Graham's worries were not unfounded. James frowned at his words. "I think there's a tiny possibility of that happening, so we can't rule it out. Why don't we ask them right away?" Then, he kicked the table beside him, and it toppled over.The huge crash attracted the attention of those who were standing guard outside. Someone entered the room—it was the blond man, the same one that had attacked Jenny."Wow! What do you want, gentlemen? You don't act like prisoners, do you?" He was pissed when he detected no hint of fear on Graham and James' faces. James ignored his smirk and asked, "What do you want?"The blond man was stunned by James' boldness. Then, he chuckled and said, "You two are clever men." He didn't abduct them for no good reason. If he had followed the instructions of the Glasses, he would have killed off the two hostages instead of going through the trouble of hiding them.James scoffed, thinking, "Isn't that obvious? I don't even need to guess.""I bet you know who'
Graham and James were well aware of the blond man's craftiness but did not object to the ransom amount. "Money is not a problem. But how can you guarantee you'd let us go after you get the money?" James asked. In his eyes, the abductors had no credibility at all."Mr. Windsor, just trust us," the blond man offered a lackadaisical promise, unconcerned with whether Graham and James were convinced, knowing full well they had no other option. His hostages didn't have the luxury of giving up their only hope, even if he walked back on the promise. That was the reason behind his cockiness.James glanced at him but did not call him out. "How about this? We'll pay you the first 300 million dollars to release Mr. Walter. You can let me go when you receive the second payment," he suggested. At the very least, one of them could be free. Graham would be safe even if the blond man took back his word."No!" Graham spoke ahead of the blond man. "James, you leave first. I'll be the last to go." He
James wanted to chat with Jenny, but the blond man was aiming the gun at him. His intention was obvious; he didn't want James to waste time. James said, "They told me they'll only let us go if we pay 300 million dollars each.""Tell him that's not a problem, but we will do the exchange in person," Jenny replied. The blond man heard her answer through speaker mode and said, "Wire the money. I will text you the account later. Remember, Miss Walter, you don't have a choice now."Hearing that, she bit her lips, struggling to keep her composure. "Okay. But I need to talk to my dad. I need to make sure he's safe." Knowing that Graham was shot in the thigh, she'd be worried if she couldn't verify that he was safe.The blond man was happy to oblige her at the thought of the incoming 600 million dollars. James handed the phone to Graham. Graham took the call and assured her, "Jenny, I'm fine.""Dad, don't worry. I'll get you out," she comforted him and added, "Is everything okay over ther
Kevin was well aware of the obstacles in his path that Jenny brought up. More than that, he wanted to understand her motive. Perhaps, he now had a newfound respect for her because she had survived their attack. "Miss Walter, what do you want out of this?""My goal is simple; do not lay a finger on your hostages. If you're worried about revenge from the Glasses, I can solve that problem for you." Jenny was satisfied with her proposed solution. Kevin had no good reason to turn her down unless he didn't want to get out of Clusia safely.Indeed, Kevin hesitated at the attractive offer. The problem of leaving Clusia after getting the ransom weighed heavily on his mind. Jenny remained calm in the face of his silence. At the same time, she urged Neil to work faster to locate Graham and James. Two minutes later, Kevin chuckled. "I'll consider your suggestion.""Great. I'll wait for your reply," Jenny replied. Kevin hung up soon after when she did not insist on staying on the line. Pushi
Sunlight poured into the hospital room. Alec opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of the white ceiling above his head. Briefly dazed, he furrowed his brows in pain when a rush of painful memories flooded in. That was perhaps the reason his heart rate increased, causing the machine at the headboard to beep incessantly. A nurse immediately rushed in to check on him. Call the doctor," she told another nurse. She checked Alec's vitals while the other went to get the doctor. When the doctor arrived, Alec was finally feeling like himself. He could recall all the memories from his past, but that overwhelmed him a little. Once the doctor was done with the check-up, he called out to Alec, "Mr. Faust?"Although there didn't seem to be any issues with Alec's physical health, the doctor noticed that Alec's mental state seemed off. "Could something else be wrong with him?" the doctor wondered."Yeah, I'm fine," Alec answered, voice hoarse. He hadn't taken any solids or liquids after
When morning came, the news of Graham and James' abductions was at the center of public attention as the business day started. As Jenny expected, the stock price of Walter Inc and Windsor Corp took a plunge right as the market opened. The two families had no choice but to release a joint statement to assure the investors about Graham and James' safety, promising that the incident would not have any material impact on the two companies.Jenny didn't have to worry about that because she had a team to deal with public relations. She had arrived at the small town and began exploring every nook and cranny that had anything to do with logs.Ten minutes away from the one-hour deadline, she was sweating profusely and still stuck in the middle of the search. She had also instructed her staff to wire Kevin the money right in time to be safe.At the logging factory, Kevin stared at his phone, annoyed he hadn't received the wire notification. "Call Jenny Walter and ask her if she is giving up o
Kevin's anxiety grew when he received no answer. "Miss Walter, do you want your father dead?""I promise," she sighed, feeling that she was at the mercy of the mercenaries. Still, she was not too concerned now that her team had tracked down their location. As long as she tailed them, she would have a chance to rescue Graham and James.Kevin let out a relieved sigh. For a second, Jenny got him thinking that she refused to entertain him. "Good thing that the Clusians are soft-hearted," he thought.After the call, Jenny hid well to keep herself out of sight from Kevin and his men, whom she expected to leave soon.Just as she had guessed, ten minutes later, there was movement at the logging factory not far away. The sight of Kevin exiting the factory with his men brought relief to Jenny as it proved her search fruitful. She watched Kevin closely as he climbed into a car, his other men occupying the other cars. Soon, she spotted Graham and James being shoved inside one. She immediately
When Jenny arrived at the scene and saw the madness, she grabbed the steering wheel and crashed the car in front of the mercenaries to stop them from shooting at the hostages. Then, she hopped out of the car and walked over to Graham and James, taking off her ski mask. "Dad, James.""Jenny, I know you wouldn't let us down." James was glad but unsurprised to see her, for he knew she'd come to their rescue.On the other hand, Graham, who looked a little pale, forced a smile at her. "Jenny, I have nothing to worry about if you're this capable.""Let's get into the car and talk after we leave." She was worried that Kevin and his men in the first car might turn back. Even though it was an impossible scenario, she didn't want to risk it."Sure." The two men nodded and went into the car that Jenny drove. They didn't walk long before Jenny noticed something amiss in Graham. "Have you been shot?""No, no. Let's go now." He shook his head, knowing they were at greater risk with each passing