JUST AS VINCE opened his eyes slowly, they were no longer in the car. The room they were in was dark, cold, and silent, except for the faint sound of breathing nearby. He blinked, trying to adjust his vision, and realized he was tied to a chair. His eyes widened in panic. He quickly looked to his right and saw Vera slumped over, still unconscious."Vera," Vince whispered urgently, struggling against the ropes that bound his hands. "Vera, wake up!" Vera stirred slightly, groaning as she slowly opened her eyes. “Vince... where are we?” she asked, her voice trembling as she looked around the dark room. The fear in her eyes was evident, and it made Vince’s heart ache."I don’t know, but it’s fine, okay? You’re here with me," Vince said, trying to sound confident despite the knot of fear in his own stomach. "Just stay calm. I’ll figure something out."“I’m scared,” Vera admitted, her voice shaking as she realized they were both tied up.Vince forced a reassuring smile. "I know, but w
EZEKIEL There was so much fury in my chest right after hearing what Alex said. I couldn’t believe she could do this to my kids!I gritted my teeth, barely able to contain the frustration boiling inside me. How could she kidnap the twins and put their lives at stake?! It took every ounce of control I had to keep myself from completely losing it.But Vivienne—she was falling apart right beside me. Tears streamed down her face, and the sight of her in such pain only made my anger worse. “Hush, Vienne.” I wrapped my arms around her, trying to console her, even though I was fuming mad inside.“Zeke, the kids…” she couldn’t finish her sentence without sobbing. She buried her face in my chest, sobbing harder, and I tightened my hold on her.Then, her phone buzzed. It was a message from Alex. Vivienne pulled away from me just enough to check her phone. Her hands trembled as she opened the message. Alex had sent over the bank account details and a location where she claimed she would ret
ALEX, ALBERT, AND Ruel sat around a large table in front of the sleeping kids, which they didn’t mind. They spoke loudly, their voices echoing off the walls as they discussed their plans once they received the money."Do you think Vivienne and Ezekiel can really give us 100 billion dollars?" Ruel asked, the other person Alex hired as an accomplice, his brow furrowed with doubt.Alex nodded confidently. "Yes, they can. Vivienne has the means, and Ezekiel is resourceful. Once Vivienne transfers the funds to the bank account I provided, we’ll have the money we need,” she said. Albert leaned forward while his eyes were fixed on Alex. "And what about the kids? What exactly are your plans for Vera and Vince?"Alex smiled coldly. "After the money is transferred, we will dispatch the two kids. We won’t give them back. Instead, we will kill them to ensure they never come after us again."Ruel's face paled at her words. "Are you sure about this? Is there no other way?"Alex shook her head f
VINCE KNEW THAT their time was running out. He glanced over at Vera, who was huddled close to him and looking scared. They had to move quickly before anyone noticed they were no longer tied up.They started at the door, praying that the footsteps would go away. Fortunately, no one came in. With that, Vince placed back Alex’s phone on the desk and turned to his sister. "Vera, we need to get out of here," Vince whispered urgently. “I thought we’d stay quiet?” Vera asked innocently. “We will. But we’re gonna do it while escaping since we could be doomed once they notice we’re no longer on ropes,” Vince explained. “Okay.” "We’re going to use the chairs to reach that window." Vera followed Vince’s gaze to the small, high window on the wall. It was their only way out, and Vince was determined to make it work. He moved quietly, grabbing one of the chairs they had been sitting on earlier and dragging it under the window. The chair scraped against the floor, making a faint noise, but Vin
ALEX FROZE WHEN the alarm echoed through the warehouse. “What the fuck is that?!” Panic seized her, and she came rushing to the room where they left Vince and Vera. She knew the alarms wouldn’t ring if not because of those stubborn kids of Vivienne. Her heart pounded as she sprinted down the dark hallway, the noise growing louder with every step. She knew exactly what it meant. The kids were gone.When she reached the room where Vince and Vera had been held, her worst fears were confirmed. The ropes that had once bound them lay discarded on the floor, and the small window above the stacked chairs was wide open, letting in the cold night air. Alex’s face twisted with fury."Albert! Ruel!" she screamed, her voice laced with rage. "Get in here now!"Within seconds, Albert and Ruel came crashing into the room, their faces pale and worried. They had heard the alarm too and knew something had gone terribly wrong. "What happened?" Albert panted, his eyes darting around the room, quickl
ALBERT AND RUEL were getting frustrated as they searched the dark warehouse for Vince and Vera. “Those sneaky little brats! This is why I don’t want children! Alex better pay me enough money after this,” Ruel uttered as he looked for the twins. “What a pain in the ass!” Albert seconded.Ruel’s patience was wearing thin, and Albert, usually the calmer one, was starting to show signs of agitation as well.The place was a maze of crates and shadows, and every corner seemed to hold another hiding spot. Alex stood by, watching the two of them fumble through the search. Her anger was building with each passing second. How could two kids manage to slip through their grasp like this? It was infuriating. Alex had never been one to let anything or anyone get the better of her, and she certainly wasn’t going to start now.She reached into her coat and pulled out her gun, her fingers tightening around the grip. If those brats thought they could outsmart her, they were in for a harsh lesson.
VIVIENNE“This is the location Vince described. It’s a secluded area, just outside the city,” an expert said as he suddenly pinpointed a location on the map. Right after Vince called us, we immediately took note of the description he said to us to be able to tell where they really were.My heart raced as I saw the spot. I leaned in closer, my eyes fixed on it. “That’s it,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.Ezekiel and I exchanged a quick glance.“We need to go now,” he said firmly.I nodded, feeling the urgency in his words. “Let’s not waste any time.”And without wasting any time, we rushed out of the building, heading straight for the car.The car was waiting outside, and as soon as we got in, Ezekiel started the engine, and we sped off toward the location, our minds racing just as fast. Police cars followed us. As I got into the passenger seat of Ezekiel’s car, I couldn’t help but overthink. Alex’s refusal to let us hear the kids’ voices was bugging me. What if something ha
EZEKIEL“Hold on, baby!” Vivienne kept uttering as we both held each of Vera’s hands. As soon as we arrived at the hospital, we immediately rushed her to the emergency room. Her tiny body was so still, so lifeless, and the sight of her covered in blood made my chest tighten painfully. I could barely breathe as we raced down the corridor, my mind were filled with panic and desperation. This couldn’t be happening. Not to her. Not to our little girl.When we reached the doors of the emergency room, the nurses took over, guiding Vera's stretcher through the doors. But as Vivienne and I tried to follow, one of the nurses stepped in front of us, raising her hand to stop us.“I’m sorry, Ma’am and Sir, but you can’t go any further,” she said gently but firmly.“No, please,” Vivienne begged as her voice broke. “I need to be with her. Please, let me go in with her.”The nurse shook her head sympathetically. “The doctors need space to work. We’ll keep you updated, I promise.”Before they cou