Maria stood there fuming with anger. She thought having Grace disappear for a little while would break Whitney and instill more fear into her, but clearly, she was wrong.
Whitney seems to have rather gotten bold over the years. Thirty years of not seeing her children must have done something to her.
She needs to find a way to get rid of Whitney for good, as well as that Jane. She's the daughter of Joana, and she wondered why she didn't know that all the time she lived here in this mansion.
No wonder she hated her so much. She was the daughter of that loose mouth who ended up paying for her life. She was going to spill her secret, and she wasn't about to let that happen.
"I have come too far to go back now. I can't let Whitney have anything that's mine." she spoke with determination.
Maria paced around the room, confused at what she should do. She can't have Grace released just yet. She would be giving Whitney the upper hand. She would think her threat had any effect on her.
"I need to show Whitney that she can't control me. I'm the one in charge herd and not the other way round." Maria muttered under her breath.
"But then if I keep her too long or even harm her. Whitney might get mad and spill my secrets to everyone." Maria continued talking to herself.
She would have to release Grace for now and then plan a bigger attack that would wipe out Whitney and Jane for good. It's the only way things would go back to normal.
Whitney got back downstairs, fuming in anger. She would no longer play the weak woman. She hasn't been here to protect her children all these years. She certainly can do that now.
"Williams!" Whitney called as soon as she saw him walk into the sitting room.
"Estella called me crying. She said something happened to Grace." Williams said, and Whitney nodded.
"Yes we all heard it. I was calling to check on her and see if she was fine. But then we heard a man threatening her with a gun, and then we heard nothing afterwards." Whitney explained how it happened.
"What!" Williams exclaimed in shock.
"We can't let Mother know about this. Have you called Chris?" Williams asked, careful not to make any noise, so Madam Rebecca wouldn't notice that something was wrong.
"I have tried calling him severally, but he's not picking his call." Estella said, shaking and unable to calm down.
"I'm sure whoever did this just wants some money." Williams said, his hand trembling as he scurried his phone out of his pocket.
Meanwhile, every other person was having fun on the beach. Jane and Cassie helped in setting up the tents with the help of Kyle. Mike, Chris, and Jack worked on the bench and music while the kids played in the sand.
"Why is Grace not back yet?" Mike was the one who asked.
"I think she's trying to get the treats." Jane answered.
"I will go check on her. Probably it's too heavy to carry for her." Mike said and stood up. He made way to the parking area where the bus was parked.
"Grace!" He called, but there was no response at all. He opened the bus and checked, but there was still no sign of her. As he was about to walk back to the beach, he noticed something beeping on the ground.
"Where in the world did she go to?" Mike murmured as he picked up the phone on the ground.
"This is Grace's phone." He muttered with a frown on his face. He looked around, but still Grace wasn't anywhere in sight. Mike began to panic as his breath grew heavy.
He made way back to the beach, and he still didn't find Grace.
"Guys I think there's something wrong. I can't find Grace, but I found her phone on the ground by the bus." Mike explained, his breath heavy and slow.
"What!" Everyone jolted up and left what they were doing. Chris's phone rang all of a sudden, and he picked up the call.
"Hey Dad!" Chris greeted.
"You all need to get out of there right now. Your sister has been kidnapped." Williams informed Chris, and his eyes widened.
"What do you mean by Grace has been kidnapped? We were all here. How did you…" Chris bombarded his father with questions.
"I don't know much, but Whitney was on the phone with her when the man attacked her and even threatened her with a gun. So get in here so we can find a way to rescue your sister." Williams said, and Chris dropped the phone.
"Kyle get the kids. We need to head back home now. Grace is in danger, dad think she has been kidnapped." Chris informed them.
"What! No way! She was just here…" Mike almost broke down in tears.
"This is not the time to be weak. If truly she was kidnapped, then you need to be strong. I will drive, Cassie and Mrs Smith should help with getting those stuff back into the car." Jack said.
"To hell with those. Everyone gets into the car now." Chris ordered, and they all followed suit.
Everyone arrived at the Smith mansion, and Willaims was already outside waiting for them. They entered into the sitting room, and Whitney was there alongside Maria and Madam Rebecca.
Estella, Charles, and the maids were also there as well. It was a family emergency, so everyone was involved.
"What happened to your sister? How could she have been kidnapped without your knowledge. You were too busy with this wife of yours, and you didn't even notice that your wife was missing." Maria stood up and attacked Chris the minute he walked into the house.
She made sure to cry as well. She needs to pretend to be the caring and hurting mother looking for her lost child.
Whitney knew everything that was going on and honestly can't stand Maria and her pretence. She has never seen anyone so vile and evil.
"Now is not the time to place blames Maria. We are all affected by this as well. So please don't make this any harder. We would just have to wait until the kidnapper calls, and then we can ask what he wants." Williams said.
"He obviously wants some money" Kyle said.
"NO! This is not about money." Whitney countered, and everyone turned to look at her. Jack knew something was up with the way Whitney sounded. She definitely knows something.
"How do you know that? You've only been in this house for a few days, and you think you run this house?" Maria yelled at her. She won't give her the opportunity to say anything.
"Madam Whitney was on the phone with Grace when the incident happened. That was how we got to know that something happened." Estella said.
"Is that true?" Mike asked, and Whitney nodded her head.
"Yes doctor, the man threatened her a gun. From the way he sounded. He has been following her. How did he even know she would be at the beach? He was definitely sent by someone who knows Grace so well." Whitney said, and her tilted her head towards Maria.
"Shit!" Maria cursed under her breath with her fist clenched together. That bastard is going to expose her. Why the hell can't he do anything right?
Jack and Whitney looked at each other with a knowing look, and immediately, Jack understood what was happening.
"I can't take this anymore. I need to go find my daughter!" Maria cried and ran out of the sitting room and went into the room. Jack waited a little while and then followed after her.
He walked behind her slowly and quietly, making sure to leave a distance. Maria rushed inside her room and quickly brought out her phone to make a phone call.
"You idiot! How could you have allowed your voice to have been heard? Do you know how powerful my son is? He can fish you out just with your voice, you moron." Maria spoke under her breath.
"Release the girl right away. Drop her at the nearest police station. Make an excuse and get the fuck out of this country. I will send you some money right away." Maria said and ended the call.
Maria walked to the room and scattered her hair. She needs to look like she has been crying. The minute she walked out of the room, she stumbled upon Jack who was staring at her face.
She flinched in fear and almost tripped. She quickly caught herself and stood up.
"Oh I'm so sorry Mrs Smith, Madam Rebecca asked that I come get you." Jack lied trying not to smirk.
"Oh! Let's go then. How long have you been by the door?" She asked Jack.
"Just got here," Jack said and she nodded her head.
She walked away uncomfortably, and Jack stood back.
He brought out the phone, that he just sneaked from Maria's pocket and smiled.
"Got you!" He smirked.