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
Zachary and Yvette were both taken to the hospital for a checkup after the entire fiasco.Zachary was fine, but the same couldn't be said for Yvette's face."The wound on Ms. Snyder's face is quite severe. It will still likely leave a scar even if it heals," the doctor said after the checkup. "She'll need reconstructive surgery after this."Yvette wasn't concerned about the injury on her face as long as Zachary was safe. She was more interested in finding out who exactly had kidnapped him.The number that had called her was now out of service, leaving their lead cold.Zachary had sketched a brief portrait of Derek out of memory. "He was working for someone else—I heard him calling someone for instructions."After a pause, he continued, "The person on the line seemed to want him to kill me, but he probably was reluctant to do so."Yvette grew more fearful after hearing his words. She was determined to find out who the mastermind was.Zachary felt heartbroken seeing how her right
Terrence saw the bouquet by the side and sat down. "Mom and I saw the news. We only knew something had happened to you and my nephew when we asked around," he explained.He then feigned confusion and asked, "Why didn't you tell us that you had a son? Where did he go?"Yvette had asked Tristan and Kiki to take Zachary back to the Shaw residence. It was safer for him to be with the Shaws for now.Yvette said, "If I remember correctly, Madam Cadwell and I are no longer related."Terrence exclaimed, "What the hell are you talking about? Just because you said so doesn't mean that we're actually not related."He then took out a card and handed it to her. "This is from Mom. She wants you to get some supplements to take care of yourself."Yvette did not take the card. Over the years, she'd never believed that Yara would actually care for her. "There's no need. I can afford them myself."Terrence had already figured that someone with such a strong self-esteem as her would refuse the mone
A nurse came in to change the dressing on Yvette's face after Terrence left. Xavier had also returned to take her home by then.After getting into the car, he said, "I've already sent someone to investigate that man. We should be able to hear something soon as long as he's in Tirion.""Okay," Yvette replied with a nod. She had also instructed Ray to assign someone specifically to investigate around Zoey and Marlene.…Noah threw himself into Yvette's arms as soon as they were back in Dewberry Manor. "Is Zac alright, Mom?" The articles had gone viral online, so he'd heard about it too.Yvette immediately comforted him, saying, "He's fine. He's already gone to Mr. Tristan's house with Kiki."Noah was finally relieved. He noticed the bandage on her face and asked in confusion, "What happened to your face, Mom?"Afraid that he might worry, Yvette lied, "I accidentally scratched myself. But don't worry; the doctor said it'll heal in a few days."Being a thoughtful boy, Noah naturall