Chapter 67
Chapter 67
Emily was bound hand and foot to a metal frame. Aside from the man gripping her hair, four other men huddled nearby around a flaming metal drum.
The five of them wore identical helmets, making them completely indistinguishable except for their varying builds and clothing.
Emily was no longer the pampered heiress of the Bennett family. The horrors she’d endured at St. Gabriel Reform Academy made this feel insignificant. Meeting her captors’ eyes calmly, she demanded, “What do you want?”
“The Bennett family cast me out. That’s common knowledge, Emily thought. ‘After two full years away, what could they possibly want by kidnapping me now?’
Kyle yanked Emily’s hair and slapped her cheek. “I heard that you’re the Bennett family’s golden child,” he sneered. “We’re a bit short on cash lately, so, guess what we want?”
Emily understood his implication and replied calmly, “If you’re targeting the Bennett family, you’ve got the wrong person.”
“The real apple of the Bennett family’s eye is Lydia. I’m just the unloved adopted daughter they mistakenly took in. Two years ago, they disowned me and kicked me out. If you don’t believe it, check the news. You can see my photos.”
The Bennett family practically broadcast from the rooftops about changing her surname back then, all to legitimize Lydia. A quick search would pull up the reports.
Kyle scoffed and then let out a laugh. “Of course, we know you’re the Bennett family’s adopted daughter. Why else would we bother kidnapping you?”
Given the Bennett family’s standing in Cloudridge, the real Bennett heiress never went anywhere without personal bodyguards. Naturally, they wouldn’t dare lay a finger on her.
Kyle released Emily’s hair and pulled out a phone, the very one she’d just bought.
He forced Emily’s thumb onto the phone to unlock it, scrolling through as he growled, “Later, you’ll call the Bennett family and tell them to bring two million for your ransom. You’d better cooperate, or—”
Kyle suddenly fell silent, not pausing to make his threat more ominous. He was simply completely stunned by what he saw in the phone’s contacts.
The phone had only two contacts, and the call log displayed just one-Grandpa. Not even the most basic social media apps were installed.
Kyle couldn’t hide his shock, even through the helmet. “Where the hell are the contact numbers of the Bennetts family?”
Emily still remained calm. “Like I said, you’ve got the wrong person. I’m not with the Bennett family anymore, so of course, I don’t have their contact numbers.”
With the phone in his hand, Kyle hurried to the metal drum. Lowering his voice, he whispered something urgently to the leather-jacketed man, Hayden.
Hayden pulled out his own phone and started typing, apparently sending a message.
A moment later, he returned with Emily’s phone and a slip of paper. “Tell the Bennett family to wire the ransom to this account. Once the money’s transferred, you’re free. But if you don’t cooperate, things won’t end well.”
He quickly dialed the number, and a string of digits appeared on the screen.
1/2
“Hello?” Lucas’s familiar voice came through the phone.
Emily took a deep breath, steadying herself. “This is Emily. Someone tried to kidnap the Bennett family’s heiress for ransom but took me by mistake. Now they’re demanding two million dollars wired to their account.”
Her voice was unnervingly calm as she recited the kidnappers’ demands, almost as if she weren’t the one being held captive.
There was no response from the other end of the line, as if Lucas was still processing what Emily had just said.
After a long silence, Lucas’s impatient voice came through. “Emily, what stunt are you trying to pull this time to get our
attention?”