"Who knows if you can become Mrs. Nichols? Paying upfront is our standard procedure here," sneered the man, his voice dripping with malice. "Not a cent less. Otherwise, I'll cut your fingers off one by one."Shelia panicked, speaking with feigned composure. "I only have 100 thousand dollars on me right now. But don't you know about the Nichols family? If you kill me, you're killing their future heir in my womb."Her words made the man hesitate. Shelia pressed her advantage and continued, "Think about it. Juan and his wife have long been at odds. As soon as you take care of her, I can leverage my pregnancy to become Mrs. Nichols. How much more money would that bring you? I promise you, once I marry Juan, I'll give you not just one million dollars, but two million.""Words are cheap. You must sign and seal," he said, taking out a document from his pocket.One of his accomplices scribbled something on it and placed it before Shelia. She scanned the paper, her face turning pale as she
"Madam, Mr. Nichols sent us to pick you up. Please, come with us," the driver said politely.Debra looked over and found him unfamiliar. "Where's Joe?""Joe had something to handle, so I came instead," the driver replied, his tone respectful yet hurried.Debra pressed further, "I don't think I've seen you before.""I'm new, ma'am. Just hired," he explained."With Juan hiring new drivers, how would I not know?" Debra mused.Only Juan required a dedicated driver in the entire company. Before today, only Joe had filled that role. Even when Joe wasn't available, one of the other company drivers would step in. She had never seen this man before.The driver faltered, unsure of how to respond, but he swiftly moved to open the car door for her. She leaned in, peeking through the car window, and spotted a man's silhouette in the backseat.Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around her from behind. A rough hand clamped a cloth over her mouth and nose.Debra's eyes widened in shock as a gruff
In Seamar City, few dared to cross Juan, let alone hack into his phone."Get the tech department on this immediately," he said. "I want to know who's behind this.""Yes, sir," Joe replied, hurriedly taking the phone and scurrying out of the office.Juan's heart pounded like a drum in his chest, a sense of foreboding washing over him.He snatched the car keys from his desk and rushed out. He sped through the city streets, his mind racing faster than the powerful engine of his sports car.Bursting through the front door, he found Melody and Hester having dinner in the grand living room.Debra was nowhere to be seen.Melody looked up and frowned at his disheveled appearance. "Juan, don't you have a meeting at the company today? Why are you back so early?""Where's Debra?" Juan asked.Hester's expression flickered, a mix of unease and guilt flashing across her face. Melody, however, remained nonchalant. "Who knows which man she might be meeting up with? You're supposed to keep her
The breaking news of Debra's kidnapping instantly dominated the trending charts.Erica, lounging at home with the news playing in the background, was jolted upright by the headline that flashed across the screen.She wondered aloud, 'Debra was kidnapped? Who did it?'Her phone rang, and she snatched it up to see Randy's call."Hello? Randy, listen to me..." she started anxiously."Debra was kidnapped?" What answered her was not Randy, but Marion's deep and steady voice."I just saw the news," Erica replied. "I don't know if it's true. When are you coming back?"Debra had been staying with the Nichols family, and Erica wasn't privy to the details of the arrangement with Juan. They had kept their distance to maintain Debra's secret identity as the McKinney Group's president. And now such a thing had happened."Marion? Marion, are you there?" Erica pressed the phone to her ear, but only silence echoed back.She was at a loss, having not faced such a situation before. After a whil
In response to Shelia's barking, the one on the other end of the phone sneered, "The one we've taken is Juan's wife. The ransom we can demand from him is far higher than what you'd pay for a mere hit job. Thanks to the address you provided, we found Juan's home."Shelia paled at his words, and the man added, "But don't you worry, if Juan pays the ransom, we'll clean up this mess for you. If he doesn't, we'll still handle it. Just a matter of time.""You can't do this," Shelia protested. "Once you contact Juan, he'll stop at nothing to find out who you are, and then I'll be exposed."She knew how resourceful Juan was. It wouldn't take him long to figure out who the kidnappers were, and he'd certainly trace it back to her.Even if Debra died, her dream of entering high society would be shattered."That's not our problem," the man snorted. "We're just doing our job and making a little extra on the side.""No, how can you do this?" Shelia shouted frantically, but the line was already
Usually, victims would scream or beg for their lives upon waking, but Debra was different. She showed no sign of fear."Juan's woman is truly extraordinary," the leader sneered, grasping Debra's chin and tilting her face up. "Quite the pretty face too."Debra met his gaze steadily. "Don't bother trying to scare me. You won't do anything until you get your ransom."The three men were clearly seasoned criminals, and they had a code they followed.The leader released Debra's chin and shrugged. "True, but if someone else pays us to kill you after we get Juan's money, we'll do just that. You're a dead woman either way. We might as well enjoy the fun."Debra chuckled, her lack of fear irritating the leader. "What's so funny?" he growled."I'm laughing at how naïve you are," Debra replied coolly. "Do you know who Juan is? And who I am? Can you guarantee you'll safely get the money and escape by boat? You can't. And if you touch me, Juan will hunt you down. You know what he'll do to you
"Sir..." Joe tried to advise again.Juan cut him off. "Nothing is more important than Debra's life. Do you understand?"Joe swallowed hard. "Yes, sir."He swiftly ordered their men to unload bundles of cash from the trunk. Aboard the boat, one of the kidnappers pressed a knife against Debra's neck. They climbed to the highest deck, and one of them shouted, "Bring all the money up here. Don't try anything foolish, or we'll kill her."Joe instructed the bodyguards, saying, "Get all the money up there."The bodyguards sprang into action, carrying bundle after bundle of cash onto the boat. Debra watched coldly.Once the last bundle was on board, Joe used a megaphone to declare, "You've got the money. Let her go."The kidnappers tore open the bundles, their eyes widening at the sight of the crisp bills."Alright, let her go," instructed the leader with a grin.Hidden in a secluded corner of the shore, Shelia watched with a mix of anxiety and anticipation. Suddenly, the boat's eng
In the stillness of the night, Juan returned home and booted open the gate.The commotion roused Melody from her sleep. With Hester's assistance, she made her way to the living room, where she saw a gloomy Juan.She wrinkled her brows and asked, "Is anything wrong?""You come over!" Juan stepped forward and grabbed Hester roughly.His furious look caused her to gasp in fear. "Juan, what are you doing?""Don't call me that!" Juan snapped. "How could you be so malicious? Did you replace that $10 billion?"Hester desperately shook her head. "It has nothing to do with me. Please, you must believe me.""Believe you?" Juan narrowed his eyes. "Debra fell into the sea, and she's still missing. If she's dead, I'll make your family pay."Hester's face turned ashen, and Melody stepped in. "Enough!"Taking a deep breath, she continued, "This has nothing to do with Hester. She didn't have the authority to change the money. It was my decision."Juan staggered back, as if struck by an unsee