Married On Paper To The Billionaire
Chapter 43: The Stars Align

"If you won't come to the mansion, then let's meet in my office. I'm heading there right now, so you should be on your way too."

"Stop ordering me around, Kane. I don't belong to you anymore!"

"This isn't about you, Emilia. Trust me, I don't want to see you either but unlike you, I'm not about to follow a lead without involving everyone who can help." "What are you talking about?"

"Someone sent a note to the mansion today regarding Tiara's whereabouts. I want you to be here when I call Detective Riley so that we can deliberate on it together." "Oh, my God!" She gasped. "Why didn't you say that first?"

"Well, now you know. Are you coming?"

"Give me twenty minutes!"

She was so fired up with adrenalin that she hurried out of her new apartment, leaving Travis behind with Matt who was visiting them for the week. The excitement of their relationship was already wearing off for Emilia but Matt was still over the moon for her.

She ordered a taxi ride and once she got into the vehicle, the driver tried to engage her in small talk when he recognized her. She denied her identity and kept her attention on her phone to avoid further conversations. "Welcome, Mrs Beaumont," the receptionist at Kane's office greeted her cheerfully.

"Thank you, Clarissa. Is my husband in his office already?"

"Yes, ma'am. Uh, can I say something?"

Emilia eyed the receptionist dubiously. "What is it?"

Clarissa lowered her voice to a stage whisper and said, "I like how you stuck it to the Beaumonts for trying to throw you under the bus yet again. Nobody has ever stood up to them like that."

Emilia smiled. "That's nice of you to say."

Clarissa grinned. "I hope I won't get fired for saying that?"

"Don't worry about it. Your secret is safe with me."

She rode the elevator to Kane's office. His secretary welcomed her excitedly and complimented her look. Emilia found that rather interesting. None of Kane's staff had ever been this chatty or friendly with her in the past. When she walked into his office, her heart literally stopped when she saw him. She seemed to have forgotten just how handsome her husband was.

He sat at his desk staring intently at a piece of paper in his hand. When she entered, he looked in her direction and got to his feet.

"I was starting to forget what you look like," he said.

She didn't know if that was a good thing or not. She just stood where she was and drank him in like a glass of cold water.

He was wearing a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows. His black pants hugged his lean hips and long legs like a second skin.

His hair was due for a trim and he'd grown a fine layer of beard that gave him a more mature look. Even after everything, she was still deeply in love with him and it annoyed her a little because she wanted to remain angry with him, not be love-struck. "Are you ok?" He asked.

"Yes," she answered in a small voice. "Is that the note you were talking about?"

He looked at the piece of paper in his hand as if he'd forgotten that it was there. "Ah, yes. Here, have a look."

She went to where he was and took the paper from him. Their fingers brushed against each other and she felt a sizzle of excitement zip through her.

"Emilia..." he said softly. He's felt the buzz too.

"Not now, Kane. Let's stay focused," she said, avoiding his eyes. This wasn't the time or place to rekindle their relationship. There would be time for that later.

"It's been nearly a year since I got hold of your daughter," she read. "and I am now ready to let her go because I believe you have suffered enough. Or perhaps, I have suffered enough. You will get an address from me tonight. Be expectant." "I've called Detective Riley," Kane informed her. "He's on his way here."

"What if this is just another hoax? I traveled all the way to Norwalk for the same reason."

"Did you really get a lead about Tiara?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"Why should I? You and your family were too busy trying to legitimize Serena while working overtime to tarnish my image."

"Please, let's not get into that right now."

"Has she given birth to the golden child yet?"

"Emilia, please."

The intercom on his desk buzzed and he pressed a button on it. His secretary's voice filled the office, informing him that Detective Riley had arrived.

"Send him in," said Kane.

Riley swept into the office like a calm hurricane. He was dressed casually in a floral print shirt and tan slacks. His usually slicked-back brown hair was tousled and he looked like a tourist.

"Where are you coming from? The beach?"

"I do have a life outside of my police duties, you know," he said in a bored tone. "Hello, Mrs Beaumont. A pleasure to see you again."

"I wonder why," she mused.

"It's not every day I meet a trending celebrity," replied the detective.

"I'm not a trending celebrity," she snapped. "Here's the note."

He took the piece of paper from her and read it quickly. "Hmm... cryptic as usual. I wouldn't take it too seriously."

"Why not?" Kane asked him.

"It's not different from all the other fake tips we've been getting for the last couple of months. It's the same technique - vague, filled with hope and also leaves the door open for the possibility of a follow-up. Nothing new." "I can see that you're eager to get back to wherever you're coming from, so don't let us keep you. You can leave," said Emilia.

Her tone took him aback. "No, I didn't mean - "

"It's fine, Detective Riley. My husband and I will take it up from here," she cut him off.

Kane's phone rang. It was Lillian calling. "Yes?" He answered immediately. His face instantly drained of color.

"What is it?" Emilia asked him.

"Have someone send it here right away," he said before hanging up. "The address has been delivered to the mansion. This is not a hoax!"

****

"We'll wait for the tactical team to go in first," Detective Riley spoke in a hushed tone. "Once they're sure that it's safe to go in, I will follow them but you two must wait here for me."

"Ok," said Kane. Emilia was too tense to even speak.

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The location was a tiny cottage tucked behind the woods. It was just a few kilometres from the Beaumont mansion and it seemed crazy that the place was never spotted before during the initial search for Tiara.

