Chapter 9 KIDNAPPED

​Dizer had barely driven ten minutes away from Shank Global when her phone rang. It was Mia.

​"Miss Shank!"

​Dizer smiled faintly. "I thought I told you to stop crying."

​"I'm not crying anymore," Mia replied, but her voice suddenly lowered. "But... I think someone is following you."

​Dizer instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror and spotted a black SUV. It had been behind her since she left the company. At first, she had thought nothing of it, but now, it was still there.

​"Miss Shank?" Mia asked anxiously.

​"I'm looking," Dizer said. The SUV slowed when she slowed, and it accelerated when she accelerated. Dizer's grip tightened around the steering wheel. "They're following me."

​"What should we do?"

​Dizer remained calm. "Don't call my parents."

​"I wasn't planning to."

​"And don't call Liam."

​Mia hesitated. "What if you're in danger?"

​"I'll handle it," Dizer said, and she ended the call.

​To test her pursuers, Dizer deliberately turned into a crowded commercial district. The SUV followed. She turned again, but it was still there. Her heartbeat quickened; this wasn't a coincidence anymore. Someone wanted her.

​Inside the black SUV, the driver glanced at the woman seated beside him. "The target knows."

​The woman calmly removed her sunglasses and smiled. "Good."

​"What now?"

​"Proceed," she instructed.

​The driver nodded, and the SUV accelerated. Dizer immediately noticed the change. 

They're speeding up, she thought. Her instincts kicked in, and she pressed harder on the accelerator. Cars filled the afternoon traffic, but she maneuvered carefully between lanes. Still, the SUV refused to lose her.

​Suddenly, her phone rang again with an unknown number. She ignored it, but it rang again, and then again. Finally, she answered through Bluetooth. "Who is this?"

​A woman's soft laugh echoed through the speakers. "You drive well."

​Dizer's eyes widened. "Who are you?"

​"You've noticed my people."

​Her heart skipped a beat. "My people?"

​"Don't be frightened."

​"You're following me."

​"I am."

​"What do you want?"

​With another laugh, the voice replied, "You." Then, the line went dead. A chill ran down Dizer's spine.

​Meanwhile, at Oscar Medical Center, Liam had just finished reviewing a patient's chart when Noah burst into his office. "You need to see this," Noah said, handing Liam a tablet.

​The screen displayed breaking financial news: BLACKRIDGE LOGISTICS TO ANNOUNCE NEW STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP.

​Liam frowned. "They're moving fast."

​Noah nodded. "Very. They've already surpassed three international competitors."

​Liam stared at the article. Something bothered him. Blackridge had appeared almost overnight—too powerful, too organized, and too prepared. It was almost as though someone had been building it quietly for years.

​Just then, his phone buzzed. It was Mia. He answered immediately. "Miss Mia?"

​"Doctor Oscar..." her voice trembled. "I know Miss Shank told me not to call you..."

​Liam stood up instantly. "What happened?"

​"I think someone is trying to kidnap her."

​His expression changed. "Where is she?"

​"I sent you her live location."

​"I'm on my way," Liam said.

​Traffic became heavier, but Dizer's breathing remained steady despite the growing tension. Suddenly, the SUV swerved beside her, and a man inside rolled down the window.

​"Pull over!" he shouted. Dizer ignored him, prompting the man to yell louder. "Pull over now!"

​Instead of complying, Dizer accelerated. The SUV slammed into the side of her car with a loud bang! Her vehicle lurched violently, and she struggled to keep control. 

Another impact followed—bang!—causing people on the roadside to scream as car horns blared. The SUV tried forcing her toward the sidewalk.

​"No..." Dizer gritted her teeth, thinking of her unborn children. "My babies..." She couldn't let anything happen to them.

​Up ahead, she spotted a police patrol. Hope flashed through her, and she immediately steered toward it. The SUV slowed, but suddenly, a delivery truck appeared from nowhere and blocked the police vehicle. 

The officers never saw her. Dizer's heart sank; it was planned. Everything had been planned.

​Liam drove faster than he ever had before. His phone displayed Dizer's location, showing she was only three minutes away. "Hold on," he muttered, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "Just hold on."

​The SUV struck Dizer's car yet again. This time, her tire burst. The steering wheel jerked violently, sending the car into a spin. Everything became a blur of shattering glass and screaming metal before her vehicle slammed into a roadside barrier. The airbag exploded in front of her.

​Silence followed. As smoke filled the air and her ears rang, Dizer blinked slowly. Blood trickled down her forehead. "My..." she whispered, instinctively touching her stomach. "My babies..."

​Suddenly, the driver's door was ripped open, and two masked men grabbed her arms. "Let me go!" she struggled, but one of them injected something into her neck.

​"No..." her vision blurred and the world tilted.

​The last thing she saw was a woman in a white suit stepping out of the black SUV. Elegant, confident, and beautiful, the woman bent down beside her and their eyes met.

​"You've grown into an impressive woman, Dizer."

​Dizer frowned weakly. "You..."

​The woman smiled, gently brushing a strand of hair away from Dizer's face. "But unfortunately... you're standing where you shouldn't." Darkness swallowed everything.

​Seconds later, Liam arrived. His car screeched to a halt beside the wrecked vehicle. "Dizer!" he yelled, jumping out.

​But the car was empty. The windshield was shattered, and blood stained the driver's seat. "No..." He searched frantically. "Dizer!"

​A frightened little boy nearby pointed toward the road. "They took the lady."

​Liam froze. "What?"

​"They put her in another car."

​"Which way?"

​The boy pointed toward the highway. Liam immediately got back into his car, but before he could start the engine, he noticed something lying beside the wreck. 

It was a small silver bracelet—one he recognized instantly because Dizer wore it every day. He picked it up, his hand trembling.

​Then, his phone vibrated with an unknown number. He answered immediately. "Who is this?"

​The same calm female voice spoke through the line. "If you want to see your wife alive... come alone." The call ended.

​Liam slowly tightened his grip around the bracelet, his eyes filling with a determination no one had ever seen before.

​"I swear," he whispered into the empty road, "I'll bring you home."