"Mr. Warner, no sign of her either."The airline manager approached Bradley with a work tablet in hand and informed respectfully, "Mrs. Warner completed the necessary procedures but did not board the plane. We made several announcements before takeoff as well."The manager showed Bradley the surveillance footage they had obtained."Mr. Warner, this is the airport surveillance footage. She arrived at the airport but left with her child again," the manager explained, pointing to Esther holding Felix's hand as they got into a Mercedes-Benz sedan."Immediately trace the whereabouts of that car," Bradley commanded.Bradley disembarked from the plane, and his bodyguards located the location of the Mercedes-Benz car based on its track."Mr. Warner, the car is outside the hotel," one of the bodyguards reported.Giving the bodyguard a cold glance, Bradley boarded the helicopter again to return to the hotel. Eventually, the bodyguards found Esther's car in the hotel parking lot. To thei
Bradley glanced at the gold-embossed name on the business card—Oliver Quill.The business card had a simple and elegant design, with no job position or company name, only a name and a string of digits.Disinterested, Bradley closed the car window and casually discarded the business card, which landed in Esther's open handbag like a falling leaf in the autumn breeze. He started the car and drove away swiftly.Meanwhile, Oliver, still standing there, made a mental note of the license plate number. He planned to ask someone he knew to investigate the car's route.Oliver got into his car and returned to the cemetery. When the cemetery manager saw him, they were about to speak, but Oliver silenced them by handing over an envelope."Do you need any assistance, sir?" the manager asked.In a gentle tone tinged with anger, Oliver replied, "I'd like to review the surveillance footage.""Please follow me."The manager led Oliver to the surveillance room, where the staff retrieved the rece
"I drank a bottle of beer, mister," Esther confessed.Another man dressed in black stood up and grabbed Esther's arm. "Mrs. Warner, your son is still in our hands. Cooperate and don't try any tricks."Esther anxiously replied, "I wouldn't dare.""Bro, keep an eye on the child. I'll handle this woman," the man instructed.A suggestive understanding passed between the men in black. "I'll go first. You can join later.""Be careful not to disrupt Mr. Hoyer's plans.""I understand."The man pushed Esther into the women's restroom. Her hands and feet were bound tightly with plastic zip ties, leaving a thin red mark on her pale wrists from the friction."Mister, can you loosen the zip ties for me?" Esther requested.The man gazed at Esther and couldn't help but have stray thoughts upon seeing her clear eyes. He had encountered many women, but someone as pure and seductive as Esther was a first for him.He licked his dry lips and let out a sinister chuckle."Do you want me to loosen
The black-clad man, not expecting resistance from Esther, swiftly placed Felix into her arms and approached the unconscious man to assess the situation.Esther quietly trailed behind him, asking, "Is he drunk?"Seizing the opportune moment as the man was about to tend to the unconscious individual, Esther fiercely thrust the bone she held in her hand into the man's pressure point.A groan escaped his lips as he crumpled to the floor.Swiftly, Esther retrieved plastic zip ties from their bags and skillfully bound the hands and feet of both men. She ingeniously connected them together, buying her and Felix valuable time to make their escape."Mommy, are you done?" Felix whispered.Esther nodded reassuringly and grasped Felix's hand as they exited the washroom. Spotting an old bed sheet in the distance, she twisted it into a makeshift rope, tying one end to the women's washroom door and the other to the men's washroom door.With that task completed, she led Felix by the hand, swift
Pale with fear, Esther was comforted by Felix, who whispered in her ear to calm down. She gestured for silence, fearing that any noise would attract the black-clad men's attention outside the corridor.Esther felt a sense of gratitude that they hadn't run out into the open field earlier. They would have become easy targets in the waist-high wild grass if they had. Worry flickered in Esther's bright eyes as she looked down at the dust on her white shoes.The stairwell they had just escaped from was filled with thick dust. Once the black-clad men upstairs woke up, they would easily track her through the footprints.What should they do now?Esther was at a loss. She had given up hope that Bradley would come to her rescue. It was up to her to find a solution.Bumping her head lightly against the wall, she regretted wasting her time in prison, grieving over the deaths of her children. If she had known what terrors awaited her upon release, she would have focused on studying, reading bo
Clark drove to the location provided by Hoyt and met up with the other two half an hour later. "Recount everything to Clark."The undercover lackey didn't hold back and explained, "I don't have the exact location, but I heard from someone that Shane has people waiting outside the wedding venue. They planned to capture Esther as soon as she appeared."Anxiously, Clark asked, "Do you know where they're taking her?""I don't." The lackey scratched his head. "But I know they failed to get Esther's heart during the last car accident. It's likely they're kidnapping her this time for her heart."Clark felt deep concern. Finding a person without a specific lead in the city would be difficult.Hoyt spoke in a deep voice. "Let me check if I can track her through the surveillance system.""Okay."Hoyt opened his laptop, swiftly typing on the keyboard. He needed to find the surveillance footage from outside the hotel as quickly as possible.Clark and the lackey stared at the screen, fill
