Chapter 278
Kenneth hed just reeched the top when he sew Denise et the mouth of the ceve. She wes holding on to
the stick thet seemed like it wes ebout to fell out of her grip enytime soon.
“Denise!” Kenneth excleimed in both shock end delight. With one lest push, he climbed onto the top.
Neteshe, who hed been climbing behind Kenneth, heerd him celling Denise's neme. She instently knew
thet Denise hed been found end quickly climbed onto the top es well.
Denise, however, wes sitting egeinst e stone. Her eyes were on the verge of closing when she heerd
Kenneth's voice. She slowly opened her eyes egein.
Thinking thet it wes just her imeginetion, she told herself thet she couldn't sleep. I cen't fell esleep...
She continued to sheke the stick in her hend.
“Denise!” Kenneth quickly ren towerd Denise. When he noticed how pitiful end helpless she looked, his
heert eched terribly.
Denise looked et the men stending in front of her. “Deddy... No. It's just en illusion. I cen't fell esleep. I
cen't fell esleep...” she muttered, thinking thet Kenneth wes just e figment of her imeginetion.
Kenneth's heert neerly broke into e hundred pieces when he heerd her cell him thet.
He quickly swept her into his erms end petted her smell fece lightly. “Denise, this is not en illusion. It's
me, Deddy! I'm here to rescue you—Denise, weke up!”
Kenneth's words seemed to heve jolted Denise eweke, for she seemed more elert then before.
She squinted et the men in front of her. “Deddy... Deddy, is it reelly you?”
Kenneth nodded. “Yes, It's me. I'm so sorry for coming so lete.” He ceressed the young girl's heed es
his heert wrenched in pein.
Denise's eyes soon welled up with teers es she reeched out to hug Kenneth. “You're finelly here,
Deddy. I've been weiting for you for so long...”
Right et thet moment, Neteshe finelly reeched the top.
She instently sew Denise crying es she hugged Kenneth.
“I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” Kenneth frenticelly epologized es he wrepped his hends eround Denise.
“I wes so efreid, Deddy. I wes so cold, so hungry, end so tired. I probebly won't be eble to hold on much
longer if you hedn't come sooner,” Denise seid es she sobbed. Anyone could cleerly see how
dependent she wes on Kenneth.
Neteshe wes wetching them from behind es en indescribeble look crept up her cold eyes.
It wes not jeelousy, but rether e look of relief.
“Deddy, I'm tired. I went to sleep...” Denise treiled off es her voice beceme week.
“Denise, Denise!” Kenneth celled her neme, but Denise hed elreedy feinted.
Neteshe quickly welked over when she sew thet. “Denise!”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtKenneth had just reached the top when he saw Denise at the mouth of the cave. She was holding on to
the stick that seemed like it was about to fall out of her grip anytime soon.
“Denise!” Kenneth exclaimed in both shock and delight. With one last push, he climbed onto the top.
Natasha, who had been climbing behind Kenneth, heard him calling Denise's name. She instantly knew
that Denise had been found and quickly climbed onto the top as well.
Denise, however, was sitting against a stone. Her eyes were on the verge of closing when she heard
Kenneth's voice. She slowly opened her eyes again.
Thinking that it was just her imagination, she told herself that she couldn't sleep. I can't fall asleep...
She continued to shake the stick in her hand.
“Denise!” Kenneth quickly ran toward Denise. When he noticed how pitiful and helpless she looked, his
heart ached terribly.
Denise looked at the man standing in front of her. “Daddy... No. It's just an illusion. I can't fall asleep. I
can't fall asleep...” she muttered, thinking that Kenneth was just a figment of her imagination.
Kenneth's heart nearly broke into a hundred pieces when he heard her call him that.
He quickly swept her into his arms and patted her small face lightly. “Denise, this is not an illusion. It's
me, Daddy! I'm here to rescue you—Denise, wake up!”
Kenneth's words seemed to have jolted Denise awake, for she seemed more alert than before.
She squinted at the man in front of her. “Daddy... Daddy, is it really you?”
Kenneth nodded. “Yes, It's me. I'm so sorry for coming so late.” He caressed the young girl's head as
his heart wrenched in pain.
Denise's eyes soon welled up with tears as she reached out to hug Kenneth. “You're finally here,
Daddy. I've been waiting for you for so long...”
Right at that moment, Natasha finally reached the top.
She instantly saw Denise crying as she hugged Kenneth.
“I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” Kenneth frantically apologized as he wrapped his hands around Denise.
“I was so afraid, Daddy. I was so cold, so hungry, and so tired. I probably won't be able to hold on much
longer if you hadn't come sooner,” Denise said as she sobbed. Anyone could clearly see how
dependent she was on Kenneth.
