Three hours later James was still worried his mind was completely occupied with the thought of Claire. What if something bad happened to her? Eric would be doomed but he wouldn't let that happen.They tried contacting the school but Claire's school said that someone had come to pick her up with Eric's stamp.“What could possibly be their ransom?” Lana voiced out.” After the silence on the table grew unbearable.“I know what they want. It's my identity.” James said, and was tapping his foot uncontrollably.“How are you sure about that?”“They did the same to Mr. Price’s assistant. Whoever this kidnapper is, is not after our money. Let's turn me in. I believe that's the only option we have got now.” James said, believing that is the best option to save the girl whom he had already saved before.“Yes! I think it's worth more than keeping your identity hidden. Rescuing the child is far more important.” Ellen said.“I know but what if we do and they end up not releasing Claire? We have to
It was Mary, calling him. He answered the phone. "Honey! Where are you? I've been trying to call you for hours."Eric's heart sank. He knew he hadn't been answering her calls, but he hadn't realized just how many she'd been making. "I've been busy," he said, his voice was cracking."What do you mean busy?"“Office work…”“You've not gone to pick Claire up? It's late, Eric.” Eric paused, his mind racing. He couldn't tell her the truth. He didn't want to put her in any worry. “Well, she's here with me.” Eric lied.“Oh my dear Claire. I hope you got her something to eat. Can I speak with her?”“She… She is not… right here with me.”“What do you mean not right here with you?” Mary's voice was now full of fear. "What's happening?”“I mean she is out with James and Gregor. They went to get her something to eat.”“Okay, then. That's fine.” Mary said, and then asked, “Are you alright? Your voice sounds tense.”"I'm fine," he said, trying to sound brave. "Just a little stressed out, that's al
Mary on the other hand received a message from an unknown number telling her that he found her daughter in the middle of nowhere around the outskirts of the city, and is bringing her home.She was confused because Eric told her that Claire was with James and Gregor, and the way he had said it she didn't believe him now.Mary picked up her phone and called Eric immediately.“Where exactly is Claire, Eric? Tell me what's going on?”Eric didn’t know how he was going to answer Mary, his wife and so he just rubbed his face and fought back tears for a while.“Are you there?” Mary’s voice pulled him out of his reverie.“Yes, yes I am. I’m thinking about what could have happened, who could possibly have come to pick her. Hold on a while, I’ll call James and ask if he had gone to see Claire at school.” He lied. James was standing next to him and with everything he had he wished it had actually been James who went to pick her.“Wait there is someone at the door, I think she is back.” Mary said
“Yes indeed I have good news. The real heir to the Wane family had been taken care of by me and I’d deliver him to you myself, bound.” Eric said, his heart pounding wildly in his chest while the others tracked the location.“I was right when I picked you, you are trustworthy and smart. But I’d ask you one question first of all.” the voice said.“Okay, go ahead.” Eric said.“If you are really close to the actual heir, how come you are betraying him so easily?” He asked.“Well I wouldn’t put it that way, I am not betraying him, I am just a desperate husband and father and husband that would stop at nothing whatsoever to bring his family back home, safe and sound and besides these young arrogant rich kids, have to be taught a lesson sometimes.” Eric said and looked around.Some of the ESU agents were not present anymore. The location of the kidnappers had been obtained and they had left to form a circle of barrier several kilometers away from the actual location.This was part of the pla
Gregor finally met with James where he had told him to meet him and he greeted him respectfully."Young master,” he genuflects, “It's good to see you," Gregor said with a nod of his head.James returned the greeting with a polite smile. "Likewise, Gregor. I'm glad you could make it. I hope you brought every piece of equipment we would be needing?" he asked."Yes, I've made sure to bring everything necessary," Gregor replied confidently. He then turned to James with a hint of concern in his voice. "I hope you haven't forgotten everything I taught you, young master," he said, respectfully and it appeared more like a question."Why would I?" James replied to him."Good," Gregor nodded in approval. "I thought this past three years would have made you soft."Unknown to everyone, and only know to few, Gregor was a formidable martial artist who had trained with the best. As the former personal bodyguard to James' father, he possessed strength and skill beyond compare.And will one day become
Eric returned to where the rest of the team was waiting. His mind was still reeling from the recent turn of events and he could see the worried expressions on the faces of everyone, mostly Lana and Ellen Immediately they saw him, Lana and Ellen approached him and asked. "Eric, what happened?"Eric took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves. "It's not good," he began, his voice trembling slightly. "The kidnappers are onto us. They know about our plans and they have someone on the inside feeding them information."“OMG it can't be!” “That's the situation currently.” Eric said, and began to walk towards the ESU agents while the girls followed behind her.“Where's James?” Ellen asked. She looked at the car and saw no trace of him.“He went to find the kidnappers.”Lana and Ellen exchanged worried glances when he said that. “How? What's he thinking?” Ellen asked.“Alone?” Lana asked.“No, with Gregor. I tried to talk him out of it but he wouldn't listen. Seeing that the plan was a
