Chapter 173 I’ll Never Give Up!
In the blink of an eye, an agonizing month had passed.
At 5 am in the president’s office of the towering Frost Building, Chandler stood by the window wall, having spent the entire night there. He’d hardly slept at all that whole month. A faint shade of blue linged the area under his eyes. It was clearly a result of prolonged sleep
deprivation.
Chandler’s perfect features appeared even more gaunt and pronounced, as he’d lost a staggering twenty pounds. Throughout this month,
he’d developed gastritis due to not eating properly. The sole purpose of his meals each day was to maintain basic energy levels.
The cigarette between his fingers had burned all the way to his flesh before he flicked the butt to the floor with delayed movements. The
premium gray carpet was littered with countless cigarette butts.
Lately, his addiction to smoking had grown worse. Unconsciously, he would smoke two packs a day.
He drank obsessively to drown his sorrows every night, unable to sleep at night and relying on intense work during the day to distract
himself. As long as there was a moment of clarity, thoughts of Erin would take over his entire heart.
Gradually, she became a heavy shackle in his heart, a knife lodged in him forever, and he couldn’t pull it out nor did he want to. For an
entire month, it was as if Erin had vanished from the face of the earth.
He’d dispatched wave after wave of elite personnel to search around the world, but there was still no trace of her. Even his foreign detectives had sent a special forces team to help him find her, but for a whole ten days, there were no leads.
That detective revealed a cruel truth to him. “Chandler, the other party has meticulously planned a perfect kidnapping! If they don’t intend to release her, ask for any ransom, or contact anyone, they could hide on any isolated island, deep in the mountains, or even areas yet to be inhabited. They only need enough supplies to endure for as long as they want.”
Simply put, finding Erin was like finding a needle in a haystack.
Many kidnapped children and women were only found by their families after ten or twenty years. By that time, it would be fortunate if they could still be found alive and unharmed. In some extreme cases of illegal imprisonment, victims had remained captive for years before
being discovered.
As of now, no one had any clue as to Erin’s whereabouts.
Every day, Chandler felt immense agony. His lonely face held a terrifying calmness, as if it could collapse at any moment. Only when he truly lost her did Chandler realize just how important Erin was to him. He was willing to have a child with her, and this alone was enough to
prove the depth of his love for her.
Recently, he’d fallen into an abyss of endless regret. He regretted agreeing to Gaston’s request! Why did he have to go and meet the heartless woman who gave birth to him and then abandoned him? Why didn’t he cherish the most important person who was always by
his side?
Why?
One moment, Chandler was standing in place and staring at the sky; in the next moment, he suddenly turned around and walked swiftly toward a bookshelf. With all his strength, he toppled the heavy bookshelf to the ground, and the books rained down onto the carpet, giving
out a series of dull thuds.
That wasn’t enough to vent the abysmal despair that he felt within. He continued to search for things to smash and threw anything he could reach to the ground forcefully!
At that moment, Kyle happened to bring Cherry to the office.
Chandler had instructed a few days ago that if Cherry came to look for him on her own, there was no need to ask for his permission before showing her to his office. She could enter right away.
When Kyle and Cherry walked into the president’s office together, Chandler had just punched the glass door of the liquor cabinet. His knuckles were covered in wounds, both large and small, with fresh blood flowing from them. Each drop of blood fell onto the carpet. forming dark red spots that looked like scattered flower petals.
“Mr. Frost-“Kyle looked at the man who was once at the top of the world. Seeing how tormented Chandler was, Kyle could feel his heart shattering for his boss even as a grown man.
Cherry furrowed her brows and said, “Mr. Morn, quickly go call a doctor or bring a first aid kit!”
Her calmness brought Kyle back to his senses. “Got It! I’ll go get it.”
With that, Kyle hurriedly ran off.
Right then, Chandler turned to look at Cherry and said, “You’ve come-
He glanced around and with a hint of apology in his eyes, he said. “Sorry, it’s a mess in here. There isn’t even a place to sit.”
