The Protector

Chapter 10

This time, not only Shaun but Samuel and Melanie also followed.

“What are you guys doing here?”

Aaron was furious to see the three of them, but he didn’t expect them to be so polite.

“Uncle Aaron, Aunt Caitlyn, where’s Zoey?”

They were carrying all kinds of gift boxes in their hands, which made Aaron and Caitlyn even more puzzled.

“Zoey? She’s not at home,” Caitlyn said.

Melanie grinned. “Where did she go, Aunt Caitlyn?”

Caitlyn shook her head. “No idea. She went out with Levi early in the morning.”

“Oh, okay, Uncle Aaron, Aunt Caitlyn. Please give us a call when Zoey comes back. We’ll be off then.”

Aaron and Caitlyn were all the more bewildered when the three of them left.

“What are they up to? Even giving us gifts? Are they sucking up to us?”

“Don’t tell me that Levi’s words actually came true?” Caitlyn mused. “It seems that I’m unable to see through him anymore.”

At this time, Levi and Zoey were wandering about aimlessly at their alma mater.

At Levi’s suggestion, Zoey had turned off her phone.

It was already evening when Samuel and the others exited the Lopez residence.

They didn’t go far. In fact, they were waiting in front of Zoey’s neighborhood.

After waiting for three hours, Levi and Zoey had yet to return.

Harry had also checked in on them several times.

“Where the hell is she? Call Zoey now!”

Samuel grew impatient as he smoked one cigarette after another.

Right that instant, Melanie dialed Zoey’s number.

“The number you have dialed is currently unavailable…”

Her expression stiffened upon hearing the automated message.

“She turned off her phone…”

“What? Is she doing this on purpose?” Samuel spat with sudden fury.

Shaun also tried to call, and sure enough, her phone was off.

“But Zoey doesn’t know what’s going on. Isn’t this too much of a coincidence? Why did she turn off her phone?” Melanie said in surprise.

“Oh yeah, who knows Levi’s number? He’s with Zoey right now,” Samuel asked.

“I don’t.”

“Let me ask Uncle Aaron and Aunt Caitlyn.”

After asking, Melanie shook her head in dismay. “He just came back the day before yesterday, so they don’t know his number too.”

“F**k!”

Samuel lost his temper.

Right then, Harry called to inquire again.

Samuel passed the phone directly to Melanie.

“We don’t know where Zoey is, Grandpa. They left home early in the morning. Her phone has been switched off, and no one knows Levi’s number. Even Uncle Aaron and Aunt Caitlyn have no clue.”

Hearing this, Harry was more anxious than anyone else.

The Lopez family’s social status would increase tenfold if we secured this project.

“Then keep searching! I want this settled by tomorrow morning!”

Harry mobilized every connection of the Lopez family to look for Zoey and Levi in North Hampton, including Zoey’s classmates, friends, and colleagues.

However, Zoey’s whereabouts were not known at all.

“Do you guys think Zoey has left North Hampton?” someone said.

Harry was so frightened that he almost had a heart attack.

He glared at Henry and huffed. “You wastrel! It’s all your fault for coming up with that stupid idea! Why did we fire them and took back their company? Just how much will we lose if we can’t find Zoey by tomorrow? More than a billion?”

Henry’s heart lurched. “Dad, I didn’t know things will turn out like this. Who could have ever thought that Zoey is the key! Why did the Ministry of Construction set their minds on Zoey in the first place?”

“Hurry up and find her! If you can’t find her by eight tomorrow morning, I’ll take back your company as well! You and your family won’t get a single cent!”

“Dad, I’ll get to it right away!”

Henry almost wet his pants upon hearing his father’s threat.

“What are you guys still doing here?” Harry glared at Fabian and the rest. “Get searching! Unless you want to see a billion goes down the drain!”

“We’re on it!”

That night, the entire Lopez family didn’t rest and had been looking high and low for Levi and Zoey.

By this time, the both of them had long since gone to bed at a hotel.

Zoey was so exhausted from walking all day that she fell asleep right away without even turning on her phone.

Everyone had been calling and searching for Zoey all night, but to no avail.

It was almost dawn, and Harry’s heart could barely take it anymore.

“If we missed out on this project, I’m taking three times more of each family’s dividends this year! And Henry, I’ll be taking back your company. Do whatever you want, you incompetent punks!” Harry chided, slamming the table.

Henry paled and said in a low voice, “Dad, maybe they went out to play, and their phones died. They’ll turn it back on once it’s charged.”

“You think I’m a child? This wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for you!”

Saying that, Harry gave Henry a tight slap.

“Okay, it’s almost seven now. They should have charged and turned on their phones by now, yes? Try calling them now!”

Henry trembled as he dialed Zoey’s number, and to his surprise, the call went through.

“Hey, are you crazy for calling at this hour?”

It was Levi who answered the phone.

Everyone was astounded and ecstatically happy at this moment.

“Levi, it’s me, Uncle Henry!” Henry said immediately.

“Oh, Henry. Why did you call? Are you insane?”

Henry was about to explode when he heard that, but he kept his cool. “Levi, where’s Zoey? Put her on the line. I have something important to tell her.”

“She’s still sleeping. Just tell me if there’s anything important,” Levi rejected directly.

Henry tittered nervously. “Levi, it was a mistake to take back Imperial Meadows and fire Zoey. We decided to recall Zoey and let her take over Imperial Meadows Limited again. Come to the Lopez family mansion with Zoey now. Your Grandpa is asking for the both of you!”

“Oh? Reinstatement, eh? No thanks. Zoey has got a new job,” Levi said before hanging up immediately.

“I’m going to kill this bastard!” Henry exploded.

“You idiot! Call them again and asked for their whereabouts!”

Harry gave Henry another slap.

“Okay, okay.”

Henry called again. “Levi, I know we’re in the wrong! This was a mistake on our end. I swear there will be no next time. Give me your address, and I’ll go pick you guys up, okay?”

“What do you think you’re doing? Do you think you can just fire and reinstate someone as you please? Zoey is not a tool for you to mess around with!” Levi snapped. This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

“You guys can ask for anything as long as Zoey comes back,” Henry said promptly. “Salary is not a problem!”

“Fine, this is what’s going to happen. You want Zoey back? Sure, but whoever fired her in the first place shall be the one to invite her back!”

“It was me! I’ll be the one to invite her back!” Henry said.

“No, you don’t have the right to do that. It was Harry who fired her. Get Harry to come in person! Otherwise, Zoey is never going back!”

Levi was adamant.

Rage nearly consumed Harry when he heard this.

“What? You want me to invite that lass back in person? Are you courting death, Levi?”

At this moment, he could feel nothing but humiliation.