The people seated at the back of the car exchanged glances.After pondering for a moment, the man said over the phone, “500 thousand in cash, not a cent less.”“Deal!” Christopher said, “Give me the address. I’ll immediately send the cash, and you’ll hand her to us on the spot.”Upon seeing him agree so readily, the man changed his mind. “Seems like you really dote on this niece of yours. I want to change the price.”“Don’t push your luck,” Christopher said coldly.“What do you mean by that? Your niece is very valuable. How could she only be worth 500 thousand dollars? I want five million.”“Sure, I’ll give it to you.” Christopher just wanted Rosalie to be safe.The man was in disbelief over how easy-going Christopher was. “You’re agreeing so readily to my request. Are you calling the police?”“I have plenty of money. The only thing I care about right now is my niece’s safety,” Christopher said as he suppressed his anger. “No matter how much you want, the premise is that my nie
The van sped across the road, but Rosalie had no idea where the car was going as she was blindfolded. The van drove for a long time, until she felt herself being dragged out and pulled along an uneven road.She didn’t know where she was, but she could hear the sound of the wind blowing. She felt herself pushed into a musty-smelling place and thrown on the ground.“Take turns to watch her. Don’t let this wench run or die, or we won’t be able to get the money.”“Bro, will her family call the police?”“They wouldn’t have the guts to! If they do, I’ll kill this bitch.”“Come to think of it…” he went on after pondering for a moment, “better to be safe than sorry. Come here.”The other man approached him, and he whispered something into his ear. He spoke so softly, Rosalie couldn’t hear what he said. The other man nodded and said, “Sure, got it. I’ll get on it right away.”Right after that, Rosalie heard footsteps. The man was approaching her.She shrunk back into the corner of the
“Sure, but I’m warning you—don’t install any surveillance equipment or tracking devices in it. We’ll bring a detector. If we find anything suspicious, Rosalie Young is dead. Got that?”“Got it. We will be careful, please don’t act rashly. Is Rose safe right now? Let me hear her voice.”“She’s great. Don’t worry.”“How can I be assured with your words? I want to hear her voice with my own ears. Do you still want the money? Five million in cold hard cash. That’s something you won’t be able to finish spending in one lifetime.”“Fine. Wait!”Rosalie was almost dozing off when someone pulled her hard. “Your family wants to speak to you. Tell them you’re very safe.”The man put the phone to Rosalie’s ear and Sebastian blurted out, “Rose, how are you?”“Seb? I’m fine, don’t worry. I’ll be home very soon.”The abductor realized that something was wrong. “Seb? Damn it, what’s going on? Didn’t you say that it’s your uncle? Why did your voice change?”Christopher was worried that the abd
The sky started turning brighter as the feelings of unease grew in everyone’s hearts.A huge truck loaded with cash drove into a quiet, secluded district. An abandoned warehouse with overgrown weeds stood right there.There was no one around or walking by. This district had been abandoned a long time ago.The entire scene was captured on a huge screen. Christopher and Sebastian stood before the screen, staring at the image on it.The images from the screen came from the most advanced manless military vehicle.Christopher didn’t call the police, but he called for the military’s help. They dispatched a manless vehicle in search of Rosalie.A middle-aged man dressed in military garb stood next to Christopher. He pointed at the screen, and said, “Ms. Young can’t be found anywhere in the surroundings. In fact, no one can be found.”“Please expand the search area,” Christopher said.General Wagner nodded. “Sure, no problemThere was nothing Christopher could do at this point except
Today was also the day of Theodore’s wedding, for which he booked an entire luxury hotel for.Wedding guests streamed into the hotel non-stop.Theodore stood silently before a mirror, and looked at his face in it. He looked pale and haggard, completely unlike what a radiant groom should look. He looked more like he was sick.It was supposed to be his big day, but it looked more like he was attending a funeral.The stylist left after styling his hair. Theodore sat all alone before the mirror, his eyes glazing over. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and scrolled to Rosalie’s photos, looking at each one carefully.From today onward, he would be a married man and couldn’t love her so boldly.-Cynthia was wearing a pure white wedding gown in the makeup room. Expensive jewelry sparkled at her neck. She looked at herself in the mirror, and saw how radiant and happy she looked.“Jen, do I look pretty?” Jennifer glanced at her. “Yes.”She wanted to add, what’s the point?Howe