Only someone audacious would dare to target Bradley like this! Those who laid a finger on his woman would pay the price!"Look into it."The city was equipped with surveillance cameras, and many fugitives had been captured through the surveillance system.Once they obtained the vehicle's license plate number that took Esther and Felix, even if it was a fake plate, they could continuously track it through the surveillance system. They would find her, even if she went to a place without surveillance or a blind spot. They would search relentlessly, even if they had to dig three feet under!"Mr. Warner, we've found the suspicious vehicle!"-The sound of a rushing wind filled Esther's ears as she ran as fast as she could, not daring to look back.She sprinted with such speed that she hardly felt the pain of glass shards piercing her feet.Her only goal was to draw attention to herself, allowing Felix to escape to safety as quickly as possible.Esther ran forward, but the waist-hig
The two men halted their actions, their already ferocious faces contorting into menacing smiles."You remind us, you damn woman!" One man forcefully tore open Esther's collar, exposing a patch of her skin. "We don't mind dying if it means we get to enjoy you!"He lunged toward Esther, and despite her weakened state, she struggled desperately.Blindly, she grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground and threw it at the man's face, temporarily blinding him. Before Esther could attempt to escape, several other men rushed in and restrained her, pinning her hands and feet down.Now looking down at Esther from a higher position, the temporarily blinded man coldly commanded, "Bring out that little brat."Another man dragged Felix out, his mouth covered with a piece of yellow tape. Felix looked at Esther, surrounded by the menacing men, and fought angrily against his captor's grip."B*tch, behave yourself! If you dare to move again, I'll throw this little brat into the sea to feed the shar
Bradley's brazen words made Gabriel raise an eyebrow, and his scrutinizing gaze on Bradley intensified.Unfazed by Gabriel, Bradley calmly stated, "Mr. Sinclair, when I visited Shane recently, he handed me some video footage. It showed Esther being assaulted and abused in prison, with the perpetrators claiming it was my order. I've always dared to own up to my actions. What I've done, I won't shirk from. What I haven't done, I won't admit."Gabriel had seen the videos online. Even though Bradley had obscured the protagonist's face in the footage, he knew it was Esther. He had believed entrusting Esther to Thomas would ensure her safety, only to discover how fate twisted things."Bradley, I'll assume your words are true," Gabriel began. "Then tell me, if those people who assaulted Esther in prison weren't influenced by someone else, who put her in prison? Have you forgotten how you, in your irrational madness, expected a woman carrying your children to pay the price? Or do you believ
When Bradley brought up his grandfather again, he felt utterly unfilial as a grandson."Your grandfather's greatest wish before he passed was for you and Esther to live peacefully and happily. Sadly, all he witnessed was discord and enmity between you as a couple."Gabriel understood better than anyone that Bradley, in his youthful arrogance, felt that everything and everyone should conform to his desires. When Thomas compelled Bradley to marry Esther, almost like an arranged marriage, his rebellious nature surfaced."I've failed my grandfather's hopes," Bradley admitted with a bitter taste in his mouth.During quiet, solitary nights, he revisited memories of the past repeatedly.He hadn't desired that marriage back then. However, since he had promised his grandfather to marry Esther, he should have genuinely treated her as a wife.Despite the subsequent events not aligning with his wishes, he was painfully aware that if he hadn't been arrogant and unwilling to listen to Esther's
Esther wasn't pleasant toward Bradley. If she had evidence, she would gladly send him to prison to experience the joy of life behind bars.Bradley gazed blankly at Esther's stunning face, a hint of indescribable sorrow in his eyes. Those deep eyes resembled a chilly cold spring."Not only do you want to chop off my hand, but you also want my life, right?"Esther gestured a slice across her neck at Bradley with her hand, then turned away to tell Logan, "Let's go. Don't waste time on this.""Okay."With languid steps, Esther walked into the elevator. Once they were inside, the elevator doors shut.Outside the elevator, Bradley watched Esther and Logan like they were two puzzle pieces that matched perfectly. Instantly, he felt an unbearable heartache, as if his heart was being torn apart.He instinctively reached out to steady himself against the wall, observing the numbers on the elevator panel decrease until it stopped at the ground floor.It took a while before Bradley recovere