Eric's heart raced with panic when Agent Tom suggested that James should be present, considering his previous involvement in the rescue plan. Before Eric could come up with a plausible excuse, Lana stepped forward from behind. She has been watching the whole drama unfold, "Wait, hold on a moment," she said. "Are you talking about the chauffeur? Obviously, he was actually sent by me to retrieve some of my belongings from my place because I will be going to the office from here." The other agents turned to Lana and regarded her with respect. "And besides," Lana continued, "James is a member of my personal security detail. He can't be wrongly accused without proper justification." Agent Tom nodded in understanding, "Alright, if that's the case, then we'll trust your judgment, Miss." he said and held his peace. “Good.” Lana turned to Eric with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Eric. Everything will be fine. Let's focus on getting through this together," she said and offered him a supp
James and Gregor waited in tense silence for almost two hours for Gomer Frenté.Finally, the device buzzed."It's them," James whispered to Gregor with his thumb hovering over the accept button. He pressed it, and brought the phone to his ear."Alright, Mr. Wood, or should I say Mr. Eric Wood, the puppet CEO of Emerald Multisource Cooperation?" Gomer Frenté the voice on the other end said with a hint of amusement lacing the words. "I've checked your location, and indeed, you're not with the ESU agents. So, here's what we'll do: meet us in the desert on the outskirts of town. You come alone, bring the information, and we'll have your family there."Gregor's eyes narrowed at the mention of the location. "they fell for it," he gestured to James, who nodded in understanding."I'll be there," James replied with a steady voice "But if anything happens to my family, this deal is off."Gomer Frenté laughed, a sound that sent chills down James's spine. "You're in no position to make demands, M
Chapter 397Morning broke with a dull glow, illuminating the quiet safe house nestled deep in the woods. Inside, tension hung thick in the air. Williams was standing near the window with a phone pressed to his ear, speaking in a calm but calculated tone.“We’ve got your son, Charles,” he said, his voice steady. “But we haven’t located Jaxon.”On the other end of the line, Mr. Sterling’s voice cracked with emotion. “Charles? Is he safe? Are you sure?” Relief flooded his tone, but it was quickly shadowed by anxiety. “What about Jaxon? Did you find him? Is there anything—anything—leading up to him?”Williams let out a quiet sigh, one that sounded more like practiced patience than genuine concern. “That’s all we could manage,” he replied. “The men who took Jaxon still have him, and from what we’ve gathered, they plan to kill him if there’s any interference.”Mr. Sterling was silent for a beat, processing the grim news. Then, his voice rose, tinged with panic. “What do I do now? How do I
Chapter 396James and Gregor stepped out of their concealed position in the underbrush as the taillights of the SUV disappeared into the darkness. The cool night air was eerily silent now, broken only by the faint rustling of leaves and the muffled sounds of wildlife in the distance. The ground beneath their boots crunched softly as they moved toward the aftermath of the chaos they had just witnessed.Gregor’s eyes scanned the scene, his face expressionless as he took in the lifeless bodies sprawled across the area. Three of them, including Ben they once held, lay motionless, their weapons discarded and their blood staining the dirt beneath them.Gregor crouched beside one of the bodies, briefly checking for a pulse, though he already knew there was none. Standing, he shook his head and muttered, “Well, that’s the life they’ve chosen for themselves.”James, standing a few steps behind him, remained silent for a moment, his sharp eyes darting around the scene. The faint glow of the moo
Chapter 395The shadows of the dilapidated bunker stretched long under the moonlight as Williams and his team lay in wait. They had taken up position hours earlier, tucked inside Jaxon’s sleek sports car, the dark, polished metal blending seamlessly into the night. The air inside the vehicle was stifling, thick with tension and the faint metallic tang of gun oil. Every man was armed and ready, their nerves wound tight, waiting for the right moment to strike. Williams sat in the driver’s seat, his hands resting casually on the steering wheel, though his eyes never left the rearview mirror. Beside him, Kane sat rigid, one hand gripping Jaxon’s arm firmly while the other rested on the stock of a shotgun lying across his lap. In the cramped sports car, Tom and Dorian crouched uncomfortably in the trunk, their weapons at the ready, waiting for Williams’ signal.The silence inside the car was shattered when headlights cut through the darkness. A single car approached, its rumbling engine e
