Chapter 349As the evening descended over Diamond Ville, casting long shadows across the manicured lawns and luxurious homes, Eric and James pulled up to Eric’s sprawling mansion.The place was a fortress of glass and stone, its modern design softened by the carefully trimmed hedges and garden lights that illuminated the pathway. Stepping out of the car, James stretched his legs and took a moment to appreciate the calm of the neighborhood. But his mind was far from at ease; he was thinking about the missing boy, Charles, and the tense, deadlocked situation they faced.Eric, closing the car door behind him, turned to James with a furrowed brow. “Do you think we should let Gwen know about the current situation?” he asked, his voice carrying a hint of worry. “I mean, it's her son. She deserves to know.”James shook his head as they walked toward the house. “I don’t think that’d be a good idea,” he replied, voice low but firm. “If she knew the details—the ransom, the kidnappers—it’d only
Chapter 350The night was heavy with a suffocating silence as Ken, Jack, and the other kidnapper settled into the dingy hideout.They had chosen an abandoned bunker on the outskirts of Emerald falls, deep in the forest, a decaying place that had long been forgotten by the city and overlooked by the police.The cracked windows and flickering overhead lights added a menacing shadow to the already grim scene. In one corner, young Charles sat, his small frame shivering in the cold as he huddled against the wall, his hands bound and his tear-streaked face pressed into his knees.For the past few days, they had been on the run, moving from one location to another to stay ahead of anyone who might be looking for them.Still, they hadn’t heard from Ben, and each time Jack’s call went unanswered, their suspicions grew. By now, Jack was convinced that Mr. Sterling had found Ben
Chapter 351Just then, Jack’s phone buzzed in his hand, vibrating insistently as a new message popped up on the screen.He glanced at it, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. The name on the screen read “Ben.” Jack’s heart skipped a beat. After days of radio silence, here was the man they thought was in Mr. Sterling’s clutches. Without a moment’s hesitation, Jack opened the message and read it aloud to the others.“I’m backing out. This is getting too hot. I’m not taking any more chances.”Jack’s jaw clenched as he processed the words, his mind racing. "What in the world is happening?" he muttered, glancing between Ken and the third man, Denver. He showed them the screen, watching as they leaned in to read the message, their expressions equally perplexed.Denver scratched his head, frowning. “I’m confused,” he said, glancing back at Jack. “I thought Mr. Sterling had him. That’s what he said just now.”“That’s what I don’t understand either,” Jack replied, his voice laced with frus
Chapter 352Mr. Sterling paced the room, frustration mingling with confusion. He no longer understood what was happening.He had reluctantly taken the blame for the mysterious disappearance of one of the kidnappers, hoping it would make the others relent. He imagined they’d be more willing to negotiate, sparing his son’s life in exchange for the missing kidnapper. But he’d miscalculated.Instead of seeing it as a bargaining chip, the kidnappers had seemed indifferent to their comrade’s fate, continuing to demand the ransom with chilling persistence.Well was it truly a wrong move now? They had called again, mentioning Ben as if his disappearance mattered and demanding to see his picture which he refused as he didn’t have him.It almost seemed as though they were pretending to care about him — maybe they couldn’t afford to lose him for some reason. Mr. Sterling’s mind spun. Maybe his guess wasn’t so wrong after all. He clung to the hope that perhaps Ben’s capture could still work in hi
Chapter 353Williams slipped his phone back into his pocket, his mind spinning. Mr. Sterling had just informed him that one of the kidnappers, Ben, had apparently been abducted, and the kidnappers blamed Mr. Sterling.It was strange, and Williams could feel the wheels turning as he pieced together the implications. If Ben truly was missing, there was now a vacuum in the enemy’s ranks — a weakness Williams could use to his advantage. The loud, rough voices of the lieutenants echoed from the inner chamber, where they were gathered in a heated meeting. Williams could hear Finn’s boisterous laugh booming above the others. "By the time we’re done," Finn was roaring with barely suppressed glee, "Scarface will be baby-faced!" The others laughed uproariously, and Kane, who was always one to hype up a fight, joined in."Baby-faced? Ha! More like no-faced!" Kane jeered, slamming his fist on the table with a grin. "You’re going too soft, Finn. I say we leave him begging for mercy, crawling out
Chapter 354“We all know who’s responsible for the death of our beloved leader, Sasha,” Williams stood up and said, his tone solemn. “And it’s our duty to pick up where she left off, to carry out her legacy. But first, we must avenge her death—at all costs. Before we can do that, though, we need a new leader to take us forward.”As soon as the words left his mouth, a heated discussion broke out, each lieutenant quick to claim the position for himself.Vince was the first to raise his voice. “I’m the one with the best connections around here, I should be leading this gang. You all know I’m the right choice.”Finn sneered, leaning back in his chair. “You? You don’t have the brains for it, Vince. I’m twice as smart as you’ll ever be. If anyone deserves to lead, it’s me.”Marco cut in, rolling his eyes. “Brains aren’t everything, Finn. You need strength too. Besides, I’m the strategist here.”Leon, watching the others bicker, shook his head. “Strength is nothing without loyalty. My men wo
Chapter 355The lieutenants burst into laughter, their mocking voices filling the room as Williams stood at the center after saying that.“Listen to this guy,” Vince sneered, shaking his head. “You? Leading us? You don’t even know the inner workings of this gang.”“Are you out of your mind?” Marco added, his eyes narrowed, looking at Williams with sheer contempt.“You’re not one of us, bro,” Kane said with a smirk. “What are you even doing here?”“He’s probably sick in the head,” Leon said.Rick, however, didn’t join in the laughter. His face darkened as he slowly reached into his jacket, drawing out his gun and pointing it directly at Williams. The cold steel of the barrel pressed against Williams’s forehead.“You must be out of your damn mind if you think you’re going to lead us,” Rick growled, his eyes filled with fury. “I’ll put a bullet right through this pussy boy’s head right here, right now.”The room fell silent, and the tension spiked as the other lieutenants tensed. Finn ra
Chapter 356The room was heavy with silence as the lieutenants absorbed what had just happened. They exchanged glances, disbelief shadowing their expressions; none of them had anticipated seeing Rick—the feared second-strongest man in the group, after Marco—get bested by Williams so decisively.Kane, especially, was taken aback. He remembered hearing from one of his boys just days earlier about how Williams had single-handedly taken down five of them after they’d tried to extort money from him, thinking he was an easy mark.Kane had dismissed it as a tall tale, convinced they were exaggerating to cover their own embarrassment. But now, seeing Williams handle Rick with such precision, Kane knew his men hadn’t been lying. This man was far from weak.Kane raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. “Alright, Williams. Since you’re so full of surprises, why do you think we should make you leader?” His voice was skeptical but tinged with curiosity.A faint smirk played on Williams’s lips as he l