Riley left them in Kane's car to join his colleagues. They forgot their animosity towards each other and held hands as they waited with bated breath as the policemen kicked down the cottage door and marched inside. Neither Emilia nor Kane informed their folks about this operation. They wanted to keep it under wraps until they were sure that this was the real deal and Tiara was rescued.

When they saw Riley coming out of the house alone with his head down, Emilia's heart sank with disappointment.

"Another false alarm," she whispered brokenly and her lips began to tremble.

"It's ok," Kane assured her softly. "Please, don't cry."

"You two might want to come in and see this," Riley said when he got to the car.

"What? Is there someone inside the cottage?" Kane asked hopefully.

"Come and see for yourself."

Emilia broke free from Kane's hold and jumped out of the car. She ran towards the cottage while the men followed her closely.

When she burst through the doorway, her breath left her in a whoosh. Joyce Banks sat in a rocking chair, looking ten years older than they remembered.

Her head was nearly bald with only a few tufts of hair on it. She was dressed in dirty raggedy clothes that mirrored the rest of the smelly cottage.

The most disturbing part of the scene was that she held little Tiara in her arms. The child's face was turned towards Joyce's bosom, probably out of fear. The policemen had barged into the cottage and they now surrounded Joyce with guns. "I told them to fetch you," she said in a shaky voice. She sounded exhausted. "I wanted to look you two in the face and gloat triumphantly."

"Why is this monster still breathing?" Kane asked through clenched teeth.

Joyce cackled and then coughed. She turned her right wrist and revealed a syringe with some yellow liquid in it.

"This is why I'm still breathing," she said smugly. "If they pull the trigger, I'll stab the child and when this poison goes into her veins, she will be dead within seconds. "No!" Emilia gasped.

"Then tell them to stop pointing those guns at me!" Joyce snapped.

"Lower your weapons," Detective Riley ordered his men and they obeyed him.

"That's better," said Joyce with a smirk. "You see, Kane Beaumont, I am not one to be meddled with. I wanted to teach you a bitter lesson and I think I succeeded." "Give me my daughter," he said in a dangerously low voice.

Joyce laughed. "I could kill her right now just as you killed my Kendra."

"I didn't kill Kendra. She killed herself."

"Because of you!"

"Kane, please don't upset her," Emilia begged. She was terrified that Joyce could lose her temper and stab Tiara with the poisonous syringe.

"You should listen to your wife. She seems like a smart woman," said Joyce.

"You've made your point, Joyce, now give us our child," said Kane. "I promise not to press charges against you."

"And then what? Lock me in your harem like that stupid Hispanic girl?"

"I don't have a harem and Serena is not my concubine."

As you reach the final pages, remember that 000005s.com is your destination for the complete story. Share the joy of reading with others and spread the word. The next chapter is just a visit away! "Isn't she? How come she's having a baby for you?"

"I did not come here to discuss my personal life with you, Joyce. Give us our daughter!"

"Please," Emilia added. She was itching to lean forward and snatch her daughter from this crazy woman's arms.

Joyce snorted. "You should thank your lucky stars for this cancer that is ravaging my body. If not for it, I had plans of travelling out of the country with your daughter and passing her off as my grandchild. That way, you'd never see her again and she'd never remember your existence."

"That's enough rambling, Banks. Hand over the child to her parents," said Riley.

He was getting impatient with the old woman. He couldn't wait to slap some handcuffs on her wrists and drag her off to jail to live the rest of her miserable life there.

"Of course," said Joyce. She looked at Emilia and smiled. "come and have her."

Emilia did not even hesitate. She lunged forward to grab her daughter and Joyce flicked her wrist at the same time, aiming the syringe at Emilia's shoulder.

Fortunately for Emilia, one of the cops who was on standby caught the movement in time and fired a shot at Joyce. The bullet caught her in the neck, killing her instantly before she could complete her mission.

Kane almost jumped out of his skin while Emilia screamed and sank to the ground with her daughter in her arms. Tiara began to cry and her small body shook with fear.

"Get them out of here," Riley told Kane who immediately sprang into action.

They hurried out of the cottage, accompanied by some of the policemen. Once inside the safety of their car, Emilia broke down and wept with her daughter.

She and Kane checked Tiara's body to see if she had any injuries but they found none. She had lost so much weight and looked smaller than her twin brother.

"Oh, my baby. I am so happy to have you back," Emilia cried while brushing Tiara's dirty hair away from her small face.

"Mommy," Tiara sobbed.

"Yes, honey. It's me, Mommy. Look at Daddy."

Tiara turned around to look at Kane and saw him staring at her with tears running down his face. She reached forward and wiped his tears away.

It was too much for Kane to handle. He embraced his daughter tightly and wept into her messy hair.

Detective Riley who was approaching the vehicle saw the family weeping together and he walked away with a lump in his throat. There would be enough time to talk later but for now, the Beaumonts needed some privacy to digest what had just happened to them.

Kane's phone began to ring. He reluctantly answered the call when he saw that it was his mother calling.

"Serena has gone into labor," she informed him. "where are you?"

"Terrier Woods."

"What are you doing there? Is that police siren I'm hearing in the background?"

"It's a long story, Mother. I'll explain everything when I get home."

"Are you coming? We're taking Serena to the hospital now."

"Yes. I'll meet you there," he said and hung up.

"Who is it?" Emilia asked him.

"Mother. She says Serena has gone into labor."

"I see. You can go if you want. It's your baby after all."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Kane. I'm sure. Don't worry, I'll take care of Tiara. Go and welcome your new child into the world."