Throughout the entire night, neither Esther nor Logan had shut their eyes.Feeling their eyes strain, they applied eye drops. It wasn't until Esther noticed someone who shouldn't have been there on the surveillance footage."Logan, take a look at this."Perplexed, Logan asked, "What's going on?""Do you think this person looks like Shirley?"Esther was particularly sharp in discerning a woman's physique. She could immediately tell that the woman being supported by a man due to her intoxication bore a striking resemblance to Shirley."Let me see."Logan zoomed in on the surveillance footage, carefully comparing it with the footage containing Shirley. Physically, the two women indeed looked very similar.There was just one question... How would they confirm if she was Shirley?"Esther, stay here and keep watching the surveillance. I'll retrieve other surveillance footage.""Okay."Logan and Esther divided their tasks. Suspecting that the intoxicated woman might be Shirley, Est
Logan and Esther exchanged a glance. They fixed their intense gazes on Jason's face, unable to discern if he was smirking or provoking them."Mr. Taft, the evidence you seek will come."Jason scoffed. He seemed to transform into a different person as he put his glasses back on."Even if Shirley deceived me, I never wished harm upon her, let alone her death."I can consider your suspicions toward me as part of the investigation, but I hope that once everything is revealed, you can restore my innocence."I've said my piece. As long as Shirley hasn't divorced me, she remains my wife. I am obliged to cooperate in the investigation, and I hope you find her soon."Logan and Esther sensed something amiss with the first confrontation. They didn't say anything untoward until they exited the elevator and looked up at Jason's balcony outside.Jason stood on the balcony, looking at Logan and Esther and waving toward them.Logan and Esther looked at Jason before they turned and got into the
"She blocked me on all forms of contact at that time. I even tried contacting her through my colleagues' phones but found out she had blocked them, too. I thought she might be angry, so we should both calm down."Logan didn't speak and just listened quietly as Jason recounted the events of the case."I was angry that she blocked me. At my age, what's wrong with wanting a child? My parents were pushing for it, and I wondered if this marriage was what I wanted."Shirley is very beautiful. My friends and classmates say I'm lucky to have married her, but they don't know that beauty comes at a price."While my colleagues were buying properties, my wife kept changing bags. Her clothes, skincare products, shoes—everything was designer. To support her lifestyle, I work diligently, even taking extra freelance jobs to afford it."I thought I was a good husband and just wanted a child. What did I do wrong? If she had said that she didn't want a child after marriage in the first place, it wou
Gabriel took a long look at Esther, realizing more than anyone that Esther seemed to be heading toward a different extreme now. He wasn't certain if this shift in Esther's demeanor was good or bad.However, one thing was clear to him—the intersection of Esther and Bradley's lives resembled two lines crossing. After intersecting, they would drift further apart."Esther, you can investigate Bradley's criminal evidence. I won't object to that," Gabriel said with a stern face, emphasizing, "But ensure you complete your tasks on time and with quality.""Grandpa Gabriel, rest assured, I won't neglect my work."Gabriel nodded. "Go on then.""Alright." Esther stepped out of the office and approached Logan. "We can set off now.""Okay."Logan didn't inquire about Esther's conversation with Gabriel. Although they pretended to be engaged, Logan maintained a respectful distance from Esther. He wouldn't interfere much in her matters. However, he was aware that if she needed his help, he woul
Gabriel stated, "According to her husband, they argued before she went missing. He assumed she had returned to her parents' home and didn't inquire further since they often had cold spells for ten days to half a month. Their relatives and friends can testify to this."However, the cold spell extended to a month this time, which alarmed him. When he called her parents, they told him his wife never went home."Esther knew that the husband was often the first suspect when the wife went missing in cases like this."The wife bought a high-speed train ticket to her parents' home but didn't take the train back. The police traced her taking a ride-hailing car, and the driver claimed to have dropped her off on the street. The dashcam recording is proof. However, after that point, there's a blind spot in the surveillance footage. Usually, surveillance is kept for a certain period and gets overwritten after that."Logan asked, "What about the investigation on the missing woman's husband?""T
Esther rose, fixating on the distant scenery with clear eyes. "As long as he commits a crime, he'll leave traces."Logan was on the verge of speaking but was interrupted by the sudden ring of his phone."Hello, Mr. Sinclair."Gabriel's voice sounded grave. "There's a new lead.""Alright, we'll be right there."Logan stood up, turning to Esther. "We'll meet at the locker room entrance in ten minutes.""Is there a new development?""Yes."For most girls, ten minutes might not suffice even for basic grooming. For Esther, it was just right. The only issue was her long hair. Time was too short, and she lacked the opportunity to blow-dry it. Her damp hair draped over her shoulders, slightly soaking her T-shirt.Logan kept his eyes on the road. "I'll drive. You can use a towel to dry your hair.""Okay."As Logan drove, Esther sat in the car, patting her hair dry with a towel. Her hair was thick, posing a challenge to dry with just a towel.Nevertheless, Esther refrained from openi