Chapter 103
“Help! Somebody help me!” Emma screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice high and shaking as she kicked and struggled with all her strength.
It was hopeless.
Two burly men held her down, pinning her arms and legs as they bound her wrists with practiced efficiency. The black hood over her head cut off all light—she couldn’t see a thing.
Emma was terrified. Her first, gut-wrenching thought was human traffickers. After all, years ago, that was exactly how Ivy had been taken—kidnapped and sold off to some remote countryside.
The more Emma thought about it, the more desperate she felt. At least her mouth was still uncovered. Realizing her cries for help were useless, she quickly changed tack.
“What do you want from me? Who are you? Do you realize what you’re doing is illegal? The police will find you, and you’ll all end up in prison!”
She rambled on, but the only response was silence. She tried to move, to sit up, but a heavy hand shoved her back into her seat.
Emma’s forced composure lasted all of three seconds before it crumpled. She started sobbing, her whole body shaking. “I—I’m Miss Windsor. My family’s rich, and my fiancé’s even richer. Let me go, and I’ll give you half a million—no, a million! That’s way more than you’d get selling me!”
The luxury car’s seats faced each other, making it easy for company executives to hold meetings on the road. Ivy sat directly across from her, quietly watching as Emma fell apart, panic etched across her face.
Ivy smiled, setting her wine glass down on the side table with a small, deliberate movement. Her voice was calm and unhurried. “Three years ago, when you sold me out to traffickers, how much did you get for me?”
Emma’s whole body jerked. Blindfolded, she whipped her head toward the sound of Ivy’s voice. A beat passed. Then, incredulous, she stammered, “Ivy?”
“Call me ‘sister,’” Ivy said with a smile, almost playfully.
But Emma had no intention of playing along. After her miscarriage, any pretense between her and Ivy had vanished—they were enemies now, nothing less. She’d planned to wait until after her birthday to deal with Ivy, to make her pay for her dead child. She never expected Ivy to strike first.
Rage, shock, and fear crashed over her. After a few seconds of stunned silence, she erupted, screaming, “Ivy, you’re insane! Kidnapping is a crime! Do you want to go to jail? Let me go! Today’s my birthday—my parents are throwing me a party. If they can’t reach me, they’ll call the police, and you’ll be caught in no time!”
Ivy’s smile never wavered. She waited until Emma finished, then said quietly, “By the time they notice you’re missing, you’ll already be gone—just like I was, back then.”
Emma went silent, but her whole body trembled uncontrollably.
“N–no… You wouldn’t dare. This is illegal. You’ll go to prison!” she insisted, voice thin and shaky, desperately clinging to bravado.
“I’m a dying woman, Emma. What could possibly scare me now?” Ivy replied, her tone almost serene.
Emma fell silent again, stunned. In her mind, Ivy was already as good as dead—diagnosed with AIDS, her days were numbered. Maybe she really would risk it all for revenge.
Panic overwhelmed Emma. After a long pause, she suddenly changed her tune. “Sister… Ivy, please, we’re family. Don’t do this. When you’re gone, I can look after Mom and Dad, take care of them. You can’t just sell me off. Please!”
“Our parents?” Ivy gave a bitter, cold laugh, eyeing Emma as she shivered like a leaf. “Do you really think they’re still my parents?”
“Of course they are! They’ve been worried about you these past few years. We all have, the whole family!”
The whole family… The words sounded hollow, as if Ivy was nothing but an outsider.
“Don’t bother.” Ivy cut her off flatly, then changed the subject with a lightness that made Emma’s blood run cold. “Emma, it’s your birthday today. Big sister has a special present for you. How about it?”
Chapter 104