It was night, and there was no one around the office.
Only the lights in the conference room were up, and they were trying to think of a plan.
If they stuck to Abigail’s decision, there was no need to discuss anything.
After all, what could be more important than Diarmuid?
Money?
They could just make more.
Moreover, losing Smartville Tech would not lead to Remy’s bankruptcy.
It was not as if James did not agree with Abigail’s decision, but he simply had his suspicions.
After Abigail showed him the message she received, he had someone trace the source of the text, but the source was encrypted and they could not find the source.
Nonetheless, he said, “After investigating, I actually don’t think Hector Vaughn has Mr. Althoff.’
“Why would you think that?” Abigail asked.
“Mr. Althoff would negotiate with Hector himself. He would not allow you to be affected,” James said.
Abigail turned silent.
That was certainly true! Diarmuid would never allow something like this to involve his family.
“Maybe he’s hurt and can’t talk?’ she suggested nonetheless.
James shot down the idea. “Stan didn’t even get a scratch.”
In fact, they had jumped off the plane at the same time.
Even if Diarmuid was hurt, the said injury would not be that serious.
However, James had that part wrong-Diarmuid was hurt.
Still, he was not hurt because of the parachute, but because he landed on an uninhabited mountain.
He dropped his phone in the process and could not receive any calls.
After landing from such a high altitude, there certainly was a serious gap from where he intended to land.
He trudged through the mountain for two days and nights, without food or drink.
He was already weakened, but when it rains, it pours-1iterally.
As rain poured overhead out of the blue, he slipped and fell into a ditch, going unconscious.
He had no idea how long he was out, but he heard something as he stirred.
His vision was blurred as he tried to get up, only to find that one of his legs was immobile.
He reached out to it and realized that it was plastered.
“You’re awake,” someone said in Dunesian.
As Diarmuid had learned it, he understood.
“You saved me?” he asked.
The woman appeared surprised that he understood her.
She appeared pudgy and kindly, smiling as she said, “No, my husband did.”
“What happened to my eyes?” Diarmuid asked, realizing that he had trouble seeing clearly-as if someone had put a thin veil before his eyes.
He could not even see the woman, aside from a vague silhouette!
“I’m not sure,” the woman said. ‘Maybe you hit your head really hard!”
Diarmuid became silent.
He was perfectly fine before he fell.
How could his vision turn bad from that?
He would have not argued if he hurt his legs, since he did feel the agony from his right leg before he blacked out!
“Let me get you some water,” the woman said, and she brought him a glass of water.
Diarmuid did not drink it. Instead, he asked, “Where am I?”
“Dunesia,” the woman replied.
‘ Where specifically?” Diarmuid pressed.
The woman answered, but Diarmuid had never heard of it-like most foreigners, he only knew the more famous locations and not remote areas.
“Can I make a phone call?” Diarmuid asked.
“What is that?’ the woman asked in return, leaving Diarmuid speechless.
Was he really in Dunesia? Why would she not know what a phone call was?
It seemed a little unlikely, so who were these people?
Diarmuid remained impassive and said nothing after that, so the woman said,” Please get some rest! My husband and I still have to harvest the grapes from the vineyard.”
And with that, she lef t- Diarmuid watched as the blur before him disappeared.
He closed his eyes, attempting to let them rest.
But he still was not seeing clearly when he opened them.
In fact, his vision was now blurry and darker, and he could not make out the outline of the objects around him.
He was really going blind!
His leg was still hurt too…
Even so, he was sharp enough to realize that the woman just now was not normal.
They must be pretty near the vineyard she mentioned, however, since he could smell the scent of fresh grapes.
If his hunch was right, they were in a distillery for red wine.
It was impossible for there to be no phones around.
So why was she lying, and who were these people?
Feeling on edge, he did not lie down again. Instead, he quietly listened to everything around him.
It was quiet enough for him to tell that there was no one else in the room, though he heard movements from a distance.
It was probably the people working at the vineyard and the machines in operation!
Abigail was feeling a headache, and she was rubbing her temples firmly.
The text had given her hope, only for James to dismiss it.
Closing her eyes, she asked, “What if? I mean, what if they really have Diarmuid?”
James could not be sure that Hector did not capture Diarmuid either, and he hence suggested, “Text him again and demand to see Mr. Althoff. Tell him that well agree to his demands if he shows us that he has Diarmuid.”
“I asked,” Abigail replied. “He said no.”
Everyone turned silent then because they had no idea what to do.
Zachary came up with nothing after his search.
If Diarmuid really was fine like Stan, he would have made his way back by now.
On the other hand, Hector claimed that he had Diarmuid, but he refused to send proof.
That left them in a dilemma.
Abigail asked, “Is there any other way to find Hector?”
“No,” James replied-the man would have gone into hiding by now, since he was obviously behind everything.
He would never dare show his face now.
Abigail whipped out her phone and called the number that texted her.
The call did not get through.
“His message isn’t sent by a standard telco device,” James told her.
That was why they would never find any address.
Abigail put down her phone just now, rubbing her face firmly to keep herself awake!
She was not feeling well after going so long without rest, and her face was pallid.
“Why don’t you go back and get some rest?” James asked.
Abigail remained silent, and the room was quiet once more.
Bzzt-
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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