The Heir's Redemption

Chapter seven

The waiter watched as the man retrieved something from his breast pocket and slipped it into the drink. He curiously watched as the man gently stirred the glass, waited for the fizz to subside and turned to hand it over to the woman walking towards him. Then he knew.

He knew the man didn't have good intentions. What's with the rich and being sinister? He wondered. He quickly went in search of Potter, the butler.

The waiter found Mr Potter outside. "Sir, you won't believe what I just saw."

Potter looked impatient." This isn't time for gossip and chatter Today. Get back to work." He sounded impatient too.

"No sir, this is urgent. I saw one of the guests drug a lady's drink. We need to do something."

"What? Are you sure about what you're telling me?"

"I'm one hundred percent positive sir."

"These people are wealthy and influential people, son. Any wrong accusations, especially of something this grave, won't go down well. So I'm asking again, are you sure?"

"Yes sir. I know what I saw."

"Can you identify the man?"

"Yes sir." The waiter went ahead to describe the guests.

Potter had been about to introduce Chris to everyone in the party, but the situation demanded immediate action. 

"I'll be right back." He excused himself and sought out Chris, finding him near the gardens.

"Mr. Chris," the butler began, concern etched on his face, "there's a serious matter that requires your attention. A waiter just informed me about one of the guests attempting to spike a lady's drink. We need to act swiftly."

Chris furrowed his brows. "Who's involved? Where are they?"

The butler relayed the information he had received from the waiter. "From what he said, it looks like Anna, your ex-wife. She's the only one wearing a blue evening gown and Carter is the only blond male here."

Despite the divorce, Chris couldn't bear the thought of harm befalling Anna. "Let go," he instructed, his expression firm.

They found the waiter who had witnessed the unsettling scene. The waiter recounted the details and pointed at the exact spot where he saw Carter.

Chris, his jaw set. The bloody bastard! Was he such a coward that he needed to drug a lady to lay with her? He thought. His hands trembled in anger and all he wanted to do was beat the insufferable SOB to a pulp.

As they approached they noticed Carter wasn't anywhere to be found. Neither was Anna. His heart lurched in his throat. Has something bad already happened to Anna? His heart twisted again, and his hand clenched into a fist. He whispered a curse under his breath.

He knew he had to protect her, but for the first time in his life, he dreaded it. Letting her go was one thing; living without her was another.

He stood there and cursed Carter and whatever else fate had in store for him. The night already had too much bad news to offer.

"Potter, check the bathrooms and terrace." He turned and gestured to the waiter. "You, come with me."

They quickly strode outside and almost immediately, he spotted a a car pass in front of him, and there he was. He didn't need anyone to tell him that the mass of blond hair was Carter. And he was driving fast.

Without hesitation, he sprinted towards them, his heart pounding. He quickly pulled out his phone and called Potter. The call wasn't answered and his agitation increased.

"Pick the fucking phone, Potter." He said through gritted teeth. He dialed again and Potter picked up on the second ring. 

Potter finally answered on the third ring."Sir? Did you find them?"

"Yes yes. He's driving out of the building right now. I need a fast car right now. I'm heading towards the gate. Send me a car ASAP!"

"Yes sir." There was a beep to signal the end of the call. Chris waited, the seconds ticking by like an eternity.

Finally, a car arrived, its engine humming with readiness. One of the security guards was driving. He quickly entered the driver's side, needing to drive as fast as he could. The car weaved through the city streets as the urgency to find Anna propelled him forward. However, he lost sight of the car. 

Frustration clawed at him. Just when he felt the weight of defeat settling in, his phone buzzed with the butler's call. Anxious, Chris answered, "I lost them. Fuck! I fucking lost them!"

Potter's voice was calm and collected. "Sir, I expected this challenge. I already instructed all our underlings to gather any available clues about the vehicle's plate number and license. We're working to track it down."

Relief washed over Chris. "Thank you, do let me know as soon as you have any leads."

In a few minutes, information about Carter and his whereabouts reached him. It turned out he was heading to his family hotel. Chris immediately raced to the hotel 

It was a five-star hotel owned by Carter's family. He even had the guts to bring such heinous activities to his family hotel. 

The knowledge that Anna was unconscious and drugged made him seeth with growing anger. 

He approached the concierge, who was a middle-aged smallish man. He looked Italian. 

"I would like to know the room number of one of your guests."

"May I know your name?"

"I'm Christian Robinson." The concierge blew his eyes a bit, probably trying to remember the name. "I'm the CEO of Swan Group of companies." He was forced to add. He needed all he could at the moment to save Anna.

Recognizing the name and also studying the tension in Chris's demeanor, the concierge cooperated.

"Do you know the guest's name?"

"Carter Bronson."

The man's eyes widened. That was his boss, the owner of the hotel. He suddenly looked confused, contemplating whether to help one of the most influential men in the state or give out his boss.

Chris seemed to notice his hesitation. 

"You don't have to worry. If you get sacked, I'll employ you and you'll occupy a better position. Think of this as a debt I owe you. I need your help. Carter is with my wife and she's unconscious. She needs help."

Chris knew he may have lied about the part of Anna being his wife. It wasn't much of a lie though. She was technically still his wife until the divorce proceedings were finalized. 

The man seemed to make his choice then. "Sir, I can't give you confidential details. It is against our policy." 

The concierge's voice was loud enough for the other staff and any camera devices to hear. 

He knew the concierge wouldn't sell out his boss, even though he recognized Chris. 

He immediately turned and headed towards the elevator. 

"Sir.... Sir, wait. You can't go there." The man called after him. 

He waited for the goddamned slow elevator to arrive. It finally arrived and he got on. As the elevator ascended to the top floor, Chris's thoughts swirled with worry and anger.

Luckily, he saw Carter in the lobby. Anna lay on a couch in the lobby. Carter had his back to him and was looking out the large windows while he was on his phone talking in hushed tones. 

Chris slowly and carefully walked towards where Anna lay, still in her dress, lying on the couch, unconscious. She looked dead. There wasn't any rhythmic rise and fall of her chest to show she was breathing.

He moved closer to the couch and tried to lift her.

In a few seconds, Carter turned and saw him. The shock made him drop his phone. 

"Wh.... What the hell are you doing here?"  Carter yelped the moment he saw Chris.

"What have you done to her?" Chris asked, his voice barely above a whisper. The anger within him reached a boiling point. "She's unconscious! What did you give her?"

"I didn't... I didn't do anything. She just had too much to drink. She was drunk."

"And you brought her here? That was all you could think of doing?"

At this point, Carter looked like a scared schoolboy. His eyes were wide open in fear.  

Chris made three long strides to where Carter stood and gave him a powerful punch that sent him scuttling backward.

"Fuck!" He yelled, holding his nose. He was bleeding. "What did you do that for?"

"That's for being a dick," Chris said and turned towards unconscious Anna.