Leo slammed his fist hard against the steering wheel and said to Karen, “Leave this to me. You don’t need to call the police. I’ll rescue Sophia!”
After hanging up on Karen, Leo dialed Bob’s number.
“Bob, something’s happened to my wife, and I need your help.”
“What happened, and what do you need me to do?” Bob on the other end of the line sensed the seriousness in Leo’s voice and inquired solemnly.
“She was kidnapped in the underground parking lot of the Golden Leaf Shopping Plaza. I need you to arrange for people to retrieve the surveillance footage from the parking lot and find the kidnappers. Dig three feet if necessary, but I want those scumbags found.”
“Leo, calm down. I’ll get it done. We’ll find your wife!” Bob reassured him before hanging up, immediately mobilizing his resources to investigate.
Clutching his phone tightly in his right hand, Leo’s anger burned fiercely. Whoever had kidnapped Sophia would not be forgiven.
*Bam! Bam! Bam!*
Someone outside the car was vigorously banging on the driver’s side window.
Leo rolled down the window.
The person outside shouted angrily, “Are you an idiot? Why did you stop your car in the middle of the road?”
Leo clenched his left fist and struck out.
The guy outside screamed in pain and quickly covered his nose as blood started trickling through his fingers.
Leo hit the gas, leaving the guy disheveled in the wind.
In the underground parking lot of the Golden Leaf Shopping Plaza, Leo found Chasel waiting for him at Sophia’s parking spot.
Chasel informed Leo that they had retrieved the surveillance footage and spotted the van used in Sophia’s abduction. However, the license plate of the van was deliberately obscured, making it impossible to identify the vehicle through the plate number.
Chasel had already reported this to Bob, who had connections with the police and access to surveillance networks to track down the van.
In addition, Bob had pulled all the strings available to him, instructing every contact in the gray area to initiate a thorough search.
For Bob, Leo’s issue was his own, and he couldn’t afford to delay even a single minute.
Karen had been waiting in the parking lot all this time. When she saw Leo arrive, her pale face regained some color, but she was still trembling, clearly shaken by the ordeal.
“Karen, were the kidnappers all wearing masks?” Leo asked once Karen had calmed down.
Karen nodded. “Yes, there were four of them who jumped out of the van. They were wearing masks, and two of them had knives. One threatened me with a knife, and the other used a knife to force Sophia into the van.”
“I was too scared to react at the time. As soon as the van left, I called you.”
From Karen’s description, Leo could sense the fear and terror Sophia must have experienced at that moment. He seethed with anger towards these despicable kidnappers. They would not go unpunished!
“Leo, Sophia isn’t in any danger, is she?” Karen asked, her eyes filled with fear. She had only seen such incidents on TV and had never expected it to happen right in front of her.
Leo didn’t respond. His mood was heavy, and all he could do right now was hope that the kidnappers were after money.
If they had other motives, it would complicate matters.
Though he was anxious, Leo could only wait for updates from Bob. He trusted Bob, a figure in the gray area, to get things done efficiently.
“Karen, for now, please go home. I’ll inform you as soon as we have news about Sophia.”
After instructing Chasel to escort Karen home, Leo prepared to head back home himself. If the kidnappers were seeking a ransom, they would likely contact Jessica or Martin.
Just as Leo was about to get into his car, Bob arrived.
“Do you have a lead?” Leo hurried over to Bob.
Bob handed Leo his phone. “Through reverse tracking, we located that white van. It was in Huntstone City two hours ago. Take a look at this surveillance video clip I captured.”
Leo quickly took the phone and pressed play on the video.
The video showed an intersection where a white van had stopped. A person got out of the van, and though the video only captured a side view, Leo recognized the figure immediately-it was Bruno!
Seeing the change in Leo’s expression, Bob knew Leo recognized the person in the video. He asked, “Do you know the man who got out of the van?”
Leo nodded and handed the phone back to Bob. “I know who the kidnapper is. I need to make a trip to Huntstone.”
“I’m going with you,” Bob said without hesitation.
—
Inside the Henley family estate, in the meeting room, a video had just finished playing on the projection screen.
“It’s terrifying! Leo, that wretch, dared to steal from the gifts, and he took two million!”
“I always thought Leo was just a parasite, but I didn’t expect him to be a thief. This kind of person cannot remain in the family.”
“No wonder Sophia didn’t use the company’s money and bought two Audi A8s. It turns out she stole two million from the dowry.”
“How did that loser get the keys to that house?”
“He must have used a master key that thieves use!”
The meeting had been hastily convened because today, the old Mrs. Henley, Teresa, decided to inspect the gifts and discovered that two million was missing. After reviewing the surveillance footage, Teresa had summoned all the family’s staff responsible for this matter.
Because it concerned Leo, Teresa had not informed Sophia of the situation. Family scandals were not to be disclosed, and Teresa did not want to involve the police. The impromptu meeting was convened to find a solution on how to deal with Leo.
Observing the righteous indignation of the family members, Bruno and Fanny exchanged a knowing glance, quietly rejoicing.
The surveillance video shown earlier had cost Bruno a considerable sum, expertly edited to be almost indistinguishable from reality. Most people wouldn’t be able to tell if the video was real or fake.
With this surveillance footage as evidence, there was no way Leo could turn the situation around.
Furthermore, Bruno had received a text message with just a simple “OK”
This message indicated that Sophia had been successfully kidnapped.
In his ongoing battle with Leo, Bruno had grown more cunning by the day. Even if things went awry with the situation involving Leo, as long as he had Sophia, he was confident that Leo would fall in line.
Bruno’s gaze turned toward the old Mrs. Henley, awaiting her final decision.
Just then, the large doors of the meeting room burst open with a loud “bang,” kicked open by an intruder from outside.