Chapter 20

She tried her best to open her eyes a little, hoping to see her surroundings. But then, she heard a very familiar voice.

“You don’t need me to teach you what to do after this, right?”

“I understand! We’ve already contacted Mr. Ford to come with the ransom money. Then, we’ll have him choose between you two, and the remaining one will be taken away as our hostage!”

Was that… Guinevere’s voice?

Stella’s body went cold. She thought she had heard wrong.

“Mr. Ford will surely choose you. As for this woman… We’ll take her to a secluded place as per our original agreement, and remove the child inside her…”

Then, the man suddenly paused before asking carefully, “Ms. Cohen, what if Mr. Ford doesn’t choose you…”

“Do you think that’s possible?”

A chuckle interrupted the man, and Guinevere slowly made her way over. “I have at least that much confidence, but… I changed my mind.”

She went over to Stella and looked at her unconscious face. Suddenly, she gripped Stella’s chin with her sharp nails and said viciously, “I hadn’t wanted to go to such extremes at first, but how dare she get pregnant with Weston’s child?!”

Jealousy appeared in Guinevere’s eyes as her grip tightened.

She had had enough of Weston’s recent indifference toward her. Just the thought of Stella being married to Weston before made her want to shred this woman to bits!

Even if she and Weston had already broken up at the time… She had always assumed that Weston would try to get back with her! She hadn’t expected him to suddenly marry a random woman.

Guinevere hadn’t planned to give Stella trouble. A woman like Stella didn’t seem like a threat to her, but to think Stella was pregnant with Weston’s child! If she hadn’t been wary when she suddenly saw Stella gag that day, Stella might have actually deceived her!

“Did you think you could regain your status by being pregnant with his child?”

Stella’s face turned pale and she willed herself not to tremble. She dug her nails deeply into her palms, so the excruciating pain would remind her not to let them discover that she was already awake.

Guinevere pushed Stella’s face away with disgust. Then, she stood up and instructed the man and his goons, “Once this is over, you can do whatever you please with her. I don’t want to see her in Ahn City ever again!”

She had spoken with hostility, so it was obvious what she meant by that.

The leader of the kidnappers sounded hesitant. “Do you mean to kill her, Ms. Cohen? That would be different from what we’ve agreed. She’s somehow related to Mr. Ford, so what if Mr. Ford takes revenge on us later on…”

Guinevere looked up at them. “What are you scared of when you have me around? Don’t worry, I’ll keep Weston in check. You just have to clean up your tracks and don’t leave any evidence!”

“Alright, understood.”

No one said anything else.

Stella felt chills down her spine. She was breaking out in a cold sweat, but she couldn’t make a sound. She could only hold her breath and try to listen to what was happening outside.

Her surroundings became silent as if she was the only person left.

Without knowing how much time had passed, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps. Stella had a bad feeling about it. Sure enough, she was abruptly picked up from the floor and dragged outside in a rough manner.

She opened her eyes out of reflex and grunted, holding back the tears that had welled up in her eyes. The man spat when he realized she was already awake. He said impatiently, “Walk on your own if you’re already awake!”

Stella took a deep breath. She kept quiet and nodded shakily.

She had to stay calm. She must survive.

She just had to tell Weston when he came over later that this was all Guinevere’s plan, then she could be saved.

She was being ushered out. Once they left the tiny house, Stella realized they were on top of a large building.

The dazzling sun was so bright that she couldn’t open her eyes. The sudden roar of propellers from above rattled her eardrums painfully.

A few helicopters were circling the building, and Weston was inside one of them.

She had wanted to look up, but the burly man beside her gripped the back of her neck and barked, “Stay still!”

Stella gritted her and lowered her head obediently.

She must stay calm, she must stay calm…

She repeatedly chanted to herself on the inside that she must survive, she must survive…

The wind raged.

She staggered forward, being dragged on by the kidnapper. The strong wind messed up her long hair, causing it to stick to her thin and pale face.

The sounds of the propeller got closer and the strong wind made it hard for her to advance. Finally, it stopped.

In the distance, she saw a helicopter hovering near the ground as a familiar silhouette appeared.

Stella stared straight at that man.

Even if she had already decided to cut this person out of her life, when her life was at stake, she would still feel fear and despair. Hence, she subconsciously believed in him.

He must have rushed over from the office. He didn’t look battered at all in his suit, and his innate noble aura never faltered even in the presence of these kidnappers. Instead, he looked increasingly imposing.

“Mr. Ford, Ms. Cohen and Madam are over there. The culprit is a criminal gang, and some of them are still hiding around. What do we do now?”

“Don’t move recklessly. Ensure their safety at all costs.”

The man looked down at what was happening below. Holding onto a rope in one hand, his cold eyes scanned the people on the rooftop and his jaw tensed up. He loosened his shirt collar and then jumped down from the helicopter in one deft movement.

The hems of his clothes lifted in the air as his figure made a streak in the void. He landed steadily, stirring up a cloud of dust around him which further accentuated the height of his striking stature.

With a frighteningly dark expression, he stared straight at the kidnappers. He casually tossed his suit jacket on the ground and loosened the collar of his white shirt as he strode over.

The words he had forced out of his throat were thickly laced with murderous intent. “Let her go!”

The kidnappers tensed up and they backed away nervously. “Don’t come any nearer! Both of your women will die if you do!”

“Mr. Ford…” Stella was pulled back by the man beside her. She reflexively called out to Weston and looked up to meet his eyes.

Weston paused and looked at Stella.

He immediately noticed the scratches on her face, the bloody wounds all over her body, and her ghastly pale complexion…

The man’s expression looked dangerous all of a sudden. A thick layer of ice had formed over his eyes as he seemed ready to kill.

He had only ever seen Stella so weak and near to tears during late nights. She preferred acting tough most of the time.

Weston loved seeing her begging in tears, but now, this appearance only roused up uncontrollable irritation and fury in him. His hands balled into fists, and one could almost hear the crackling of his knuckles.

He was about to make his way to Stella when a weak cry for help sounded behind him.

“Weston…”

This cry made him pause.