Chapter 414

Erica had spent days preparing and had finally arranged the kidnappers for the charade. The grand plan she and Claude had woven in whispers was finally ready to be set in motion.

Erica went through the ploy one last time with Claude, every step carefully measured, before leaving the confrontation with Vincent in his hands.

That very afternoon at the Jones Group, Vincent was deep in discussion with several business partners when the door slammed open with a violent bang.

Claude stormed in, disheveled and frantic, his eyes locking onto Vincent with what appeared to be desperate intensity. "Vincent Jones!" His voice was raw, like gravel dragged across stone. "Where's Anna? Did you take her?"

Vincent's brows furrowed sharply. "What are you talking about?" he demanded, rising to his feet,his gaze like a drawn blade.

Claude shoved forward, palms crashing down on the desk, his frame leaning in with barely contained panic. "She's gone! She left yesterday afternoon and never came back. Her phone's dead-I've turned the city upside down looking for her!" His eyes bored into Vincent's, trembling with anguish. "Was it you?Did you conceal her once more after realizing she had returned?"

At that, Vincent's heart gave a violent lurch. A single thought struck him like a bolt out of a clear sky."She's back in the country?" His voice trembled, a flicker of longing escaping before he could rein it in.

"Of course!" Claude snapped. "If I weren't desperate,I'd never have come to you. I'd rather die than let you be the one to find her!"

Claude's fingers clawed through his hair, his voice breaking with confusion. "I think... I think she's been kidnapped, maybe by an enemy! But who could she have offended? Anna never-" Then, his voice broke, and he couldn't go on.

"An enemy?" Vincent's eyes chilled over, a name flashing across his mind like a shadow. "There is one," he muttered, his voice low and sharp."Brinley Gilbert."

Without delay, Vincent pulled every string within reach and got through to the international prison.

The guard on duty confirmed Brinley hadn't moved an inch-still locked behind bars. And just like that,the trail hit a dead end.

The minutes crawled by, heavy with dread.

Then, Claude's phone rang.

The voice that crackled through was distorted,metallic, stripped of any trace of humanity. "Claude,if you want Hannah alive, prepare ten million dollars in cash. No cops. At ten tonight, come alone to the abandoned garage in the western suburbs.Otherwise, prepare to collect a corpse."

The line went dead. Claude's face ddrained of color. He quickly relayed the words to Vincent.

Vincent's gaze hardened, sharp enough to cut steel."I'm going with you," he said without hesitation.

Claude turned on his heel, and in the corner of his mouth, a smile as dark as ink flickered unseen.Everything was unfolding exactly as he'd hoped.

Later, at the abandoned garage in the western suburbs, Vincent and Claude pulled up a safe distance away, headlights cutting briefly through the dark before they were killed.

Inside, the garage was dimly lit, a few emergency lights casting a sickly green glow.

"Anna!" Claude called out, his voice apparently low but urgent.

A faint, muffled whimper answered from the corner.

Vincent and Claude followed the sound and found "Hannah" tied to a rust-stained iron pillar, tape pressed over her mouth, her hair hanging in disarray."Anna!" Claude cried, about to rush forward.

"Stop!" A chilling voice cut through the air. Several masked men stepped out of the shadows. Their leader raised a gun, the barrel catching the dim light."Where's the money?" he demanded.

Vincent swallowed his fury, his chest tightening at the sight of "Hannah" bound. He shoved the suitcase forward. "It's here. Let her go."

The leader tore the tape away from the face of "Hannah" and let out a harsh laugh. "Well, if it isn't Mr. Jones himself. Perfect-saves us the trouble of hunting you down."

With a wave of his hand, another kidnapper hauled someone out from the deeper shadows.

The leader smirked. "Let's see who we've got here."

Vincent froze. It was Sharon, his grandmother.Her eyes were shut, her skin pale, her body limp in their grip.

"Grandma!" Vincent's voice cracked, fury boiling inside him.

"Sharon, what's happening to you?" Erica cried, her body trembling against the ropes. Panic edged her voice. "She doesn't look good! Please-save her first!"

"Shut up!" the leader shapped. He struck her across the face with a vicious backhand.

"Ah!" Erica screamed as her head whipped to the side. A raw, red mark spread across her cheek.

"Anna!" Claude's "anguished" shout filled the air.

The leader sneered, his gun sweeping between Sharon and Erica. "We've got the money," he said coldly. "Now choose. Ten million buys only one life.The old one or the young one?"