LOGINSarah understood one thing very clearly now. Leon no longer trusted her.And to be fair, Vivian’s plan had worked. Unless someone knew both women intimately, it was almost impossible to tell them apart.Convincing Leon that Mandy was Sarah had been difficult enough. But making Sarah act like Mandy? That was far easier.Ever since Sarah had refused to give him psychological counseling, Leon’s guard had been up. She didn’t know how much longer she could keep pretending. Every night before bed, she pulled out the recorder she’d hidden beneath the mattress and listened to it again and again.Upstairs, in the study, Leon flipped through Mandy’s file once more. Middle school education, siblings still at home—nothing remarkable.Julian entered the room quietly. “Sir, we’ve just received news. James Chancer’s son has gone missing. The kidnappers demanded a hundred million in cash. He couldn’t raise that much in time, so he borrowed it from the Wilson family. The one who brought the money
Charlotte hung up on James without hesitation.Before she could breathe, the phone rang again.When she answered, that same distorted, mechanical voice crawled down her spine.“Miss Garner, if I were you, I’d be smart enough to sign the document in front of you.”Her voice shook. “What is it? He won’t let me see it.”“It’s just a confession,” the voice replied smoothly. “Insurance, to make sure you keep your promise. Once you finish what I’ve asked, I’ll return it to you.”The words sent a chill through her. She hesitated, mind spinning until the caller laughed softly. Then, through the static, came the faint babble of a baby.“Ah… ee…”Callum.All reason left her. She snatched the papers and scrawled her name, blurting into the phone, “I signed it! Now where’s my son?”“Not so fast. You still have packages left to deliver. Finish the last one,” the voice said calmly, then hung up.Charlotte wiped her tears and drove off again. Even though time was running out, she comforted
After she tossed the package into the bin, Charlotte exhaled and rushed back to the car. She barely had time to buckle in before her phone rang.“Hello?” Her voice shook.The same cold, mechanical voice came through. “The police are following you. Do you want your son to live?”“I’m sorry! I didn’t know they were tailing me. I said no so many times. Please don’t hurt him. I’ll give you whatever you want.” Charlotte was frantic.“Have the twenty drop points been fully covered?” the voice asked.Charlotte’s fingers trembled. “I don’t know. Tell me one address and I’ll lose anyone following me right now. I swear I’ll make it stop.”“Please,” she begged. “I’ll give you the whole hundred million. Please let my son go.”There was a long silence. Then the caller laughed. “You really think a hundred million buys your son back?”The laugh hit her like a physical blow. The car shook with it. Charlotte steadied herself and forced out, “What else do you want? I’ll do anything. Don’t hurt h
He shrugged. “This isn’t exactly a secret now. All of East Coast knows. I had other plans for this money, but when I saw the news I brought it over immediately. You’re the one who needs cash. So are you signing or not?”James’s face went stone cold. He hated being strong-armed, but there was no choice.Henry pressed on. “I’m sure not many people in this city can scrape together a hundred million in cash on short notice. If you won’t take my offer, try asking Zachary. Maybe he can help.”Time was running out and the sound of his son’s little coos echoed in his mind. He nodded. “Okay. I’ll sign.”Henry opened the folder and handed the papers across. James scanned both agreements. They were straightforward. He signed his name.Five minutes later, Henry closed the folder and smiled. He popped the trunk. Neat stacks of banknotes filled the compartment, one hundred million in cash.“Drive my car back when you’re done,” Henry said, dropping the keys into James’s hand. Then he turned and
James felt deeply humiliated, but he had no choice left.When the call ended, Charlotte looked at him with desperate hope. “Well? Did Zachary agree?”“He did,” James said tiredly, rubbing his forehead. “But he doesn’t have that much cash on hand. Only ten million.”It was nine o’clock—three hours until midnight. They were still ninety million short.Mrs. Chancer searched the house and scraped together a few hundred thousand. had no cash either. After tearing through drawers and safes, the entire Chancer family could only gather one million. Mrs. Chancer pawned her gold jewelry and called a few of her wealthy friends, borrowing another two million with promises it would be delivered within the hour.Then James’s phone rang again. An unknown number. The police nearby stiffened, watching him carefully.James picked up. “Hello?”“Good evening. I’m with the Wilson family. I’d like to discuss a business deal with you,” said a hoarse male voice.“I’m not taking business calls rig
A female officer glanced back at her supervisor, alarmed. Charlotte’s sudden move had blown their plan.James noticed right away. His face went cold, a frost in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.Luckily the supervisor reacted fast and ordered everyone to adapt. He scribbled a note and slid it over: if Charlotte tried anything to spook the kidnappers, knock her out and then start questioning her.James gave him a nod. He wanted this handled personally. It was clear his patience was gone.While Charlotte still had the phone to her ear, the officer pressed the speaker button. A brief hiss of static came through, then a flat, emotionless voice. “If you want the child returned unharmed, prepare 100 million in cash, split into twenty packages, and leave them at the locations I will send you. Start at midnight. Each drop will take about fifteen minutes. Finish before dawn. If you fail, you will see the worst outcome.”The call cut off. The tech who was tracking the phone shook his







