“Dad?”
Someone was hitting her mother?
Hearing the voice, Kayden froze for several seconds. After a moment, he snapped back to reality. It was that little girl-the one who lived next door, the one who stayed with Ivy Taylor.
That little girl always called him “Dad,” and tomorrow was her birthday. Kayden hadn’t forgotten that.
“Vivian, what’s wrong?” Kayden’s heart tightened as he asked anxiously.
Vivian sobbed uncontrollably. “Bad people… bad people are hitting Mom. Please save her, Dad. Please save Mom!”
Before Kayden could respond, a furious voice suddenly erupted from the other end of the line. “So, you’re here, you little brat. How dare you sneak out to make a call? You’re dead!”
Smack!
Beep… beep… beep!
The call ended abruptly. Vivian had been discovered. She had sneaked out to make the call, desperately crying for help, but she couldn’t say much beyond pleading for Kayden to save her.
That loud sound-she had been hit. Such a sweet, innocent little girl, and she had been struck.
Although Kayden wasn’t her real father, in Vivian’s heart, he had long since become her dad. In her moment of crisis, the first person she thought of was Kayden. It showed how important Kayden was to her, how much she relied on him.
Thinking of her being hit, of her being bullied, Kayden’s heart ached inexplicably.
Such a small, adorable child-how could anyone lay a hand on her? What kind of monsters were they? Were they even human?
No!
Who knew what might happen next? Gritting his teeth, Kayden quickly dialed a number.
“Track this number’s location. I need it now. Immediately!”
—
At Blueocean Estate.
A burly man with tattooed arms grabbed Vivian with one hand and dragged her from the doorway into a dimly lit room. Inside, another woman was tied to a chair-her arms and legs bound tightly. That woman was Ivy Taylor.
The brute flung Vivian onto the ground with a snarl. “You want to die, you little brat?”
He snatched Vivian’s phone and smashed it against the floor.
The device shattered into pieces.
The man was towering and broad-shouldered, with a thick, jagged scar running across his face. His features twisted in rage, making him look even more menacing.
Despite her fear, Vivian burst into tears and shouted, “You’re bad people! My dad is coming! He’s coming, and he’ll beat all of you! He’ll make you pay!”
Vivian was tougher than most kids her age. In such a terrifying situation, any other child might have been too scared to speak, but not Vivian. Perhaps it was her life experiences-she had always been a resilient, strong little girl.
Smack!
Another slap landed, knocking Vivian to the ground. Her small body, her delicate face-how could they withstand such a heavy blow?
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, a sight that would break anyone’s heart.
“No! No! No!” Ivy Taylor screamed. Though tied to the chair, she thrashed against her restraints, tears streaming down her face.
Her wrists and ankles were bleeding from her desperate struggle. Seeing Vivian being hurt felt like someone had stabbed her in the heart.
Ever since her sister passed away, Ivy Taylor had raised Vivian as her own daughter, shielding her from the pains of the world. Even though Vivian didn’t have a father, Ivy had fabricated a story about one to comfort her.
But now, watching Vivian being beaten-witnessing her child suffer-was like a knife twisting in her heart.
“I’m sorry, Vivian,” Ivy sobbed. “I’m so sorry… I’m sorry!”
“You bastards! If you have a problem, come after me! Vivian is just a child-she’s just a child!”
“Shut up!” the brute barked, glaring at Ivy. From the doorway, two more men entered the room. One was an older, bald man. The other was younger, plump, with a small beard.
The older man was Robert Peters, chairman of Peters Enterprise and the man in charge of Blueocean Estate. The younger man was his son, Bruce Peters-the same man Kayden had humiliated at the school gates not long ago. That incident, where Bruce’s companion Goldie Alfredson had knelt without a fight, had left a lingering grudge in Bruce’s heart.
Bruce had vowed revenge, but Kayden hadn’t shown up at Blueocean Estate since then. Perhaps he had forgotten all about it.
Robert Peters had orchestrated this kidnapping to force Ivy Taylor into selling her company. She owned a small pharmaceutical business-worth only a few million dollars. Recently, Robert Peters had been acquiring companies left and right, dozens of them. To him, there was no deal he couldn’t close. And when persuasion failed, he had more… aggressive methods.
Robert pulled up a chair and sat in front of Ivy. Lighting a cigarette, he exhaled a cloud of smoke before speaking with feigned politeness.
“Ms. Taylor, how does it feel now? Not so pleasant, is it?”
“When I came to you with a proper business proposal, you ignored me. Refused to even meet with me. And now? After a little suffering, you’ll sign this contract anyway.”
He pulled out a contract and placed it in front of her, smirking.
“Now, will you sign?”
Ivy’s body shook with fury. She glared at Robert Peters with blazing eyes before spitting in his face.
“Scum! You’re scum!” she shouted, her voice trembling with anger. “That company was my sister’s legacy. I’ll never sell it to you-never!”
Her sister had left the company to her before passing away. It was more than just a business; it was her sister’s final gift.
Robert Peters’ face darkened. Wiping the spit from his face, he stood and slapped Ivy hard across the face. The strike was brutal, leaving her cheek red and swollen.
He sneered, “Let me make this clear: anything I want, I get. Every company I’ve approached has ended up in my hands. Do you think you’re any different? You should feel honored that I’m interested in your little business.”
“Whether you want to sell or not, the outcome will be the same. But since you still have the energy to resist, I’ll make sure you understand what it means to fight me.”