Due to the humid coastal weather, even a fancy villa could look worn down if not properly maintained. This villa was a prime example. In a short time, the iron gate had become rusty, and there was a strong scent of seawater and rust in the air.
With all the streetlights broken, Estelle cautiously entered the darkness, filled with fear of the unknown. Every small sound put her on edge.
Estelle used her phone as a flashlight. After searching the quiet villa on the ground floor, she found nothing. As she passed by a spiral staircase, she noticed a faint light coming from the attic.
The light was dim, flickering as if someone was moving a flashlight. Without hesitation, Estelle illuminated the staircase and rushed to the fifth floor, even stumbling on the carpet a few times. When she reached the open attic door, she found Victor sitting at a table, occasionally tapping the floor lamp with a stick.
“I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly. You’re a good mother! You must love your children deeply!” Victor spoke without turning around, keeping his back to her.
“Where are the children?” Estelle tried to control her anxiety and looked around, but there was no one besides them.
“Why are you so nervous? Technically, I’m their uncle. I won’t harm them,” Victor said cheerfully. Then, he used the stick to push the floor lamp towards Estelle and slowly turned around.
He looked exactly like Cristofer and deliberately wore a suit that Cristofer would wear normally. No one could find that he was fake under the light. No wonder he could deceive the teacher.
After feeling confused for a moment, Estelle immediately said, “Don’t you feel how ridiculous your words were? Stop pretending to be nice. What do you want? I will do whatever you want as long as you let the children go.”
Then she took out her purse and put it on the table in front of Victor. There was a large amount of cash, several cards with considerable deposits, and even her driving license. This move clearly showed her attitude.
Victor picked up the purse with a bright smile and looked at the things inside with interest. But apparently, he wasn’t interested in the money or the cards. Instead, he took out a picture and said, “Is this a picture of your family?”
It was a Polaroid photo taken when Estelle and Cristofer took the three children to the amusement park. Then Victor said meaningfully, “You looked so happy when you were together.” Immediately after that, he threw the purse back to Estelle and said coldly, “I am not a beggar. If you want me to listen to you, you’d better think of another way.”
Estelle said, gritting her teeth, “Let me see the children first, and then we can discuss anything you want.” She had to stall Victor because Cristofer was still on the way there.
“Come on.” Victor shrugged his shoulders and said grumpily, “You have come here so late. Do you know how long I have been waiting for you? Besides, don’t you and Cristofer know what I want?”
“If I agree to your terms, can you guarantee that my three children are safe?”
“Of course. I don’t want to be a murderer.”
“Okay,” Estelle took a deep breath and said, “I can….”
“Wait. There is no need to hurry.” Victor stopped her from talking and walked to the window. He smiled at her, “I want to play a game with you first. I can let you see them, but you must tell me which child you love the most.”
The next second, he pushed the window open. Estelle didn’t understand why he did this, so she subconsciously took a step forward. And she was stunned by the scene she saw.
“Mom, Dad, where are you?” Yvonne cried outside the window, her hands tied up outside the attic. Once she fell, she would directly bump into the hall floor. She was tied to a place about ten meters high.
On each side of her were Christina and Yohan, both tied in the same way. The three little bodies were swaying in the wind and looked extremely fragile in the air.
“Yvonne!” Estelle couldn’t watch this anymore and wanted to rush down to save the children. But Victor somehow took out a knife and put it against the rope above Yvonne.
“Estelle, don’t hurry. Our game hasn’t started yet.”
Tears immediately welled up in Estelle’s eyes. She stumbled to the attic door and begged him, “I won’t go there. Please put down the knife. Please put it down….”
The children felt they saw a silver lining when hearing her voice and immediately shouted, “Mom!”
Yvonne sobbed with tears covering her face, “Mom, please save us. Christina isn’t making any sound now. And my hands hurt so much.”
“Mom, Christina has just fainted.” Yohan analyzed the situation calmly and said, “Mom, don’t be scared. We are still fine and only feel a little uncomfortable in this position.”
But Yvonne cried harder now that Estelle was here. “Mom, save us….”
She didn’t dare to look down, her face pale due to the fear. Compared to her, Yohan was relatively calm. He tried to speak reasonably so that Estelle wouldn’t be too worried. “Yvonne is a little frightened. Mom, you can save her first, and I can wait.”
“Don’t worry. You will not be alone because your mom can only save one of you. When you fall, there is at least one person with you. It all depends on how your mom makes the choice.” Victor said and smiled, playing with the knife.
Estelle felt that her heart was going to be broken. She said quickly, “Hold on for a second. I promise I will save you all.” Then she looked at Victor and tried her best to control her trembling voice. “Victor Fox, no matter which child is injured, even just a little bit, I’ll make sure you won’t get out of here safely.”
“Oh, really? I’m so scared.”
“Let’s talk about your request. Don’t you think that a win-win is the best result?”
Victor laughed creepily and said sarcastically, “Are you willing to beg me?”
“I can do anything as long as you let them go.” Estelle didn’t dare to provoke this evil who took pleasure in other people’s sorrow. She wiped the tears on the corners of her eyes with the back of her hands and tidied her loose hair so she wouldn’t look too terrible. Then she added, “I’m begging you.”
Victor waved his hand and said with a smile, “I can’t feel how sincere you are. Speak louder.”
Apparently, he was taking revenge on her. And even if she repeated it, she wouldn’t be able to change the end of the story and would only make Victor more complacent.