But when she dialed the customer service number the seller had left, Celia realized in shock that it was a fake–an empty line, not a soul on the other end.
Panic rose in her chest.
No way… Mom is always so chatty–what if she annoyed those thugs so much that they locked her up and turned this into a kidnapping?
Clutching her phone with her last conversation with her mom still open, Celia climbed the stairs in a daze, her mind scattered.
She wasn’t paying attention and walked straight into Raymond.
“Celia, are you even looking where you’re going? You’re going to hurt yourself being so careless.” He had just finished scolding her when he noticed her eyes brimming with tears.
“Hey, what’s wrong? I was only kidding–it’s not that big of a deal.”
Her voice trembled between sobs. “Raymond, it’s over. Mom’s in real trouble.”
She could barely get the words out, face twisted in fright and panic.
Raymond froze in place.
“What happened? What do you mean–what’s wrong with Mom?”
Chester arrived at the south end of Oceana Park just as instructed.
Following the kidnappers‘ directions, he trailed the red ribbons tied along the road until he reached a narrow cliff overlooking the sea. Waves crashed below, and the only way forward was the winding path he’d come down.
He was already making plans–calculating how to catch the kidnappers when they tried to escape.
A speedboat appeared, slicing through the water toward him.
Onboard, tied up and battered, was Celestine–her spirit broken, her body covered in bruises. Next to her was Joanna, hair tangled and clothes torn to shreds, looking utterly defeated.
Both women were bound to wooden crosses.
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Chapter 187
Chester’s footsteps felt leaden.
“You-!” he shouted, but the words caught in his throat.
Too late.
One of the masked kidnappers pressed a knife to Joanna’s slender neck, taunting, “Well, Mr. Fordham, looks like we got the right people after all.”
“You brought the cash, I hope? You’ve got a real choice to make–your precious Miss Sinclair or Mrs. Fordham. You can only save one.”
Chester nearly roared, his anger shaking his voice. “Why didn’t you tell me you were bringing Joanna too?”
Dragging the two women up the rocky shore, the kidnapper only grinned, voice mocking. “Look at you, Mr. Fordham, getting all worked up. Yeah, that’s on us–poor communication. But if you only brought enough ransom for one, you’d better think hard about which lady you want to save. We don’t do payment plans.”
Chester gripped the suitcase packed with cash so tightly his knuckles turned white. He shot daggers with his eyes at the two masked thugs, wishing he could kill them on the spot.
They only laughed and–enjoying the show–pulled the gags from both women.
Joanna summoned every ounce of strength to shout, “Chester, I’m fine, really! Please, save Celly. Leave me, I’ll be okay–I just beg you, please, don’t forget me… I love you, I really do.”
She tried to sound brave, but if you listened closely, you’d hear the fear trembling behind each word.
Anyone seeing her like this would have been moved.
That look of despair, tinged with helpless hope, struck Chester straight through the
heart.
“Hurry up, Mr. Fordham. Pick your woman so we can clock out for the night!”
Chester turned to Celestiné.
Blood streaked across her forehead, glowing darkly in the evening sun.
Her face was almost expressionless.
But in that moment, Chester understood what it meant when heartbreak left a person hollow–he saw it etched across Celestine’s face.
Her injuries were far worse than Joanna’s.
But she didn’t complain. Didn’t cry out in pain.
Her small figure was dwarfed by the cross she was tied to.
Their eyes met–her gaze was stormy, shadowed by grief and resentment. Chester’s resolve crumbled instantly.
The kidnappers were losing patience. “Ten seconds, Mr. Fordham. If you don’t choose, both of them go over the edge–to feed the sharks.”
Chapter 188
