Chapter 102: She Had Been Kidnapped

All the identities were real; only the names had been changed, though every movement abroad was legitimate. Given the Harrison family's limited knowledge of Mario, even with a photograph, they wouldn't have recognized him.

"Larry and Henry clashed at the Harrison residence," Wendy reported, rejoining the conversation after returning from next door. "Larry blamed Henry for ruining everything, claiming he lost the rights because of him—and you got lucky instead."

Lemon wasn't surprised. "Those two were always going to fall out. This time, Chase just happened to be the excuse."

Dinner was almost over when Waylon arrived late. He paused upon seeing Caesar, then glanced at Mario, recognizing him. This made things all the more interesting.

"The guy the Harrison family has been desperately trying to find overseas," Waylon said, raising an eyebrow, "just waltzes home and sits in a room full of elites—and no one recognizes him. I guess you really don't look like your father."

Mario, familiar with Waylon's reputation, clinked his glass across the table. "Of course not. I take after my mother—about seventy percent, especially the eyes. Practically identical. But my father kept her well hidden. No one in the Harrison family has ever seen her."

This meant he and his mother had always been kept far outside the circle, for their safety.

"Let's talk business," Waylon said, ignoring his food, his tone serious as he turned to Chase. "I might need your help. Remember Aimee from 316, the woman you mentioned last time?"

"I remember," Chase nodded. "What happened?"

"She's been kidnapped," Waylon stated flatly.

The room fell silent. Chase instinctively looked at Wendy. Someone was clearly assigned to watch Aimee; her abduction was impossible.

Wendy paused, stunned. "I sent Dawn overseas to find someone for me. He left yesterday…"

"She was taken last night."

It must have been in the middle of the night. Aimee was still recovering from injuries—no one knew why she even went downstairs. But just like that, she was gone. The family received a call from the kidnappers this morning.

"How much are they asking for?" Lemon inquired. "If I remember correctly, the Duncans are middle-class. They'd struggle to raise more than $150,000."

Waylon shook his head. "They don't want money. They want a hard drive."

Aimee was an international journalist, focusing on the pharmaceutical industry. Initially, Chase didn't connect Aimee to Madeline, but her reports revealed Aimee might be Madeline's next target.

Silence descended. Even Mario, despite his limited knowledge, sat up straighter. No one expected such explosive news.

"We've already started investigating," Waylon continued. "Given Madeline's movements, we've merged Aimee's case with our task force. Now we need a breakthrough."

Chase understood. The task force was screening everyone Aimee had contacted. Her parents described her as kind and well-behaved, unable to imagine anyone holding a grudge—let alone kidnapping her. They had no idea what hard drive the kidnappers were referring to.

"We turned her room upside down and still found no hard drive."

Currently, Madeline was the only one who might know the truth. Whoever kidnapped Aimee was undoubtedly the same person behind the scenes.

"Alright, got it," Chase said after a moment. He sent a message, summoning Melody.

Melody and Sammy were next door with the PR team. The department was in full swing. Zynn was socializing with his colleagues, and Maurice's secretary from Windwell Pharma Group had already arrived.

Melody arrived with Sammy upon receiving Chase's message.

"Melody," Chase said, "I need you to devise an excuse to get Madeline to my office tomorrow."

Melody nodded, understanding instantly. Chase added, "Keep it quiet. Don't alert too many people." The hospital clearly wasn't secure; Madeline wasn't the only outsider involved.

Melody's excellent quality was never questioning why. The boss gave the order; she figured out how to execute it.

Sammy, standing behind Wendy, listened quietly.

"Dawn left, and she was kidnapped right after?" Sammy asked, surprised. "You think Dawn was discovered?"

Waylon shook his head. "I doubt it. I know what Dawn's capable of. If he wanted to stay hidden, no one would have found him. I think the timing was convenient for them."

Yesterday's timing coincided with Windwell Pharma Group. Everyone had been too preoccupied with usage rights and agency contracts to notice Aimee. But once the dust settled, and the kidnappers realized there would be no resistance—that's when they struck.

This meant the culprit had to be on Windwell Pharma's list.

"Understood," she said. "Oh, Chief, the signing with Windwell Pharma is at nine tomorrow morning. I'll be waiting downstairs at 8:10."

"Alright. Thanks."