The Contracted Stripper

As he drove to the hospital, he called Iris again, but still no answer. Frustration and worry gnawed at him.Exclusive © material by Nô(/v)elDrama.Org.

Back at Ryan’s house, Bella made herself comfortable in his room, pleased with how things were unfolding. She had always known she would win in the end.

Ryan had no choice but to marry her now.

Downstairs, Sarah was still shaken from Bella’s outburst. She had been on the phone with someone important, and Bella’s interruption had unnerved her.

She couldn’t afford to slip up now; too much was at stake.

*************************

Back at the mansion, Mrs. Rose was in her room, deep in thought. She knew Ryan was angry, but she was determined to see her plan through.

She called Bella to check on her.”Bella, how are things going?” she asked

.”Everything’s fine, Rose. I’m settling in nicely,” Bella replied with a smug smile.”Good. Keep it up. We can’t afford any mistakes,” Mrs. Rose said, ending the call.

As she put down the phone, Mrs. Rose’s mind shifted to Jessica. She couldn’t let her interfere with her plans. She made a call to an old contact, a man who owed her a favor.

“I need you to find someone for me. Jessica, and I need to know where she is,” Mrs. Rose instructed.

“Consider it done,” the man replied.

Mrs. Rose ended the call, feeling a sense of control. She wouldn’t let anything ruin her plans for Ryan and Bella.

After Iris left the hospital, Skylar stayed behind to look after Mrs. Jessica.

Hours passed, and there was still no sign of Iris. Skylar tried calling her several times, but her calls went unanswered.

Growing worried, she decided to grab something to eat at the cafeteria. When she returned, Iris was still nowhere to be found, and her phone calls continued to go unanswered.

Feeling uneasy, Skylar tried calling Ryan, but he didn’t pick up either. Frustration mounting, she eventually fell asleep next to Mrs. Jessica’s bed.

Around 4 AM, a sudden blackout plunged the hospital into darkness, followed by the blaring of the fire alarm.

Skylar woke up in a panic. She stepped out into the chaotic hallway, pulling out her phone to use as a flashlight, only to find it had a flat battery. “Shit,” she muttered.

She moved through the darkened corridors, trying to avoid the rush of people. Someone bumped into her, causing her phone to slip from her hand.”Hey, watch it!” she yelled.

“Well, get out of the way,” a voice retorted.

Skylar groped around for her phone, following the screams and the faint light from the emergency exits. After about 30 minutes, the power was restored, and everyone began to return to their rooms.

The security team and police were alerted. Skylar rushed back to Mrs. Jessica’s room, only to find it empty. “Mrs. Jess?” she called, looking around. She checked the bathroom, but it was empty. Panic set in. “Mrs. Jessica? Doctor! Doctor!” She ran out to find help. A doctor hurried over.

“What’s wrong?”

“Mrs. Jessica is missing. She’s not in her room,” Skylar said, her voice shaking.”What do you mean? She has to be there,” the doctor insisted.”She’s not. Please, come see for yourself.”

The doctor followed Skylar back to the room and confirmed that Mrs. Jessica was indeed gone. The alarm was raised again, and security personnel began a thorough search of the hospital.

Mrs. Jessica was nowhere to be found. Skylar was terrified and continued to call Iris, but her phone was still unreachable.

She finally managed to get through to Ryan.”Hello, Ryan. It’s me, Skylar. I’ve been trying to reach Iris since last night. Mrs. Jessica is missing. There was a blackout at the hospital, and when the lights came back on, she was gone.

I’ll be there soon.”He drove back to the hospital, his thoughts now focused on Iris and Mrs. Jessica

“Ryan sped to the hospital, finding police and security personnel swarming the place.

He spotted Skylar and hurried over.”Skylar, what’s happening? Where’s Mrs. Jessica?” he demanded.”I don’t know. They’re looking for her.

The CCTV cameras went off just before the blackout and came back on when the lights were restored. It’s very unusual,” Skylar explained, her voice filled with anxiety.”Where’s Iris?” Ryan asked urgently.

