Female Novel
Chapter 1358
Dylan had turned down a meeting with Phelps, choosing instead to stay home with Arlene, dedicating
himself to looking after Judith.
But Augus had already headed out. He took the wheel personally, curious to find out what Phelps was
really up to.
He had only been driving for a few minutes when his phone rang; it was Ian.
"Mr. Sanders, I'd advise you to keep your distance from Phelps for the time being. I'm still gathering
evidence."
"Just a few hours ago, I had a meeting with him. All he did was apologize, saying he hadn't found any
traces of my daughter. Now he's suddenly claiming he has news. I want to see what this is all about."
Ian's brow furrowed with concern. At this point, it was all suspicion without concrete evidence. Still, if
Phelps was the target of these doubts, everything seemed to fall into place.
Phelps was like the elusive leaf hiding in plain sight. And if it was indeed him, the extent of his backing
was unfathomable.
"Mr. Sanders, you mentioned a key player within the BK with a small red mole by his earlobe. Did you
notice anything like that when you met with Phelps?"
"I paid attention to that, but no, he didn't have such a mole."
Ian was momentarily at a loss. How could it not be there? Or had Phelps found a way to conceal it?
"Ian, are you suspecting Dr. Herrington? To be honest, he was my personal physician for a while. If henovelbin
had ulterior motives, I think I would've noticed. But the man barely speaks. When he does, he's quite
gentle."
The real problem lay in the universal trust Phelps commanded. Tyler trusted him, Augus trusted him,
because Phelps had plenty of motives to harm both men but never acted on them.
Yet, Ian chose to trust his instincts. It was too coincidental, and Phelps remained his prime suspect.
"Mr. Sanders, feel free to meet him, but please be cautious. I'm on my way back to North America with
some solid leads. Phelps is at the top of my suspect list."
After hanging up, Augus continued his drive, now on high alert because of Ian's words.
Meanwhile, Phelps was also in his car when he nearly collided with an oncoming vehicle after a sharp
turn. He jerked the steering wheel hard, and the car crashed through the guardrail, plunging into the
lake.
"Maja, hold your breath," he instructed as the car sunk.
Cold water enveloped Maja as she opened her eyes to see Phelps untangling her from the weeds.
Struggling for air, she pushed him away, signaling him to save himself first.
But Phelps was undeterred, focused on freeing her.
In that moment of near suffocation, Maja felt the grip of death. She didn't want to drag anyone down
with her. Just as she was about to black out, the weeds loosened, and they were pulled up towards the
surface.
Gasping for air the moment her head broke the surface, she saw flames engulfing the bridge—another
car had been hit.
Phelps's eyes flickered with urgency, and he guided her swiftly in the opposite direction.
"We need to get out of here—it's dangerous."
"Dr. Herrington, was it the Sanders family?"
"Most likely. Dylan probably doesn't want the real Sanders princess to return."
A chill ran down Maja's spine. "So, to protect Judith, he'd kill his own sister?"
"Maja, blood may be thicker than water, but twenty years of affection for Judith can't be overlooked.
He's used to pampering her. Now, with an outsider like you showing up, it's disrupted his world. Just
one tear from Judith, and he'd do anything."
As Maja was about to respond, a bullet hit the water's edge.
Phelps pulled her close, his voice grave. "Be careful."
"Dr. Herrington."
The next second, a bullet struck his shoulder, blood mingling with the lake's waters. Shielding her with
his body, he assured her, "I won't let anything dangerous happen to you. Stay with me."