Chapter 207: Chapter 207

Joshua's legs gave way, and his strong body fell to the ground. It took him a while before he struggled to prop himself up and stumbled into the room where Flora was.

On the makeshift operating table, he saw Flora lying quietly on the bed, covered in a thin white silk sheet. Her once prominent belly was now flat.

"Flora!" Joshua's mind went blank as he rushed forward, frantically examining Flora, who lay peacefully on the bed. Was she dead? What had he done? He had caused harm to Flora! Even if he hated her, he had never thought of using such a cruel method to harm her!

Trembling, he lifted the thin sheet covering Flora. She was dressed in a set of bright white silk pajamas, stained with traces of blood. Her face had turned deathly pale, and her hands were alternately placed on her flat stomach.

Overwhelmed with shock, Joshua fainted. In his last moments of consciousness, he thought about how Maxwell would punish him. Flora might never forgive her even in the afterlife!

Philip immediately dragged him out, while Chiyoko, with a smile on her face, gleefully observed everything in front of her. Especially when she saw Flora's flat belly, her mood became so joyful that she almost fainted as well.

"Oh, and what about that bastard child? Hurry... hurry and bring it to me, flush it down the toilet," Chiyoko exclaimed excitedly, surveying her surroundings, unable to wait to get rid of the unborn child she hated so much.

"Here it is," the doctor stood by, expressionless, pointing to the trash can next to him with his chin.

Chiyoko followed his direction and looked over. As her gaze fell upon the bloody and mangled fetus, a wave of nausea instantly hit her, and she covered her mouth, leaning against the wall, retching.

"Miss..." Philip hurriedly stepped forward, comforting her with a concerned expression and patting her back.

"I'm fine, I'm just so happy, hahaha...," Chiyoko laughed, tears almost streaming down her face. She turned around and ran up to the doctor, praising him energetically. "Doctor, you did a great job, really great!"

Unexpectedly, a hint of remorse appeared on the doctor's otherwise expressionless face. He bowed his head slightly and said, "I'm sorry, Miss. Because this lady was in shock during the operation... I couldn't save her."

"It's great, I never asked you to save her life anyway. She's dead? Even better, really great," Chiyoko exclaimed, laughing and spinning around the room as if she had gone mad.

She had finally waited for this moment, finally got her revenge... She laughed and cried, was she happy? Perhaps, in any case, she felt truly satisfied, and... in pain!

Can a heart that has been hurt so much be healed with this kind of happiness? Can it really?

Chiyoko's laughter filled the entire mansion, sometimes crying, laughing, and even dancing around. When tired, she would lie down on the carpet, softly whispering Maxwell's name, tears streaming down her face as she murmured his name.

After work, Maxwell searched his entire desk but couldn't find his phone. In order not to waste time, he didn't continue searching and drove straight home.

Nowadays, home was no longer as ordinary as before. With the addition of Flora, he couldn't wait to rush home after work every day, as if there was some kind of magic attracting him there.

Just like today, on his way home, he stopped by the flower shop and bought a bouquet of champagne roses to place on the passenger seat. He knew that Flora liked champagne roses, so he always bought them in champagne color!

He went straight to the second-floor bedroom when he got home, but didn't see Flora. He then turned to Robin's bedroom, as that was usually where Flora liked to go.

Upon entering, he discovered that even Robin was nowhere to be seen. Could she be in the garden? Maxwell wondered. Just then, he saw a maid walking by the corridor and hurriedly stopped her to ask, "Where is Flora?"

The maid paused and turned to Maxwell with a smile, "I'm sorry, Big Young Master, I haven't seen Miss Flora this afternoon. Maybe she went out."

Maxwell nodded and dialed Flora's phone from a landline. It was easier to make a call than to search for a person in the huge Smith Family mansion. However, the phone was turned off for some reason, and a surge of anxiety suddenly welled up in his heart.

As if worried that something had happened to Flora, he shook his head, not understanding why he had become so sensitive. Was it because he cared too much about her? Cared to the point of almost becoming neurotic?

Maxwell chuckled self-mockingly and walked downstairs. Joshua had returned to the first floor, his face pale and lost. Astonished by his appearance, Maxwell asked, "Joshua, what's wrong with you?"

As soon as Joshua saw Maxwell, his face turned even more terrified and he stuttered, "I... I just hit someone."

In the current situation, this was the only suitable reason, right? Joshua thought to himself. He didn't dare to look Maxwell in the eye, let alone tell him the fact that Flora was already dead.

He could imagine that if Maxwell found out that he was the one who took Flora out, he would surely shoot him dead!

So, he couldn't admit it, absolutely couldn't! He secretly rejoiced that he had taken precautions when taking Flora out at noon. No one in the Smith Family mansion knew that he was the one who took her away.

Joshua recalled the scene he saw in the unfamiliar villa today, and his mind started to buzz again. He had caused trouble, foolishly believing the Japanese man's words. He regretted it but didn't know how to fix it.

