Kate’s expression changed and shouted in shock: “Dad? Is that really you?”
As she said that, she looked up at Leonardo. “Leonardo, it’s dad calling.”
“Oh.” Leonardo walked over and sat on the sofa facing her.
Kate thought that Leonardo wanted to listen to Michael’s words, and turned on the hands-free mode.
Michael’s voice came from the phone and was extremely panicky. “Kate, I’m kidnapped. They are asking for 300 million to let me go… Please dad raise that money…”
Before Michael was done talking, the phone was taken away, and the person’s voice was strange and hoarse, and clearly the kidnapper had used a voice modulator. “If we don’t see 300 million within 24 hours, then just wait to pick up his corpse then! Remember, don’t call the police.”
Kate immediately said. “Okay, okay 300 million. Understood. I will raise 300 million, don’t do—”
*Tooot!*
The call was hung up before she had finished her sentence.
“Was dad really kidnapped? If it wasn’t that I happened to came home, and received the call from the kidnapper, you were not going to tell me? And you were not going to save dad right?”
Kate’s tone was very agitated. “Leonardo, how could you be so cold-blooded. No matter what sort of grudge you have with him, he is our biological father!”
There was no change to Leonardo’s expression in the face of Kate’s accusation.
He looked at Kate but spoke to Tim. “You heard that? She wants 300 million to save her father, get along to arrange that.”
“Yes,” Tim responded and left.
“Leonardo, you… I was just too worried about dad.” Kate did not expect Leonardo to just give her 300 million just like that.
Leonardo only just curled his lips for some unknown reason and did not speak.
At this moment, Douglas had walked in from outside with his school bag on his back.
Douglas had attended a boarding school this semester. With military-like management, the school was very strict, and he had to hand over his mobile phone while at school and did not see the news until his holiday today.
“Cousins!”
The moment Douglas walked in, he saw Kate and Leonardo. “I saw the news about Uncle being kidnapped and you found Big Sis Rachel?”
Kate heard Douglas brought up the name “Rachel” and turned to ask Leonardo. “Who is Rachel?”
Leonardo got up and looked at Douglas with a slightly serious expression. “Come with me. I need to tell you something.”
“Cousin, what had happened?” Summer was too used to being on the news before, so in Douglas’s subconsciousness, most of the news online were fake.
Leonardo handed over Violet’s medical report to Douglas. “Look at this first.”
Douglas took the document and was stunned for a moment when he saw Violet’s name on it, before continuing to read it.
In the end, he was completely silent.
Leonardo did not say anything to comfort him and just told him in a very calm tone. “Aunt had loved Uncle very much, and her mental state recently had been poor, and it was until a servant noticed she wanted to kill herself by slamming her head against the wall did we realize the seriousness of it, so we had sent her to the hospital.”
Douglas looked up, his eyes were red. “Where is she now?”
Leonardo noticed that Douglas was clenching his fist.
His gaze was still cold yet calm. “Her emotions are unstable, so I had sent her to the hospital. There are specialist doctors there, and I believe it will help with her condition. You can visit her when you have the time.”
Leonardo was rarely so patient to say so much to a person other than Summer.
Douglas to him, had always been different from the other members of the Emerson family.
Like what Grandpa Emerson had said, Douglas was a sincere, earnest child, and Leonardo watched him grew up, and could not bear to tell him the truth.
The matter with Violet and Michael.
Nathan’s death.
All these cruel truths, let them remain a secret.
Douglas wiped off his years. “Cousin, thank you. How about Uncle…”
Leonardo interrupted him. “That’s a matter for us adults to handle.”
Leonardo ordered someone to send Douglas to visit Violet before sending him back to school.
With so many things happening in the Emerson family recently, it was best if Douglas stayed at school.
After arranging that, Leonardo sat in the study for a while before heading out.
Looking down from the second floor, Kate was still sitting by the phone on the first floor.
Leonardo turned around and went back to his room, and as expected he saw Summer was blanking out as she leaned against the headboard of the bed.
Hearing the door opened, Summer looked at him. “You’re back.”
In just a short week, Summer had lost a lot of weight, and her chin was even sharper, and her face even paler.
Leonardo reached out and pinched her pointed chin, and dared not use any force. He then said with a somber expression. “If you keep on losing weight like this, I won’t bring you along.”
“Leonardo…” Summer’s expression changed slightly and tugged his hand.
.
Leonardo instead brought another matter up. “Douglas came back.”
Summer paused for a moment. “You…”
As if he knew what Summer was about to ask, Leonardo said. “I didn’t tell him anything.”
Summer nodded.
She pondered for a bit and realized that Leonardo and Adams are destined to be two different people.
Adams, after learning of his birth, only thought of dragging others to hell alongside him, while Leonardo could not bear to let Douglas know about the truth.
They were born different, so no matter what Adams tried, he could not turn Leonardo into a person like him.
…
Tim had helped Kate raise 300 million.
Halfway through, the kidnapper called again and said that he wanted part cash and part gold bars…
Leonardo did not say anything and ordered Tim to see to it.
The kidnappers called again, and Kate’s patience had been worn out by them. “Everything is okay, right? We have everything ready for you.”
Yet the kidnappers seemed to be having fun. “Ah, how about this, add another 50 million in cash, I’ll let that old man go!”
Kate did not expect the other party to increase the ransom demand at the very last minute and tried to negotiate with them. “Didn’t we agree that—”
But the kidnappers did not give her any room to negotiate. “If I don’t see the money before dark, I will send his hand over.”
As soon as the kidnapper hung up, Kate ran to Leonardo and said. “Leonardo, what should we do?”
Leonardo said softly. “Their appetite will only grow bigger and bigger. They will never be satisfied. Just call the police.”
Kate felt that what Leonardo said made sense. The kidnappers were only so brazen as they were convinced that they dared not call the police.
But they had only just called the police and gotten one of Michael’s arm before it was even dark.
Kate was so shocked she fainted.
The kidnapper’s call came again.
Michael’s terrified voice rang out on the other end of the phone. “Leonardo, they just want another 50 million in cash, save me, please! I don’t want to die!”