Erin finally understood the full gravity of the precarious situation that she was currently in.She'd been captured by two psychopathic killers, and if she didn't comply with their demands, not only would she be unable to protect the child in her womb, but she might also be unable to escape from there. No matter what, she had to hold on to her will to live. She had to do that for her child as a mother."My baby, I'll persevere until the end! I'll definitely hold out until your father comes to save us!" Erin vowed wordlessly."If there's anything I need, can I ask you?" Erin no longer made futile attempts of resistance and chose to reluctantly go with the flow.Jack replied, "Sure, you can ask. We'll fulfill it as long as it's within our means. Let me remind you of one thing—Tessa has a bad temper. Sometimes she needs tranquilizers to calm down. It's best if you don't mention anything about leaving again. We've planned this for so long, so we won't let you escape easily by chance.
In the blink of an eye, an agonizing month had passed.At 5 am in the president's office of the towering Frost Building, Chandler stood by the window wall, having spent the entire night there. He'd hardly slept at all that whole month. A faint shade of blue tinged the area under his eyes. It was clearly a result of prolonged sleep deprivation.Chandler's perfect features appeared even more gaunt and pronounced, as he'd lost a staggering twenty pounds. Throughout this month, he'd developed gastritis due to not eating properly. The sole purpose of his meals each day was to maintain basic energy levels.The cigarette between his fingers had burned all the way to his flesh before he flicked the butt to the floor with delayed movements. The premium gray carpet was littered with countless cigarette butts.Lately, his addiction to smoking had grown worse. Unconsciously, he would smoke two packs a day.He drank obsessively to drown his sorrows every night, unable to sleep at night and rel
Another month had passed.Ian drove a jeep with two bodyguards toward a village near the borders. He was going to meet an old village chief there. This village was located in a remote area with a sparse population. Most of the villagers there lived an isolated life. The total population of the entire village was not more than five hundred people.Just half a month ago, the only college student in this village organized a photography exhibition in a small city. As an unknown student photographer, he took some pictures depicting the local customs of his hometown. It wouldn't have attracted much attention, but Ian, who happened to be in the city for business, went to take a look at the exhibition accompanied by a local business tycoon.The reason was that the tycoon's own son had also taken some alternative and seemingly artsy photos. The tycoon wanted to show off his talented and artistic son, and a photography exhibition naturally served as a good publicity stunt. The collaboration p
Right after he gave the instructions, Lamar stood up and walked toward his room.As soon as Lamar left, Zinka immediately approached Ian and whispered, "Mr. Sloan, you're really lucky! In the past three days, there have been at least ten men who came to meet Mr. Dempsey, but you're the first one he allowed to see Yvette. It seems looks do count. Haha! I'll go and bring Yvette out now."Zinka had just taken a few steps when she hurriedly turned back and advised, "By the way, I must remind you, if Yvette doesn't like you, even if you have a mountain of silver, it won't matter. Mr. Dempsey dotes on his only daughter the most. So, be prepared. If Yvette doesn't take a liking to you, you should leave the house before Mr. Dempsey wakes up from his nap."Ian remained polite and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Zinka. I understand."He respectfully watched Zinka leave.Lamar, who had been peeking from behind the curtain of his room, nodded and then quietly left. Once he was gone, so did
After returning to the city, Ian put a hold on his work and visited Cherry with some imported health products from overseas.During this period, Cherry had been living alone in a small villa in the suburbs. She'd requested this herself. Originally, Chandler had arranged a luxurious mansion in the city for her, but Cherry politely declined.She stated that living in a city reminded her of her missing daughter, and it would only make her absence even more pronounced. She preferred living in the remote suburbs and leading a leisurely life. She would tend to her plants and keep herself busy by having a pet dog while waiting for Erin to come back so that she could take good care of her health when she came back.Ian arrived just in time for lunch. Cherry cooked an extra dish of beef and potatoes and had lunch with her former son-in-law in the living room.Looking at the gray hairs that became more and more obvious on Cherry's head, Ian suddenly felt uncomfortable in his heart. He held h
Reality was often cruel. Even though Erin's family, friends, and lover eagerly anticipated her return, no one found her, not even Chandler. She remained on the deserted island, imprisoned for a full eight months.Five months ago, Tessa brought Erin out to the sun because she was in an exceptionally good mood one day. Taking advantage of the moment Tessa let her guard down, Erin instinctively ran away.At that time, Tessa was so mad she was about to shoot Erin in her calf, but Jack stopped her just in time. He reasoned that Erin was pregnant, and if she got injured and couldn't receive proper medical treatment, they might not be able to handle the high fever and complications that would possibly arise out of a wound infection.They needed to exercise utmost caution due to her injury. Jack and Tessa had planned so long to have their own child. They couldn't adopt a child with various health complications at birth.Erin's escape attempt ended with Jack catching her and taking her back
A week later, Erin felt immensely drowsy after finishing breakfast one day. Hence, she decided to lie down and rest.Although her body was thinner than before, her belly was large. She was approaching her due date. Erin slowly fell asleep while rubbing her belly in her drowsy state.Less than ten minutes later, Tessa, who had seen Erin passing out from the surveillance, arrived at the cell. Jack was also there. He was put in charge of carrying Erin into the operating room.Jack added a sedative to Erin's breakfast that morning to make her sleepy. The mushroom soup he served that day was creamy and flavorful, so Erin didn't detect anything was off with her meal."You don't need to come into the operating room later. I can handle it myself," Tessa stated impassively.Jack had just bent down to pick Erin up in his arms. He looked up at Tessa and said, "I know the surgery won't pose a challenge for you, but won't you be overwhelmed doing it alone? Let me help you."Tessa frowned and
Shortly after Jack and Tessa left with the child, a highly coordinated group of mercenaries approached the stone door of the bomb shelter from different directions. The young man leading the group was Paulo Eastwood. He had a head of stylish silver hair that was cropped short. An ear stud with a ruby that was as red as blood could be seen on his right earlobe.He raised an eyebrow and glanced at the leather map in his hand. Immediately, a middle-aged man wearing a camouflage hat beside him suggested, "Mr. Eastwood, black smoke has been emanating from above the bomb shelter. It's safer to keep a distance. Should we send the mercenaries inside to investigate?"Paulo waved his right hand that was enveloped in a black leather glove and replied with a chuckle, "No need. I'm pretty sure that black smoke is due to the ancient wiring inside catching fire."He took large strides forward and said to the middle-aged man behind him, "Greg, wait outside with the others. If I don't come out aft