As soon as Charlie heard the news, he shouted, "Give it to me!" and snatched the phone from Owen's hand. His only thought was Tiffany's safety; he didn't consider why she'd called Owen instead.

"Tiffany, is that you? Where are you?" Charlie asked, his voice thick with concern.

"Dad," Tiffany's voice was weak, barely a whisper.

The moment Charlie heard her, his eyes filled with tears, and his hand trembled. "Sweetheart, are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are you? I'll come get you right now!"

"Dad, the kidnappers went outside to smoke, so I got a chance to call. It's Stan who kidnapped me!" Tiffany's voice was raspy, as if she'd been injured. She broke down sobbing. "I don't know where I am. Dad, I'm so scared, please come get me!"

Charlie's heart shattered. Owen, standing nearby, heard every word. Had he not spoken to Tiffany earlier, he might have believed her injuries were real. 'She's quite the actress,' Owen thought.

But Owen hadn't forgotten his mission. He said quickly, "I'll get someone to trace Tiffany's phone immediately. As soon as we have an address, we'll go get her!"

"Yeah, yeah, right?" Charlie responded, his mind racing. He couldn't believe Stan had kidnapped Tiffany, but she'd said so herself.

Tiffany must have anticipated Charlie's doubt. As soon as she hung up, she initiated a video call. Charlie answered quickly.

In the video, Tiffany quickly hid the phone, showing only the camera. She whispered, "Dad, mute your phone so they don't hear you."

Before Charlie could reply, a loud bang—a heavy iron door being kicked open—echoed in the video.

Tiffany curled up in a corner, hugging her knees, terror etched on her face. Three menacing kidnappers burst through the door, their figures captured on video.

One stepped forward and kicked Tiffany, snarling, "What's your old man up to? Why hasn't he sent the money yet? Does he not care about saving you?"

"No, no!" Tiffany shook her head frantically, terrified. "My dad will save me, he will. But why would Stan kidnap me? I can't believe it—he's family!"

She received another brutal kick.

One kidnapper growled, "Who said Stan kidnapped you? Don't lie!"

"Damn it, she must've overheard us on the phone! What are we gonna do? If the boss finds out, we're not getting paid," another muttered.

The kidnappers huddled, whispering furiously. They decided to silence Tiffany, no matter the cost. The video call ended abruptly with Tiffany's screams.

Charlie shook with rage. Watching his daughter's suffering was unbearable. "Stan, you bastard!" he hissed.

Owen burst in, panicked. "The signal's cut off! Is something wrong with Tiffany's phone? We can't trace her location. What do we do?"

Charlie's eyes blazed with fury. He spat out, "I know someone who knows exactly where she is!"

Without a word, Charlie stormed out, Owen close behind.

The bank where Charlie withdrew cash happened to be owned by the Hampton family. That evening, Richard Hampton, leaving work, passed the bank. He casually asked his assistant, "Are they working late? What's going on?"

"Yes, Mr. Hampton," his assistant replied. "The Kelley Group called, needing to withdraw ten million dollars in cash. The staff had to stay late."

Usually, this wouldn't interest Richard. But "Kelley" piqued his interest. He asked, "The Kelley family?"

"Yes," the assistant nodded.

"Why so much money?" Richard's voice remained cold and detached. The assistant was surprised but answered, "I'm sorry, Mr. Hampton, I'm not sure. I'll find out."

Three minutes later, the assistant reported, "Mr. Hampton, it seems Charlie Kelley's daughter has been kidnapped. The kidnappers demand ten million dollars."

"What did you say?" Richard's expression darkened.

The car's atmosphere grew frigid. The assistant hadn't seen Richard this angry in a long time.

"Find out where she is. I want her exact location," Richard ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

The sedan pulled over. Richard stared at the neon lights, remembering Tiffany's smile at the restaurant. He recalled her words, "Now we're in this together, we have to look out for each other!"

He'd made up his mind. He would protect her.

The assistant interrupted his thoughts. "Mr. Hampton, I have the information!"

At Cedar Ridge Villa, Stan enjoyed fine red wine, gleeful at the prospect of the money. His hired kidnappers checked in every two hours. For safety, Stan never showed his face, giving orders by phone.

"Everything's going so smoothly," Stan thought, setting down his glass. "But I should call, remind them to watch that brat." As he reached for the phone, he heard a car pull up.

He knew it was Charlie, but had no intention of greeting him. He was afraid his expression would betray him. He didn't expect Charlie to kick the door open and storm in.

Stan jumped, but Charlie's furious voice stopped him. "Where's Tiffany?"

"Charlie, what are you talking about? Tiffany has classes—she's probably at school. Why are you—" Stan didn't finish before Charlie punched him.

"Tell me, where's my daughter?" Charlie roared. "Stan, how could you kidnap Tiffany? She's your niece! And have you forgotten all I've done for you, you old bastard!"

Fueled by fury, Charlie relentlessly beat Stan, each punch a blow of vengeance. The promotional material at the end of the original text has been removed.