Adam answered the call, and a rough male voice cthrough. "Mr. Alvarez, good evening." Adam held the phone, his face unreadable. "Who are you?" "Mr. Alvarez, my identity doesn't matter. All you need to know is that the person you're looking for is with me." Lucy's eyes widened in alarm. "He's the one who took Carly! Mr. Alvarez, we have to save her!" Adam's tone remained cold. "Carly is with you?" "That's right. Here, I'll let her talk to you." A moment later, Carly's voice cthrough, panicked and desperate. "Adam, help me! Please! I'm so scared!" Adam's lips pressed into a thin, icy line. "What do you want?" "Mr. Alvarez, I want money. Get one billion dollars ready immediately." Adam let out a short, mocking laugh. "You kidnapped someone and are now extortingfor one billion? That's more than enough to lock you away for life. You'll never see the outside world again." The man on the other end of the line wasn't the least bit intimidated. "Mr. Alvarez, don't try to scare me. I wasn't raised to be afraid of threats. Is one billion dollars too much for one person's life? What if I make it two?" A sharp glint flashed through Adam's eyes. "Two people?" At that moment, Perry rushed over. "Mr. Alvarez, bad news. Celine is missing." Dr. C had been scheduled to make her appearance, but when Perry went upstairs to check, she was nowhere to be found.
Celine had disappeared.
Adam froze for a brief moment before gripping his phone even tighter. "Celine-is she with you too?" Somewhere in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, Celine's eyes fluttered open.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtShe quickly realized that her hands and feet were tied. In front of her stood a man with a scar across his face, flanked by several men in black.
Celine immediately grasped the situation. She had been kidnapped.
She let out a silent, bitter laugh. What a tic turn of events. She had been moments away from revealing herself as Dr. C, only to end up here instead.
A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. "Celine, you're awake?" Celine turned her head and saw Carly.
Carly was tied up as well, dumped beside her.
Celine's eyelashes quivered slightly. "Carly, they took you too?" Carly struggled against her restraints, attempting to break free. "Letgo! Do you have any idea who I am? I'm Adam's girlfriend! you so much as lay a finger on me, ret Will make sure you regret it. This is his territory. You won't make if out alive!" The scarred man chuckled, holding the phone in his hand. "So, you're Mr.
Alvarez's girlfriend. And this one here is his ex-wife." He crouched beside Celine. "Celine, say something to Mr. Alvarez." Celine quickly scanned the surroundings before raising her voice. "Adam, we're in a warehouse on the wet side of the city-" The scarred man hadn't expected her to spill their location. His face twisted with rage, and he swung his hand hard across Celine's face.
With a loud smack, her head snapped to the side, her delicate features stinging from the blow. A bright red handprint quickly appeared on her cheek, swollen and glaringly visible.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmBack on Adam's end of the call, he had heard both Celine's voice and the unmistakable sound of a slap.
His expression darkened instantly.
His voice dropped to a dangerously low register "Stop ikyou lay another hand on her, you won't live to see the sunrise."
The scarred man let out a loud, amused laugh. "Oh? Mr. Alvarez, you seemed quite protective of your ex-wife. One slap, and you're already this upset? Adam's voice sounded razor-sharp as he said, "One billion dollars. I'll give you what you want. Sendthe location, and I'll bring the money. You givethe hostages.
The scarred man grinned. "Now that's the spirit, Mr. Alyar 1. Mr. Alvarez I knew you'd be reasonable. But there's one condition. You need to calone."