Chapter 394The dense canopy of the forest loomed overhead, casting long shadows over the makeshift campsite where James and Gregor had been holed up for days. The air was damp, thick with the earthy scent of moss and pine, and the distant call of nocturnal creatures echoed through the stillness.Gregor sat cross-legged on the damp ground, his eyes glued to the small tablet in his lap. A blinking red dot pulsed steadily on the screen—the nano tracker they’d planted on Ben’s phone.For three grueling days, they’d followed that dot from one hideout to another, staying just far enough away not to be detected. They’d spent their nights in the car or in the bush, catching only brief moments of sleep between shifts of surveillance.Tonight was no different, and Gregor’s tired eyes burned as he watched the screen, hoping for any sign of movement.James lay stretched out on the ground beside him, his jacket pulled over his face to block out the faint moonlight filtering through the trees. Hi
Chapter 393Jack paced back and forth in the dimly lit room, his gun laid out on the table as he meticulously assembled and armored it. Each metallic click echoed in the stale air, punctuating the tense atmosphere.They had to switch hideouts when Ben rejoined them, in case he was being tailed. Jack carefully considered the situation and concluded that bringing him back into the operation as an additional resource would be a wise decision, just in case they encountered any unexpected challenges but he made sure they switch hideout from time to time. But their main exchange point was still the old bunker because it has a lot of escape routes and underground tunnels.Ken was nearby, double-checking their supply of ammunition, while Denver and Ben lounged on an old, battered couch, their excitement barely contained.“Finally, we’re getting out of this shithole with a bundle of millions,” Denver said to Ben, leaning back with a smug grin. He flicked a discarded cigarette butt into the cor
Chapter 392The evening sky was a dusky orange, streaked with long trails of purple as the sun dipped below the horizon. Williams parked the sleek, black car that Mr. Sterling had secured for him—a high-profile Lamborghini that was both remarkable and practical for what was about to go down.The tinted windows gleamed faintly in the fading light as he stepped out, dressed in a dark hoodie and jeans. He adjusted the baseball cap on his head and pulled it lower to obscure his face further.Kane was already waiting near the edge of the gravel lot, leaning casually against a rusted lamp post that barely flickered to life. His stance was relaxed, but his eyes darted around, sharp and alert. A few paces away, Tom and Dorian lingered by the entrance to the abandoned warehouse, their conversation low but punctuated with short laughs.Williams approached Kane with purposeful strides. Without a word, he gestured for Kane to follow him a short distance away from the others.“They ready?” William
Chapter 391Andrew’s pen hovered over the page. “Eric Wood? The CEO of EMC?”“Yes,” Sterling said, his voice steady now, laced with conviction. “He’s had a vendetta against my family for months. He’s jealous of our success, our influence. And now, with everything happening at EMC, I wouldn’t put it past him to stoop this low. My two sons were kidnapped in a sparse of a few weeks. Is it not strange?”Andrew tilted his head, his expression skeptical. “That’s a serious accusation, Mr. Sterling. Do you have any evidence to support this?”Mr. Sterling sighed heavily, as though burdened by the weight of his own claim. “Not concrete evidence, no. But think about it. He has the resources, the motive. And I heard through some… private channels that he’s been meeting with unsavory characters lately. People who could easily pull off something like this.”Andrew jotted a few notes, his pen moving quickly. “I see. I’ll look into it. But you understand we can’t act on hearsay alone.”“Of course, of
Chapter 390As soon as Mr. Sterling ended the call with Williams, he hurried to his closet, throwing on a sleek navy suit and matching tie. His hands trembled slightly as he adjusted the knot, but he steeled himself, taking a deep breath.This wasn’t just a favor for Williams; it was a calculated move to get his two sons back. Grabbing his keys, he rushed out of his mansion, the elevator ride to the ground floor feeling agonizingly slow.When he finally stepped outside, the cool morning air bit at his face, but he paid it no mind. His black sedan waited at the curb, and he climbed in, starting the engine with a growl. As he sped toward Sky Suite, he rehearsed the lies he might need to tell to retrieve Jaxon’s car.The towering Sky Suite hotel loomed ahead, its modern glass facade gleaming brightly under the early morning sun. As Mr. Sterling approached the entrance, his stomach tightened. The sight of two patrol cars parked near the lobby entrance made his pulse quicken. Uniformed off
Chapter 389As soon as Kane received the message from Tom that Jaxon had finally broken under the pressure and confessed, he immediately pulled out his phone and dialed Williams. His tone was sharp, clipped, and direct as he relayed the crucial information.“He finally talked,” Kane said without any preamble. “He’s given up Jack’s location—some bunker near the old docks.”Williams, on the other end of the line, didn’t respond right away. The faint sound of tapping, likely his pen against his desk, filled the silence. “Good,” Williams finally said, his voice steady but tinged with calculation. “Did he say anything about how many men Jack has with him?”“Yeah,” Kane replied. “Three, including Jack himself. He said one of them ran away. It’s a small crew.”Williams let out a low hum of approval. “That’s manageable. We’ve got the numbers, four to three. Here’s the plan,” he said, leaning forward in his chair. “You’re going to prep Jaxon to lead you straight to the bunker. He’s our key. Ma