After escaping from immediate danger, Felix felt a bit listless.Esther reached out to touch his little face and noticed that he had a slight fever. With limited resources, all she could do for now was use ice cubes to temporarily lower his body temperature, hoping it wouldn't rise again."Felix, go to sleep. Mommy will always be by your side... I'll never lose you again!" Esther gently patted Felix's back as he curled up in fear. It pained her to see him like this.Suddenly, Esther made a bold decision. She decided to have a meal with Felix.If the captors' attitude had changed after the phone call, it meant that they were temporarily safe. These men could take their lives at any moment, so they wouldn't bother with tricks like before."Felix."Felix opened his eyes and weakly replied, "Mommy…""Let's eat a little." Esther placed water and food in front of Felix. "Once we're full, we'll have the energy to escape.""Okay."-As Felix and Esther ate, the other men exchanged gl
As time passed since the kidnapping, Clark and Bradley grew increasingly uneasy. With only two people, Clark's progress was slower, but Bradley had the support of a larger team, allowing him to quickly locate the dock.The van had last been seen at the dock, so they carefully examined the surveillance footage. After analyzing the recordings, they unanimously agreed that the dock was a crucial area to investigate.Bradley turned to the person beside him and asked, "Do we have a map?""Yes," he replied.A map was placed in front of Bradley, who studied the dock's location on the map and then glanced at the sea beyond. His gaze settled on a small island marked on the map."What is this place?" he inquired.The man began explaining, "Mr. Warner, this used to be a prison for dangerous criminals, but it was later developed for tourism—" Bradley cut him off with an urgent tone. "Let's go to the island immediately!""Yes," the man said.Soon, the group boarded a yacht.After half an
The professional personnel spoke in a deep voice. "Board the boat first."The group reboarded the yacht."There's likely a signal jamming device on the island," the professional personnel stated confidently. "Three boats arrived in this area, but two of them passed by. Only this one stayed here for a long time. Our tracking shows it is currently about 200 nautical miles away from us.""How long will it take, approximately?""If everything goes smoothly..."-After suturing the surgical wound, the doctor followed the leader to a room.Esther and Felix felt drowsy after eating the food.The doctor took out a pocket watch and gently swayed it before Esther's eyes.Ten minutes later, the doctor walked to the door and said in a low voice, "The hypnosis is complete, but..."The man asked, "What?""Because you put sleeping pills in her food, I can't guarantee how long this hypnosis will last..."The man rubbed his temples with a headache and said in a deep voice, "Let it be. Let's
Esther and Felix were startled by the voices outside. Finally... Finally, someone had come to rescue them!"Mommy, is Daddy coming to save us?" Felix asked innocently."Yes, he is. Daddy is here," Esther replied, tears of joy streaming down her face.Considering the presence of Bradley's wife and son on the yacht and the unknown situation inside, the rescue team on Bradley's side refrained from launching a direct assault. They relied primarily on verbal communication."We can't launch a direct attack?" Bradley asked the chief commander beside him.The chief commander responded, "Mr. Warner, the criminals might become desperate and unpredictable in such situations. If we..."Bradley remained silent, his gaze fixed on the deck. Eventually, Esther and Felix emerged onto the deck.Anyone observant could immediately see that the two men in black were each holding a pistol aimed at the back of Esther's and Felix's heads.Felix, always a brave little boy, burst into tears as soon as h
Bradley forcefully brought Esther back onto the yacht, but she immediately jumped back into the sea once he released her. Despite the surface appearing calm, turmoil brewed beneath the water.In front of everyone, Felix was kicked into the ocean, followed by Esther and others diving in to search for him. Their efforts to find Felix proved fruitless, no matter how hard they tried.Just then, Clark and his company arrived in haste. Spotting Esther and Bradley in the water, Clark anxiously inquired, "Sir, Madam, what are you searching for?"Upon hearing Clark's voice, Esther found solace in the presence of a reliable adult and transformed into an aggrieved child. "Clark, Felix fell into the sea and disappeared..."Clark's expression changed abruptly, and he asked in a deep voice, "Mr. Felix is missing?"Enraged by Clark's choice of address for Felix, Bradley gritted his teeth and said, "He isn't my son."In unison, Clark and Esther exclaimed, "What do you mean?""Liliane has a cong
Bradley tore the DNA paternity test that Clark had brought and threw it onto the deck, where the shredded pages fluttered in the sea breeze.Esther and Clark rushed over, picking up the torn test. Despite the evidence in front of him, Bradley refused to believe."Bradley, you only believe there's no blood relation between Liliane and Felix, but have you ever considered..." Esther's tearful words dripped with pain. "That I gave birth to Felix… He's our biological son..."Bradley tightly grasped Esther's jaw, issuing a chilling warning, "Esther, utter another word of nonsense and see what happens."Esther's clothes were soaked, and she trembled in the sea breeze. Her eyes burned with deep hatred—the once tender affection transformed into bone-deep animosity."Bradley, do you still refuse to believe that that wretched Liliane has played you?"As Esther spoke, Bradley tightened his grip on her delicate neck, her tears falling like pearls, carried away by the sea breeze...Clark step
Esther teetered on the brink of death after ingesting a large amount of seawater.Bradley pressed against her chest, forcing the water out.When Esther opened her eyes and saw Bradley's handsome face, it felt like a nightmare. She fiercely bit down on his arm in a surge of pent-up anger.She hated him.She loathed him.They were two people from completely different worlds, never meant to intersect.It was her fault.She had foolishly pursued an impossible love.It was her fault.She had been too greedy, hoping that Bradley would leave his past behind and become a true family with her and Felix.But it was all a foolish fantasy.Bradley didn't resist as Esther bit his arm. She continued biting until the taste of blood made her nauseous. Wiping the blood from her lips with the back of her hand, she laughed maniacally and said, "Bradley, you better pray that nothing happens to Felix."Bradley's eyes darkened as he looked at Esther. In his turmoil, his words pierced her heart l
With the incident involving the young heir of the Warner Group and the subsequent large-scale operation, the fishing boats in the nearby sea area received distress calls and started paying attention to the sea.As time passed, Bradley's mood sank. With a gloomy expression on his handsome face, he swiftly walked toward the man with a severed hand who had thrown Felix into the sea. He forcefully kicked the man's hand and repeatedly punched him with his strong fists."Tell me, who ordered you to kidnap Esther?"Another man, witnessing the handless man lying in a pool of blood, fearfully spoke up. "Mr. Warner, Shane Hoyer from the prison hospital instructed us to guard outside the wedding. He ordered us to kidnap Esther and prevent her from attending the wedding...""Shane Hoyer? Prison hospital?" Bradley's lips parted slightly as his menacing gaze fell upon the terrified man's face. "Do you know who they are?"The men remained silent.Bradley's expression turned cold and mocking. "H
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