Chapter 299
“Exactly. Whatever Stewart’s motives are, as long as Julia comes home to Bryn alive, that’s all that matters!”
James pulled into the airport parking lot and insisted on walking Briony inside himself.
Stewart hadn’t arrived yet.
Briony checked her phone and saw a message from Stewart with their flight details.
“He’s arranged a private jet,” Briony said to James, glancing up. “You should head back.”
James looked unhappy. He jammed one hand in his pocket and muttered, head down, “I’ll wait till he gets here.”
“I know you’re worried, but don’t stress. Once I’ve found my mom, I’ll come straight home.”
“And if Stewart tries to use Ms. Hudson to threaten you?” James scoffed, “His precious son is still waiting for you to come back and play mom, you know!”
“That’s not my concern right now. The only thing I care about is bringing my mother home.” There was a steely resolve in Briony’s eyes. “James, you need to stay here. I still need your help with something.”
He looked up, meeting her gaze.
“Wait for my call,” Briony said quietly.
About ten minutes later, Stewart arrived.
Carl was with him.
When Carl spotted Briony, he greeted her politely, “Ms. Kensington.”
Briony gave him a curt nod, then turned to James. “You should go. Drive safe.”
James nodded, but then shot Stewart a hard look.
“Stewart Wentworth, you owe Bryn this much. Once you find Ms. Hudson, you’d better bring both Bryn and Ms. Hudson home safe, or I swear I won’t let you off easy.”
Stewart barely glanced at James, clearly not taking his threat seriously.
Briony patted James on the shoulder. “Go on.”
He looked down at her, worry and reluctance written all over his face. “Promise you’ll be careful. Check in with me every day.”
Briony couldn’t help but smile. “Got it. Honestly, you’re even more nagging than my godmother.”
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Chapter 299
James pressed his lips together, then finally turned to leave, glancing back at her every few steps.
Watching him go, Briony didn’t notice Stewart studying her quietly. “Let’s go,” he said, his tone cool.
Without looking at Stewart, Briony gripped her suitcase and headed for security.
After boarding, Briony found herself a window seat.
Stewart sat down right beside her.
She didn’t bother protesting. There were things she needed to ask anyway.
“Where’s my mom?”
Stewart didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he signaled to a flight attendant. “Could you bring a glass of warm milk, a blanket, and a sleep mask?”
“Of course, sir.”
Only after the attendant had left did Stewart turn to face Briony.
“She’s at Sapphire Shores.”
Briony’s eyes widened in shock. “Isn’t that part of Islet Haven?”
He nodded. “Yes. That’s why no one’s been able to find her all these years.”
Briony frowned. “So how did you find out?”
“We couldn’t find any trace of her here, so we expanded the search.” Stewart’s gaze was steady and dark. “I told you before–you just had to give me a little more time.”
Briony hesitated, caught off guard.
Those words… She remembered him saying them the day her mother disappeared, gripping her hand outside the police station.
So he’d intended to keep searching from the very beginning?
Wasn’t this just like searching for a needle in a haystack?
“Honestly, I can’t promise we’ll find her,” Stewart admitted. He paused, then added, “We’ll have to travel to Sapphire Shores by sea. All the paperwork for the island entry is ready. We’ll land at Southern Vale Airport first, then take a boat from there.”
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