The CEO's Empathy Pregnancy Pains
Chapter 149 Rescue

"Grandpa..." Michael started to explain to Mason.

But Mason cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Go replace her, search all night! Find Veda for me immediately, or don't bother coming back to the Smith Mansion!"

Mason's order was final. He didn't give them a chance to argue and headed upstairs with his cane.

Even as he went upstairs, Mason wasn't planning to rest. He told Benjamin to get the phone numbers of Veda's friends and call them one by one to replace out when she was last seen. Emily turned to Michael. "Grandpa's serious. Let's get moving. We'll start with the places Veda's been to recently. We'll split up and keep in touch by phone."

Emily knew arguing was pointless. It was strange for Veda to disappear like this. They needed to replace her first, then figure out the rest.

"Emily, I'll go with you," Daniel suddenly said.

Daniel knew Emily was pregnant and wanted to be there for her. Finding Veda was important, but so was keeping Emily and the baby safe. But saying this in front of Michael? That was a mistake. Michael snapped, "Daniel, aren't you overstepping?"

Michael's pent-up anger exploded. His eyes were fierce, something Emily had never seen before. It was like all his emotions were pouring out at once.

But Daniel didn't care. He thought Michael wasn't right for Emily. Even now, Michael was more concerned about his status than his sister's safety. How could someone like that be worthy of a lifelong commitment? "What did I do? Veda's missing, and you're not looking for her. Emily's not well, and you're not taking care of her. I'm helping you, is that so wrong?" Daniel's words only fueled the tension.

Emily, caught in the middle, finally lost it. "Enough! If you two want to argue, do it outside. Don't disturb Grandpa!"

She turned to leave, but Michael grabbed her. "What are you doing?"

Michael didn't know when it happened, but his feelings for Emily had changed. He started caring about her every move, every emotion.

Seeing Emily angry made him uncomfortable. But seeing Daniel made him uncontrollably angry.

Emily snapped, "I'm going to replace Veda! I don't have time for this!"

She shook off Michael and headed for the door.

Suddenly, Daniel's phone rang. The tension broke. "Emily, wait! It's Veda."

Daniel's words made Emily turn around. The three of them focused intensely. Seeing Veda's name on Daniel's phone, they couldn't help but get excited. "Just in case, you two stay quiet," Daniel said.

Daniel, still keeping his cool, knew the situation could be dire. He signaled to the others to stay quiet and focused.

"Hello?" Daniel's voice was cold, as usual, when talking to Veda.

He didn't want to give away any information in case someone else was listening.

"Daniel, it's me, Veda. Don't hang up!" Veda's voice was shaky and urgent.

Emily and Michael exchanged worried glances, their hearts pounding.

"I won't hang up. What's going on?" Daniel asked.

"Daniel, I've been kidnapped. You have to save me, please..." Veda's voice broke as she started to cry.

It was clear she was trying to keep her voice down, probably calling in secret. "I don't know where I am. I stole this phone when they weren't looking. I'm really scared..."

Before Veda could finish, Emily snatched the phone from Daniel. Despite being the smallest, she was the calmest.

"Veda, it's Emily. I'm here with Michael and Daniel. We need to know where you are."

"Either replace a network and turn on location sharing, then put the phone back, or keep the phone and try to get information from the kidnappers. We need to keep this call open. We're on our way to replace you."

Emily stepped out the door, with Daniel and Michael right behind her. They all piled into the car, with Michael behind the wheel.

Veda's voice trembled. "I don't know where they are. My eyes are covered. I don't even know what they look like. I barely got this phone... Please, they said they'd rape me and... and kill me!"

Michael's grip on the steering wheel tightened, his eyes blazing with anger. Emily, sensing his rage, spoke calmly. "We'll deal with them once we replace Veda. Focus on driving. If you lose control, we won't be able to save her, and we'll be in danger too."

Daniel quickly added, "If you get tired, let me drive."

Michael didn't argue. They all had the same goal: replaceing Veda.

Following Emily's instructions, Veda tried to turn on location sharing on Facebook. The phone connected to a weak public network, forcing her to hold it up for a better signal. Keeping the call quiet was a struggle.

"Veda, don't be afraid. Can you try to stand up?" Emily asked.

"My hands and feet are tied. I'm numb all over. I can't stand up," Veda replied, her voice filled with despair.

Emily's heart ached. She had loved Michael's family for years and considered them her own. Hearing Veda, who had always been pampered, in such distress was unbearable.

"Daniel, call the police. Even if we have to turn Emerald City upside down, we have to replace Veda!" Emily said urgently.