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Chapter 851  Showtime

The air held a damp chill, a stark contrast to the dry heat of Husla he\'d just left behind. But the coolness did little to dampen the fire burning in his eyes.

He was finally here. Finally in Ludus.  Finally, he would get his hands on Vanessa, the disobedient wife who had dared to make a fool of him.

She had dared to defy him. The audacity of the woman! Running away like a frightened child when he wasn\'t done punishing her yet. But that game was over. She was back within his grasp, he thought with a smirk etched across his face.

This time around, there would be consequences– public and private. He, Henry Rosewood, wouldn\'t allow such insubordination to go unpunished. He would teach Vanessa a lesson so severe it would leave an indelible mark, worse than the ones he had left on her back.

He was going to make sure everyone saw her as a crazy woman and no one would believe a word out of her mouth. She would have no one on her side. All she would have would be him. She would be at his mercy and beg for her life, but he wouldn\'t forgive her. Never.

Not after she dared to embarrass and humiliate him so publicly ten years ago. Whenever he thought about how she had ignored him that night and treated him like a nobody, his blood boiled afresh.

She had looked down on him because she thought she was from a wealthy home and she had everything. And that was why the first thing he took from her was her family\'s wealth and turned her father into his puppet.

She was going to spend the rest of her life paying for that singular act. No one was permitted to be arrogant or cheeky around him. He had the exclusive right to arrogance.

With a predatory glint in his eyes, Henry strode towards the waiting car and the moment he got in, he turned to the driver and the other man seated in the front seat with him.

"So? What did you find?" He asked coldly.

He had asked them to dig into Mia\'s life in the last three years and to uncover every single thing she had done in the period she was away from him. Who she met, what she ate, what she wore, where she slept. He wanted to know all about her life.

"She started working for Bryan Hank twentytwo months ago. There is no much information about her life before then. She lives a pretty lowkey life in a lowkey neighborhood. She goes to work daily and…"

"Any relationships I should know about?" Henry cut in, uninterested in the mundane details.

"According to her neighbors, she has never entertained visitors. Although they said she goes out late every evening and comes back in the early hours of them morning…"

Henry\'s brows shot up, "Where to?"

"They said she seemed to be the partying type and she was always so colorfully dressed," he said and Henry\'s lips curled with disgust.

"She always bought takeouts…"

"I\'m not interested in that," Henry said and the P.I frowned.

"But you asked me to…"

"I know what I asked. I wanted you to work hard for the money I\'m paying you, that doesn\'t mean I\'m interested in all the details. What about the nonentity she has been cohabiting with? Hasn\'t he ever visited her?" Henry asked and the P.I shook his head.

"No. They said she has never entertained a visitor. And from my investigation, it seems they are not in any special relationship and only started living together when Bryan moved to Ludus," he said and Henry nodded.

"I see. So, did you keep an eye on him to find out where she was and if he would lead you to her?" He asked and the P.I shook his head.

"It was impossible to. They have an extremely nosy neighbor who seems to be the watchdog of the neighborhood. It seems like she spread word around about our presence in the neigborhood, and it made it impossible to hang around there for long enough to monitor his movements."

"Excuses. All I hear are excuses," Henry said with displeasure.

"I\'m sorry my service…"

"Save the apology. It\'s useless," Henry said dismissively. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Now he had to go with his option B. Thomas Hank. He needed to know where Vanessa was hiding presently, and he hoped that Tom had found her.

He couldn\'t believe that Tom had dared to question him the last time. Thomas Hank was lucky that he was too busy trying to find his wayward wife, else he would have punished Tom for daring to think he had an opinion in his business. And the second reason he had forgiven Tom was because, like a good boy, he had agreed to do his bidding.

Now it was time to see if Tom had done as he requested or if his trust in Tom had been misplaced.

He hoped for Tom\'s sake that Tom had found Vanessa, since he didn\'t want to have to spend unnecessary time here, trying to find her.