“Yuvan!” Theodore yelled.Yuvan soon ran over. “Mr. Spencer, what instructions do you have for me?”“Find the man indicated on this slip of paper. Also, use all resources we have to track Rose down.”With that, Theodore tugged his tie off and flung it aside.“Mr. Spencer, where are you going?” Yuvan asked.Theodore said, “To find Rose.”“What about the wedding? You and Ms. Zeller are about to walk down the aisle.”“Call off the wedding!”Theodore then disappeared from Yuvan’s sight.Cynthia hid behind a pillar a distance away and saw Theodore walk off, her eyes filled with anger and indignation.She couldn’t believe he called off the wedding!This was a huge blow to her. Her dream stood right before her, but it popped just like a bubble.If it were in the past, she would have jumped into his arms and hugged him tight, crying and begging him not to leave. But now, she knew that wouldn’t work anymore. Doing that would only irritate Theodore.The hatred burning in her chest
Everyone was searching for Rosalie.On the Carters’ side, Christopher and Sebastian were tireless in their efforts to rescue Rosalie. However, the truck loaded with money went on a wild goose chase and drove to many places which all ended up incorrect.The abductors were adept at preventing themselves from being caught. They were sly and cunning. Out of fear the police would be called, they deliberately Christopher and Sebastian them fake addresses to test them and also prevent them from distinguishing the genuine location from the fake.Christopher and Sebastian were furious, but couldn’t do anything about it. All they could do was to be led by the nose by the abductors. On Theodore’s end, he used all of his network and resources to locate Rosalie, analyzed all surveillance footage and searched every possible place, expanding his search parameters again and again. He had the list of abductors from Laila, and found out who they were. He also seized everyone related to the abduct
“It’s so lively in here. Am I interrupting something?” A man’s voice sounded from the door.The men stopped whatever they were doing, and turned to look at the man at the door.He was wearing a black shirt, a bonnet, and a black mask. He leaned leisurely against the door frame, and spoke in a low voice.The abductor asked fiercely, “Who the hell are you?”He seemed to be all alone, but he didn’t look like the police, given the clothes he was wearing.The man in black walked over slowly. “So many burly men bullying one lady. How shameful.”Rosalie’s eyes widened as she looked doubtfully at the man. The aura he exuded felt familiar, as if she had met him before.“Damn it, are you tired of living? Seize him!” The chief of the gang pointed angrily at the man in black.Some of the thugs pulled out their knives and charged forward to seize the man in black, who leisurely pulled out a gun from his waist and shot upward twice. The thugs took a few steps back in fright.He had a gu
'Why?! Why are you doing this to me? What's so good about Rosalie Young? Why are you like this? She's another man's wife!' she cried inwardly.Aurora clutched her chest and stumbled back to her ward. 'Theodore Spencer, how could you stomp on my feelings so cruelly?'Aurora shut her eyes, overwhelmed by pain. She felt as though her world had turned dark. All she could see was black and white. Colors no longer existed in her life.That was all there was to life. Where was its beauty? Only lies and schemes existed between people, even between kin and loved ones.Aurora suddenly thought of something and pulled out a pill from her pocket. It was the pill Yerick gave her last night.'Should I really take it? What if I die?' she thought.However, if that man really wanted to kill her, he would have done it long ago. There was no need for him to do it in such a roundabout manner.Aside from getting a heart transplant, there was no way around her heart disease.However, if she were
When Aurora arrived, she noticed Theodore leaving the ward.She hurriedly hid behind a corner as he walked forward. At first, she wanted to call out to him. Then a thought came to mind, and she followed him in secret. Theodore left the hospital to buy breakfast from a nearby store. Who was he buying breakfast for? Was it for her?Aurora saw a glimmer of hope.Since Theodore stayed with Rosalie for an entire night last night, was he buying breakfast for her out of guilt?She saw Theodore buying two portions of breakfast in two boxes before returning.Aurora quickly hid herself again. She continued following Theodore, and saw him walking back into Rosalie's ward with breakfast in hand.Her world imploded before her eyes. Was Theodore going to have breakfast with Rosalie, too? He had already spent the entire night with her!'Oh Theo, what do you see me as? Am I not your girlfriend? Why are you keeping your ex-wife company?' Aurora thought, anguished. Gritting her teeth, she p
"You'll…you'll help me get a new heart? How will you do that?" Aurora asked."Why not? You can choose not to believe me, but once you miss this chance, it's gone," Yerick said. "The pill is right here. Eat it when you feel like it. If you really don't want it, you can throw it away—but that's akin to throwing away an opportunity."Yerick released his hand. "It's late. Go to sleep."Aurora looked coldly at the pill in her hand. "How can I possibly fall asleep?"She couldn't eat or sleep knowing that Theodore was with Rosalie. Hatred filled her heart right now.Suddenly, a pocket watch appeared before her and started swinging. Yerick's voice drifted into her ears as he fixed his gaze upon her. "Go to sleep."The pocket watch swung before her for around ten seconds. Aurora suddenly felt dizzy; she then collapsed on the bed, falling into a deep sleep.Yerick looked coldly at her as he kept the pocket watch away. He reached out to pull the sheets over her. "Good night, Ms. Payne.
