Rebecca ultimately made an appointment for a full body check-up after some thought. Her appointment was on the coming Monday since she didn't get much rest this week. Plus, she was wrapping up her design draft now. She needed two days for final adjustments before submitting the draft to Daniel.Once Rebecca submitted it, she could rest on the remaining two days of the week. Then, she'd go to the doctor next week.If anything were to surprise her, it would likely be the birth of her little nephew. That would cause her schedule to stray. Even so, nothing mattered more to her than welcoming the new Johnson family member's birth.As luck would have it, Penny texted the Johnson family's group chat that night. Rebecca had just showered and immediately changed out of her pajamas to rush to the hospital. Upon arrival, she saw many people standing outside the delivery room.Zelda and Kenneth sat on the bench outside with nervous expressions. Standing aside was Rebecca's oldest sister-
"Don't cry anymore, my love. I won't like you if you cry. Look at yourself. Your eyes are red like a scary rabbit." Sam immediately teased her after seeing Penny's eyes redden. He had heard from somewhere that pregnant women shouldn't shed tears.Although he said he'd dislike her if she cried, his actions and expression proved he was concerned about her.Penny pouted and deliberately said, "I'll raise our daughter away from you if you dare dislike me. After all, I now have money and fame. I have a line of men waiting to date me that extends to another country. You're not the only one who wants me."Her words amused Sam. He soon played along and coaxed her. "Alright. I wouldn't dare dislike you."He held Penny's hand without caring about how sweaty it had gotten since her painful labor. Then, he pecked her cheek. "You've done so well, my love. And thank you."…The little girl was born, and Penny recovered well. She got moved into a regular private ward, where she could chat with
"That's just as expected of a wealthy heir who has trained for such situations abroad. You really aren't afraid, huh?" The man who held Rebecca captive grabbed her bag. He had somehow tied her hands with a soft material. Yet, it also felt like a cold metal.He added, "Apologies, Ms. Johnson. I must remain professional since someone else has entrusted me with this task. You can't buy my loyalty by giving me more money. I'd end up more miserable if I accepted your money. Since you're someone with quick wits, please cooperate with me. We won't hurt you."Rebecca no longer spoke. She complied with their request because she couldn't risk shaking things up before knowing their motives.Two men had kidnapped her, and they both wore black face masks. They also donned special protective gear on their hands. The majority of their body was covered.Rebecca only noticed the mark on the wall beside the elevator when they forced her back into the elevator. It was obvious. Yet, regular people wou
"That's not the case," the driver explained in a collected manner. It was much slower compared to how fast he drove. One couldn't imagine he was a kidnapper. "We've had many clients from previous jobs who behaved calmly like you at the start. We also used a somewhat softer approach with them. Yet, they still quarreled with us halfway through the drive. That forced us to resort to unnecessary measures. In telling you all that, I'm hoping that you, Ms. Johnson, will cooperate with us."Rebecca snorted, then shut her eyes and leaned against the backseat.They had kidnapped her in the middle of the night, blindfolded her, and sped down the road. Despite all that, she found herself falling asleep in no time. She was even a little hazy from waking up when her kidnappers led her outside after parking the car.Rebecca couldn't see the road ahead and could only discern her environment through her senses. She heard the wind blowing against trees that rustled. They sounded close to where she
Caleb was still optimistic before heading upstairs. Rebecca may have ignored his text and phone call, but maybe she fell asleep out of exhaustion. Perhaps she didn't want a call to wake her, so she switched on "Do Not Disturb" mode.After all, she had been busy these past few days. She had submitted work earlier that day and chatted with Penny and the others until late at night. It was normal for her to want to relax after returning home.Alas, Caleb's optimism vanished once he entered the elevator, which required residents to scan their resident cards. What he felt next was immense fear.Rebecca's apartment building elevators required all residents to scan their cards before they could press a floor button.Caleb had a residential card, but his sharp senses immediately detected something was off once he put his card on the scanner. The elevator's automated announcements, the delayed floor number on the indicator screen, and Caleb's intuition told him the system had been tamper
Nate nudged his glasses higher up his nose. "I tried contacting him, but he still hasn't responded."He didn't have David's contact number, so he clearly couldn't send him a message on WhatsApp. So, he resorted to a dumber contact method. Nate emailed David. That ensured David could definitely receive his message.It was a work email listed on the Winston Group's website. Someone would look through and deal with the incoming emails, even if they were spam. That was why it was a dumber method.Daniel, who got ignored by Nate and Caleb, suddenly spoke up. "David's not in the country for now. If it really turns out to be the person David offended—"He paused but didn't continue. Instead, he fished out his phone. "I'll try contacting him."Daniel and his biologically related older brother had become enemies. Yet, he had still exchanged contact numbers when bumping into Darren at the hospital. It was unclear if there was a psychological term to describe Daniel's situation, but he was
To David's surprise, the phone call went through. In truth, he had only called out of frustration and wanted to see if his suspicions were correct. David knew the truth once the call connected.He couldn't think of anyone who would do such a thing except Darren, who was old and close to death's door. Plus, Darren was a patient, so why wasn't he resting at this late hour? It probably meant he was up to no good. David got to the point once the call connected. "You're already ancient. Is there a point in doing all this?"Darren continued his pretense of not knowing anything. He spoke in a frail voice. "You're kicking up such a fuss at this late hour. What vague nonsense are you getting at?" David scoffed. "Yeah, right. I'm only spewing this 'vague nonsense' because you started it. Grandpa, I can apologize if you're doing this because I left without informing you. But it has nothing to do with others. Why would you cause trouble to a helpless woman? Let her go."After a pause, D
There was a small wooden house by the sea at Fairport.Rebecca had been sitting in this leaky place all night.She drifted in and out for a while, but she couldn't hold it any longer. Even though she was tied up, she couldn't bear to sit like this at midnight.Although she slept, she was conscious. After all, the leaky wooden house was too cold at night. Even if she felt sleepy and almost unconscious, she would still get forced to wake up by the cold.She could only be grateful that she was in a relatively southerly location. She wouldn't freeze to death at night.She was blindfolded, and her arms were already numb from being tied behind her back. Her feet were so cold that she lost all feeling in them. She could only thank the two kidnappers for not tying her up too tightly. She could move her ankles within an appropriate range to make her feel like she was still in the world.She didn't know how much time had passed.At first, she counted the lapping waves. But later, she beca