Chapter 253

The breaking news of Debra’s kidnapping instantly dominated the trending charts. Erica, lounging at home with the news playing in the background, was jolted upright by the headline flashing across the screen. She wondered aloud, “Debra was kidnapped? Who did it?”

Her phone rang, and she snatched it up, answering Randy’s call. “Hello? Randy, listen to me…” she began anxiously. “Debra was kidnapped?” What answered her was not Randy, but Marion’s deep and steady voice.

“I just saw the news,” Erica replied. “I don’t know if it’s true. When are you coming back?” Debra had been staying with the Nichols family, and Erica wasn’t privy to the details of the arrangement with Juan. They had kept their distance to maintain Debra’s secret identity as the McKinney Group’s president. And now, this had happened.

“Marion? Marion, are you there?” Erica pressed the phone to her ear, but only silence echoed back. She was at a loss, having never faced such a situation before. After a while, Randy’s voice came through. “Don’t worry. We’re on our way back. Stay collected.” But she couldn’t stop worrying.

After hanging up, she immediately mobilized everyone to investigate and confirm the truth. After all, few people in Seamar City would dare kidnap Debra.

Across town, Shelia stared at the same news report in Clarissa’s rented apartment, her body trembling with a mix of exhilaration and fear. Clarissa was frightened, not expecting the situation to escalate so dramatically that the police were heavily involved.

“Shelia, if they find out we’re involved, what will we do?” Clarissa’s voice quivered, the weight of their actions crashing down on her.

Shelia snorted, “What are you worried about? If they find out, at least you won’t have to worry about your gambling debts anymore. Prison is safer than facing debtors. Just calm down.” Despite her bravado, her knuckles were white around her phone, betraying her nervousness.

She waited for news of Debra’s demise, but the latest update sent her reeling. The kidnappers had demanded a ransom of $10 billion from the Nichols family in exchange for Debra’s safe return.

“What’s going on?” Shelia was dumbfounded. She hadn’t instructed them to extort money from Juan. She just wanted Debra dead. These people hadn’t kept their promise.

“Shelia, what does this mean?” Clarissa asked, her voice rising with panic.

“Stop the noise!” Shelia hissed, her mind spinning. Her fierce look frightened Clarissa. She dialed the kidnappers’ number, her face darkening with each ring. She wondered if anything had gone wrong during the process.

Once connected, she shouted, “What are you thinking? Why didn’t you follow my instructions? I need you to kill her now!”