Chapter 3

"Calvin, don't worry. The older police officer is in our neighborhood. He's just around the corner!"

She softened her tone somewhat. "Hear that? Heath's so scared that he can't even breathe, but he's still sticking up for you.

"Calvin, Isla will be fine. Believe me. Ian Langley specifically requested to see me. Either he wants to force me to change someone's autopsy report, or he's after the Steinman family's fortune. Isla is his bargaining chip.

"Before I arrive, he won't be stupid enough to kill her in advance."

I looked at Isla's listless expression, and a sense of disappointment welled up inside me. "Winnie, Ian has already killed ten people. He's capable of anything."

Winnie paused.

Just as I thought she had finally come to her senses, I heard the doorbell ring on the phone.

"The older police officer is here. Calvin, just wait a little longer. Waiting a little longer won't hurt."

"It's not me who's waiting. Isla is waiting..."

The moment the call ended, the countdown reached five minutes.

Henry and Gloria ran over. "Tell the kidnapper we'll use the entire Steinman family's fortune to exchange for Isla's life!"

The screen showing only Isla was filled with a cold, chilling voice. "The Steinman family has wealth rivaling an entire country. Are you really willing to use it to save one life?"

Henry hurriedly shouted into the communication device, "Yes! Yes! Isla is the apple of our eye. We'd pay any amount!"

Ian chuckled.

Then, the communication device went silent.

Wiping away tears, Gloria turned to her secretary and ordered, "Get a full accounting of the Steinman family's assets, down to the last penny!”

The hope that Winnie had just extinguished flared up again.

I lowered my head to text my assistants, telling them to hurry up and inventory my assets as well.

Seeing this, my mother called over the person in charge of the rescue operation. "Have the bomb disposal experts stand by. There are no vantage points on the top floor for snipers to take out the kidnapper, so keep the helicopter on standby—"

"Mr. Steinman, the funds can't be transferred!"

Henry froze before demanding sharply, "What's going on?"

The secretary sweated profusely and anxiously. "Finance says Ms. Steinman has an account specifically set up to save money for Mr. Jackson. She put a safeguard in place. If anyone touches it, every single account belonging to the Steinman family gets frozen!"

A sudden itch rose in my throat, so intense that even after swallowing hard several times, I could not stop trembling. "Why was she saving money for him?"

"Ms. Steinman said... it's money for Mr. Jackson's marriage in the future."

Gloria covered her mouth and let out a wail of anguish.

My assistant texted me too: [Mr. Horton, while auditing the accounts, I discovered that the funds in the joint account shared by you and Ms. Steinman had all been transferred to another account of hers!]

My vision blacked out as a loud ringing filled my ears.

That was the fund we had agreed on long ago to set aside money for Isla's future.

As I trusted her, I had never checked the accounts, yet she had gone behind my back to transfer all the money for Heath's future marriage...

My mother received new information as well. "No wonder we couldn't track down Heath's new address. Winnie bought that villa for him! I’ve sent people over!"

Just then, my phone rang. Winnie immediately lashed out at me. "Did you get my dad to look into my accounts? All my accounts are frozen now, including the money for Heath’s future marriage, which I’d ​​been saving for five years!"

Five years, yet our daughter was only four. She had been saving up money for another man's marriage even before Isla was born.

I closed my eyes and told her, "There are three and a half minutes left on the bomb's countdown."

"I asked you a question—what do you mean?"

"Winnie, your daughter will be blown up in three minutes and 20 seconds. Aren't you the least bit worried?"

"Calvin, are you threatening me with Isla's life?"

Gloria was sobbing uncontrollably, and Henry angrily snatched the phone from me. "Winnie, listen to me. Get over here immediately and save my granddaughter! Otherwise, forget about setting foot in the Steinman family's home again. I’ll act as if I never had a daughter like you!"

Winnie fell silent.