Daphne admitted that Jeremiah had sent her to attend to Xavier. However, she didn't provide Yvette with all the details. Yvette felt her heart go cold. She hadn't expected Jeremiah to resort to such tactics. Keeping her word, she released Daphne.Daphne left the basement in a disheveled state, and as soon as she was outside, she booked a ticket straight out of Tirion. She knew that if she didn't leave now, both Tristan and Jeremiah wouldn't spare her.Xavier was aware that Yvette had let Daphne go but didn't pursue the matter. After all, someone like Daphne posed no real threat to him. If it hadn't been for Jeremiah and the Lumber family conspiring against him, she wouldn't have been able to get close to him in the first place.Yvette shared the same opinion—Daphne's only talent was hurting others with her words. Someone like her would eventually meet someone who wouldn't hesitate to retaliate, so there was no need to dirty their own hands or risk criminal charges.When Yvette
Every word from Jeremiah hit Xavier directly, leaving him silent.Sensing his advantage, Jeremiah grew more smug. "Xav, do you really think Yvvy loves you? She's just transferred the love she had for me onto you. "If it hadn't been for me, she never would have been with you. Do you know how she used to hold my arm and say she wanted to be with me all the time?"Xavier couldn't muster a reply.Yvette couldn't hear what Jeremiah was saying, but she could see Xavier's expression darken. After a long while, Xavier finally handed the phone back to her."What did you two talk about?" she asked, puzzled.Xavier pulled her into his arms. "Nothing important," he replied in a hoarse voice.Yvette tried to push him away. "Let go."There were people watching. Besides, she had told him she needed time to reconsider; she wasn't ready to just get back together with him. But Xavier didn't care.Seeing this, the bodyguards around them all turned their backs.Xavier lowered his voice. "Yvette
Yvette's eyes narrowed, and she instantly tensed up. "What did you say? Who are you?"The man didn't answer directly but instead mocked her before hanging up the phone. "Your son has been missing for a night, and you didn't even notice. How careless of you."Missing for a night?Yvette immediately thought of Noah. She quickly dialed his number.At Dewberry Manor, Noah had just finished the breakfast the nanny had prepared when he finally received a call from Yvette. Curious, he asked, "Mom, did you find Mr. Xavier?"That single word, "Mom", caused Yvette's tightly wound nerves to relax instantly. She didn't consider the possibility that the person hadn't taken Noah, but rather Zachary, who had been staying at the Shaw residence."Noah, are you safe at home?""Yeah, everything's okay. Why? What's going on?" Noah asked."Nothing. I'm glad you're okay. Just make sure you stay inside and don't go out. Stay close to Kiki," Yvette instructed.She thought it was just a scam call an
Derek refused outright. "You want to use my phone to call the police, don't you? You're pretty smart, kid.""Mister, I just want to play games, not make any calls," Zachary pleaded, his gaze nothing short of genuine.But Derek wasn't so easily fooled. "Shut up. Keep talking, and I'll sew your mouth shut."Zachary had no choice but to stop talking, scanning the surroundings for any chance to escape. But it quickly became clear that there was none. As a child, he was no match for Derek, a grown man, especially with others around to back him up.The only hope left was to somehow get his location to Tristan. Since he hadn't returned last night, Tristan and the others were likely searching for him. But with Derek being so cold and refusing to give him any communication devices, Zachary knew he'd have to find another way. He would have to try one of the other captors.…Chaos erupted back at the Shaw residence. Upon learning that Zachary was missing, Archibald issued a stern order
After hanging up, Xavier immediately instructed his team to trace the phone number that had called Yvette earlier. He also received a video from Tristan, showing the black-clad individuals who had entered the washroom yesterday, so he ordered a thorough search for them.Tristan added, "Xav, I noticed Noah also went into the washroom yesterday. These suspicious men entered only after Noah did.""Are you suggesting they might have intended to kidnap Noah but took Zac by mistake?" Xavier asked."I'm not sure, but if they were my enemies, they should have informed me about Zac," Tristan replied.Xavier recalled the morning call made to Yvette. "Got it."Meanwhile, Yvette felt a growing sense of unease throughout the day. She glanced at Noah beside her and only then remembered Zachary. She tapped her head, muttering, "I must be getting forgetful because of the pregnancy."Yvette immediately called Kiki. "Kiki, is Zac with you?"Kiki, who'd been instructed by Tristan not to reveal any
Yvette saw how Zachary was bound by ropes and dangling precariously over the bridge. He looked as if he might fall into the river anytime soon.She was instantly at a loss for words.Derek said, "Our boss said that we'll let the boy go if you promptly leave Tirion, Ms. Snyder. The boy will die if you refuse to leave."Yvette replied without any hesitation, "Alright, I'll leave. Please let him go!"Derek did not let Zachary go but continued as Zoey had instructed. "I can't just buy your words like that."Yvette drove toward the river and said, "What do you want me to do then?"Derek asked, "Do you have a knife with you?"Yvette looked around. "I don't.""Then find something sharp to cut your face," Derek said. He had worked for Gemma for half of his lifetime. It was his first time threatening a woman to disfigure her face using a child. He sighed inwardly.Derek wasn't expecting Yvette to agree readily. The next thing he knew, he heard a scream from the other end of the call.
Xavier was about to reach the bridge by then. He called Yvette, yet her line was always busy. She must have seen the news about Zachary since it was now on trending topics. He hoped that she was alright.Several boats have been dispatched to the river to prevent Zachary from falling in. There was also a helicopter on its way over.They were running out of time. Derek looked up at the helicopter, unable to make a decision.Zoey was also keeping an eye on the online articles. "They're so stupid! Not even a helicopter and boats would be able to save the child! Why isn't Derek cutting the rope yet? That's something that can be done within seconds!"Gemma glanced at the online articles before looking at Zoey. "Did the child offend you too, Zoey?"Startled, Zoey only then remembered the need to maintain her persona. "You didn't know about this, Mom, but that child might not even belong to the Lane family!""You want him dead just because he isn't part a Lane?" Gemma couldn't comprehend
Yvette was too concerned about Zachary's life to recall what she had said.Her grip on Xavier's hand was tight as she pleaded, "If you save Zac and make sure that he's alright, I won't ask for a divorce anymore. I'll stay—"Tears streamed down her face, mixing with her blood as they dripped on the back of his hand.Xavier reached out to wipe her tears. He only realized something was amiss when something sticky coated his fingers. "What happened to your face?"Only then he realized that Yvette reeked of blood.She said, "They told me that they would let Zac go if I disfigured my face, but—"Xavier's chest tightened. Although he couldn't see, he could feel the sticky warmth of blood on his hand.He shouted, "Go get the doctor now, Mark!"A medical team had joined them when they had arrived. They were ready to handle any emergencies that might arise.Only then Mark snapped out of his reverie and replied, "Got it!""I'm fine. I don't need the doctor—" Yvette declined."Listen to