But now that she thought about it, if she had really done that, Theodore would surely have found out."Let's go back to your ward first. I'll tell you what to do," Yerick said, extending his hand.Aurora took his hand, following him back to the room in a daze. Once inside, she sat on the bed and burst into tears."Theodore lied to me! Why did he lie to me? How could he do this to me?" She clutched her chest, struggling to catch her breath.Yerick's lips curled into a cruel smile, and he said seriously, "With your frail health, how can you compete with Rosalie?""What should I do, then? It's not my fault that I have bad health! I have no other choice."Yerick raised an eyebrow. "What if I told you that you do have a choice?""What do you mean? Can you help me?" She grabbed his arm, her voice trembling with emotion. "You can help me, right? Please think of a way for me! I can't lose Theo. I've fallen deeply in love with him. If I have to leave him now, I'll go crazy. I'd rather die!"Th
Aurora collapsed onto the bed and gripped the sheets tightly, tears streaming down her face. "What do you want from me? What do you want?""Welcome to my game, Aurora. What I want is random, based on my mood. Before this, all of you were players in my game. The rules are set by me."Aurora lifted her head, finally realizing that she had walked straight into a trap. Yet now, she had no choice. If she told Theodore, it would prove that she had been lying to him. She had saved Theodore not by accident, but by deliberate design.Aurora wiped the tears from her face. "Are you going to hurt Theodore?""That depends on how cooperative you are. When the game's over, if you listen well, maybe I'll let you both grow old together. After all, I was the one who made you two go from strangers to being acquainted, to being in bed together. My abilities are greater than you think."Yerick's eyes gleamed with confident amusement. Aurora knew she was no match for him, so she could only resign herself a
"Aurora, you still haven't seen the thing that will break your heart even more. If you saw it, you wouldn't be saying this," Yerick countered."I still don't know your name," Aurora said. "You've been telling me you're Theo's friend, but he never mentioned he had such a friend.""He certainly wouldn't mention me, because things between him and I are very strained."Aurora was rendered speechless. He had told her that they had severed ties."By the way, Aurora, did he go back?" Yerick asked.Aurora nodded. "Yes. He originally wanted to stay and take care of me, but I was worried he'd get tired, so I told him to go back and rest. He'll come to see me again tomorrow.""Did he really go back?""I'm absolutely sure," Aurora said. "I told him to go back. Otherwise, where else could he go?""Have you thought about the possibility that he went to find Rosalie?""Rosalie! Are you saying he's with Rosalie now? No, that's impossible! Theodore wouldn't do that," Aurora protested."Why not? Didn't
"Next time, I'll make sure to not leave evidence behind." Sebastian gently caressed Steve's face."Steve, Daddy will win in the end. Just wait and see. When you grow up, you'll be like Daddy, always winning. We'll never lose." Sebastian laughed, his eyes bloodshot.Steve seemed startled, fear beginning to show on his face. He seemed like he was about to cry.-In the middle of the night…A peaceful atmosphere filled the ward, with the soft light of the night lamp casting a warm glow on Aurora's pale face. She lay alone in bed, her body seemingly blending into the silent night.Through the window, the night scenery appeared calm. Moonlight shone on the curtains, casting shadows in her room. Stars adorned the sky like diamonds, flickering as if silently telling tales of endless loneliness and thoughts.The door creaked open, and a man in black quietly entered the room. He was slender, and walked lightly. He blended into the shadows of the darkness. His gaze was sharp, like a star in th
Theodore gripped the magazine tightly in his hands, flipping through the pages. In truth, he didn't absorb a single word.Rosalie felt like she was suffocating. She couldn't continue speaking to Sebastian. "Seb, I'll hang up now. I'm going to rest."She was afraid that if she kept talking, she would lose control."Alright," Sebastian said, gently waving Steve's hand. "Steve, say goodbye to Mommy.""Goodbye, darling." Rosalie waved at the camera.Thinking about Steve made her heart ache deeply. This whole situation was just absurd. Steve's biological father was right next to her, but he could only remain invisible.After a while, Rosalie ended the video call with Sebastian. She set her phone aside and covered her mouth, crying.She was deeply upset. So many things had happened recently.On one hand, Theodore suddenly appeared in Melrine with his pregnant girlfriend. On the other hand, there was Justin. And then, Sebastian had done something terrible and lied to her. Now, he had returned
Rosalie asked this on purpose as she wanted to hear Sebastian's response. Had he truly returned to the country out of guilt, or was everything just a coincidence and the company issues had truly forced him back?"Actually, Rose," Sebastian said, "after I came back, I realized the situation is worse than I thought, so I won't be going to Melrine anytime soon. I just can't find the time.""I see." Rosalie lowered her gaze, a little disappointed.It just so happened that he returned to the country now, but it seemed that he also didn't dare to come back to Melrine. Was he really avoiding the authorities?But who had tipped Sebastian off? Could Sebastian have planted someone around Theodore? Who could it be?Rosalie forced a smile. "Alright then, I hope you sort out the company's matters at home. Don't worry about things here in Melrine. I'll come back as soon as I finish my studies.""Okay. Rose, why don't you talk to Steve for a bit?"Rosalie looked at the child on the screen, her eyes f