---- Chapter 20 Emilio's expression changed slightly, but he quickly said gently, "The baby has to stay in the incubator for a few days." Even though his expression barely changed, Nicola had been staring intently at him and noticed something was amiss. Her heart skipped a beat, and her face turned pale. She grasped Emilio's hand and asked in a low voice, "Emilio, bring the baby here. | need to see it." Emilio immediately frowned. Nicola became more uneasy, and her voice choked as she said, "Don't lie to me." Perhaps it was a mother's sixth sense, and Nicola seemed to have already guessed something had happened to the baby. Emilio realized that he couldn't keep it from her. So he held her hand tightly and seemed to try to give his strength to her. "Nicola, the baby... is missing. Don't worry. | promise you that | will bring the baby back safe and sound. | swear it." Nicola couldn't hear anything else. A piercing ringing sounded in her ears, and only those words echoed in her mind ---- Her baby was missing. Nicola began to tremble uncontrollably. "What do you mean? How could it be missing?" Emilio didn't hide anything and immediately showed her the hospital's surveillance footage. "As soon as you came out, Jerold and | rushed to check on you. After the baby was born, we entrusted it to the nanny, Libby Willis." Nicola snatched the phone from Emilio, and her eyes were glued to the footage. Libby had been arranged by Emilio in advance to care for the baby. She had stayed at the villa for some time, and Nicola had interacted with her. She was experienced and seemed trustworthy. In the footage, Libby was the first to enter Nicola's hospital room with the baby. Shortly after, another woman appeared outside the room with a large bag. Emilio explained the situation to Nicola. "That woman told the bodyguards that these were items we had accidentally left behind when we rushed to the hospital, and she was delivering them to us especially. That woman had been working at the villa for several months. Libby knew her as Madelynn Quinn and let her in." ---- The surveillance showed Madelynn handing the items to Libby. While Libby was checking on what was in the bag, Madelynn used the thing in her hand to knock Libby out. Then, she put the baby into the large bag and quickly left. It wasn't until Jerold returned to check on the baby that they discovered that Libby was passing out and that the baby was missing. Nicola stared at Madelynn's leaving figure, and her face was ashen. She replayed the surveillance footage multiple times and finally confirmed something. She felt so much pain that she almost couldn't breathe. In inconsolable anguish, she held Emilio's hand tightly. "She isn't Madelynn... She's Cassie." Emilio was taken aback. "It's her?" He immediately understood something. "Did she have plastic surgery?" Nicola said tearfully, "| wouldn't mistake her for anyone else. It must be her. After she became Lachlan's mistress, she used to send me videos when they were intimate. The subconscious gestures of Madelynn in the videos are exactly the same as Cassie's. It is Cassie." ---- She broke down and covered her face in anguish. "She took my baby away... If she has a problem with me, she should come after me. Why does she hurt my baby? The baby is innocent... Why..." Emilio held Nicola tightly. "I will find her and bring the baby back. Don't be afraid." He gently patted Nicola's back before getting up to say to his men, "Investigate Cassie's information. Leave no stone unturned." Soon, they gathered all the information on Cassie and sent it to Emilio. Indeed, not long after leaving Lachlan, Cassie had undergone plastic surgery. Her new face matched Madelynn's exactly. After that, she had secretly hidden on the island for several months. She must have been plotting and waiting for the day when Nicola gave birth. Nicola looked at Cassie's new face, and her eyes filled with hatred. "She provoked me time and again, and | didn't do anything to her. But she dared to harm my baby. If anything happens to my baby, | will haunt her even in death." Cassie probably never expected Emilio to discover her true identity so quickly. ---- She planned to take the baby away from the island, so she didn't conceal her identity when she headed straight to the dock after leaving the hospital. Title: A Princess? No! I'm the Female General! In "A Princess? No! I'm the Female General!" by CrushReel, Adela Taylor, a noble family's daughter, disguises herself as her brother to secure their Duke title by joining the army. Despite facing obstacles, she achieves remarkable success. 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