Chapter 377: Too late
The police were unaware of Natalia’s escape. As planned, a patrol vehicle arrived and hid in the shadows, watching the residence overnight for any suspicious movement. They couldn’t storm in without an arrest warrant.
Unfortunately, it was too late. It was past midnight, and they could only watch until the warrant got approved the next day. The car was parked with two officers watching every movement. They had no idea they were already too late.
Morning finally arrived. By 9 a.m., the residence was stormed. Several other police cars arrived to secure the residence, while the lead investigator, the stern-faced female officer from the hospital, walked up the steps of the villa.
The door was open even before she knocked. An old butler stood by the entrance with a young girl with delicate features. Natasha was standing by the entrance, dressed carefully, her silver hair cascading in waves over her shoulders, and a layer of makeup under her eyes hiding dark circles.
Last night, after witnessing her mother flee, she couldn’t sleep. This morning, a servant had informed her about the police secretly watching the building, combined with this raid, Natasha was more than certain her mother had committed a crime. "Good morning, Officer. What does this humble estate owe this visit to?" she said with a calm face, wrapping her wool coat around her.
The lead investigator’s lip twitched, but her face remained stern. She pulled out the arrest warrant for Natasha. "We are here for Natalia Volkov. I advise you not to get in the way of the law."
Natasha’s brows furrowed before she said slowly, "My mother is not in."
The officer snorted. "And you expect us to believe that? Step aside. We have full authority to search the residence." the officer demanded.
Natasha sighed, then signalled the butler to let them through. "Just don’t break anything expensive. She really isn’t here."
Upon getting permission, the lead investigator moved forward. "Search everywhere, even outside the main villa." Her voice boomed as she walked in, passing Natasha.
Natasha sighed and turned to her bedroom. She didn’t bother with them. Her mother was gone.
After an hour of searching the entire building, there was no sign of Natalia. The lead investigator grew angry and stormed toward Natasha. The door of Natasha’s room swung open.
Natasha’s head snapped up from her phone, her brows furrowed. "What do you want? Your men already searched my room. There is no sign of my mother here," she snapped with irritation. Her eyes burned as she stared at the investigator.
The investigator’s hand tightened on the doorknob. It didn’t make sense. Natalia didn’t leave. There was clearly no sign of anyone exiting the villa last night...
Then her eyes widened. Unless she left before her men arrived. That meant one thing: Natalia had been alerted ahead of time. Her face turned grave as she glanced at Natasha’s impatient expression.
"Are you going to stand there or get the hell off my face?" she snapped. Natasha was visibly irritated by the entire situation. She didn’t know what was going on, but she understood that news of the police storming in was not good, especially now that the company was in crisis.
The lead investigator reined in her temper. "Where is your mother?" she asked calmly. "I advise you to cooperate with the police. Hiding her would only make you an accessory to the crime."
Natasha scoffed, crossing her arms as she leaned against the headboard. "I have no idea where she is," she said calmly, which wasn’t a lie. "I advise you to leave. My mother clearly isn’t here. Or do you plan on arresting me without a warrant?"
The officer’s jaw clenched. Natasha’s expression remained steady. In the end, the officer sighed. "I apologise for the inconvenience. We will leave now. And please, if you hear anything useful, contact the police." She turned around to leave, then just before stepping out, she added, "Your mother is dangerous."
The door closed with a final click. Natasha slowly stood up and walked to her window facing the driveway. Her stomach was in knots. She had been nervous the entire time.
Shortly, peeking through the curtains, she saw several police patrol cars drive out of the property. When they were out of the gates, she could finally breathe.
Her heavy sigh echoed in the room. As if on cue, her phone started ringing from the bedside. She dragged her legs over and peeked at the screen. It was her father’s caller ID. Her eyes went wide and she quickly answered.
The tears came streaming down right on cue. "Daddy, where are you? I am scared," she cried into the phone.
Ronan was on the other side of the line. He was at the company. He had received a call from the butler informing him of the situation. He was confused about what Natalia had done. He was already handling a lot on his end with the company and didn’t want more trouble.
Just before he called Natasha, he had gotten off a call from the state commission, and things were grim: conspiracy and attempted murder. Natalia’s crimes were severe. Even with the Volkov influence, there was no way he could handle this. Worse, the company was currently facing challenges. This would affect the stock price.
"I am at the office. I heard about your mother," he said smoothly, and Natasha’s cries got louder.
"Daddy, what is going on? What did mummy do?" she demanded. Her mother had always been soft-spoken and protective of her family. Natasha couldn’t imagine her being a criminal.
Natasha was a sheltered princess who had no idea of the harsh reality of life. She didn’t even understand her parents’ estranged reality.
"Don’t do anything. I advise you to stay inside, and if your mother contacts you, don’t meet her. Avoid getting involved with her and inform me immediately," Ronan gave a series of instructions, although he was certain Natalia wouldn’t contact Natasha.
"I understand," Natasha said. "But what did mummy do?" she whispered, scared the walls might hear her. She heard Ronan release a heavy sigh.
"The crimes she is being accused of would put her in jail for a long time if caught. Take care of yourself," he explained. He didn’t want her to know the horrifying truth about her mother, especially the fact that she enabled Amelia to rape Raphael.