CHAPTER 233: CHARLES HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED II

Although his phone had just buzzed with a new message, Augustine’s gaze remained fixed on the board members, choosing not to check it yet.

Deep down, Augustine hoped no one would raise a hand because one raised hand could unravel everything he had built, and losing his position was the last thing he wanted.

The board room became filled with low murmurs as the shareholders exchanged uneasy glances while Augustine held his breath, every second stretching painfully long.

Then, the man who had spoken earlier slowly lifted his hand, nodding at the colleague beside him as if urging him to do the same.

A sharp pain shot through Augustine’s chest as another shareholder which was a lady... suddenly raised her hand in agreement.

One by one, after brief moments of hesitation, more hands began to rise and the weight of each decision pressed heavily against Augustine because he could already smell his downfall.

Seeing more hands rise, Augustine’s chest tightened.

All his hard work... all the years of proving himself as a capable CEO now felt like they were about to go down the drain.

But suddenly, there came another beep from his phone in his trouser pocket.

With a weary sigh, Augustine slid his hand inside, pulled it out, and unlocked the screen but in that seconds, his eyes widened instantly as he read the first message that came from Reginald.

’Is this some kind of a sick joke?’ Augustine questioned himself when another text message suddenly came through.

’Augustine, I... I don’t know how it happened or...’

The next message cut off halfway, rushed, as if Reginald had typed it in panic.

Swiftly, Augustine dialed Reginald’s number but it wasn’t reachable and all that he heard from the other end of the phone call was: The number you’re trying to call is switched off. Please leave a voicemail.

"Something is definitely wrong," Augustine mused because the fact that Reginald had sent him a panicked message meant Charles had indeed been kidnapped.

As Augustine tried to think properly, a cold chill ran through his veins.

Sigh!

Augustine shot to his feet, ignoring the startled gazes of the shareholders as he quickly dialed Freda’s number. He had a strong feeling she might be with Reginald.

The call connected almost immediately.

"Augus... Augustine, I... I went out to get yogurt for Reginald. He said he wanted some, so I just stepped out for a moment and... no... I shouldn’t have left him alone. He was... he wanted—"

"Freda, stop rambling and tell me where the hell my man is!" Augustine roared, his voice echoing through the boardroom.

The sudden outburst made several shareholders flinch in their seats. A few who had been holding their hands aloft slowly lowered them onto the desk, their wide eyes fixed on Augustine as a heavy silence spread through the room.

Freda swallowed hard and nodded like a frightened child. "I... I came back and I couldn’t find Charles or Reginald. They’re not here... they’re nowhere to be found."

Before she could say more, Augustine cut the call and slammed the handset down.

He drove his fist into the table and the boardroom flinched. "I’m willing to give up my position if that’s what it takes," he said, voice low and controlled, eyes burning as they scanned the room. "But if anyone on this board had a hand in this... if anyone here dared to kidnap the man I love... you will regret it. I won’t stop at punishment."

And with that, Augustine straightened his posture and walked out of the boardroom, his bodyguards trailing close behind.

They formed a shield around him as he was ushered through the throng of reporters pressing against his car.

Once more, microphones and cameras crowded Augustine’s path, questions flying at him from every direction, but Augustine barely heard a word. His mind was consumed by one thought and that involved how to find Charles.

Augustine had almost lost Charles earlier that night, and he couldn’t bear the thought of losing him again. Losing Charles would be like losing his own life.

Once inside the car, Augustine sank into the driver’s seat and started the engine. He hadn’t driven far when he reached for his phone and quickly dialed Freda’s number. She picked up on the very first ring.

"Freda, I want the CCTV footage from Charles’s hospital room ready before I arrive," Augustine ordered, ending the call before she could respond.

Glancing between the road and his phone, he quickly dialed the number of his private investigator and after a few rings, the call connected.

"Hello, my boyfriend has been kidnapped. I need you to track down the address of Aubrey Edison because she’s the only one I suspect," Augustine said, his voice sharp with urgency.

