Chapter 516 Janette Is Missing
Alicia paled at my response, and she looked hurt. I realized I must have spoken a little too harshly. She gazed at me with a trace of sadness in her eyes and said, “I know you don’t really like Janette, but she’s still your sister.”
“Let’s not talk about this anymore. I don’t feel like discussing this topic. You should drink more of the soup. I’ll leave after you fall asleep.”
She hopes I can get along well with Janette, but that brat is bossy and domineering. I don’t like her, and I don’t want to waste my breath on this topic.
“Anna, can I ask you a favor as your moth—”
She stopped abruptly, realizing it was probably unwise to refer to herself as my mother. She looked at me warily, seemingly worried that she had angered me.
“If there’s anything you need my help with, just tell me. I’ll do whatever I can,” I said.
Now that she was unwell, I would surely help her with whatever she needed as long as it was within my means.
“Janette dashed out at noon and hasn’t been back since. I’m a little worried about her. I called her many times, but she didn’t pick up. And now, her phone is switched off. I’m worried sick. Can you help me to look for her?” Alicia asked, looking at me with concern etched across her face.
I knew it. When I saw the look of distress on her face, I knew it had something to do with Janette. I frowned slightly. It had gotten to the point where the where mention of Janette’s name was enough to annoy me.
Seeing that I remained silent for a long time, Alicia became even more distressed. She tugged at my arm anxiously and pleaded in a tone full of urgency, “Anna, I know you don’t like Janette. But, she’s all alone in an unfamiliar place. If anything does happen to her, I don’t know what I’d do. Since you don’t like her, I’ll send her home in a couple of days. I won’t let her come to Avenport again.”
“All right. I got it. I’ll go and look for her later.”
I could not bear to see her looking so anxious that I relented despite my disdain toward Janette. Sometimes, I really hate that about myself. When will I ever change?
“Oh, thank you! Thank you!” Alicia thanked me profusely after hearing that.
The formal way in which she expressed her gratitude felt a little strange, but I refrained from saying anything.
“Get some rest. I’ll go and look for her now. I’ll give you a call if I find her. Don’t worry.”
After saying that, I got to my feet, picked up my coat, and left.
As I drove out of the hospital’s compound, I pondered how I should go about searching for Janette. I don’t have any way of contacting her, and I have no idea whether she had any friends here. Avenport is a big city, so it’ll be challenging to locate her.
Feeling irritated, I had just stopped the car a short distance from the hospital when Michael called. I answered my phone without hesitation.
“It’s late. Aren’t you coming back yet? Do you need me to pick you up?”
Michael had a soothing and steady voice. Although I was feeling a little irritated, listening to his voice inexplicably put me at ease immediately.
I sighed softly and muttered, “I can’t go back yet, and I don’t know what time I’ll be able to go back.”
He sounded worried as he quickly asked, “What’s the matter? Did something happen? Didn’t the doctor say that she fainted because of low blood sugar and lack of nutrition?”
Knowing he was worried the worse had happened, I quickly explained how Alicia had slapped Janette, causing the latter to run off in a fit of anger. I also told him that Alicia had not been able to reach Janette and that I had given in and agreed to help look for her.
Michael breathed a sigh of relief after hearing my explanation and said reassuringly, “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. She’s not a little girl, so she won’t let herself get into any danger.”
“I hope so. I can’t believe how stubborn and spoiled Janette is behaving. It’s so inconsiderate of her to disappear for such a long time.”
I glanced at my watch and saw that it was almost eleven o’clock at night. Thinking about how I still had to run around looking for Janette, I could not help grumbling to Michael, and my impression of her dipped even lower.
“Where are you now? I’ll go over and look for her with you. I’ll also call a few other people to help with the search.”
Michael’s tone was as gentle as ever. He’s usually a man of few words. But when he talks to me, he speaks in such a soft and gentle tone. That’s what I like about him.
“I’m just outside the hospital’s entrance, but you don’t have to come over. You’ve had a long day at work, so you must be exhausted. You should rest early. I’ll look for her myself.”
He’s so busy with his work, so I don’t want to have him deal with my problems too. When I’m with him, I always feel like I’m troubling him. At times, I hate myself for that.
“I don’t feel comfortable with you driving alone at such a late hour. Just wait for me at the entrance. I’ll be there soon,” Michael responded in a firm and commanding voice that showed he would not take no for an answer.
Knowing that it was pointless for me to protest, I finally agreed. “All right. I’ll be waiting for you.”
I sat inside my car, waiting at the hospital’s entrance. Soon, Michael’s car came into sight. As I got in, I said, “You didn’t have to come. You’re always so tired from work. If I even have to trouble you with things like these, then what else can I do on my own?”
Michael is so protective of me that, occasionally, I get the feeling that I’m useless. I thought I had become much stronger after staying abroad for one year, but I’m still a weakling in front of him. I can’t do anything at all.
“It’s only natural for me to take good care of my wife. What if you didn’t manage to find her and wound up in an accident?” Michael asked while arching an eyebrow, completely ignoring my concern for him.
Nonetheless, I felt happy to have him with me.
Changing the topic, Michael turned to me and asked solemnly, “Do you have any clues on where to look for her?”
“No. We can’t get Janette on her phone, so I don’t know where she could be. All we can do is look around blindly,” I responded with a sigh, feeling slightly frustrated. Without any clues to aid our search, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
“Do you have any idea how big Avenport is? If you’re planning on searching without any clues, you’ll be looking for a long time.”
