Riches in Disguise novel Chapter 287

We spent about half an hour there with the dog. After some coaxing, Riley finally agreed to leave the neighborhood.

When we stepped outside, I stopped carrying her and held her hand instead. Carrying her all the time quickly made me feel hot. Moreover, I wanted to take the chance to help her build some courage.

I wanted to help her relax and feel comfortable with the psychotherapist. So I took her for some ice cream first. Then, we spent about an hour at the amusement park.

Finally, I had Alan arrange for a session with a psychotherapist, Ava Harold. When we arrived at her clinic, I immediately had a good feeling about it.

Her clinic didn't feel anything like a hospital. It was more like an art space that was designed to make people feel at ease. Riley didn't resist the place at all. In fact, she thought we were just there to have fun.

However, it wasn't until I met Ava that I found the process of treatment difficult.

Ava said, "Mr. White, I don't mean to go against you. But before I treat Riley's psychological issues, I need to speak with her parents and obtain their consent.

"Since I need to understand the trauma she's experienced and how she reacted to it, I'll need to gather more details about her past from them.

"Once I have that information, I can create an appropriate treatment plan for her. So, I really can't just start treatment out of nowhere."

Her reasoning made sense.

I nodded and said, "I'm sorry I didn't think this through. How about you give me a name card for now? After I speak with her mom tonight, I'll have her come to you for further treatment."

With that, Ava immediately pulled out a business card. She wrote down a number on it and said, "This is my personal number. When I'm off, my secretary handles everything, so I don't take work calls.

"However, I can make an exception for you. Mr. White, just have her call me directly on this number."

"Thank you," I replied.

After putting the card away, I stepped out to take Riley home. I expected Riley to still be in the lobby playing with her blocks. But she wasn't there when I arrived.

My heart sank.

Her words caught me off guard, and I could barely hold myself together. How could Riley not be here? Where did she go?

I couldn't let myself think about it any longer. Instead, I rushed to find Ava and asked her to pull up the surveillance footage.

After watching it, I was covered in cold sweat.

The footage showed Riley leaving the restroom over ten minutes ago. She seemed to have gotten lost and walked in the wrong direction, but somehow, she ended up leaving the clinic.

At the entrance, she ran into two men wearing baseball caps. They seemed to have told her something, so Riley shook her head and turned to run.

However, one of them grabbed her and shoved her into a car. With that, they drove off and vanished down the road.

My body was shaking now. I couldn't help but wonder if this was a kidnapping or human trafficking.