"I’ll get back to you once I have something," the investigator replied and once more, Augustine immediately hung up, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles whitened.

Sigh!

Augustine let out a loud sigh as his heart began to race while his jaw clenched.

"Why is this happening to me?" Augustine muttered under his breath, though no answer came.

"And why... why is Charles being punished for my sins? Charles has no enemies, so why am I the one creating enemies for him?" Augustine muttered, his voice breaking as tears welled in his eyes.

He bit his lower lip so hard that he tasted blood, the pain doing nothing to ease the ache in his chest.

After half an hour of tense driving, Augustine finally arrived at the hospital.

Without wasting a second, he packed his car, slammed the car door shut and rushed down the hallway toward Charles’s room.

There, he spotted Freda, standing frozen with tears streaking her face while a CD clutched tightly in her trembling hands.

"Hey... did you find anything?" Augustine demanded, snatching the disc from her grip with desperation in his eyes.

Freda swallowed hard, sniffling softly as she watched Augustine rush toward the CCTV control room.

Inside, four men were stationed at the monitors, each keeping an eye on the feeds.

"I need to watch this disc," Augustine said firmly to the young man in charge, who immediately nodded.

They all recognized CEO Augustine Wales and one of them quickly stood to offer his seat, and Augustine sat down while the young man took the CD and slid it into the player.

At once, the footage from Charles’s hospital room flickered onto the screen. The operator began fast-forwarding until the image revealed someone entering the room.

He stopper fast-forwarding the video while Augustine held his breath as he watched how a man in a doctor’s coat stepped inside Charles hospital room, handing a bottle of water to Reginald.

They conversed for a while, and from their gestures, it seemed as though the man was explaining something about Charles’s health although Augustine can’t make out what they’re saying since the CCTV camera had no audio.

"Guys, is he a doctor here? I haven’t seen him before," Augustine asked the men present, his eyes still fixed on the video.

They all shook their heads except the operator.

"His face looks blurred, but... well, he might be a doctor since he’s wearing a lab coat," the operator said cautiously. "Do you want me to keep forwarding the video?"

"Just hold on," Augustine replied, his tone sharp. "I... I have a bad feeling about this so-called doctor."

As Augustine had instructed, the footage was not fast-forwarded but nstead, they continued to watch it closely.

Just as Augustine was about to tell the operator to start forwarding the video, he noticed Reginald lift the bottle of water and drink it all in a single gulp.

Within seconds, Reginald clutched his chest, raked his fingers through his hair in distress, and collapsed onto the floor.

Then, the man in the doctor’s coat bent over him, checking for signs of breathing.

When it became clear that Reginald was unresponsive, the man turned to Charles, pulled the IV drip from his arm, and moved quickly to take control of the situation.

"No... don’t... don’t do this to Charles," Augustine muttered through clenched teeth, as if the figure on the screen could somehow hear him while Freda was already sobbing non-stop.

The fists of Augustine tightened on the desk as anger course through him.

Calmly, the supposed doctor lifted Reginald from the floor and placed him on the bed beside Charles. He then pulled a sheet over both their faces before rolling the bed out of the hospital room.

"Damn it!!... zoom in and get a clear image of the man’s face," Augustine ordered, his voice sharp with urgency. The operator immediately complied.

"I... I don’t recognize him," Freda admitted, a deep frown settling on her face as she wiped her nose with the back of her trembling hands.

Augustine rubbed his temples, forcing back the tears that threatened to fall. He reminded himself he had to stay strong for Charles and for Reginald’s sake.

"Run a facial recognition scan," Augustine demanded and instantly, the system began processing the image.

While the image was being processed, Augustine’s heart pounded loudly that each seconds feels like an hour until finally... the screen flashed Scan Complete.

Holding his breath, Augustine leaned closer to the monitor. And there, revealed on the screen, was the face of none other than...