登入The drive took over an hour.By the time Sharon and the others arrived, the plane had already taken off.Carmen sent people to investigate and quickly confirmed that Marina had been transported away on a private jet an hour earlier.As for its destination, it was still unknown.Marina was already in the air—there was no way to intercept her now.After all that effort, they came up empty-handed.By then, night had begun to fall.They didn't return to Marina's home. Instead, they went back to the church.The exterior was still decorated for a wedding, yet in the fading light, it looked almost cruel—almost ironic.Now that Marina had been flown away, calling Jamie for answers would change nothing.Carmen said, "At this point, our only option is to help Thomas get through this crisis. At the very least, we need to secure his position as head of the family. That means there's only one solution—he has to marry someone. However…"Sharon asked, "However, what?""There are plenty of
Sharon's avoidance only made her seem even more ungrateful, as if she were afraid they would demand something from her.Sharon couldn't refute it. She lowered her voice."…I'm sorry."She and Jamie did, in fact, owe Thomas and Marina.And Jamie's act of kidnapping Marina did carry the stain of repaying kindness with betrayal.Thomas said calmly, "Sharon, instead of apologizing, you'd be more useful figuring out how to solve my problem.""I understand," Sharon replied at once. "I'll definitely find a way to locate Marina."Carmen glanced at Thomas without expression.So this was what people called… moral coercion?At that moment, Thomas's phone rang. He took it out, glanced at the screen, and his gaze turned dark.He answered and immediately switched on speaker.Marina's panicked voice came through the line."Thomas, come save me! They don't want us to hold the wedding—they're sending me overseas!"I'm at the airport right now… I stole a phone from one of the bodyguards whi
Carmen wasn't concerned with any of that. Her gaze settled instead on Sharon's visibly exhausted face."Sharon, you look really exhausted. Do you want to go back and rest for a while?"Sharon's complexion was indeed poor, her condition far from ideal. After days of poor rest compounded by intense emotional upheaval, she was clearly running on empty.But she couldn't rest. Because Jamie had kidnapped Marina because of her.Whether it was because Marina had once protected her, or because Thomas needed that marriage alliance to resolve certain matters, she couldn't just stand by and do nothing.Sharon shook her head. "I'm fine. How is Thomas doing right now?"Carmen replied, "No major emotional fluctuations… that's just how he's always been."Sharon recalled Thomas's anxious expression when she had once been kidnapped. A dull ache tightened in her chest."Choosing Marina… might have been the right decision after all."Carmen also thought back to the incident when Sharon had been
The recording ended. The room, too, fell into silence.Although Jamie had not said much in response to Marina, it was still clear from their conversation that the reason he had kidnapped her was for Sharon.Thomas's voice broke the stillness."I wonder whether Sharon's admirer abducting my bride is out of deep affection for her… or simply an attempt to make me lose my position as family head."Sharon opened her mouth, intending to defend Jamie. In the end, she said nothing.Instead, she said, "I'll contact Jamie right now and ask him to return Marina immediately."Thomas did not make things difficult for her. He simply said, "I hope you can act quickly. As you know, I don't have much time to waste."Sharon nodded.She left Marina's home and called Jamie again.This time, her voice was noticeably colder."Jamie, tell me the truth. Did you kidnap Marina?"There was a brief silence on the other end."I did abduct her," Jamie admitted, "but she escaped midway. Right now, I'm al
Jamie fell silent for a few seconds."She's not in my hands right now."Sharon's voice turned ice-cold. "Jamie, is that old habit of yours acting up again? You know I hate it most when you use these kinds of methods against women. And I already warned you—don't cause trouble for Marina."Jamie seemed to want to explain something, but in the end, he only said, "I'm also investigating Marina's whereabouts. I'll explain once I find out."He appeared to be in a hurry. After a few brief words, he ended the call.Half an hour later, Carmen called."Sharon, can you come over?""Where are you?" Sharon asked."We're at Marina's home." Carmen paused. "We found something. You should come take a look."Carmen sent her the location. Sharon arrived shortly after.Inside Marina's home, many wedding-related items were neatly arranged.Once inside, Sharon realized Carmen wasn't the only one there—Thomas was also present.In Carmen's hand was a pink phone.Sharon recognized it immediately.
"Thomas, you said you found a princess of respectable background for an alliance marriage to help you resolve your problems… so where is the princess now? Don't tell us you're planning to fool us and brush this off like last time!"We've been strung along long enough. If you don't give us an explanation today, don't blame us for turning ruthless!"I say you should stop this wedding altogether and step down as family head. What right does a man with no heirs have to lead the Ferrero family?!"Every sentence was about marriage, heirs, legitimacy—as if they had been dragged straight back into some feudal era.Yet Sharon knew very clearly these were nothing more than excuses the Ferrero family was using to attack Thomas and seize power. After all, these were the only weak points they could strike.Watching the Ferrero family collectively pressuring him, like a forced palace coup unfolding before her eyes, Sharon clenched her fists tightly."Have they… always treated Thomas like this?
"Sharon, that was a brilliant move. But tell me, how did you find that person?"Sharon replied, "He was someone who appeared in the information Lesley sent me."John froze for a moment.He'd seen that same report before—Sharon had forwarded it to him—but he had no memory of the man at all.John'
Julliard.He'd been in Marcentine recently—and not long ago, he'd kidnapped Johanna, forcing her to steal trade secrets.Jamie had uncovered the truth, turned the situation to his advantage, and exposed Julliard as the one pulling the strings.But that only proved one thing: Julliard had skill.
Carter's unyielding tone left Samantha momentarily speechless. Her pride was wounded, but she wasn't about to retreat.She had instructed Victoria to find a way to keep Theo at the Kalen estate longer, hoping to buy more time to win Carter's favor. But before she could even make her move, Theo was
Thomas said, "Xavier, rest assured. I've already troubled you once. I won't trouble you a second time."Then he turned to Sharon. "Sharon, wherever I go from now on, I'll let you know. I won't disturb your time with Xavier again."Sharon hesitated.That sounded… strange.But Xavier didn't seem t







