Chapter 41: Disappeared

The gangsters looked up and saw a young boy approaching and sneered. "Boy, who the hell are you? You dare interfere in my uncle's business?" the thug leader said with disdain. Owen and Charles, feeling a wave of relief, called out, "Jonathan, you're finally here!" Jonathan descended the stairs and glanced at Owen, "How are you?" "I'm fine. People from the countryside are rough-skinned and tough," Owen grinned. Jonathan patted Owen on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll ask Harper to give you a raise later." The Zhang brothers were overjoyed. "Thank you, Jonathan!" At that moment, Ella spoke up. "Jonathan, what are you planning to do? They're gangsters. We should call the police." "Call the police? You think we need them? You want to bring more trouble?" "But..." "Shut up, you idiot. Leave this to me," Jonathan said dismissively. "You!" Ella fumed with anger. This bastard would cause trouble for the hospital sooner or later. No, she had to find a way to drive him out and keep him away from Harper! In her eyes, Isabella was bound to be deceived by Jonathan. Jonathan turned to the gangsters. "You've got five seconds to get out of here." "How dare you talk to me like that? Brothers, get him!" the gang leader shouted. Jonathan clenched his fists. He didn't like using force unless it was absolutely necessary. This time, it seemed there was no choice. With just a few quick moves, Jonathan knocked out the gangsters, leaving Owen and Charles in shock. The two of them felt lucky they hadn't gotten on Jonathan's bad side, or they would've been beaten too. Jonathan walked over to the gang leader. "Convinced now?" "I'm done! Please, spare us. We won't dare do this again!" The gangsters were almost in tears, knowing they had messed with the wrong person. "Get out of here. Stop being an eyesore." "Yes, yes! We'll leave right away!" The gang leader got up and began to run. "Wait!" Jonathan called out suddenly. The gangsters froze, looking at him nervously. "Do you have more instructions, sir?" "You know what 'leave immediately' means, right?" "Yes, we understand!" they stammered and bolted towards the hospital gate. Once they were gone, Jonathan dusted off his hands. "Problem solved." "You're incredible! My admiration for you is endless..." Owen and Charles showered him with praise. Jonathan grinned. These two knew how to stay on the right side of things. Ella, however, glared at them. "All you know how to do is use violence? Do you even realize how much trouble you could cause the hospital?" "What trouble?" "What if they come back with more people?" Jonathan scoffed. "Then I'll just beat them again!" "Stop being so naïve. You might beat one, but what about ten? Or dozens? If this continues, the hospital won't be able to function!" Ella exclaimed. "If they dare to come back, I'll deal with them all!" "You... I can't even talk to you anymore. I'm going to tell Harper you have to leave the hospital!" With that, Ella stormed upstairs angrily. This woman was so sneaky, always reporting things! Jonathan hurried after her. He had just taken care of a problem, and now she wanted to get in his way. Both of them rushed into the office, ready to argue their sides, only to find that Harper wasn't there. "Where's Harper?" Jonathan asked, confused. Ella also looked puzzled. "Didn't she go down with you?" "No, I told her to stay in the office when I went downstairs." "Harper! Harper!" They called out her name several times, but there was no response. Jonathan scratched his head. "Maybe she went to the restroom?" "No, Harper has a private bathroom in her office." Suddenly, a bad feeling crept into Jonathan's mind. "I mean... nothing's happened to her, right?" "What?" Ella gasped. Jonathan thought for a moment. "Has anything like this happened before? Have gangsters shown up here?" "No... this has never happened." "I knew it. They must've caused trouble as a distraction and taken Harper while no one was looking." Ella looked at Jonathan as if he was insane. "You've been watching too many TV dramas. Who would be bold enough to kidnap someone in broad daylight?" Jonathan ignored her and continued. "Maybe it's the Newman family. I dealt with Henry yesterday, and now he wants revenge." Ella scoffed. "Stop accusing people. Henry's from the upper class. He wouldn't stoop so low. You're just being childish." Jonathan was about to reply when his eyes fell on a throwing knife stuck in the office chair, with a note attached. "A throwing knife? A message?" Jonathan muttered in disbelief. Ella followed his gaze, and her eyes widened. Was Jonathan right? This couldn't be happening! Jonathan stepped forward, pulled the knife out, and opened the note. A single line was written: "Jonathan, if you want to see her, come to the Cropper family's house." Jonathan narrowed his eyes. It wasn't Henry—it was the Cropper family. How dare they kidnap Harper like this! Ella saw the note and grew anxious. "Jonathan, what's going on?" "It's nothing. I had some personal issues with the Cropper family, so..." Before he could finish, Ella interrupted, "So they kidnapped Harper? I knew it! I should have kept you far away from her!" "Stop talking nonsense. I'll go get her back." "Get her back? The Cropper family is powerful. How are you going to save Harper? No, I'll call Henry. Maybe he can help." Ella quickly pulled out her phone. Jonathan waved her off. "Forget it. That guy's still laid up in the hospital. He's useless." "This is all your fault! If it weren't for you, Harper wouldn't have been kidnapped! I'm calling the police!" Ella said frantically. "You idiot! What if the Croppers hurt Harper if you get the police involved?" Ella was at a loss. "Then... what should we do?" Jonathan didn't answer and left the office. "Hey, where are you going?" "To the Cropper family's house. They want me? I'm going to face them." With that, Jonathan walked out. The Cropper family... it was time for them to face the consequences!