Bianca halted, fixated on Chris. He appeared uneasy, isolated in a corner, engrossed in his phone, and occasionally relocating to make calls elsewhere.She quietly trailed him, faintly catching his hushed and anxious words."Have you found her?""Tell them not to worry... If the kidnappers are after money, they'll definitely call!"Her heart raced. 'Kidnappers? Who are they searching for? Is that Lena on the other end?'Suddenly, Toph called out, "Chris, what are you doing?"Bianca concealed herself as Toph dashed over in his usual carefree manner to usher Chris away."My brother couldn't find you anywhere. Why did you come here? Come eat!"As they proceeded, Chris and Toph coincidentally passed by Bianca. Their eyes locked, causing both of them to freeze.Bianca swiftly evaded his gaze and forced a greeting, "Chris...""Eh, Bianca?" Toph inquired, much like Arya, "What are you doing here? My brother didn't invite you, did he?""You..."Bianca's frustration grew, but Toph a
The unexpected question stunned Alexander. Nala gazed at him with sorrowful, big eyes. In one moment, he was the reliable 'big brother'—in the next, he couldn't even provide a meal.Alexander winced and tried to change the subject to divert her attention. "Are you really hungry?""Yes!" Nala's tears teetered on the edge. She pouted and whimpered, "I was supposed to eat at the hotel with my mom... She even said we'd order braised bass...""Don't cry, don't cry! It's just a fish...""But I'm hungry!"Alexander felt uneasy. Engaging her in conversation was proving difficult.Finally, he managed to calm Nala. He had an idea and extended his arm to her, sleeves rolled up. "If you're truly starving, you can bite me first!"Nala stared at him in disbelief."I come from a poor family, and we didn't always have food. When I was really hungry as a kid, I'd munch on... things that could keep hunger at bay."Nala looked puzzled.Alexander smiled and explained, "For example, when there wa
"Nothing!" He smiled reassuringly at Nala, determined to take her away from this place.A loud bang came from the factory door, followed by the distinct sound of high heels clicking on the ground.Alexander swiftly signaled Nala, who promptly pretended to be unconscious on the floor. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes."Is this the child?" Bianca's tone was commanding.Standing behind her, Brake grunted, "Yes."Bianca took a few steps closer, carefully inspecting the child in the dim light. Suddenly, her expression shifted."Is this... the young heiress of the Chriss family?"Drake was dumbfounded. When he had abducted the child, he did not know her family's identity.Bianca sneered. "Dickinson, I instructed you to fetch the Hamerton child, not the Chriss one! And you claim you didn't deceive me?""Well..." Drake scratched his head. "Ms. Bianca, your goal is to pin in on Lena, right? It doesn't matter who we kidnap! As long as we have the child, she's implicated in
Lena gazed at him, her lips moving as a complex expression crossed her face.Suddenly, Chris' phone rang. It was Fleur calling, sounding anxious as she urged him to return immediately.Chris had no choice but to follow his mother's instructions and bring Lena back to the Hamertons.They found Zuko and Lina already present inside the spacious living room, all wearing serious expressions.When Lena entered, Fleur appeared to have something important to say, her gaze fixed on Lena.Lina locked eyes with Lena and smiled determinedly, leaving Lena slightly puzzled.Bianca calmly entered the room, catching Lena's attention."Aunt Fleur, Chris, I've located Nala! I know where she is!" Bianca announced eagerly.Chris paused, surprised. "How did you find out? What's the source of this information?"Bianca smiled confidently. "Don't think you're the only one with connections just because you were in the special forces. The Hamertons aren't all-powerful, and there are things you can't un
"Aunt Fleur, haven't you understood yet? I'll share everything I've found," Bianca said with smug satisfaction.She fixed a cold gaze on Lena and continued. "Krystal Harding, Ms. Harding's biological mother, was involved in human trafficking. She sent her daughter to live with Drake. I even heard that Krystal abducted Drake's wife and sold her to him!"As they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I mean, a human trafficker's daughter might be involved in human trafficking too, don't you think?"So, do you still believe Nala's disappearance has nothing to do with Ms. Harding?""Bianca!" Lina stepped forward, her voice angry. "Stop making accusations without evidence!""Ms. Thompson, you've misunderstood me," Bianca said, looking at her. "I did this investigation for your benefit. You have a daughter. Can you trust Lena around her?""Enough!" Chris shouted.Lena jumped and stared at him in disbelief. But there was no doubt on his face.Chris was still protecting her, lo
Bianca remained composed and grinned. "Ms. Thompson, don't you trust me?""I only trust in evidence.""But Nala Chriss is missing, and it's linked to Lena's adoptive father and brother. That's a fact!"Lina blinked, surprised and almost bursting into laughter. How could someone tell such blatant lies with a straight face?Did she truly believe the security cameras in the hotel's backyard were completely malfunctioning? Did she genuinely think that with the Thompsons and Hamertons' resources, they couldn't fix a single surveillance camera?Zuko comfortingly patted Lina's shoulder and discreetly handed her his phone.Lina glanced at the message he had received from his subordinate: [Mr. Hamerton, we're working diligently to recover the surveillance data. The truth will come out very soon!]Lina couldn't help but stifle a laugh. Bianca was only making her situation worse by hastily accusing Lena. They just needed to remain patient, and she would expose herself.Just then, the butl
Chris paced outside the police station. He spotted a young police officer rushing out and quickly approached."Pete!"Pete, the officer in question, greeted him warmly with a grin."You rascal!" Chris playfully punched him. "What's going on? Why didn't you let me know beforehand?"Pete Bellamy scratched his head, still grinning.Pete was one of the officers who had taken Lena from the Hamertons earlier. It wasn't just Chris who was surprised—even Bianca hadn't expected the police to show up.Despite this, Pete and Chris had exchanged knowing glances when he left the Hamerton residence. Understanding the situation, Chris had waited for him outside the police station.Pete lowered his voice. "Chris, don't worry. Lena knows what to say and what not to. She's level-headed, and there won't be any trouble.""Who ordered you to bring her here?"Pete shrugged. "Ms. Thompson, but it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Everything happened so quickly that there wasn't time to inform you."
Everyone in the car was shocked.Bianca approached cautiously, spotting dried blood beneath Drake's head. She placed her hand under his nose and detected a faint breath.Her hand trembled, and her eyes glinted ruthlessly as she raised her foot and kicked Drake."Get up!" she demanded.Lina and Zuko joined her, discovering that the factory was now empty."Where's the child?" Lina asked."Ow..." Drake groaned on the ground and struggled to get up. "Help, help... This brat!""Drake Dickinson!" Bianca exclaimed, exasperated.After all, she had confidently declared that she knew Nala's whereabouts. She had accused Drake and Alexander of conspiring with Lena to kidnap her.With Drake injured and the two children missing, this was a complete deviation from the plan she had devised to implicate Lena!Seeing Bianca clearly, Drake was about to ask for help when he caught her signaling him with her eyes. He froze, realizing that Zuko and Lina were present.He remembered Bianca's warnin