Chapter 1063:
Just then, a cruise ship cut through the river's calm, approaching steadily. The man snapped to attention and moved toward the riverbank, awaiting its arrival. Elyse's heart thudded against her ribs. Instinctively, she knew—the cruise's passengers were likely involved in the black market.
The cruise liner arrived at port, and two men in dark coats disembarked, both dressed identically in black hats and tinted glasses. Between them, the one trailing behind carried a large travel case.
The man who had knocked Elyse out grinned servilely, bowing and nodding to the pair as he escorted them toward a nearby vehicle.
Inside the car, Elyse trembled, too terrified to even glance at them. One of the men from the black market nodded slowly and asked, “You didn’t touch her, right? The client had very specific requests. If you didn’t follow them, there’s no payment.”
The man who had rendered Elyse unconscious quickly replied, “Of course not! Don’t worry about it. Why would I bother? She’s nothing special—no figure to speak of. She’s too plain for my liking. Once I get paid, I can have someone more interesting.”
His explanation seemed to satisfy the men, who opened the car door and hauled Elyse out. Shaking with fear, Elyse remembered a time when Kaelyn had also employed underworld figures, but Elyse had kept her distance then, so she hadn’t experienced their menace firsthand. Now, there was no escaping the terror of being in their grasp.
The men handed two large cases to Elyse’s kidnapper. When he opened them, he found them packed with cash. Ecstatic, he leafed through the money, casting a glance at Elyse. “Who would’ve thought she’d be worth this much? What kind of wealthy person would spend all this on her?”
“That’s not for you to know,” one of the men responded. “We only deal in cash. You’ve got yours, now we’re done here.”
Elyse was then led back to the ship by the pair. To them, she was nothing more than cargo. With the buyer's odd instructions, they had no intention of harming her. After chaining her up, they paid her no further attention, as though she didn’t exist.
Huddled in a corner, Elyse wrapped her arms around her knees. For the first time, she truly understood what it felt like to have no idea what was coming next. Hours passed before exhaustion finally claimed her, and she drifted into sleep.
When she awoke, she found herself in a different location. Now, she was confined to an iron cage, surrounded by discarded items. The room was damp, and after sitting for a while, she began to feel the chill, hugging herself to keep warm. Time seemed to drag on, and then a tall figure in a black windbreaker appeared before her.