Chapter 36: Martina Used to Cherish Him
Benjamin walked directly step by step, lowering his head to see clearly what was in the box. It turned out to be a collection of broken pieces of paper. Moreover, they were colorful.
Benjamin didn’t think much about it, but his sharp gaze couldn’t be described as gentle. He rubbed his swollen temporal region and realized that this must be done by Martina,
which sparked other thoughts in his mind.
Then, one by one, he took out those pieces of paper from the box and examined them. To his surprise, when he looked at them, even the emotions he had barely suppressed
in his heart surged up again!
What was this?
Why were there so many fragments of portrait drawings here?
If these fragments were pieced together, the person in the portrait was Benjamin, clearly a portrait that Martina personally copied for him before.
Once, Martina cherished these portraits like treasures, and he still remembered what
she said.
“Benjamin, when you’re not at home, all these portraits of you can accompany me. I promise to patiently wait for your return.”
“But… Benjamin, can you spare more time to be with me? Don’t worry, it doe
be too long, even just a few minutes every day would do.”
“Benjamin, what should I do if one day you can’t find me?”
“If you don’t really like me –”
Those words from the past were vivid in Benjamin’s mind. Back then, he didn’t reall take these words to heart.
Because he never thought that Martina would leave him. Even though she used to leav home every time, she always cAme back within three days at most.
to
Even when Martina was furious, as long as he personally found and met her, she would always come back.
Every time she saw him, she would be like a little cat seeking comfort from its owner, showcasing her gentleness and obedience.
Now, all that Benjamin had once owned disappeared completely, emphasizing the sheer absurdity of his current actions, resembling a joke!
His emotions flared up, and he impatiently took out his phone and dialed Simon’s
number.
“Give me a thorough investigation, as soon as possible!”
Time seemed to stretch endlessly as Benjamin remained petrified, showing no signs of
reaction.
It was the chirping of birds outside the window that gradually spurred the man into
action.
He looked at the couple’s water cup on the table, yes, it was a creation of Martina’s. He picked up one of the cups, his expression growing increasingly dark and ominous. Whether it was due to being too absent-minded or for some other reason, the next moment, the cup slipped from his hand by accident.
With a loud “crash,” the cup plummeted to the ground.
Benjamin’s thoughts were finally brought back as he looked at the shattered cup, broken into several pieces on the floor. Suddenly, his heart trembled a bit.
Martina…
When Simon returned, he saw his boss picking up the broken glass cup from the floor. The fragments were sharp, and in an inadvertent moment, they cut Benjamin’s hand, but he seemed oblivious to it. Instead, he continued to pick up the last two pieces.
However, he didn’t throw the shards into the trash bin. Instead, he placed them one by
one on the table.
Then, casually grabbing a tissue from the table, he wiped the blood off his hand and asked Simon, “So, what’s the result?”
Simon, considerate as always, brought a first aid kit from the side, intending to bandage Benjamin’s hand, but he was met with refusal.
Simon gathered his courage and answered, “Based on the current investigation of surveillance camera records, Miss Martinez left the residential area two days ago.
“At that time, she left with minimal belongings, carrying only a small bag.
“Just now, I had our dedicated internal team investigate Miss Martinez’s whereabouts. It was discovered that two days ago, she used her bank card to purchase two plane tickets. “One ticket was for Miss Martinez herself, and the other one was for Miss Rodriguez.” Benjamin heard the results he wanted, but his expression remained extremely cold. Benjamin absentmindedly tapped on the table, “Where is the destination?”
Simon replied, “It’s in Carlsbad. Miss Martinez seems to have gone on a trip with Miss Rodríguez.”
With the final result, Benjamin no longer dwelled on it. He decisively stood up and instructed Simon again, “Buy the earliest plane tickets to Carlsbad. You’re going with me.”
Really shocked this time, Simon surely followed his order.
After all, Miss Martinez, who was usually so careful and fearful of the boss, neved any personal demands regardless of what the boss said.
But now, she dared to defy the boss’s wishes and even went out to play when she knew the boss would come to pick her up today?
It remained unclear whether she intentionally didn’t come back or simply hadn’t finished having fun, hoping that everything could still be resolved.
However, if someone truly pushed the boss to his limits, the boss’s anger was something that Simon, in his position, could not bear!
It would probably be a disaster for Simon.
Simon still remembered a few years ago when the boss was angry. Anyone who stayed by the boss’s side would be lucky to escape from him.
Or perhaps the boss would employ even more brutal measures, compelling everyone, including himself, to work overtime relentlessly, disregarding their physical well-being.
Like a money-making machine, there was nothing besides work that could ignite his
desires.
Nobody wanted such a situation to occur because if it did, those assistants would also have to work overtime with the boss! That would truly be a life-threatening situation.
At the same time, Martina cautiously got out of bed barefoot, pressing her ear against the door, carefully listening, but there was no sound to be heard.
She carefully opened the peephole from the inside, trying to get a clear view of the person outside, only to see a man.
However, his height was too tall for her to see clearly, and she couldn’t determine his identity, including his appearance.
But judging from the body shape and clothing style, it didn’t seem to be Benjamin. Since it wasn’t Benjamin, Martina then felt more at ease. She lowered her voice and
asked, “Who is it?”
It turned out to be the son of the homestay’s owner, and his tone sounded friendly. “Miss, you have been staying here for two days, and we haven’t seen you leave the room at all. We were worried if something was wrong, so we wanted to come in and check. Are you
okay?”
Observing the genuine concern in the person’s eyes, Martina relaxed her guard a little. She gently replied from behind the door, “I’m fine. I’ve just been tired these past two
days, so I’ve been sleeping. I’m sorry for making you worry.”
The man outside chuckled, revealing his row of white teeth. He had a pleasant appearance, somewhat charming.
He said, “That’s good to hear. By the way, our homestay just made a lot of food today. Would you like to come out and have a look?”
