Marcus politely bid her farewell, gazing at her with his lake-blue eyes, smiling as he gently took her hand and brought it to his lips, brushing against it. The moment his lips touched the back of her hand, Khanyi’s face felt instantly flushed and hot, and she quickly withdrew her hand. This was a form of etiquette used only in high society during formal social occasions, a sign of respect from a gentleman to a lady of noble status.
She stood at the door, somewhat dazed, watching his tall figure descend the stairs, walk out through the wrought-iron gate adorned with rose patterns, and disappear at the end of the green corridor.
The next morning, Khanyi personally took charge, leading several servants to decorate the entire house with fresh flowers, and had the chef prepare a sumptuous dinner. However, until late at night, there was still no sign of his return. After a sleepless night filled with worry, on the morning of the third day, Khanyi urged Evelyn again to call his office to inquire about the situation.
“What did his secretary say?” Khanyi asked, looking at the maid who had just hung up the phone. Evelyn’s disappointed expression spoke volumes.
“They said they still haven’t received any notification and are unclear about where the general has gone.”
“How could this be…” Khanyi bit her lip in confusion. He had clearly stated in their previous phone call that he would return on the weekend evening, even mentioning that they would have dinner together and that he had bought her a small gift. He rarely went back on his word and would not make promises lightly, but once he made a promise, he would definitely keep it. “Could it be that he encountered danger on the way?”
“I heard from a servant that yesterday evening, there were tire tracks on the muddy road in front of the gate. This place is quite remote, and aside from the master’s special car, it’s unlikely that any other vehicles would pass by.”
Khanyi’s eyes widened as she looked at the maid, her heart skipping a beat. “Are you saying he might have returned? Just yesterday evening?”
“I can’t be sure,” Evelyn shook her head. “That’s why I didn’t tell you at the time.”
Khanyi lowered her head, pondering for a moment, then snatched the phone from Evelyn’s hand and dialed the butler’s internal line. “Is this Mr. Long? Please prepare a car for me; I need to go into town immediately.”
“Gianna, where are you going?” Evelyn chased her into the foyer.
Khanyi had already put on a purple short coat and was slipping into her black high heels as she replied, “He won’t answer my calls; it must be because he misunderstood my relationship with Marcus. I need to clarify this matter.”
“Wait, Gianna, you can’t go,” Evelyn ran after her to the door, and when she saw Khanyi already getting into the car, the maid looked at the car’s departing shadow and continued the sentence she hadn’t finished: “It’s dangerous out there, especially for you…”
In the city center, there stood a three-story building that looked unremarkable, much like other government buildings, with several black and red flags hanging from it. Only at the entrance of the foyer was there a guard post, with two soldiers wearing helmets and carrying rifles standing outside, looking rather relaxed.
A black Mercedes parked by the roadside near the square. Khanyi sat in the car, gazing at the entrance of the office building from a distance. It seemed that everyone entering had to show some special identification, regardless of whether they were in plain clothes or wearing black uniforms.
“Oh my God, what should I do?” Khanyi anxiously looked around. The driver in the front seat turned around and gently said, “Miss Gianna, we should go back; it’s hard to get in here.”
“Do you have a way? Mr. Long, we need a pass, or even one of those metal badges should work.” She recalled seeing such a badge when she was searched by several plainclothes police officers at the downtown hotel. She remembered that those plainclothes officers exchanged badges with the guards, but at that time, Captain Kevin, who was responsible for security, was no longer by her side.
The driver smiled slightly but shook his head helplessly.
“Then this is the only way left. You wait here for me; I’ll go to the phone booth and call him to let him know I’m downstairs at his office.” Khanyi said firmly; she wouldn’t resort to this method unless absolutely necessary.
“Wait, Miss Gianna, please don’t do anything rash…” The driver was about to stop her when Khanyi had already opened the car door and was preparing to get out, only to see a lieutenant in a black uniform jogging towards the car from ten meters away.
“My God, it’s really you! What are you doing here?” This handsome, slightly slender man had a pair of sharp green eyes that revealed an unmistakable surprise.
“Lieutenant Jacob!” Khanyi exclaimed as if she had seen a savior. “I want to see him. I know he has returned. I suspect he came back to the villa yesterday but didn’t go inside and just disappeared, refusing to answer my calls. I think he must have misunderstood something. Please, Lieutenant, take me to see him. I need to explain in person.”