Cherry looked at the man who had deceived her daughter and felt conflicted. If it’d been two weeks ago, she would have rushed over to slap him on behalf of her daughter. But now, it had been a month since Erin went missing, and there was still no news of her at all. Cherry desperately needed to know if her daughter was still alive or dead, so her anger had turned into worry.
“I didn’t come here to reprimand you today, Chandler. I understand that Erin’s situation isn’t your fault. Even if it’s truly related to you, it’s simply because she’s unlucky. She fell in love with you, and regardless of the outcome, she took the responsibility-” Tears swam in
Cherry’s eyes.
Whenever Erin’s name was mentioned these days, she couldn’t hold back her lears. In the countless quiet nights, she couldn’t sleep too. just like Chandler.
Chandler felt a twinge in his heart because of Cherry’s words. He suddenly turned away, not wanting Cherry to see the bitterness welling
up in his eyes.
Cherry naturally understood his actions. Facing his back, she said, “Chandler, I just want to tell you that Erin only has us left. If we don’t
find her and give up on her, who can she count on? So, I hope you’ll never give up on finding her.”
Swallowed the extreme heartache that was suffocating him, Chandler turned around and said to Cherry. “I won’t give up on Erin for as long
as I live!”
Tears streamed down Cherry’s face as she nodded vigorously in response to his words. “Thank you. Thank you.”
As a powerless woman from a small county, she had no means of finding her daughter. Therefore, she could only rely on Chandler. He was
Erin’s only hope. Cherry couldn’t think of anyone more influential who could help her.
The two of them stood there in silence. Both of them were in the depths of despair, comforting each other in their own unique way as the
people whom Erin loved the most. Before long, Kyle rushed back to the office, sweating profusely, carrying a first aid kit.
As soon as he entered, Cherry said to Kyle, “Mr. Morn, take good care of your boss. It’s time for you to step up during this most critical
period. If the boss doesn’t eat well, you shouldn’t eat either. Do you know what I’m saying?”
She pretended to threaten Kyle, but her words were actually directed at Chandler. She’d witnessed him losing weight drastically because of her daughter, and to be honest, she felt sorry for him too. Cherry truly believed that he loved her daughter. During this period, Kyle had
told her a lot about Chandler.
Kyle busily opened the first aid kit and focused on two things at once while replying to Cherry. “Yes, I’ll definitely take good care of Mr.
Frost.”
Meanwhile, Chandler took out a bottle of disinfectant from the first aid kit and poured it directly over his wound. He handed the
disinfectant to Kyle and casually wrapped a few layers of white medical gauze around the wound and considered it bandaged.
“Mr. Frost- Kyle felt a stab in his heart as he watched how simply and carelessly Chandler bandaged himself.
Chandler glanced at him and said, “Kyle, escort Cherry back.”
Kyle looked at Cherry and nodded. “Sure.”
Before leaving, Cherry glanced at Chandler’s hand. She took a few steps forward and suddenly turned back to him, saying, “Chandler, even though we haven’t found Erin yet, honestly, you’re already my son–in–law in my eyes. As my son–in–law, you must take good care of yourself first. Otherwise, how are you supposed to take care of my daughter?”
After saying this, Cherry left. Chandler’s lifeless heart gained warmth from her words. He called out to her at a volume that was neither too loud nor soft, “Yes, Mom.”
This made Cherry burst into tears. She didn’t turn around and remained frozen in place.
“Mom, don’t worry. No matter where Erin is, I’ll find her. I’ll never give up on her; I’ll promise you that. Also, I’ll divorce Jazzlyn as soon as
possible.”
Cherry felt a complicated mix of emotions. With her daughter absent, she and her newly acknowledged son–in–law were emotionally dependent on one another.
“I’ll look forward to that.” Cherry walked away with heavy steps.
She looked ahead, tears shimmering, and in her heart, she cried out, “My dear daughter, you must live well! Chandler is a good man whom you can entrust your whole life to. I’m still waiting to attend your wedding and hold your children-”
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