Mrs. Smith, who was helping to arrange the tableware in the dining room, was alarmed when she heard him say he had hit someone. She quickly walked over and anxiously asked, "Joshua, what did you say? You hit someone? How is the person? And what about yourself, are you okay?"

"Mom, I'm fine. The other person has broken legs, and I've already taken him to the hospital," Joshua said, struggling to keep his legs from giving out and trying to act convincingly.

"Broken legs?" Mrs. Smith gasped and asked anxiously, "Did you compensate the person for the accident? Also, introduce him to the doctor who treated you, you must help him recover!"

"Mom, I'll take care of these things. I'll go rest upstairs for now," Joshua said, afraid that he would collapse. After saying this, he hurriedly walked to the second floor, avoiding Maxwell's gaze. He didn't dare to face Maxwell again.

"Okay, go rest. Don't worry, nothing will happen," Mrs. Smith reassured him as she watched his figure disappear on the second floor.

Only when Joshua's figure disappeared did Mrs. Smith shake her head helplessly and sigh, "Oh, Joshua is always so careless when driving. I can't let him drive anymore."

Last time, he was the one driving and caused the death of his father, and his own leg was injured. And now this. Mrs. Smith was truly scared of him, with a worried expression on her face.

"Aunt, I've arranged a driver for him. I'll try my best to persuade him to drive less," Maxwell comforted. He also felt helpless and at a loss for Joshua's recklessness. After all, it was not easy to control him like Richard and Robin. He couldn't just put on a cold face and scold him.

"Well, Maxwell, I hope you can guide him more. Anyway, let's go eat, you must be hungry," Mrs. Smith said, changing the subject.

Maxwell glanced at the living room and asked, "Aunt, where is Flora?" He hadn't seen her since he came back.

Mrs. Smith casually put food in a bowl to take it to Joshua and said, "Just now, I heard Richard laughing so loudly in the yard. I guess he's with Flora."

Only when she's with Flora and Richard does she play so wildly like that, Mrs. Smith smiled bitterly.

Without hesitation, Maxwell turned around and walked towards the yard. Before leaving, he said, "I'll go and bring them back for dinner."

"Maxwell, I've already asked someone to summon them," Mrs. Smith called after him, but Maxwell had already left. She could only let him go and continue with her tasks.

Maxwell walked steadily towards the backyard, and from a distance, he saw Robin's figure playfully appearing among the flowers. It turned out he was playing baseball with Richard, but he didn't see Flora around.

Maxwell stepped forward and grabbed Robin's arm as he was about to pitch, asking, "Where is Flora? Where is she?"

Robin turned around, pointing his bat at Maxwell with discontent, "Big Brother! I want to ask you too. Did you order Flora not to accompany me in practicing again? We made a promise, but as soon as the time comes, she disappears!"

Maxwell froze, staring at him in astonishment, and urgently asked, "What did you say? You haven't seen Flora?" The worry on his face deepened, and a sinking feeling of foreboding attacked his mind.

Richard, noticing Maxwell's troubled expression, walked over from the other end of the field and asked with concern. It was strange that he hadn't seen Flora since he came back.

"She's not here. Go help me search in the backyard," Maxwell urged with a serious expression, but he quickly turned back and went to the main house. He picked up the internal line phone and called Betty. Betty claimed that she hadn't seen Flora in the afternoon!

He asked the security personnel at the gate, but they said Flora had not left the premises. Maxwell's heart suddenly tightened, and in a fit of anger, he rushed into Joshua's bedroom on the second floor, but his target was not Joshua, it was Mrs. Smith, who was trying to persuade him to have dinner!

The sudden intrusion of Maxwell startled them. Joshua was so scared that he almost jumped into bed. On Maxwell's face, he saw a cold and angry expression!

"Maxwell...what's wrong with you?" Mrs. Smith looked at Maxwell's gloomy face, puzzled.

Maxwell took a step forward, the first time in his life using an angry gaze to confront Mrs. Smith, and demanded, "Aunt, where did you take Flora? She's pregnant and can't handle any more stress!"

Mrs. Smith's hand holding the bowl froze in mid-air, staring at him in disbelief, half-opened mouth not knowing how to respond. After a while, she managed to utter a sentence, "Maxwell... What are you saying? What happened to Flora?"

"I just asked the security guard, Flora hasn't left the premises," Maxwell's expression didn't show any improvement. Besides Mrs. Smith, he couldn't think of anyone else who would do anything to Flora.

"Big Young Master, you misunderstood Madam. Madam went to the temple this afternoon to seek fortune for Miss Flora. How could she harm Miss Flora?" Nancy, who had just been discharged from the hospital with injuries still on her head, happened to come in and hurriedly answered.

Maxwell looked at Mrs. Smith suspiciously, not missing any expression on her face, trying to read some truth from her eyes. Mrs. Smith remained confused, not fully understanding what was going on.