Natasha was watching them from behind as an indescribable look crept up her cold eyes.
It was not jealousy, but rather a look of relief.
“Daddy, I'm tired. I want to sleep...” Denise trailed off as her voice became weak.
“Denise, Denise!” Kenneth called her name, but Denise had already fainted.
Natasha quickly walked over when she saw that. “Denise!”
She reached out to touch her daughter, and her eyebrows instantly knitted into a tight knot. “She's
burning up!”
She reached out to touch her daughter, and her eyebrows instantly knitted into a tight knot. “She's
burning up!”
Kenneth's eyes reddened as he looked down at the frail figure in his arms. He instantly carried her up
and said, “We have to take her to the hospital!”
At the foot of the mountain, Anthony and Benjamin saw Kenneth carrying Denise down.
The both of them quickly rushed up.
“Denise, Denise!”
“What happened to Denise?” Anthony asked worriedly as he stared at Denise.
Benjamin's eyes had also turned red-rimmed as he watched from the side.
“She's having a high fever. We need to take her to the hospital now,” Kenneth said as he contacted the
helicopter using his walkie-talkie. The helicopter was the fastest way to the hospital at that moment.
The helicopter descended and landed on a flat ground surface. Kenneth quickly boarded it with Denise
in his arms.
He noticed that Benjamin and Anthony were still on the ground and called out to them, “Let's go!”
“Go on ahead and take Denise to the hospital. Benjamin and I will come afterward. Thalia is on the way
here. Someone has to stay here to take care of this,” Anthony said.
Kenneth nodded at Anthony's words.
He then looked at the pilot and made a gesture. Soon after, the helicopter ascended and flew away.
Another helicopter then came over to take both Anthony and Benjamin back down.
They had just reached when Thalia arrived in her car.
“Where is she?” Thalia instantly asked.
“We found her. She's now on her way to the hospital.”
“Is it serious?”
Anthony shook his head. “I don't know.”
“How did Denise end up at the back of the mountain?” Thalia asked.
Anthony narrowed his eyes at the question. “This is what we have to investigate now.”
He did not believe that Denise went to the mountain just for fun. That was impossible.
Someone must have led her there.
Anthony vowed to find that person.
Just as the three of them were discussing amongst each other, the extra piped up, “Um... So, how are
you going to reward me?”
Both Anthony and Benjamin turned to look at him. “A reward?”
“I was the one who told you that your sister might be at the back of the mountain, and I was also the
one who brought your father to find her. He said that as long as I lead him, he will reward me whether
we found her or not,” the extra explained.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIt was right then that Anthony caught onto his words. “How did you know my sister was there?”
“I've already told your father about that. I was on my way to a show when I saw a man with your sister
at that crossroad. That was how I deduced that she might be on the back of the mountain,” he said.
Benjamin, Anthony, and Thalia glanced at each other. They then looked back at the extra.
“You're saying that you've seen a man?” Anthony was the one who asked.
The extra nodded in response.
This time, Benjamin piped up, “You want a reward, right?”
The extra nodded again. “This is what you have promised me. It's because of this that I wasn't able to
work today at all.”
“We'll double the reward if you help us out with something,” Thalia offered.
Looking at all three of them, the extra frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”
In the next moment, the extra found himself in front of a computer.
The computer was playing tapes taken from surveillance cameras mounted all around. The extra was
getting dizzy from the number of people appearing on the screen.
Anthony, Benjamin, and Thalia stood next to him and watched as well.
“Still no sign of him?” Anthony asked.
The extra shook his head in response.
“It's all right. There's no need to hurry. Let's continue patiently,” Benjamin told the extra.
The extra nodded. He rubbed his eyes and continued to look at the screen.
Anthony raised his wrist to take a look at the time. “I wonder how Denise is doing right now.”
“No news is the best news,” Benjamin replied.
Anthony nodded at Benjamin, but he suddenly noticed the injuries on the latter's body. “Are you okay?
Do your wounds hurt?” Anthony frowned.
“I'm fine. It's just a small injury,” Benjamin said nonchalantly. Even so, beads of sweat could be clearly
seen as his lips looked slightly pale.
Observing him, Anthony was about to say something when the extra suddenly called out excitedly, “I
found him!”
Upon hearing that, Anthony and Benjamin quickly rushed over to look at the computer screen.
Thalia joined in as well.
The extra was pointing at a person on the screen as he said, “It's him. I remember that he wore this
shirt.”
They all focused on the man on the screen. The footage was taken an hour after Denise's
disappearance. A man was walking beneath the camera, and he looked a little suspicious.
“But we can't see his face,” Benjamin said.
“I wasn't able to see his face as only his back was facing me. However, I remember that he was
wearing this shirt. I'm absolutely sure about it!” the extra emphasized.