‘The only thing I can do now is give Bonnie some space to work through her feelings,’ Jim thought, ‘Given the current situation, soothing her won’t help her.’
This was the first time Sienna had seen Bonnie this riled up.
‘She doesn’t let her worries and agitation show, but I can feel how anxious she is. She is Ms. Bonita, after all. Her calm demeanor is extraordinary.’
Several days had passed since Ivor’s abduction. Bonnie had exhausted all her connections to track Ivor down, but she turned up with nothing. Even Jim and Floyd sent their men out, but none returned with good news.
It was heart-wrenching. Bonnie was so worried about Ivor that she couldn’t eat. It had only been a few days, but she had grown much skinnier.
Jim and Bonnie were sitting at the dining table. He watched as she moved her food around halfheartedly. He sighed and said, “You have to eat something. How else will you keep up your energy?” She sighed even louder than he did. “Forget about it. I’ve lost my appetite. Take it away.”
She pushed the plate away, which he pushed back to her. “Have some of it, Bonnie. How will you search for Ivor on an empty stomach?”
“I mean it. I’ve lost my appetite.” She shook her head.
Instead of persuading her, he said, “It looks like you’re in love with him.”
That stunned her. She pursed her lips but didn’t respond. It was a silent admission.
‘Ivor used to cling to me all the time. It’s not like I hated him for doing that, but I didn’t like it, either. Sometimes, I thought I’d never have peace until I shook him off. I don’t find it peaceful now that he’s no longer by my side. Instead, my heart feels empty, as if something’s missing.’
Jim had always known she’d eventually succumb to Ivor’s relentless attempts to win her heart. He couldn’t help but sigh hard. She looked so distressed that he tried to soothe her.
“Ivor is a decent man. I’m sure the universe will look after him and ensure his safety. Also, if those guys decided to abduct him, then it means they weren’t after his life. There’s something else that they want. That means that he’s probably safe for now.”
She nodded in approval. “I’m aware of that.”
Then, something occurred to her, and the anxiety she had just suppressed resurfaced.
“It’s just that I feel this weight in my heart. It’ll always be there until I know that Ivor’s safe.”
He tried to comfort her again. “You’re overthinking it. He’ll be fine.”
She sighed gloomily, her eyes undecipherable.
Sienna came in through the side door and saw the look on Bonnie’s face. She felt a pang of guilt. Taking a deep breath, Sienna readied herself mentally before she walked over to Bonnie.
“Like I said, it’s my fault that Ivor was abducted. Don’t worry about it, Bonnie. I’ll make amends for my mistake. I won’t return to Arvandor until I track him down!”