If Tom failed to provide her immediately, then it would mean that Tom had disappointed him, and he never took disappointment too well.

Without wasting a moment, Henry pulled out his phone and he dialed Tom\'s number, ignoring the uncharacteristic act of calling someone at such an ungodly hour. Tom was a pawn in his game, and pawns needed to be reminded of their place.

Away from there, across the city, the shrill ring of the phone sliced through the quiet of Tom\'s bedroom. He jolted awake, his heart hammering in his chest.

A glance at the bedside clock confirmed his worst suspicions – 2:22 am. Who on earth would be calling at this ungodly hour? He mused as he fumbled for his phone on the nightstand, squinting at the screen in the dim light.

Then he saw the name flashing on the screen– Henry Rosewood. The sleep drained from his body like water down a drain.  This couldn\'t be good.

Lucy stirred beside him, a frown creasing her forehead at the sound of his voice.  "What is it?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep as she turned on the lamp at her side of the bed.

Tom held up a finger, silencing her, and answered the phone. "Mr Rosewood?" he said, his voice betraying none of the apprehension churning in his gut as he glanced at Lucy, who sat up in bed, her eyes wide with alarm.

She had expressed her fears and concern over dealing with Henry Rosewood, but they had also agreed that they couldn\'t leave Mia to face him alone.

"Mr. Hank," Henry\'s voice crackled through the receiver, devoid of any pleasantries.  "Have you managed to locate my wife?" Henry asked, his tone laced with a dangerous edge

Tom gritted his teeth, annoyed that he had called him at such an ungodly hour to ask him such a question.

"Yes. She is safe…"

"Where is she?" Henry cut in.

"Right here in my house. I wanted to keep…"

"Excellent," Henry said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "Then perhaps you can be of further assistance. Send me your address immediately. I will be there in a few minutes to collect her."

Tom stared at the phone, "Collect her? Are you in Ludus already? It\'s barely three in the morning…"

Henry wasn\'t interested in arguments.  "The address, Mr Hank. And make it snappy. It\'s best you don\'t let her know I\'m coming," Henry warned, and with a click, the call ended.

"Don\'t tell me he has arrived and wants to come over at this time to get her?" Lucy asked, and Tom sighed.

"He wants me to send him my address. I really hate this guy. The more I talk to him, the more my hatred for him grows. If Mia wasn\'t so adamant about doing things her way, I would really have loved to deal with him my own way," Tom murmured while Lucy quickly got out of bed.

"You are not dealing with anyone your own way. Mia\'s way is safer. I will go inform Mia and the others that Henry is coming over while you give Harry a call. You should send him the address. Don\'t give him any reason to think you are on Mia\'s side else you\'re going to blow it," Lucy said as she pulled on her sleeping robe and headed for the door.

The moment Lucy got to Bryan\'s and Sonia\'s bedroom, she knocked on the door, "Bryan? Sony? Henry is in Ludus, and he is on his way over to pick Mia," Lucy announced as she knocked, knowing that they would realize it was an emergency and come out fast.

Although they had all been expecting him to get here on Friday, none of them had thought he would choose to come at such an ungodly hour.

The door opened, "He is coming over right now? Does he know what the time is?" Bryan asked as he pulled the door open.

Sonia had wanted to get the door, but he had asked her to let him get it so she could get some rest.

"Right now. He just called Tom. I\'m going to ask Mia to get ready," Lucy said, before heading down the stairs to the guest room.

Down in the guestroom, Mia lay snugly next to Jeff who was cuddling her, and the moment Lucy knocked on the door, both their eyes opened.

"Mia?" Lucy called softly, and goosebumps broke out over Mia\'s skin.

"Henry is in Ludus," Mia said and Jeff frowned as he glanced at the clock in the bedroom since one of the lamps had been left on.

"You can\'t be so sure," Jeff said but while he was still speaking, Mia got out of bed and went to answer the door and Jeff followed.

