“Emma used to say that she only became a stunt performer because she was bored,” Janie said. “I always thought she was saying that just to irk me, but I guess it’s real, huh…”

“When I offered her my credit card, she told me she had money. I even laughed at her and said her money wasn’t enough…” Abel smiled at the memory. “Who would’ve guessed that she was actually loaded!”

“Mr. Ryker, you’re not upset that Emma kept it a secret from you, are you?” there was a hint of worry in Janie’s voice.

“Of course not,” Abel said. “I would’ve been upset if Emma had to continue making ends meet by herself for the children’s sake after being chased out by the Louises five years ago. I couldn’t be more thankful that the Adelmars were there for her! How could I be upset with her?”

The group found a nearby hotel to stay for the night. As soon as they settled down, Luca made a call to Sam once more. This time, she finally picked up.

“Oh no,” Sam said as soon as she realized her blunder. “I got too used to calling him Benjamin that I forgot his real name. He’s known as Benedict Adelmar to people on the island.”

“Benedict?” Luca could not hide his surprise. “No wonder the guard said there was no one named Benjamin.”

“Let’s get some rest for now,” Abel said. “We’ll visit the manor again after lunch.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Luca nodded.

Luca ordered some lunch for the group, but Abel was still unable to stomach any food. He left the food untouched but made sure to flush half of it down the toilet as usual so Luca would not suspect anything. He tried to drink some water but could not keep it down as well. Minutes later, he found himself heaving into the toilet bowl again. This time, there was more blood than bile in his vomit, a sure sign of gastrointestinal bleeding. He did not know how he was going to manage the next few days, but he could not allow his personal illness to get in the way knowing he was so close to locating the Adelmars.

“Emma, Emma…” he chanted her name on like a prayer on his lips. “Emma, give me the strength to find you…” He rinsed his mouth with water before swallowing a few more painkillers despite knowing that the medicine barely had any effect any longer. Feeling slightly more energized after having some rest, he changed into a fitting suit before knocking on the door of Luca’s room.

“We can leave now! No time to waste,” Abel announced. Luca and the four bodyguards who came along scarfed down their half-eaten meals hastily and got themselves ready in five minutes. They knew how desperate Abel was to find his wife.

“Let’s get going, gentlemen,” Luca informed the team of bodyguards. As they opened the door to leave the room, Janie had also appeared from her room.

“Everyone’s here. Let’s go,” Abel said.

“Mr. Ryker, you don’t look too good…” Janie noticed. “Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“I’m fine,” Abel assured her despite his hand on his abdomen. The pain was killing him.

The entourage called for a cab and left for the manor. Ten minutes later, they were standing in front of the same copper and wood door again. This time, Luca rang the doorbell.

The same guard appeared from the guard post again. “Master has said he won’t be seeing you. Please leave the premises,” he repeated his words from this afternoon.

Luca turned to look at Abel helplessly. “Mr. Abel, what do we do?” he asked.

Abel was not able to answer Luca as he felt a burning sensation in his stomach. The next moment, he projectile vomited all over the gleaming marble tiles of the front porch, staining the floor red.

“Mr. Abel!” Luca exclaimed as he leaped forward to hold Abel up.

“Mr. Ryker just vomited blood!” Janie blurted out in horror. “Oh no… We should get him to a hospital immediately!”

Suddenly, the sound of tires screeching filled the air as a limited-edition Rolls Royce pulled up into the driveway. The shiny black body of the car reflected the light from the surrounding lamps, temporarily blinding the group. The car door opened, and a slender man dressed in dark clothes exited the car first before ushering another man out of the car.