It wasn't until Nancy finished speaking that Mrs. Smith suddenly realized what had happened. Tears of pain welled up in her eyes, and she stared angrily at Maxwell, saying, "Maxwell, did you yell at me like this just because of this? If I wanted to do something to Flora, would I wait until today?"

Mrs. Smith was indeed sad. She never expected Maxwell, who never got angry at her, to explode and accuse her of being that kind of person! It was so unfair to her!

Maxwell remained silent, his gaze shifted from Mrs. Smith's upset expression to a more apologetic one. Could it be true that he had acted too hastily and made a mistake?

Yes! Mrs. Smith was not a malicious person like Chiyoko. At most, she would scold Flora and give her a cold shoulder, but she would never do anything to physically harm her. Maybe he should thoroughly search the entire Smith Family mansion, perhaps Flora would suddenly appear.

No one noticed that Joshua, hidden under the covers, was trembling slightly, with beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead. In order to hide his guilty conscience, he had to put on a concerned expression and say, "Big Brother, Flora is playful. Maybe she sneaked out to the seaside and will come back later."

"I'll go to the seaside and find her," Maxwell said dejectedly and walked out.

Seeing him leave, Joshua finally let out a sigh of relief, but his heart continued to pound with fear and apprehension!

Maxwell walked briskly out of the door, only to meet Richard and a group of servants returning, reporting that they had not found Flora. Maxwell's last shred of hope was shattered!

Flora didn't leave in anger, so she couldn't have hidden herself in a small corner. Looking at the distant horizon where the sky meets the sea, Maxwell decided to go to the seaside to find her and turned to walk towards the car.

"Big Brother, I'll help you look, let's go to the city of W," Richard chased after him.

Maxwell hesitated for a moment, agreed, and provided him with a few possible addresses where Flora could be found before driving away.

The Smith Family mansion was a seaside residence, but it required a big detour to reach the beach and was impossible to reach without a car. Maxwell had taken Flora to the beach many times, and there was no reason for her to impulsively go there on her own.

However, just in case, Maxwell went anyway. The car slowly traveled along the coastline. The sunset had already disappeared, and it was about to get dark. There were no footprints on the golden beach, let alone the figure of Flora.

The car stopped at the end of the coastal route, having searched the entire coastline with no results. Maxwell was anxious, his eyes bloodshot, and his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel.

Wanting to call Flora, he suddenly remembered that his phone had mysteriously disappeared, raising suspicion in his mind. This must have been planned and arranged in advance, it was not simple!

Yota Gang! Thinking of this name, Maxwell's heart not only bled, but he felt a numbness spreading throughout his body from the heartache. He had already witnessed the cruelty of Chiyoko. If Flora fell into her hands, there would be no way out!

Maxwell angrily punched the steering wheel, started the car while gripping the wheel, and turned the car towards the city of W. Once in W city, he rushed to the villa area in the western district. It was not long ago that Darren had purchased a villa here for Chloe.

What surprised Maxwell was that the villa was occupied by children, with no sign of Chloe. Upon asking, he learned that Chloe had rented the villa to an orphanage and was still living in her old place.

Having no choice, he headed from the west to the east, and by the time he arrived at Chloe's house, it was already close to 9 o'clock.

Chloe, who came out upon hearing the sound of the car, saw the familiar luxury car. Her face turned cold, and she looked at Maxwell inside the car with a chilly tone, "Mr. Maxwell, although your wife likes to visit my house, she is really not here this time!"

Maxwell didn't hold much hope to begin with, but he asked despondently, "Is that so?"

"I mean, do you two ever get tired of bickering and playing hide and seek? Does it amuse you?" Chloe approached Maxwell, rolling her eyes sarcastically.

In just a few months, she had already seen Flora run away from home countless times, and he had chased after her just as many times.

Maxwell fell silent, his heartache nearly suffocating him, leaving him with no energy to explain anything. He silently turned the car around and quietly left, wandering through the streets and alleys like a ghost.

The pedestrians on the street were scarce and the streetlights on both sides appeared even lonelier. Maxwell parked the car in front of an intersection, looking at the wide road ahead, unsure of where to go.

Having lost his phone and unable to make a call, he had no choice but to drive back home. When he returned, the Smith Family mansion was in a state of panic. Everyone stood at the entrance, looking expectantly, as if waiting for Maxwell to return.

As soon as Maxwell's car came to a stop, Darren approached with a grave expression and called out, "Big Young Master..."

"What's wrong? Did you find Flora?" Maxwell was so anxious that he had forgotten he had not even instruct Darren to find her, and he asked him this question immediately. Then he turned to Richard, "Richard, did you find Flora?"

Richard lowered his head, unable to meet Maxwell's hopeful gaze, unable to bear seeing that hope being overshadowed by despair.

"Big Young Master, Miss Flora is dead." Even though he didn't want to, Darren still announced this fact with courage. Concealing it can only be done temporarily, but not forever. He had no choice.