Page 22 of Scarlet Embrace

“I’d like to think that you are well aware of the act of knocking before entering a room,” I said without looking up.

“Elena. Elena’s been kidnapped!” Linda said in an almost frightened voice.

While Hannah and Daniel were a pain in the ass, Linda was more like a scratch. She wasn’t entirely annoying, but at times, she got on my nerves. From time to time, she would come up with something to annoy me, and this was most likely another attempt to get on my nerves. At times, I wonder if Hannah intentionally puts her up to it.

“What do you mean by she’s been kidnapped?” I asked willingly to take her bait.

“She sent me a text message and told me she’s currently in the LaRosa’s compound,” Linda explained further.

Thomas and I looked at each other. Was Elena the property Diana was talking about? That made no sense since I do not have any form of relationship with Elena unless Diana was confused.

Maybe she thinks Elena is working for me.

After all, Elena had foiled her plans and helped me retrieve my cars. Also, Linda had been hanging around Elena for the past few days. It was easy for anyone to assume that Elena was connected to me, but Diana should know better.

“You are telling me that she sent you a message?” I asked as I leaned back into my seat.

“Yes,” Linda said as she brought up her phone. “Currently in LaRosa compound. She wants your brother. Please tell him.”

“Could be a mistake,” I said with a shrug, and Linda looked at me with annoyance.

“Fine. I’ll see what I can do,” I said, waving her away, but Linda wasn’t willing to give up that easily.

Her presence in my office meant that I wouldn’t be able to work. If Elena was true with Diana, I had nothing to worry about. Diana was no fool, and if she intended to hurt Elena, she wouldn’t have sent me a message. The fact that she allowed Elena to send a text and also sent a message to me meant she was willing to have a discussion with me.

Meeting with Diana openly might cause some issues, and I wasn’t taking Linda to the LaRosa’s compound. As much as I needed to get to the bottom of whatever was going on, I did not plan to drag Linda with me. I tried to explain that to her, but Linda wasn’t having it.

“There’s no way I’m staying back,” Linda insisted. “It’s my fault she’s in danger.”

“You think so?” I asked, trying to hide my annoyance.

“Yes. If I hadn’t asked her to let me intern with her or go shopping, this wouldn’t have happened,” Linda told me.

A part of me wanted to believe her, but there was no way she really thought she was at fault for Diana taking Elena. If there was anyone to blame, I was the one. Having no choice, I decided to take Linda along with me, but not before telling her that we would need to keep this a secret from both our father and her mother.

The drive to meet Diana didn’t go exactly as I would have wanted since Linda kept going on and on about how much she liked Elena and how she looked forward to having her as a big sister. I knew that they’d been in close contact, but I had no idea they were this close.

“I was only expecting you, but I didn’t think you’d bring your sister along,” Diana said as we got out of the car.

“Where’s Elena?” Linda asked.

“Yeah, she got a bit excited when she heard that you were holding Elena as a guest,” I said as I held Linda back. “They are both quite good friends, and she was a bit concerned about her safety.”

“I see. I guess Elena is far more important to the Cruz family than I thought,” Diana said with a smile.

I nodded and told her that I would like it if we could see Elena. Diana told me that wouldn’t be a problem, but she made it clear that we needed to have a discussion first.

“Of course, but you see, Elena and Linda have a rather important event to attend, and I’d like to send them on their way since they’d be keeping my father waiting,” I said with a smile.

“Ah. We won’t want to keep Andrew waiting, do we?” Diana said before she snapped to one of her men, who went inside to bring Elena.

A few minutes later, Elena appeared looking a little bit flustered. I can imagine how it must have felt being in Diana’s captive. It definitely wasn’t a pleasant experience, and I guess I’d have to apologize for whatever might have happened to her. Diana wouldn’t have held Elena captive if she didn’t have a very good reason, and I planned to find out what the reason was.

“Elena. Elena!!” Linda said as she ran to hug Elena, who still looked shaken. “I’m sorry.”

Linda can be a bit dramatic, but her acting this way was something I appreciated. Seeing how Linda reacted to Elena’s release should make Diana realize how important Elena was to us, and hopefully, that would make it clear that another attempt on Elena won’t be appreciated.

“Are you alright?” I asked Elena as she and Linda walked to the car.