“I haven’t seen her since she left the hospital. She said your mother called to see her,” Skylar replied.

“My mother?” Ryan echoed, dialing his mother’s number. Mrs. Rose answered on the second ring.

“Mum, where’s Iris? You asked her to come see you, and now she’s nowhere to be found.”

“What sort of question is that? Am I married to Iris? Yes, I called her, but she was long gone. Don’t call and ask me rubbish again.” Mrs. Rose hung up before Ryan could say anything else.

Ryan was about to redial when he heard Skylar calling Iris’s name. He looked up and saw Iris approaching, looking disheveled and confused.

“Sky, what’s going on? Why are the police everywhere? Why do you look like this?” Iris asked, her voice trembling.”You left Mum alone in her ward. Why?”

Skylar’s voice cracked with emotion.”Iris, Mum is gone,” Skylar said, tears streaming down her face.”What do you mean? Sky, talk to me! What are you saying? Gone where?” Iris’s voice rose in panic.

“Iris, calm down. There was a blackout last night. After 30 minutes, the lights came back on, but Mrs. Jessica was gone. I called you several times, but you didn’t pick up. They’re still searching for her,” Skylar explained, her words coming out in a rush.

“Iris, where have you been?” Ryan asked as he approached them.”Ryan… Ry… an, I…” Iris began to respond but then collapsed. Ryan caught her just in time, and she was quickly rushed into the hospital.

As Iris was being attended to by the doctors, Ryan and Skylar were left in the hallway, trying to piece together what had happened.

“Skylar, did Iris say anything about where she was going?” Ryan asked, pacing back and forth.”She only mentioned that your mother called to see her. That’s all I know,” Skylar replied, her voice filled with worry.

“Something doesn’t add up. My mother said she saw Iris, but Iris left long ago. And now Jessica is missing too,” Ryan said, frustration evident in his tone.

Just then, a police officer approached them. “Mr. Kendrick, we need to ask you a few questions about Mrs. Jessica’s disappearance.”

“Of course, Officer. What do you need to know?” Ryan said, trying to remain calm.” Can you tell us about Mrs. Jessica’s state of mind recently? Was she under any stress or threat?” the officer asked.

Ryan exchanged a look with Skylar. “She was worried about some family issues, but nothing that would make her disappear like this,” he replied.”And what about you, Miss?” the officer turned to Skylar. “Did you notice anything unusual?”Skylar shook her head. “No, she seemed fine. Just worried about her daughter.”The officer nodded, jotting down notes.

“We’re going to review the security footage again and see if we missed anything. We’ll keep you updated.”As the officer walked away, Ryan turned to Skylar. “We need to find out what happened. Something isn’t right here.”Hours later, Iris woke up in a hospital bed, feeling disoriented. Ryan was by her side, holding her hand.

“Ryan? What happened?” she asked weakly.”You collapsed, Iris. Do you remember anything?” Ryan asked gently.”I… I remember leaving the hospital. I went to see your mother. She was acting strange, but I didn’t think much of it. Then I went to clear my head. I couldn’t face coming back here yet,” Iris explained, tears welling up in her eyes.

Ryan squeezed her hand. “It’s okay. We’ll figure this out. But we need to find your mum. She’s missing.”Iris’s eyes widened. “Missing? How?”

“There was a blackout at the hospital. When the lights came back on, she was gone,” Ryan explained.

Iris sat up, panic setting in. “We have to find her, Ryan. She’s in danger. I know it.”

“We will. The police are on it, and I’ve got a private investigator looking into it too,” Ryan assured her.

Meanwhile, in a dark, abandoned warehouse, Mrs. Jessica was tied to a chair, struggling against her bonds. A shadowy figure stepped out of the darkness, a menacing smile on its face.”Comfortable, Mrs. Jessica?” the figure taunted.”Who are you? What do you want?” Jessica demanded, her voice shaking.