Gone for long!

Elizabeth stormed into her mother's study, her brow furrowed and her lips tightened in frustration. "Mom," she said, her voice agitated, "I have been trying to reach Mike all day, but he has not returned any of my calls or texts." I am starting to get concerned. "What if something happened to him?"

Mrs. Anderson looked up from her work, concern flashing through her eyes as she noticed her daughter's distressed expression. "Have you tried contacting any of his friends or colleagues at the chantier?" she inquired, her tone gentle but firm. She, too, was concerned that her plans were crumbling.

Elizabeth shook her head, strands of chestnut hair falling loosely around her face. "I haven't, but I doubt they will know where he is. Mike has been distant recently, and I can not shake the feeling that something is wrong. I thought the divorce papers were jokes and what he said, and I expected him to come home right now begging."

Mrs. Anderson sighed as she rose from her desk and approached Elizabeth, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Let us not jump to conclusions just yet," she said, her voice firm. "But I agree, it is unusual for Mike to be unavailable for so long. He always returns because he can not figure things out without money, but where is he now? We will figure this out together."

Mrs. Anderson's mind raced with worry as they approached the sitting room.

Mike had always been responsible and communicative, even when she used her extreme powers to destroy him, so his sudden disappearance was very concerning.

She knew they needed to act quickly to ensure his safety and well-being so that all of her plans could be realised; somehow, she needed him to complete her plans.

She had worked on it for years, and it did not have to crumble like this in the end.

Elizabeth sat down and recounted her attempts to contact Mike, her voice tinged with frustration and anxiety. Mrs. Anderson listened intently, her mind already turning to possible courses of action.

"Do you believe he is serious about the divorce, Huh?" Elizabeth enquired.

Just like her mother, the plan was to make Kevin fall in love with her in order to finance her life, and once they had done so, they would toss him aside and move on to the next person.

"Perhaps we should contact his workplace," she suggested, her voice thoughtful. "If he is not responding to you, perhaps someone knows where he is or what he is been doing."

Elizabeth nodded, appreciating her mother's practical advice. "I will give it a shot," she said, determination evident in her voice. "But if we still can not find him, we may have to consider other options."

Mrs. Anderson agreed, her mind already plotting a course of action. She understood that time was of the essence, and they could not afford to waste a single moment in their search for Mike. He was indeed required this time.

Mrs. Anderson took out her phone and dialled a familiar number after Elizabeth had left to make the necessary calls. The private investigator she had previously hired returned her call after a few rings, his voice crisp and professional.

"James, it is Margaret Anderson," she announced, her voice urgent. "I am in need of your assistance. The story revolves around Mike. He is gone missing, and we have no idea where he might be. And as it is, I need to know where that scumbag is; it is important."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the queue before James responded, his voice full of worry. "I will get right on it, Mrs. Anderson," he stated. "Can you give me any information that will help me narrow down the search?"

Mrs. Anderson explained everything she knew about Mike's recent behaviour and movements, her voice steady despite the worry in her heart. She knew James was the best in the business, and he would know where Mike was.

"Thank you, James especially," she said, her gratitude obvious in her tone. "Please find him as soon as possible." "We are counting on you."

Mrs. Anderson could not shake the uneasy feeling that had settled over her like a dark cloud as she hung up the phone. She understood that nothing else mattered until Mike was found safe. And she would do anything to bring him home. So she could have him sign the papers.

Those papers needed to be signed; she could not have worked so hard since she was a child to get to this point and then lose the one who would take her to the highest level she desired.

She began to wonder why she had not simply ensured that he could not give her daughter those papers.

"Why did I even allow him to leave the house that day?" She thought that if she had focused on ensuring that he did not leave, it would have been a minor issue for her to talk and brainwash him into being a perfect son-in-law and signing those papers and conditions for the properties she had attempted and successfully obtained since his father's death.

.......Sitting in her dimly lit study, she had a flashback to how things had been.

Margaret Anderson's affair with Michael's father was a tumultuous period in their lives, a forbidden love that lingered beneath the surface of their small town gossip.

When Michael's mother found out about the affair, it shattered her world, shattering the illusion of her marriage and breaking her heart. Despite the pain, she chose to leave with Michael, determined to rebuild her life without the man who had betrayed her.

But before she could do so, Margaret had other plans. It was not for her to go and return someday with the child for the fortune that lay ahead of her, so she planned and executed the unthinkable.

Margaret found it difficult to accept Michael's father's rejection. She had hoped that their love would transcend societal norms and lead to marriage, but his refusal made her feel abandoned and scorned.

In her anguish, she turned her attention to Michael, seeing him as a conduit for her misplaced affection and lingering resentment of his father.

Michael grew up in the shadow of his mother's heartbreak, as Margrate took him away and made sure Yana, Mike's mother, was never seen again.

Bearing the burden of her unfulfilled desires and misplaced rage. Margaret's treatment of Michael was cruel, as she used him as a pawn to exact revenge on the man who had rejected her. He became her servant, fulfilling her every desire while bearing her emotional abuse in silence.

Despite the darkness that surrounded him, Michael found solace in the love of Margaret's daughter, Elizabeth. She saw through the facade he put on for the rest of the world and accepted him for who he truly was. Their love bloomed in secret, a ray of hope in the midst of chaos.

Margaret saw this and thought that when they married, she would bring up the story or some documents and have him sign them stating that he had transferred all of his properties to Elizabeth.

Margaret's resentment peaked when Elizabeth decided to marry Michael. She interpreted it as a betrayal, a rejection of everything she had done for her daughter's happiness. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not tear them apart. And she decided to work on her daughter's mind, and she was successful in ensuring that her daughter treated Michael as trash just two months into their marriage.

Margaret tightened her grip on Michael and Elizabeth as they built a life together. She saw Michael as her possession, a symbol of the love she had lost and the pain she had felt.

However, in her quest for control, she failed to notice that Micheal was maturing, as evidenced by his departure from their home and his insistence on Elizabeth signing those papers.