Chapter 3. Escaping
1263 Words
"Maybe she's out in the garden?" She replied and called the housekeeper, asking her to look outside for Jessica.
However, Jessica was not anywhere in the garden, either. The driver, gardener, and housekeeper all looked for his new wife, but it seemed like she had disappeared.
"What about the security cameras?" His mother then suggested. Out of everyone, she seemed to be the most worried. Roger agreed with his mother; he did not trust Jessica one bit.
They all watched the surveillance videos with intrigue and found that Jessica left the house early morning around 4 am. She was wearing Roger's sweats and a t-shirt and had only her wedding purse in her hand.
"I don't understand! Why would she leave so early, and where did she go? Roger, did she say anything?" She turned towards her son and asked worriedly.
"No, she didn't," Roger replied impassively even though there was a storm brewing inside him. He was right not to trust her! Right on the first day, she had planned something, and Roger did not know what that was.
He had underestimated her. When he saw her for the first time, he had felt sorry for her but only for a few minutes. He should have known that b***h would have a plan up her sleeve!
Jessica handed over the envelope to her stepfather, Bob.
Bob had been a close friend of Jessica's father, almost acting like his brother. After Jessica's father died, Bob had stepped in to take care of the family. However, Jessica knew of his real reasons for wanting to 'take care' of her mother. As soon as her father had passed away, Bob filed for divorce from his wife; it seemed like too much of a coincidence for Jessica.
Bob looked at the envelope with giddy eyes. When he saw Jessica watching him critically, he quickly schooled his emotions.
"Thank you for this. I will arrange your brother's operation as soon as possible," Bob spoke.
Jessica nodded. She wanted to wait until her brother's operation was successful, but Bob disagreed.
Jessica cringed as she thought of what happened last night (her legs were still sore) and how she had left this morning from the Richard residence. Honestly, she was not expecting to make it out this easily. Roger had not even budged as she tiptoed around the room gathering her things. Luckily, the keypad had been disabled, so she was able to open the door and sneak out.
Jessica's heart hurt at the thought of leaving her brother alone, but she had no choice. As much as she hated to admit it, it was dangerous for her to be here.
_______
When Jessica left, she called Roger from a payphone at a dingy gas station so he could not track her location.
Roger never answered unknown numbers. But today, he had a strong feeling that it was Jessica.
Thus, as soon as the phone was connected, Jessica heard a cold voice, "Where are you?" Though there was no anger in his tone, the unemotional chilliness in his tone told Jessica how angry he was and even though the sound came through the phone, Jessica was still terrified.
He would kill her. After all, if the secret were exposed, Richard's family would suffer enormous disasters.
Jessica swallowed and whispered, "I've decided to end this marriage. I will send you the divorce papers as soon as possible."
Jessica did not even know why she decided to call him. Something in her heart had tugged when she thought of last night.
"I am asking, where are you? Tell me!" asked Roger angrily, blowing up in anger.
Jessica could nearly imagine his angry face, the same face that had looked upon her tenderly just a few hours ago. She felt guilty, but she had no choice.
"I'm sorry, Roger, but I have no option."
Roger calmed down. It was difficult for him to be angry with Jessica after hearing the tone of her voice. She did not sound vindictive as he had imagined; rather, she sounded genuinely apologetic. Roger sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It was his second day of being 'married,' and his wife had already run away from him.
"Tell me, where are you now?" He had to find her.
Jessica was on her way to the airport. She smiled bitterly and felt guilty when hearing his voice, even nearly with tears in her eyes. She knew he was suppressing his anger.
"Goodbye, Roger."
Finishing her words, Jessica hung up the phone and rushed back inside her taxi.
It was over. Closing her eyes, Jessica rested her head against the seat. What had she done? What kind of person had she turned into? Jessica sighed and thought what her father would think if he could see her now. Would he forgive her for her misgivings, or would he blame her for ruining people's lives?
______
The dial tone told him Jessica had hung up the phone, and Roger finally roared her name, not being able to calm his anger.
"JESSICA!"
He tried to call back but found out it was a public telephone.
"s**t!" Roger yelled and slammed his cellphone down on his desk. He had to find her. He would not let her go this easily!
Roger quickly dialed his assistant's number and barked out an order, "Go to all the major airports and bus stations at once. Find Jessica! I want every man on this! I want her found!"
"Yes, Sir!" Andrew replied, and he had never seen his boss lose his calm before.
Roger's subordinates were always efficient in their work. But this time, they were frustrated because it seemed like their boss's wife had evaporated into thin air. They had checked the major airports and stations and had checked the security footage, and still, they could not find the Jessica they were looking for. Of course, having such a common name made their jobs ten times more difficult.
Andrew swallowed as he called his boss back to give him the news. He knew Roger would not be happy.
"Sir, we checked everywhere…but we can't find her. But we will keep on looking…"
Roger stumbled into his chair. He needed to find Jessica; otherwise, everything would be finished. He was right in not trusting her. According to her call, she had been up to something against him, his family, or his business.
For the first time in his life, Roger felt overwhelmed and sick – what had he done? Why had he agreed to marry her? His brain was a violent whirl of stupidity, trying to organize the chaos that was happening right now.
Roger pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. However, no rest was awarded to him as his phone started pinging obnoxiously. He scrambled out of the chair, hoping it was news that Jessica had been found.
It was much worse.
The company's stocks had crashed drastically within seconds. Investors and stakeholders were pulling out, leaving them in a state of bankruptcy.
What was going on?
Roger quickly dialed his accountant's phone, and it was answered at once.
"What…what the hell is going on?" Roger could barely speak.
"Sir…I…I…don't know…I am trying to figure it out…" His accountant stuttered while behind him, Roger could hear a slew of panicked voices.
"Sir…Sir…our company is crashing…"
Only one thing went through Roger's mind was…Jessica... Jessica Brown!
- Writer
