Chapter 6: Madam Has Been Missing for a Day and a Night Editor: Henyee Translations

"Sir, I’ve texted ma’am, but she isn’t replying. I can get through when I call her, but she never picks up. She’s been missing for twenty-four hours. Should we call the police?"

Mrs. Miller’s voice was filled with worry.

She still hasn’t come back...

"Mr. Lawson, the meeting is about to start." Secretary Shaw reminded him.

Tristan spoke into the phone, "She’s only been gone for a day. Stop making a big deal out of nothing."

"Sir, it’s not that I’m making a big deal out of it. It’s just that ma’am has never been away from home for this long."

Tristan stood up, gathering his meeting files with one hand. "Joshua’s at home," he said nonchalantly. "Where else could she go? She’ll be back soon enough."

With that, Tristan hung up the phone.

"Sir..."

Hearing the dial tone, Mrs. Miller helplessly put her phone away.

At noon, Sophie Hughes specially ordered lunch from Myre River Pavilion and had it personally delivered to Joshua Lawson’s school.

The security guard notified Joshua’s teacher that his mother had arrived and told Joshua to come out and get his lunch.

Joshua’s spirits lifted when he heard his mom had brought him food. He had been craving his mom’s cooking, so he ran outside in a flash.

As he neared the school gate, a thought suddenly struck him. If he met his mom and the guard found out she was mute, word would get out, and his classmates would definitely make fun of him.

Joshua’s craving for his mother’s lunch vanished in an instant. If only Mom could be like Sophie, with a beautiful speaking voice. That would be so much better.

He turned to head back to his classroom.

Just then, the security guard saw him and opened the gate to let Sophie Hughes in. He wouldn’t dare be disrespectful to Tristan Lawson’s wife.

As Sophie Hughes walked through the school gate, she spotted Joshua. "Joshua."

Sophie approached him with a gentle smile.

Joshua heard the familiar voice and looked up. He was about to call out "Sophie," but worried someone might overhear.

A lot of people thought Sophie Hughes was his mother. He happily rushed to her side and whispered, "Sophie, what are you doing here, bringing me lunch?"

"I didn’t do a good job this morning, and I felt really bad about it, so I ordered you lunch from Myre River Pavilion."

Sophie dotingly patted Joshua’s little head.

Joshua took the lunch box and asked tentatively, "Sophie, will you bring me lunch again in the future?"

"I can tomorrow and the day after, but not the day after that."

"Why not?"

Sophie smiled. "Because I’m leaving in three days. I’m going to Crestfall for an anime convention, and after that, I have to go back to my country. The main reason I came back this time was for the convention. I just arrived a few days early because I wanted to see you and your dad."

Sophie couldn’t stay at the school for long. She chatted with Joshua for a little while before leaving.

The thought of Sophie leaving made Joshua incredibly sad, so he used his cell phone to call Tristan Lawson. "Dad, did you know Sophie is leaving in three days?"

Tristan’s eyes tightened. "I know."

"Then why didn’t you tell me? I really don’t want her to go."

Tristan paused for a moment. "You like her a lot?"

"Yeah! I wanted to spend more time with her. Sigh... It’s a shame. She said that in three days, after the anime convention in Crestfall, she’s leaving the country. We probably won’t get to see her again for a long time."

Tristan suddenly changed the subject. "Do you want to go to the anime convention in Crestfall?"

Joshua had loved cartoons since he was little. Plus, if he went to the anime convention, he could be with Sophie. He answered without a second thought, "Of course I do!"

"I’ll book the plane tickets in a bit. We’ll go to Crestfall."

Joshua was overjoyed. "You’re the best, Dad!" he exclaimed.

Tristan planned to book tickets for the morning three days from now, so they could go out and explore together in the afternoon.

He instructed his secretary to book two plane tickets. As he was sending the ID numbers to his secretary, he suddenly remembered Mrs. Miller’s call—that Noelle’s phone was ringing, but she wasn’t picking up.

It’s normal for her not to pick up, he thought. She can’t speak, after all. As for her not coming back all day... Could it be because I invited her to dinner and then canceled?

He and Noelle had been married for seven years, yet the three of them had never once gone on a trip together as a family.

So, he decided to have his secretary book three tickets instead. But he didn’t know Noelle’s ID number, so he sent her a text message.

Tristan: There’s an anime convention in Crestfall for National Day. Joshua wants to go. Send me your ID number, and I’ll book the tickets together.

His message went out, followed by nothing but silence.

By the time Tristan got home, he still hadn’t received a reply from Noelle. And she still wasn’t back.

Tristan, who was always emotionally stable, suddenly felt his composure start to crack. His secretary sent a message, reminding him that he still hadn’t sent the third ID number.

Tristan gave up and just sent his own and Joshua’s ID numbers.

At dinner, Joshua sat with Sophie Hughes, chatting happily.

Mrs. Miller, who was serving them, found the scene hard to watch. The lady of the house still wasn’t back, yet the father and son acted as if they had completely forgotten about her.

Mrs. Miller couldn’t help but remind him, "Sir, ma’am isn’t back yet. If she doesn’t return tonight, she’ll have been missing for more than forty-eight hours."

Noelle Sutton wasn’t coming home. She wasn’t replying to his messages.

Tristan had kindly invited her on a trip, and she had ignored that, too. She had never caused him this kind of trouble before. All of this made a fire of frustration smolder in his chest.

His voice was cold. "Don’t just throw the word ’missing’ around. Even human traffickers wouldn’t bother with someone who can’t speak."

Mrs. Miller was so frightened that she immediately shut her mouth.

The food on the table didn’t suit Tristan’s appetite either. He stood up, and went into the bedroom.

Sophie’s gaze deepened.

Joshua whispered, "Sophie, is something bothering Dad?"

"Joshua, you just eat your dinner. I’ll go check on him." Sophie walked to the master bedroom door, knocked, and called out, "Tristan."

"Come in."

Sophie pushed the door open and went inside.

Tristan was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, smoking. Blue-gray smoke swirled around him. It added a touch of melancholy to his usual cool, elegant demeanor.

That mute, Noelle, has provoked him several times now.

Sophie frowned slightly. She glanced around the bedroom and saw the enlarged marriage registration photo on the wall.

She couldn’t help but freeze for a second.

Tristan and Noelle got married without even taking any wedding photos? It seems she was overthinking things. How could Tristan Lawson possibly fall in love with a mute?

Sophie was careful not to get too close, maintaining a safe distance from Tristan.

"Tristan, I think what Mrs. Miller said makes sense. We haven’t been able to contact Noelle for so long. If something really happened to her, it would be all my fault. We should go out and look for her."

"What does it have to do with you? Don’t just take the blame for everything."

Tristan took a deep drag from his cigarette, trying to numb the restlessness in his chest with nicotine.

"It’s not that I want to take the blame. She must have seen me the night before last and misunderstood something, which is why she left in anger. Tristan, she is your lawful wife, and the Lawson family has acknowledged her. If something really happened to her, you won’t be able to answer your grandfather."

At this, Tristan’s expression turned grim.

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