back anymore. “What if something happened?”
“I didn’t think it’d take this long!” Arie snapped defensively. “I just… I didn’t plan on getting arrested, alright?”
“That’s not the point!” Orthon yelled, as if her words had triggered the ticking bomb. “You’re a mother, Arie. You don’t just leave your kid at home like some… some bag of groceries you’ll come back for later!”
“I know, okay? I screwed up!” Arie shouted back, tears brimming in her eyes. “But I didn’t have anyone to watch him! And I didn’t think those assholes would push me this far!”
“Just fucking pray nothing happens to him!” Orthon hissed.
Usually, he was one to stay calm even when he was angry, but it wasn’t possible for anyone to stay calm in this situation. We were all freaking
out.
I exchanged a quick, anxious glance with Orthon, but his focus was solely on the road. His jaw was clenched so tightly I thought his teeth might crack.
When we finally reached Orthon’s apartment building, he didn’t even bother to park properly. He threw the car into neutral, pulled the parking brake, and bolted out, leaving the engine running. Arie and I scrambled to follow him as he sprinted up the stairs two at a time.
We could have used the elevator, true, but we weren’t exactly thinking rationally at that point.
By the time we reached his apartment door, Orthon already had it open. The three of us froze at the spot.
The place was eerily quiet.
“Keon?” Arie called out tentatively, stepping inside. “Baby?”
There was not a sound. Not even a giggle or a cry to signify that a baby was in here somewhere.
Orthon turned to glare at her. “You said you left him here.”
“I did!” Arie insisted, her voice shaking. “He was asleep when I left. He
should be…”
“Keon!” Orthon bellowed, cutting her off as he stormed through the apartment, checking every room. I followed, my heart pounding like a drum in my chest.
Chapter da
The crib in the corner of the bedroom was empty. A stuffed bunny lay on the floor beside it, abandoned.
“Oh my God,” Arie whispered, her hands flying to her mouth. “Where is he? Where’s my baby?”
Panic clawed at my throat as I searched the living room and kitchen,
praying to find Keon sitting somewhere, safe and sound. But the
apartment was empty.
“I swear, I left him here,” Arie cried, pacing frantically. “I locked the door when I left! I…”
“Then how the hell is he gone?!” Orthon exploded, slamming his fist against the wall. “What is wrong with you, Arie? What the fuck were
thinking?”
Wait.” I stopped and looked around, my mind racing. “If the door was locked, then someone must have taken him.”
Arie froze. “You think… you think someone broke in and…”
“Or you didn’t lock the damn door properly and he crawled out!!” Orthon shot back, his face red with fury.
“That’s enough!” I snapped, stepping between them. “Fighting won’t help us find him. We need to call the police.”
“No,” Orthon said immediately.
“What?” Arie and I said in unison.
“We can’t call the police,” he insisted, his voice hard. “Not yet. There’s a possibility he crawled out so let’s just check outside first. If we don’t find him, we can decide what to do.”
“Right!” I agreed and he shot Arie one last glare before walking out. We
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began searching the floors and then after a while, we agreed that there
was no way he would have crawled so far that he got down how many flight of stairs?
“What about your housekeeper? Maybe we could ask her,” Arie suggested.
“Right! Why didn’t I think of that?” Orthon sighed. “Wait… did any of you remember seeing her on your way in?”
“No, but who said we can’t check again, right?” I said, already heading downstairs. I cursed myself once again for not using the elevator but then again, we were panicking.
We got downstairs and unfortunately, we weren’t wrong. She wasn’t in.
“So we have two missing persons now or…?” Arie started saying but Orthon was already walking away.
“Where are you going?” I called after him.
“Security footage. If someone took Keon then the cameras should have captured them.
“Good idea,” I said, hurrying after him, with Arie trailing behind.
Orthon was already talking to the building’s security guard by the time wer reached the lobby. His voice was sharp, his words clipped.
“We need to see the footage from the last few hours. Now.”
The guard, a gruff man in his mid–50s, seemed taken aback by Orthon’s urgency. “Uh… sure. Let me grab the keys to the security room.”
“Move faster,” Orthon growled, pacing the lobby like a caged animal.
I placed a hand on his arm to calm him down. “Orthon, we’ll find him. He
can’t have gone far.”
He didn’t answer, just shook me off and ran a hand through his hair. His frustration was obvious as day, and I couldn’t blame him. I just don’t know why Arie made such a stupid decision
My head was already spinning and I knew it was a sign of stress. I needed to slow down or I would be the next one losing a child too.
The guard returned moments later and led us to the cramped security room. He pulled up the footage, rewinding to when Arie said she’d left.
“There.” Orthon said, pointing at the screen when Arie was seen walking out of the apartment.
The guard fast–forwarded the footage, and the three of us leaned closer. our eyes glued to the screen.
Minutes passed, and nothing unusual happened. The hallway was empty. Then we saw him.
Keon. But he wasn’t alone.
“Well I must be damned!” Arie muttered and we threw her a glare.
