“I had Ariella throw away your medicines. They are poisonous, so don’t take them if you can avoid it,” Elisa said.
Elisa looked at his expression and knew he was angry, but she didn’t know why or what she had done to upset him.
All she wanted was her medication. In such desperate times, she wanted to stay alive. But Hamish crushed her last shred of hope.
What more did he want from her? She felt she had suffered enough, being repeatedly dragged into filthy mud by him, barely clinging to life as she descended into hell.
“Do you have anything else to say?” Hamish asked her.
Elisa weakly shook her head. “No, if there’s no medication, then there’s none. After all, not taking it won’t kill me, right?”
Those words seemed like she was reassuring herself, but Hamish sensed something was off. It was as if she truly had a terminal illness and the medication she mentioned was her lifeline.
Hamish forcefully pushed aside those thoughts. He wouldn’t believe Elisa’s words anymore. He knew whether she was sick or not.
Finally, Hamish didn’t order anyone to go to North Bankshire.
……
Tobias didn’t know how he obtained Autumn’s hair, but he was currently verifying the DNA. Hamish’s mood was much calmer than before as he busied himself with work while waiting for the results. However, instead of the results, he received a message.
Lila had been kidnapped.
When Hamish was in his office, he received a text from an unknown number. He opened it and saw a photo.
Lila was tied up, covered in injuries, tears streaking down her face with a look of panic.
Hamish stood up abruptly, a chill running through his body, even his fingers trembling. He took a deep breath, his face turning slightly pale.
Instead of immediately calling the unfamiliar number, he called Lila’s phone, but the cold sound of the shutdown notification came from the other end.
Hamish quickly dialed Mrs. Gordon’s number, and after a moment, someone answered. He hadn’t even had a chance to exhale when he heard Mrs. Gordon’s voice.
“Mr. Burns, what can I do for you?”
In a cold voice, Hamish asked, “Where is Lila?”
Mrs. Gordon, who was just waking up from a nap, was startled. She stammered, “Miss Morris is at home.”
A glint of coldness flashed in Hamish’s eyes, his voice low, “Pass the phone to her.”
Mrs. Gordon couldn’t utter a word. Cold sweat trickled down her back. Everything she had just said was a lie to deceive Hamish. Lila had been going out frequently lately, sometimes not returning for an entire night, and she warned Mrs. Gordon not to tell Hamish.
Now, with Hamish suddenly calling, Mrs. Gordon panicked and didn’t know how to cover up for Lila.
“…. Mr. Burns, Miss Morris is not at home. I fell asleep after lunch, and she went out shopping this morning.” Mrs. Gordon nervously swallowed, but in reality, Lila had gone out yesterday morning. It had been almost 30 hours since she left, which was a bit long, but it had happened before.
Even though they were on the phone, Hamish seemed to sense Mrs. Gordon’s thoughts. “Did she really go out this morning? From the look of that photo, Lila’s condition is not as simple as being missing for a few hours.”
Mrs. Gordon, who usually disregarded Lila, didn’t expect Hamish to call so urgently this time.
“Mrs. Gordon, I’ll ask you again, when did she disappear?” Hamish had no patience left.
Mrs. Gordon’s heart skipped a beat, realizing that Hamish might know something. She knew what Hamish was capable of.
“Miss Morris was called out yesterday morning. She told me not to tell you.”
Disappearing at least 30 hours ago, Hamish wanted to curse loudly. It was certain that Lila had been kidnapped. The injuries on her body indicated that she had been tormented throughout the night. If he didn’t rescue her soon, the consequences would be unimaginable.
He hung up the phone and immediately dialed the unknown number. The call was immediately disconnected, probably because they were worried about being traced and had been using different phone numbers to send messages.
“If you want to save Lila, have Elisa bring the money.”
“Who are you?”
“Just consider me someone who gets things done for money, Mr. Burns. Choose between Lila and Elisa. If you want Lila to stay alive, send Elisa. If you don’t, I’ll send Lila’s corpse to you.”
Hamish stared at the text, his expression turning cold and murderous. His pupils narrowed, revealing a calmness likea predator patiently waiting for its prey, but also shrouded in gloom.
“Do you dare?!” Hamish’s impulsiveness quickly subsided. As someone accustomed to holding power, he regained his composure.
“Mr. Burns, I am just a desperate man. I am not afraid of death. As long as the money is right, I’ll do anything. I can’t act now, but who knows about later.” After receiving an anonymous message, that person sent a video to Hamish’s phone.
The video started playing, showing Lila tied up in a chair, blindfolded, with a person holding hot tongs slowly approaching her face. Sensing the danger, Lila pleaded helplessly.
“Hamish, I’m so scared…”
“Save me…”
As Hamish watched, the veins on his hand gripping the phone bulged, and the video ended there.
“Mr. Burns, have Elisa bring one billion tomorrow at noon, or the branding iron will be pressed against Lila’s face.”
The video automatically replayed, and the broken voice of a woman shattered through the phone, piercing Hamish’s eardrums like needles.
A lump formed in Hamish’s throat, and the vein on his forehead throbbed, causing his entire head to ache.
He was given one day to decide whether he wanted Lila or Elisa.
Hamish saved several unfamiliar numbers and sent them to a group to investigate who the person behind them was.
They were quickly identified that same evening. Those numbers belonged to Lukas’ subordinates. Was Lukas the mastermind?