The CEO's Painted Skin

Then the sound of a phone's beeping can be heard from Ramon's backpack.

"I will get the phone for you, Ramon, just keep driving," John said, he opened his bodyguard's backpack and grab the phone, he swipes on the screen immediately and read the text message aloud.

~~~

'I left your wife's wallet and shoulder bag in the care of the woman selling cooked foods and barbecue in the Bay Park. This woman got bigger problems compared to us. She got a kid that was suffering from hydrocephalus and it's so damn painful to watch them suffer every day. I want to help her but I don't have money, but you have money, so you have to do it for me.'

~~~

John returned the phone inside Ramon's backpack. "Drive straight to Bay Park, the mystery guy sends another item for us," he ordered.

Thirty minutes later, they arrived in Bay Park. It's a public park situated by the bay. There were some street vendors lined up along the bay walk, selling pork and chicken barbecue, street foods and other refreshments for the passers by.

They found the woman vendor holding her three years old daughter in her arms who's head the size of a large ball but her body was small. The woman was selling some street food such as pork barbecue and she also had a jar of cold lemonade juice that's already a quarter left to go.

"How much all this?" Ramon asked he was pointing at the remaining pork barbecue on display.

"A total of Php 250 pesos, Sir," she answered.

"Okay, I will buy them all," Ramon said and about to retrieve his wallet from his backpack.

But John gave his money to the woman first. "Keep the change," he said to the woman.

The woman in her early 30's smiled brightly, she put her child in a small crib beside the stall. "Thank you so much, Sir!" she was delighted that all her pork barbecue was sold out tonight, she can finally sleep and rest early. She packed the barbecue in the paper bag and added some sauce and a slice of lemon and gave it to the men.

John stared at the woman's face. "My friend left a package for us. I'm here to take the package, can you please give it to us?" he asked.

The woman looked at the men for a few seconds then she reached for the package inside a blue eco bag and give it to the man who was asking for it. Two hours earlier, a guy wearing a sunglasses and hat asked her a favor to give the package to his friends, he even bribed her with money just for her to agree to his request. She will agree but on one condition she needs to see what was inside the package first fearing that the bag contained a bomb or illegal drugs, the guy opened the eco bag, showing her the shoulder bag and the wallet inside to her satisfaction. She needs the money, she won't say no, as long there's no illegal drugs and bomb inside the package she agreed to his request. The man left her PHP 200 in return for her agreeing to his request.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.readwn.comfor visiting.

"Thank you, Madam," John said. He immediately opened the eco bag and saw Catherine's shoulder bag and pink wallet inside. John turned to his bodyguard. "Ramon, interview her and tell her that we will come back tomorrow to help her daughter," after giving his instruction to his bodyguard he walked briskly towards the vehicle and settled inside, he examined the pink shoulder bag, he can't be mistaken, it's Catherine's favorite bag! Then he opened the wallet, the cards such as rewards card, ATM card and other personal identification ID's were still intact, looks like nothing was missing, nothing was taken, except maybe for the money.

Then he opened the pocket inside the shoulder bag, he found a piece of paper with a handwritten message on it, he reads it.

~~~

'The wallet and the shoulder bag was the last in my possession. I know how you feel, I'm sorry that your wife was missing. If only I can return your wife the same way I returned all her belongings, I well. Just that I don't have your wife in my possession. I'd never seen your wife, never had a chance to meet her. Even if you guys caught me and kill me, I honestly don't have any idea where your wife is. I'm just being ordered to dispose her clothing and belongings and that is my only role in all this, but my conscience can't take it anymore that is why instead of disposing her things I returned her belongings to you one by one, hoping and wishing that someday your wife will return to your side, safe and sound, just like the way I return her belongings to you intact.'

~~~

John crumbled the paper and throw it on the floor of the vehicle. He was expecting a kidnap for ransom letter and would be willing to pay any amount just to have Catherine back alive, but got another dead end instead. This is all too much! He was very frustrated again.

Ramon entered the vehicle and saw his boss's foul mood. "Shall we go home now, Boss?"

John nodded his head.

While the car was moving in the highway, John was silent and fixed his eyes on the road ahead.

"What's the woman's story?" he suddenly asked, there's a glimmer of kindness and compassion in his eyes, the anger was completely gone.

Ramon glanced at his boss's countenance in the dashcam mirror, he looks a bit calmer now. "She's from the province, she comes here in the city looking for his husband who abandoned her and their daughter in the province. She heard that his husband already had a new family and she can't locate him either. She was planning to go back home to her parent's house in the province but she was still saving money for all that. Her child was suffering from hydrocephalus, the poor child got some water in her brain, the mother can't afford shunt surgery the process where a surgical procedure is needed to implant a shunt, a tube or something in the brain to help drain extra fluid and divert it into another part of our body where it can be disposed easily," he explained.

"Okay. I will have Allan and George take care of the woman and her child. I want the child to undergo surgery in the earliest time possible time, after the child recovered from surgery, we can send her home to their province back to the loving presence of her family," John said.

"That is a good plan, Boss!" Ramon praises his boss's generosity.

They become silent for the rest of their journey back to the Infinity Jade Tower.