Chapter 503
Meanwhile, at Forth Bay, it was already late at night. At a time when he should have been resting, Alvin was still typing away at his computer. He had installed a special program on his phone that would send him forced alerts whenever there was news related to Aubree.
The special ringtone sounded. Alvin didnโt feel the least bit irritated at being interrupted.
โAubree kidnapped?โ Alvin was startled at first, but then quickly dismissed the idea and immediately stopped what he was doing.
If Aubree had really been kidnapped, there was no way Bowen wouldnโt have made a move. Knowing his uncleโs personality, he would have stirred up a storm. He wouldnโt have found out about something like this through a news notification.
This matterโฆ
Alvin chuckled. He wanted to see what exactly Aubree was planning.
โGet a car ready. Iโm heading out.โ He then called Kelvin to ask about Bowenโs whereabouts.
Kelvin wasnโt on guard against Alvin and, hearing that he just wanted to check on Aubree, revealed Bowenโs location without hesitation.
Kelvin even โkindly remindedโ Alvin, โMr. Turner, donโt worry. Miss Miller is fine. The person who was kidnapped wasnโt her. It was a mistake. The kidnappers grabbed Nina, the one protecting her, by accident.โ
Alvin frowned. โGot it. Thanks, Mr. Malone. I just want to make sure everythingโs okay. With my uncle around, nothing serious will happen.โ
A villa in the outskirts of the capital. From the outside, it didnโt look like anyone lived there. Overgrown weeds nearly as tall as a person filled the yard. The bronze gates of the villa were worn and scarred, making people wonder whether they would collapse just from being pushed.
But inside the building, it was a different story. Compared to the outside, the interior was at least tidy and lived-in.
A middle-aged woman with a vicious look sat on the central sofa, her expression insincerely flattering. โYes. Youโve spoken. We absolutely wonโt touch that woman. New supplies will be delivered tomorrow morning. We appreciate you thinking of us. So this means weโre staying put for now?โ
Marina continued, โNeed to keep an eye on her? Okayโฆ alright. Mrs., you know weโve done plenty for you. You canโt just abandon us. Youโre working on our visas? Good, good. I wonโt hold you up then.โ
Marina respectfully hung up the phone. On the side, Timothy had already run out of patience. He had been on edge all night, terrified that armed cops would burst in at any moment.
Marian said, โWe still have to wait. But theyโre working on the visas. Once this is over, theyโll send us abroad right away.โ
Timothy was suspicious. โHey, you donโt think that client is lying to us, do you? Someone has to take the fall. What ifโฆโ
Marina interrupted. โDonโt forget what happened over a decade ago? We helped kidnap her biological daughter and caused two people to die. You think she wonโt protect us? If weโre caught, sheโs screwed too!โ
She added, โIf it werenโt for those two dead people having such powerful backgrounds, would we have ended up listening to her all these years?โ
Thinking about it made Marina furious. She had no idea that the people they targeted, just driving an ordinary car and wearing non-branded clothes, turned out to have such high status.
She said, โEnough. Thereโs still some food in the kitchen. Put some drugs in and take them up. She needs to behave.โ
Timothy agreed. After all, with such a major secret in their hands, the client wouldnโt dare to silence them easily.
Nina was locked in a guest room on the second floor, tied up. She leaned close to the floor, listening carefully to the sounds downstairs.
The house seemed old and in disrepair. Despite the luxurious decoration, it was mostly rotting wood, with terrible soundproofing.
Even upstairs, she could clearly hear the two talking below.
She thought: Biological daughter? Kidnapping? Two people died!
Ninaโs breathing hitched. She couldnโt believe what she was hearing. If the kidnapped โbiological daughterโ they mentioned was Aubree, then it meant Alice was behind the Wilson familyโs old case.
And the two who diedโฆ
Nina didnโt dare continue the thought. At that moment, she heard footsteps. Timothy was probably coming to deliver food.
She sat upright at once.
The food had drugs in it, likely sleeping pills to prevent her from escaping.
Timothy said, โEat it.โ
Nina knew not eating would cause more trouble.
Nina sniffed the food. As a top bodyguard of the Turner family, she had undergone professional drug resistance training. Her body had built a tolerance against most tranquilizers.
No noticeable smell. She guessed it was probably just a standard dose.
If she ate it, the couple would drop their guard. She would wake earlier and be better able to act.
Under Timothyโs watch, Nina ate half a bowl. โIโm full.โ
Timothy hesitated. A girl escaping from here? Ridiculous.
He took the bowl away. โBehave and youโll have good food. Try escaping, and Iโll break your legs!โ
Nina silently nodded.
Early the next morning, Alice had more supplies delivered.
โNo breakfast for her. Starving a couple of meals wonโt kill her. Just makes her too weak to run.โ Marina tapped her spoon on her bowl with a sinister look.
One night passed. The netizens were discussing the story of Aubreeโs kidnapping.
[Who was kidnapped? For real? This isnโt a joke?]
[Terrifying. Aubree has accomplished so much at such a young age. Clearly, sheโs stepped on the wrong toes.]
โItโs been a whole night, and thereโs no updates. Did something happen to her?
If something happened to Aubree, then what about Bree Technology?โ
The rumor that Aubree had been kidnapped spread like wildfire. By the time the stock market opened, Bree Technologyโs stock price plunged like a bungee jump.
There were widespread whispers that without Aubree, Bree Technology was nothing but a pile of sand.
The Wilson family didnโt expect that Aubree didnโt do anything at all, but they didnโt overthink it, assuming she was too focused on Ninaโs disappearance to deal with the rest.
The bigger the chaos, the better.
When Ronald saw Bree Technologyโs stock falling fast that morning, he grinned so hard he couldnโt close his mouth.
He said, โAubree really thinks sheโs all grown up. She doesnโt even take us seriously anymore. We caused all this mess, and she doesnโt even bother to release a single statement? How arrogant!โ
He continued, โYoung people are too proud. Fall hard enough, and theyโll be shattered. Tell the team in Sรผdlichen Strand to hurry up.โ
Aubreeโs โkidnappingโ caused a huge stir. Whether it was people wanting to see her fall or genuinely worried, everyone was waiting for Bree Technologyโs official response.
But what no one expected was that instead of hearing from Aubree, they were greeted with another bombshell headline.
[Shocking: Billion-dollar company GrabCheap accused of leaking user data!]
[Is this a public service platform, or something more sinister?]
[Internal leak: Accident or premeditated?]
One eye-catching headline after another exploded onto the front page of every news feed.