Quadruplets Unite: Mother's Words Are Law

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Abel let out a light chuckle. “I completely underestimated Emma. I thought she was just the owner of a small coffee shop who moonlighted as a stunt artist…”

“Emma used to say that she only became a stunt performer because she was bored,” Janie said. “I always thought she was saying that just to irk me, but I guess it’s real, huh…”

“When I offered her my credit card, she told me she had money. I even laughed at her and said her money wasn’t enough…” Abel smiled at the memory. “Who would’ve guessed that she was actually loaded!”

“Mr. Ryker, you’re not upset that Emma kept it a secret from you, are you?” there was a hint of worry in Janie’s voice.

“Of course not,” Abel said. “I would’ve been upset if Emma had to continue making ends meet by herself for the children’s sake after being chased out by the Louises five years ago. I couldn’t be more thankful that the Adelmars were there for her! How could I be upset with her?”

The group found a nearby hotel to stay for the night. As soon as they settled down, Luca made a call to Sam once more. This time, she finally picked up.

“Oh no,” Sam said as soon as she realized her blunder. “I got too used to calling him Benjamin that I forgot his real name. He’s known as Benedict Adelmar to people on the island.”

“Benedict?” Luca could not hide his surprise. “No wonder the guard said there was no one named Benjamin.”

“Let’s get some rest for now,” Abel said. “We’ll visit the manor again after lunch.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Luca nodded.

Luca ordered some lunch for the group, but Abel was still unable to stomach any food. He left the food untouched but made sure to flush half of it down the toilet as usual so Luca would not suspect anything. He tried to drink some water but could not keep it down as well. Minutes later, he found himself heaving into the toilet bowl again. This time, there was more blood than bile in his vomit, a sure sign of gastrointestinal bleeding. He did not know how he was going to manage the next few days, but he could not allow his personal illness to get in the way knowing he was so close to locating the Adelmars.

“Emma, Emma…” he chanted her name on like a prayer on his lips. “Emma, give me the strength to find you…” He rinsed his mouth with water before swallowing a few more painkillers despite knowing that the medicine barely had any effect any longer. Feeling slightly more energized after having some rest, he changed into a fitting suit before knocking on the door of Luca’s room.

“We can leave now! No time to waste,” Abel announced. Luca and the four bodyguards who came along scarfed down their half-eaten meals hastily and got themselves ready in five minutes. They knew how desperate Abel was to find his wife.

“Let’s get going, gentlemen,” Luca informed the team of bodyguards. As they opened the door to leave the room, Janie had also appeared from her room.

“Everyone’s here. Let’s go,” Abel said.

“Mr. Ryker, you don’t look too good…” Janie noticed. “Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“I’m fine,” Abel assured her despite his hand on his abdomen. The pain was killing him.