CHAPTER 777

The man shook his head honestly while trembling all over.

Cedrick’s gaze darkened at once, and he heard the man say, “My boss didn’t say if she was a hostage, but he treated the woman nicely. Today, he left all of a sudden. Before he left, he told me to bring that woman to a tree hollow on top of the mountain and leave her there. When I came back down, I found out they had left me behind. Mr. Jenson, I’m merely an errand runner. I don’t know anything. Heck, I don’t even know who that woman is. I’m telling the truth…”

That means they had indeed kept someone at the top of the mountain. Why did Joe leave her behind and flee? I don’t get it… Since there’s someone up there, I ought to check it out.

Cedrick didn’t bother questioning him further. He gave the man’s head a nudge with the gun and ordered, “Keep moving. Lead me there.”

“Y-Yes!”

As they approached the top of the mountain, the well-trained troops spread out and proceeded ahead to secure the area.

The man then led Cedrick to an old tree. Swain went ahead to remove the twigs and branches to reveal a tree hollow.

There and then, they saw a weak-looking woman with her eyes shut, limbs bound, and mouth sealed with tape. At that moment, she looked as though she was in a lot of pain. Copyright by Nôv/elDrama.Org.

Although the woman had dirt all over her face, one could tell by the exquisite facial features that she was none other than Gwendolyn.

“Gwenny!”

Cedrick was overwhelmed by emotions, and seeing her again made him tear up a little. He hastily carried her out of the tree hollow and gently lay her on the grass before removing the tape over her mouth.

Gwendolyn’s eyelashes fluttered as she gradually regained consciousness. Afterward, she leaned on his shoulder weakly and held his collar. “Hubby, I’ve waited for you for a long time…”

Her voice was hoarse instead of melodious.

Cedrick’s eyes brimmed with tears. He was so heartbroken that he was having trouble breathing. “I’m so sorry, Gwenny. This is all my fault.”

Gwendolyn twitched the corners of her mouth when she heard that. Right when she was seemingly about to comfort him, she fainted.

Cedrick held her hand tightly. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to take revenge on Joe.

However, he suddenly sensed that something was off when he gripped Gwendolyn’s hand.

As it turned out, she no longer had a ring on her ring finger.

Over the past few years, he had given Gwendolyn plenty of rings. She thought the engagement ring with a magnificent ruby was too flashy, so she had always worn another ring, a carnelian ring, that he had given her.

She wore it for several years, and because of the changes in hormones after giving birth, Gwendolyn gained a lot more weight than before she was pregnant. Eventually, her fingers became so chubby that she couldn’t even remove the carnelian ring.

Gwendolyn liked the ring, so she had kept it on for years. Nevertheless, she would have to cut the ring if she wanted to remove it.

As his rationality resurfaced, Cedrick grew tense and abandoned the initial thought of leaning closer toward his wife. Not only is this woman not wearing the ring, but her fingers are slim. As a matter of fact, there isn’t a mark on her ring finger that a ring would leave behind.

Brows knitted, Cedrick slowly removed Gwendolyn from his embrace and placed her on the ground to examine her body. Her facial features and fair skin suggest that this woman is clearly Gwenny. However, what’s with the absence of a marking on her ring finger? Even if Joe had removed the ring forcibly, her finger wouldn’t be so flawless.

Cedrick then shifted his gaze toward the woman’s fingers. Her fingers are slim and beautiful. They aren’t chubby at all. It has only been five days. Could it be that Joe had been starving her?

Cedrick was doubtful, and for some reason, he couldn’t help keeping a distance from the woman before his eyes. What is this that I’m feeling?

“Boss, are you okay?” Swain noticed the odd look in Cedrick’s eyes.

“I’m fine.” Cedrick lowered his gaze and retracted his hands calmly. “Come here. Carry Mrs. Jenson to the technical and send her to the hospital in the city.”

“Okay,” Swain answered without hesitation. A second later, realization dawned on him, and he asked in shock, “Huh? Did you ask me to carry Mrs. Jenson, Boss?”

