Chapter 4

Jennifer's name flashed on my phone screen.

Brad leaned over to pick up my phone, then put the call on loudspeaker. "Appreciate this last chance I'm giving you."

The narrow escape from death had me gulping a few deep breaths to steady my breathing, but in the next second, Jennifer's words shoved me off the edge and into the abyss once more.

"Michael, Rick is being threatened by his debtor, so I'm letting him stay with us for a few days.

"Also, don't you have some money set aside for Nathan? Rick still needs one million dollars, so transfer all that money to me now! Hurry up!"

I instinctively hugged Nathan tighter. "Jennifer, you seized that one million dollars long ago to set off fireworks for Hendrick on his birthday!"

During the early stages of her pregnancy, Jennifer and I had set up a fund for Nathan so that he would have financial security.

At the time, Jennifer had even hugged me and vowed that she would leave everything the Surtons had to the baby, that she would never touch any of those assets or money even if the sky was falling.

Yet, who would've thought she would use up the money to set off fireworks for the entire night on Hendrick's birthday when Nathan had just barely been born? And without getting my approval first either!

As my words rang out, Hendrick's tearful voice suddenly came over the line.

"Mike, I know that you've always disliked me, but this time, my life is on the line! Please, I'm begging you! On account of me only gaining that debt due to helping Surton Corporation, could you please help me?"

Jennifer was quick to comfort him gently before she whipped her head around to snap at me, "Michael, don't you dare slander me like that! That time, I used my own money for Rick's birthday! It had nothing to do with the child trust!

"Do you even have a conscience? All that Rick did was for Surton Corporation, for me! You're my husband, yet all you can think of is to go shopping or splurging on expensive cars!

"Anyway, that's enough! Hurry up and send the money—"

Brad's grip on the phone had been tightening with each word out of Jennifer's mouth.

At last, he ripped off his mask and bellowed, "Jennifer Surton, my patience has a limit! Just tell me outright—do you or do you not want your husband and son to live?"

"And who the hell are you? Are those actors still putting on the thug act for you?" Jennifer cursed. "And here I had thought that you were actually understanding enough to tell me to save Rick first. Turns out, you never actually gave up and kept calling to bother me!"

Beside her, Hendrick uttered sadly, "Jen, is Mike mad at me? Could that be why he ran off with Nathan? Because he plans on eloping with his old crush? Otherwise, why wouldn't he come home yet? It's already so late…"

[Daddy, Hendrick is trying to add fuel to the fire!]

A bad feeling rose in me, and I hurriedly interrupted them. "Jennifer, we really have been kidnapped! Even if you don't care about me, at least show some concern for your biological son!"

Jennifer chuckled coldly. "My dad already told me about how you purposely abused Nathan and made him cry in your bid to get money to buy a car. You also caused my mom to be hospitalized!

"Once you return, I'm definitely divorcing you, and you can forget about getting even a dollar from me!"

Hearing that, Brad scowled fiercely. With one hand holding the phone, he raised his gun using the other hand.

"Enough! I have no interest in listening to your family woes! Since there's no money to be had here, stop wasting my time!"

Hugging Nathan for dear life, I cried out, "Jennifer, quickly come save us! We'll really die if you still don't come!"

Jennifer hesitated briefly, but just as she was about to speak, Hendrick spoke up first.

"Mike, it's bad enough that you refuse to help me, but do you really have to deceive Jen over and over again with this act of yours?"

I heard Jennifer scoff.

"You really think highly of yourself, don't you? You don't want to help me? Fine! I have plenty of ways to gather money. Since you love to act so much, isn't this the point where the kidnappers kill off the ransom victims?

"Go ahead, then. Kill them if you can. I'll personally pay 200 thousand dollars extra as a reward."

Her flippant words sealed my and Nathan's fates.

The promise of 200 thousand dollars was a heady thought, and Brad's finger squeezed the trigger.

There was a loud bang.

Jennifer immediately called out nervously, "Michael, what's going on? Where did that gunshot come from?"

Brad let out a sinister laugh before answering, "I killed them. Ms. Surton, isn't that exactly what you instructed me to do?"