THE DIVORCE GAMBIT From Dumped Wife to CEO's Forever novel Chapter 133

No one truly knew how heartbroken Hannah was.

She was devastated—utterly lost.

Her daughter had vanished.

Her only granddaughter was missing too.

Hannah had raised nine children in total, with Carey being the youngest. Now, she was fifteen years older than Keira.

Keira was sixty-two this year.

Hannah was seventy-seven.

She was edging from her golden years toward her twilight.

Her body was failing her, piece by piece, and she feared she might never see her daughter or her granddaughter again.

Every time the thought crossed her mind, her heart seized with pain—a pain no one else could possibly fathom.

It hurt more than any physical wound ever could.

Seeing their mother on the verge of breaking down, the eight sons of the Richards family immediately rushed to her side, surrounding her in a protective huddle. "Mom, please, don't say that. We will find Freya, I promise!" the eldest said.

"He's right, Mom. As long as we don't give up, we'll find Freya one day," another chimed in.

Each tried to comfort Hannah in their own way, offering reassurances and words of hope.

But the more she listened, the angrier she became. Her voice was hoarse as she snapped, "Find her, find her—you just keep saying the same empty words to placate me. All these promises and what good have they done? My poor Freya is still out there, suffering who knows what! What use are the eight of you? Why did I even bother raising you?"

"And what good are you as uncles if you can't even protect Freya?"

At that, Hannah grabbed a cushion from the sofa and began tossing it at her sons in frustration.

The thought of her precious granddaughter struggling alone somewhere made life feel utterly meaningless.

Some nights, the worry kept her awake until dawn.

It was no wonder her health had declined so much compared to others her age. She'd never had any major illnesses, but now she was constantly taking medication. Thankfully, the Richards family was well-off—otherwise, Hannah might not have made it this far.

The eight brothers stood there, heads bowed, not daring to talk back. They let their mother vent her anguish, each silently blaming himself.

The Richards family wielded enormous influence in Neon Spire. The brothers had a stranglehold on the city's entire business world, while the younger siblings—Theodore, Justin, Zachary, Hugo, and Frederick—had expanded their reach overseas. Over the years, they'd tried everything, used every resource, pulled every string, and still, Carey and Freya had vanished without a trace.

It was as if the two of them had simply disappeared from the face of the earth.

Their mother was right.

Keira had also lost her daughter-in-law and granddaughter.

Stuart was still alive, but he'd been bedridden for years—breathing on his own, but otherwise unresponsive, a living ghost.

As Hannah mourned her missing loved ones, she also grieved for Keira.

At least Hannah still had eight sons and a dozen grandchildren.

Keira had only two children.

After Stuart fell ill, she was left with Amanda, her only daughter.

Old age could be unbearably lonely.

Jade considered for a moment before adding, "Then let me and Stephanie come with you."

Stephanie was Lyle's wife, the third daughter-in-law.

Because Hannah was still alive, family tradition in Neon Spire dictated that the entire Richards clan lived together on the family estate, never dividing into separate households.

Of course, the younger brothers—Theodore, Justin, Zachary, Hugo, and Frederick—spent most of their time overseas, only returning for the holidays. So, on most days, it was just Jade and the other two daughters-in-law who kept Hannah company at home.