Swain was afraid of getting beaten up by Cedrick.

“Yes.”

Without offering an explanation, Cedrick led his men to Quawak to wrap up the investigation, his expression somber.

Swain was nervous, but he had no choice but to do as he was told. Hence, he carefully carried Gwendolyn down the mountain.

After everything was done, the troops returned to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Cedrick stayed behind at the hospital.

The doctor did a full-body checkup on Gwendolyn and returned with the results.

“Mr. Jenson, according to the reports, Mrs. Jenson seems okay. She was frightened and probably starved for a few days, so she’s slightly malnourished. I’ll get her on an IV drip and prescribe some calming pills. She should be fine after that,” the doctor said.

“All right. Thank you.”

After the doctor left the ward, Cedrick sat by the bed with a complicated look in his eyes.

Right then, Gwendolyn woke up and tugged at his sleeve. In a hoarse voice, she uttered, “I’m so lucky to have you, Hubby.”

Cedrick snapped back to his senses and patted the back of her hand to console her. He even brushed her fringe aside gently and said, “I’m just glad you’re all right.”

In response, she gazed at him fixedly with a besotted look in her eyes.

Cedrick averted his gaze and asked, “What exactly happened five days ago? Why did you lose control of your car off Bluebay Tunnel?”

Gwendolyn lowered her gaze and mulled over it for a while. Next, she held her head agonizingly and said, “I can’t remember much. All I remember is that I fainted right after the car fell into the canyon. When I woke up, my limbs were already bound.”

As if she recalled something, a panicked look appeared in her eyes as she gripped Cedrick’s sleeves. “Hubby, Joe was the one who kidnapped me! He was the man who harmed Benny!”

She knows about the milk powder contamination case! Cedrick’s resolve began to waver. “I know, Gwenny. Don’t worry. I’ll stay close to you from now on and protect you. He won’t get a chance to harm you again.”

Gwendolyn nodded and smiled in satisfaction. “With you around, Hubby, I don’t have to be afraid of anything and anyone.”

She seems to like saying sweet nothings more than before. Yet, I can’t find anything wrong with her face! Gwenny doesn’t have a twin sister, so how could a woman look exactly like her? A wave of mixed emotions washed over Cedrick.

Right then, the woman on the hospital bed inched toward her and looked at him with her big doe-like eyes. “Hubby, could you please hug me?”

Cedrick suppressed his thoughts and sat nearer to her so that she could lean her head on his shoulder.

“Hubby, I’m filthy. You don’t mind it, right?”

“No. I don’t,” he replied calmly.

Gwendolyn was pleased. In a hoarse and seductive voice, she asked, “In that case, could we shower together tonight, Hubby?”

As she spoke, she ran her slender fingers across Cedrick’s abs.

She couldn’t be more obvious with her hints.

Cedrick frowned lightly and felt uneasy. The woman before me is my wife. I missed her dearly, but why am I not moved? Instead, I feel disgusted.

With that in mind, he grabbed her hand to stop her from pulling off bold moves. “The doctor said you were frightened, so you need to rest. Be good, okay? We’ll see how things go after this.”

Gwendolyn pouted and went silent.

Needless to say, she didn’t take the rejection well. He’s Mr. Jenson, the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Not only is he handsome, but he also has a hell of a body. He’s supposed to be a superior man, no? Could it be that he can’t deliver in the bedroom? His wife went missing for five days. Shouldn’t he be all over me to unleash his sexual urge?

While she was pondering on that, Cedrick was silently observing her expression.

“Gwenny, you have no idea how devastated I was over the past few days. I had neither slept nor ate well. I was thinking about you every day, fearing that you would forget about me and forget about the vows we made during our wedding,” he said.

Gwendolyn flashed a smile and replied in a hoarse yet loving voice, “How could I ever forget that? After all, you’re the person I love the most, Hubby.”

Cedrick’s eyes darkened right away as he stared fixedly at her and enunciated, “In that case, Gwenny, do you remember the vow you made back then?”