"I know her life is at stake," Theodore said, "or I wouldn't have called you. Since the kidnapper hasn't contacted you, there's no point in continuing this conversation. I'm hanging up now.""Wait," Sebastian called out to him."What now?" Theodore replied, clearly impatient."If the kidnapper contacts you again, you need to tell me!""You too. If the kidnapper calls you, you have to inform me. For Rose's safety, the more people who work together, the better the chance of protecting her. Let's put aside our past grudges until she's safe.""Alright," Sebastian agreed. "It's a deal. Whoever gets the latest information must inform the other."After hanging up, Sebastian smashed his phone to the ground."Theodore, I don't believe a word you say."…Time passed by.By midnight, Theodore still hadn't slept.Nighttime was the best time for a deal. The kidnapper might just call him at this time.He kept waiting, staying awake through the entire night.By morning, he hadn't receive
"You guessed it right. I think it's fun." The man chuckled, and gripped her chin. He was wearing black gloves. "Close your eyes.""What are you going to do?" The more he demanded she closed her eyes, the more afraid she became. She was scared of what he might do once they were shut.He seemed to read her mind. "If I wanted to do something to you, would keeping your eyes open make any difference? Be a good girl and follow my instructions."He cupped her face with both hands, and squeezed it hard. "Be careful of the little bastard in your belly."His tone was exceptionally gentle, but every word carried an unparalleled cruelty. Rosalie could only comply and closed her eyes.The man released her face.Suddenly, Rosalie felt a cloth being placed over her eyes.After blindfolding her, the man grabbed her arm and led her out of the room.Rosalie had no idea where he was taking her. She only knew she had climbed into a car. She couldn't tell how long they drove. She had lost all sen
Rosalie listened to Laila's screams. Though she felt a bit afraid, Laila deserved this. It was karma.Laila's gambling addiction had led her to incur heavy debts, and to think she even conspired with kidnappers to abduct her own niece! It was utterly unforgivable.The screams continued for several minutes before finally subsiding. Eventually, Laila's pleas for mercy faded away."What a fucking jinx!" the man cursed. He was panting heavily, as if exhausted from the beating.But no sooner had he finished cursing, he kicked Laila again. "Look what you made me do. You made me curse! How can a refined person like me use such foul language? It's all your fault! Damn it! Damn, I cursed again!"He grabbed a bottle nearby, and smashed it over Laila's head."Anyone who makes me curse deserves to die!"The sound of the bottle shattering echoed sharply, like a knife piercing Rosalie's eardrums.Then, footsteps approached her. She trembled in fear. Suddenly, the blindfold was removed fr
Rosalie was extremely tense. "What game do you want to play? Please don't harm my child."The man slowly walked over to her, lowered his head, and gently placed his hand on her belly. "Your child, or should I say, Theodore's child?""It's my child, and also his child," Rosalie replied. "The child is innocent. Please don't harm him.""You care so much about this embryo?" The man chuckled softly. "Then why haven't you told Theodore that you're pregnant?"This man knew everything. Could he be someone from her or Theodore's life? But who could he be? Rosalie couldn't figure it out."What's wrong? Are you afraid to tell him? How about I tell him when he arrives?""Did you contact him?" Rosalie asked immediately."Look at your face. You want him to come, don't you?"The man leaned in close to her, his black mask swaying before her eyes. It was terrifying.Rosalie turned her head to the side. "He's already married to another woman. There's no point in you reaching out to him. You s
"I may be her ex-husband, but you probably found out in your investigation that I've known Rose for ten years. Even though we're divorced, we're still family. I'm more reliable than Sebastian, so whatever you want, you can talk to me. There's no need to involve Sebastian.""Oh, really? But I already contacted him late last night, and told him about Rosalie's situation. He seemed very worried. He also said he'd do anything to ensure Rosalie's release. It sounds like he's more anxious than you, her ex-husband.""You contacted Sebastian?" Theodore frowned."What, you don't believe me?"Theodore's breathing became more rapid. Sebastian had promised to notify him if the kidnappers called, but didn't say a word.However, Theodore wasn't entirely surprised. Expecting Sebastian to share information with him was wishful thinking. A man like Sebastian wanted to have everything to himself."I believe you. If you want to play some twisted game, I'm willing to play along. But you have to guar
"Did you hear that? Your ex-husband wants you to talk to him. Don't stay silent, or he'll think I killed you and won't play my game anymore. That would upset me."Rosalie still refused to speak. What could she say to Theodore? In her current situation, anything she said would only be a fatal blow to him.Things had already reached this point. Theodore was certainly going to try to rescue he, but deep down, she didn't want him to come. If he really did, it would not end well.She couldn't risk other people's lives just to save her own. If Theodore died, his grandmother wouldn't want to live anymore. Plus, what would his parents do? He was their only son."You bastard! Did you kill Rose?" Theodore roared in anger, unable to contain his fury.Rosalie still said nothing. This was for the best. If Theodore thought she was dead, he wouldn't foolishly come to rescue her.Suddenly, a sharp knife was pointed at her belly, the blade glinting menacingly.The man leaned close, and whispered
"You better think this through. You can only come alone. If I see you bring anyone else, I’ll immediately cut open this woman’s stomach, and then take out what's inside her..."As he spoke, the man suddenly paused and turned to glance at Rosalie meaningfully.Rosalie's heart nearly leaped into her throat. Was this man about to tell Theodore that she was pregnant?The man continued, "As for what happens next, you can imagine it yourself.""I won’t bring anyone with me," Theodore said, trying hard to suppress his rage. "Don’t harm her. I’ll do exactly as you say.""Good. I’ll send you the address now. Make sure you behave."Seeing the man's fierce gaze, Rosalie became very agitated. "Theo, don’t come!"But before she could finish speaking, the man had already ended the call.He walked over to Rosalie, grabbed her chin, and lifted her head. "Even in this state, you still want to protect your ex-husband, huh?""Why didn’t you tell him I’m pregnant?" Rosalie asked. The man had me
"What’s your relationship with Laila?" Rosalie asked.She couldn't even call Laila her aunt now, filled with resentment toward the latter."What relationship could I possibly have with her?""Then why is she here?" Rosalie pressed on."Oh, it's like this," the man said. "She was with the kidnappers at the time. Later, to save her own life, she betrayed you to them. I found a way to get her out, and sent her to the wedding to tell Theodore that you were kidnapped.""Why did you do that?""Are you asking why I had Laila tell Theodore that you were kidnapped?"Rosalie nodded. "What do you want to get from Theodore? Is it just to play some boring game?"The man leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "I like playing games, and unknown games are even more exciting for me."Rosalie felt a chill at his words.She then turned her head and looked at Laila, asking, "What do you plan to do with her?""What do you think?" the man asked. "Maybe I can give her to you. You can do whatever