The Billionaire's Temptation: Love, Family and Revenge-Chapter 49: Finding Elena

"This is just a little taste of what I can do for Ford," Jane continued, her tone filled with possessiveness. "I want him, and he is mine—not yours." She turned back to glance at Elena’s limp form. "You can have Frederick if you like. I don’t care."

With one last smirk, Jane stepped over Elena’s weakened body and headed toward the door. "Let’s go. I’ve had enough of her ugly face today."

The man followed her without a word, shutting the door behind them.

Meanwhile, across town, Ford anxiously checked his watch for the third time that afternoon. His foot tapped impatiently against the ground.

"I thought you said she was coming?" he asked, turning to Lily, who stood beside him.

Lily’s expression was equally concerned. "She said she would," she replied, her voice filled with worry.

Ford frowned, a strange feeling settling in his chest. Something was wrong.

"Oh yes, she went to relieve herself," Lily said, glancing around. "But she’s taking too long. Let me go check on her."

Ford frowned, his concern growing. "Don’t go in and disappear too. If you don’t find her, come back immediately. I’ll call security to do a proper search."

Lily nodded quickly. "I’ll be back as soon as possible, don’t worry." With that, she turned and rushed back inside the hospital.

As she walked down the hallway, a frown settled on her face. Where could Elena have gone? The hospital had multiple restrooms, making it difficult to guess which one she had used. She instinctively reached for her phone to call Elena, only to remember that they had never exchanged contact information.

She hesitated. Should she go back and inform Ford? No, she decided. It wouldn’t hurt to check a few restrooms on the ground floor first. If she didn’t find Elena there, she would return immediately.

Lily hurried toward the ground floor, where more than fifteen restrooms were located. Her brother’s hospital was the largest and most prestigious in the country, which meant it had an extensive number of facilities.

She started her search, opening restroom doors and calling Elena’s name. She had checked six restrooms already, her patience wearing thin.

"Elena?" she called again, her voice echoing slightly in the empty hallway. Still no answer. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Just as she was about to give up and turn back, her gaze fell on a restroom directly opposite the last one she had entered. The door was slightly ajar.

Lily sighed, exhaustion creeping into her limbs. Still, she decided to check. Using what little energy she had left, she gave the door a lazy push with her foot, swinging it open wider.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Elena lay sprawled on the floor, motionless.

Lily froze for a second, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing. Then, panic set in.

"Elena!" she gasped, rushing forward.

Elena’s body was battered, bruises covering her arms and legs. Blood stained her lips, her breathing shallow and weak.

Lily dropped to her knees beside her. "Elena, can you hear me?" she asked desperately, shaking her slightly.

Elena’s eyelids fluttered weakly, but she didn’t respond. Lily’s heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst from her chest. Fear gripped her, twisting her stomach into knots. This wasn’t just an accident—everything about it felt wrong, as if someone had done this on purpose.

She crouched beside her friend, voice shaking. "Elena, please answer me. Can you hear me?" She gently shook Elena’s arm, hoping for any sign of life. But there was no response.

Panic clawed at Lily’s throat. Her hands trembled as she fumbled for her phone. "God, this is bad. I need to call Ford," she whispered to herself, barely able to hold the device steady.

But just as her fingers hovered over the screen, something stopped her. A cold hand suddenly gripped her wrist, sending a jolt of fear through her body.

Lily gasped, nearly dropping the phone. "Oh my God, Elena! You scared me!" she cried, eyes wide with shock. "I thought you had lost consciousness. I kept calling your name over and over!" Her voice cracked, thick with emotion. Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill.

Elena didn’t respond right away. Her breathing was uneven, her face streaked with tears. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely more than a whisper. "Don’t call him. Please... don’t." She swallowed hard, clutching her stomach as fresh tears ran down her cheeks. "She will come back for me. She will take my baby."

Lily froze. Confusion mixed with the fear already swirling inside her. She searched Elena’s eyes and saw sheer terror staring back at her. Whoever had done this to her had left her completely broken.

Tears escaped down Lily’s cheeks as well. "Why shouldn’t I call him? Who else do I call, if not him?" Her voice wavered, overwhelmed by uncertainty.

Elena didn’t answer right away. Her breathing hitched, her body trembling. It was clear she was terrified—too terrified to even explain.

Lily’s mind raced. Ford was the only person she could think of who could help, but Elena’s reaction scared her even more. Who was "she"? What had happened before she got here? And why was Elena so afraid that she would rather suffer alone than let Ford get involved?

Lily clenched her fists. She regretted not being there earlier. Maybe if she had followed Elena, none of this would have happened. Maybe she could have protected her. But now, all she could do was kneel beside her friend, unsure of what to do next.

She took a shaky breath and squeezed Elena’s hand. "You’re safe now. I won’t let anything happen to you," she whispered, though she wasn’t sure if she even believed her own words.

Elena’s grip tightened, as if she was holding onto that small bit of comfort. But the fear in her eyes remained. And Lily knew—this was far from over someone had hurt her friend and the person was going to pay.

Elena struggled to speak, her voice weak and shaky. "Don’t worry. I’ll manage on my own. Just help me up," she whispered.

Lily frowned, concern etched on her face. "Are you sure about this? Have you even seen yourself? I doubt you can stand on your own, let alone walk."

Elena ignored her, determined to prove she could move. She tried to push herself up, but the moment she put weight on her legs, her body gave out. She collapsed back onto the ground, a sharp cry of pain escaping her lips.

Lily quickly knelt beside her. "I told you," she said softly, gently placing a hand on Elena’s shoulder. "I’m sorry, but you’re not in any shape to move."

Elena groaned in pain, her body trembling. Each breath she took was labored, and her fingers dug weakly into the dirt. Slowly, the sounds of her pain faded.

Lily’s heart skipped a beat. Something wasn’t right.

"Elena?" she called, shaking her lightly.

No response.

"Elena, are you with me?" Her voice rose in panic. She tried again, but Elena’s body had gone limp in her arms.

Lily’s breath caught in her throat. "Oh no. No, no, no." Her hands shook as she held her friend. The weight of the situation crashed down on her—Elena had lost consciousness.

She glanced at her phone in her other hand, her mind racing. "Should I call him?" she whispered to herself.

Elena had begged her not to, but what choice did she have now? If she didn’t get help soon, things could get even worse.

Without wasting another second, Lily made up her mind. She needed Ford.

Her fingers trembled as she scrolled through her contacts, searching for her brother’s number.

Meanwhile, Ford paced back and forth, frustration evident in every movement. His jaw tightened, and his hands curled into fists. "What is taking them so long? I shouldn’t have let Lily go alone," he muttered, his voice laced with worry.

Kelvin, his closest friend, leaned against the car with his arms crossed. He had been watching Ford grow more restless by the second.

"Just calm down," Kelvin said in a level voice. "They’ll be out soon. If they’re not, then we’ll know something is wrong."

Ford let out a deep breath, but the unease in his chest didn’t fade. His gut told him something wasn’t right. The more time passed, the stronger the feeling grew.

His phone remained silent, but he wished it would ring. He just needed to hear Lily’s voice—to know everything was okay.

But everything was far from okay.

And the call he was dreading was about to come.

Ford and Kelvin stood in the private parking lot, waiting impatiently. The air around them was heavy with unease.

After what felt like forever, Ford pulled out his phone and dialed Elena’s number. He pressed it to his ear, hoping to hear her voice—but instead, an automated message echoed back.

"The number you are trying to reach is not available."

Frowning, he tried again. The same response.

Ford’s chest tightened. It had been more than thirty minutes since Elena and Lily left. Something was wrong. He could feel it.