Reborn Heiress: Taking Back What Is Rightfully Hers! -
Chapter 495: The Only Clue
Chapter 495: The Only Clue
Eric walked over and silently sat down next to his wife. Ella’s eyes were unfocused as she sat there quietly, holding the small airplane in her hands and staring blankly into space.
Thinking about how little Elias had been happily playing with the plane that morning, Ella felt a wave of anguish. Her chest tightened, and her eyes began to redden again.
Eric gently took her hand in one of his, while his other hand softly smoothed her disheveled hair.
Lucas, sitting nearby, said nothing. He quietly left the living room to give them some space.
Ella’s eyelashes fluttered, resembling the delicate wings of a butterfly. The dim lighting in the living room cast soft shadows on her face, creating crescent-like shapes under her lashes.
"I’m sorry, honey... I failed to protect our son," Eric said, his deep eyes filled with sorrow and cold resolve. "But the fact that they waited this long to take Elias means... they weren’t doing it for money."
Ella let out a bitter laugh and pulled her hand away, but Eric held on tighter. "Ella, losing our son has broken my heart too. Please, don’t treat me like this... I need you. Aurora’s call only came because she’s an artist our company values—I didn’t want to cause unnecessary tension with her."
Ella pressed her lips together, her brow furrowed with icy restraint. "Just let me have some quiet."
"We’ve been married for so many years, Ella. I don’t want us to keep drifting apart like this—it’s killing me too. I’ll do anything to make things right, no matter what it takes."
"If I could trade places, I’d rather it was me who was taken," Eric said, gripping her hand tightly, his eyes full of pain.
Ella glanced at him, her mouth dry, her gaze flitting away as her heart raced. She didn’t know what to say.
She was angry, but there had to be a limit.
After all, Eric hadn’t really fallen for Aurora. She should firmly believe in her husband!
But why was her heart still full of resentment? Perhaps it was because she had watched helplessly as Elias was taken right in front of her.
Her guilt transformed into anger, which she naturally directed at Eric.
Ella said coldly, "Let’s just wait until Elias is back before we talk about anything."
Eric felt a pang of suffocation. She rarely treated him so indifferently.
"I’m sorry... truly sorry. But I swear I have no feelings for Aurora, not in that way! If I’m lying, let me die a terrible death!" Eric said, his tone firm.
Ella’s chest felt heavy and stifled. Could she keep blaming Eric? Without Aurora’s call, would Eric have been able to rescue Elias?
The answer was no.
They only had four bodyguards, while the group of "lucky charm" kidnappers had six.
Ella’s palms felt cold. Eric only held her hand tighter and pulled her into his arms.
"The entire city is searching for those kidnappers. I believe we’ll have leads soon. Trust me, Elias will be fine!" Eric’s voice was soft. Ella closed her eyes and stopped resisting.
Just then, Eric’s phone vibrated. Seeing that it was John calling, he quickly answered. "Boss, we’ve caught the escaped kidnappers dressed as lucky charm mascots. They confessed, but it turns out they all took jobs through an online platform. The pay was high—ten grand per person."
Eric’s expression darkened. "And then?"
"They thought it was just a harmless prank, despite the risk of jail time. They admitted to knocking out the bodyguards but denied being part of the actual kidnapping."
"Trying to shift the blame? How clever of them," Eric muttered grimly.
Eric let out a cold laugh. "Make them regret taking on this kind of job for the rest of their lives."
"Understood, Mr. Nelson. I know what to do," John replied. With just a single sentence, he fully grasped Eric’s intent.
"Keep me updated," Eric said quietly. The other party acknowledged, and he hung up the call, his face still dark as ink.
Ella pulled herself free from his embrace and walked softly toward the stairs.
"Ella, where are you going?" Eric hurried after her.
Ella paused briefly. "I’m going to talk to my father."
Her voice was ethereal and cold, causing Eric’s heart to tighten. "I’ll go with you."
She didn’t respond but strode purposefully forward, as though driven by an unstoppable force. Eric followed silently behind her.
In his study, Lucas sat amidst a haze of cigarette smoke swirling lazily in the air.
It was the first time Ella had seen Lucas smoking.
When he stayed with them, he never smoked because Ella and the children disliked the smell of cigarettes.
Seeing his daughter enter, Lucas quickly stood up, looking somewhat embarrassed. He hurriedly extinguished the cigarette. "What’s wrong? Is there good news?"
Ella gave a bitter smile and shook her head. "No, I just thought of someone... Dad, didn’t you once say that Mason wasn’t a simple man? Maybe we should have my brother’s people keep an eye on him."
Lucas nodded. "Eric and I already discussed that. Don’t worry. We won’t let anyone suspicious slip through the cracks." He tried to reassure her. "You look exhausted. Why don’t you rest for a bit?"
Ella exhaled quietly in relief. Mason was the kind of person with an obsessive nature.
Years ago, he had abruptly and silently withdrawn from the Country S market to refocus his attention on Country W. Since then, he hadn’t made any notable moves.
Yet Mason was the most suspicious of all.
Many men had pursued or secretly admired Ella, but none had shown the same brazenness as Mason.
Some men, when consumed by obsession, could become deranged or even monstrous.
"Ella, go and rest. Leave the rest to us, alright?" Eric said softly.
Ella gave a slight nod. There was nothing she could do in her anxious state, so she reluctantly returned to her room to rest.
Eric, however, stayed behind in the study to continue his discussion with Lucas. Ella understood that Eric was suffering too, and Lucas, as a fellow man, would understand him best.
She couldn’t wallow with him in shared sorrow; it was better to let the two of them talk things through.
Ella returned to her room.
She quickly showered, but lying in bed, she couldn’t sleep. She kept tossing and turning, her mind unable to settle.
Her phone lay silently on the bedside table.
Frustrated, Ella sat up and reached for the photo album from when Elias and Dorian had their first birthday. Her hands trembled slightly as she opened it.
Page after page, from their birth to their current three-year-old selves, each photo was full of life and joy. Her eyes welled up as a thin layer of mist blurred her vision. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t hold back the tears.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed softly on the bedside table.
She froze for a moment, her heart filling with anxious anticipation. Quickly unlocking the screen, she saw a notification for a new email.
Ella opened it immediately, her hands trembling.
The email contained only a short message:
"If you want to see your son, contact me. I will give you instructions."
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