"He just called Tom. He is on his way," Lucy said and Mia turned to look at Jeff.

"At this hour?" Jeff asked incredulously.

"That\'s the kind of person he is," Mia said just as Tom, Bryan, and Sonia joined them.

"Shouldn\'t you dress up…"

"No. If I do that he is going to know I was waiting for him. He would get more satisfaction in dragging me out of the bed in my sleeping robe. He likes the element of surprise," Mia said and then looked at each of them.

"You all can\'t be out here when he gets here, or else he is going to suspect that something is up. Only Tom can be out to greet him, and maybe Lucy as the lady of the house…"

Lucy shook her head immediately, "I would rather not say hello to him," she said, not wanting to begin her day by seeing such a creepy person.

"Good. It\'s all settled then. We\'ve been through the plan a couple of times. You all can relax. I will be okay. I promise," Mia said, holding Sonia\'s gaze.

Sonia embraced her, "You had better be fine. Call me any chance you get, Mia. And if you need my help, do not hesitate to let me know. I will come running…"

"Who is going to let you go running in your state?" Bryan asked, cutting her off.

"Don\'t call her. Call me. I will run faster. I\'m not pregnant," Bryan said and Sonia scowled at him while the rest of them laughed, despite the tension in the room.

"He will be here in any moment. You can say your farewells," Tom said and returned upstairs, and Lucy followed him after embracing Mia.

"You can\'t be in this room when he gets here," Mia told Jeff after they were left alone.

"I know," Jeff said, gazing at her.

"I will be okay. Don\'t worry. I will make sure I find a way to bring you in," Mia said and Jeff arched a brow.

"How do you think you\'d be able to do that considering your relationship with him?" Jeff asked and she shrugged.

"I will use his weakness. His ego. Don\'t worry. I will make it happen," Mia promised and Jeff took a deep breath as he cupped her face in his hands.

Mia\'s breath hitched, and her bravado faltered a little under Jeff\'s touch. His hands were warm and gentle, a glaring contrast to the brewing storm.

Their eyes locked, a silent conversation passing between them. In that quiet moment, unspoken words hung heavy in the air – worry, gratitude, a flicker of something more.

"Be careful, Mia," Jeff murmured, his thumb brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek, a gesture both intimate and comforting. "Don\'t let him break you."

Mia leaned into his touch, seeking a moment of comfort in the chaos. "I won\'t," she whispered back, her voice barely audible.

Their gazes remained locked, and then he leaned closer, the space between them shrinking.

Then, before either of them could overthink it, Jeff closed the gap, and without warning, he dipped his head, his lips meeting hers in a soft, lingering kiss.

The kiss was unexpected, yet undeniably tender. It was a brush of lips, a promise of something more held in check by the circumstances swirling around them. It was a kiss filled with unspoken promises and a fierce protectiveness. A kiss that held the weight of the unknown future and the feelings simmering beneath the surface.

Mia melted into the kiss, a wave of warmth chasing away the chill of apprehension.  It was a goodbye, a promise, and a spark of hope all rolled into one.

As they pulled apart, a breathless silence descended upon them. Jeff\'s forehead rested against hers, his chest rising and falling with a ragged breath.

"Remember, Mia," he murmured, his voice husky with emotion. "We\'re in this together. No matter what happens."

Mia nodded, unable to trust her voice to speak. Her heart was overflowing with a mix of gratitude and a newfound yearning.  The sound of footsteps on the stairs ripped them apart.

"I will see you soon," he murmured, his voice husky.

Mia nodded. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile. "You go. I will handle him."

"He\'s approaching the gate," Tom announced from the doorway without bothering to knock.

A hint of worry lingered in Jeff\'s eyes. One last lingering glance, and then he picked up his phone and backpack and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Showtime, Mia," she whispered to herself as she went back to bed, knowing that the next time the door opened, it would be Henry walking in.