Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
“Who are you?”
“You’re Janet Hale, aren’t you?”
The man who led the pack snickered.
When she didn’t answer, he boldly scanned her from head to toe.
“Looks decent.”
She had no idea who they were, but she had a feeling that they were up to no good.She stumbled backward warily and prepared to shut the door.
Before that, she demanded to know, “Who exactly are you? And why are you here?”
The man glanced at her and explained, “Your parents borrowed money from us, but they can’t pay us back.So, they pawned you.”
Janet was bewildered.
“That’s impossible!”
“Hah! Here’s the receipt.Read for yourself.”
Then, he threw a receipt at her.She picked it up with trembling hands, and her heart sank upon seeing the familiar writing.She had known that her parents loved money more than they loved her, a truth she learned to accept.But now…She felt like a clown.
Perhaps, they had never thought of her as a daughter.She forced herself to calm down and threw the receipt back at the man.
“Is this even legal? If they owe you money, you should look for them.Why are you after me?”
She proceeded to close the door on them.However, the man grabbed the door.
“I don’t care whether it’s legal or not.Your parents pawned you, so you’ll have to leave with us.”
“Let go!”
She gritted her teeth, knowing that they wouldn’t let this slip.
“How much did they owe you? I’ll pay you back,” she suggested.
The man let go of the door but stuck a foot out before she could shut it.
“Sure, you can do that.It’s a small amount— one million.”
“One million?”
She was bewildered.
What did her parents do with that money? The man seemed to read her mind.
“I heard your sister-in- law demanded a larger amount of dowry.Your parents had no choice but to borrow money.”The colors drained from her face.
Right.
Who else would her parents spend on, if not on their useless son?
Where Are You Bringing Me?
The man ignored Janet’s response and extended his hand. “Did you say you wanted to pay me back? Pay me now.”
“I don’t have much with me, but I can pay you part of the amount. Give me a few more days, and I’ll gather all the money.” Janet had some savings over the past few years, but it was nothing much because she had given most of her savings to her parents. It was impossible for her to cough up one million dollars right away. There was no way she would leave with the men; the only option left was to buy time.
The men were no pushovers. When she said she didn’t have the money, they grabbed her without hesitation. “Since you can’t pay us back, you have to leave with us.”
“Where are you bringing me?” She fought back with an uneasy feeling at the pit of her stomach.
“You’ll know when we reach there. I guarantee you’ll be happy.” The man chuckled evilly, sending a shiver down her spine. She knew that she’d be screwed if she followed them.
Unfortunately, the men were too aggressive, and she didn’t stand a chance against them. In the face of the well-built men, Janet, a weak female, could not fight back. She watched helplessly as they dragged her out of the villa. Feeling defeated, she blurted out, “My boyfriend is rich! I can get him to pay you when he’s home.”
She had wanted to keep her family drama from Zack due to shame. Her history was embarrassing and lowly enough, and she worried that revealing her family’s situation would only humiliate her. However, she had no other choice but to borrow money from Zack and work hard to pay him back.
She thought the men would accept her suggestion, but they refused to let go of her. ‘Heh heh, we think it’s better to bring you with us.” They wanted more than one million dollars. They were willing to offer the loan to her parents only because they knew the parents would put their daughter as collateral. Their goal, from the very start, was Janet Hale.
A beauty like Janet would be worth more than one million dollars when sold.
Janet was brought away and got knocked out inside the car. The car swiftly left, speeding toward a venue that no one knew.
Zack arrived home close to 11 pm. Standing at the door, he was puzzled to find it unlocked. “How careless can Janet be? She didn’t even lock the door. What if a thief or a robber showed up?” he mumbled and entered the villa, heading to her bedroom. However, he frowned when he found no trace of her in the room.
He called out for her but was met with no response. He left the room and quickly checked the entire villa but didn’t see her anywhere. Feeling concerned, he called her but heard her phone ring inside the bedroom. He went upstairs once more and found her phone under a pillow. His eyebrows twitched.
A short silence later, Zack marched to the surveillance room. There was no surveillance camera in the villa, only some at the villa’s outer compounds. He needed to confirm if Janet had left by her own will or if something had happened to her.
Soon, he spotted a group of men at the villa door in the footage. His expression turned grim when he saw them dragging Janet away. He took photos of their faces, which he sent to Gilbert. Next, he gave Gilbert a call.” Gilbert, track down these men for me.”
“Why? What happened?” Gilbert sounded confused and worried. It was late at night, and Zack sounded anxious over the phone.
Let Go of Her!
Zack was dead worried and had no time to explain. “Help me look for them. I’ll fill you in later.” He hung up without giving Gilbert a chance to ask.
Gilbert sighed but didn’t waste a minute distributing the photos. He instructed his men to start searching. As a tech expert, Zack still had to call Gilbert for help because he was worried that the men would dodge the surveillance cameras in their escape. However, he soon found out that his worries were unfounded. The men were reckless, and their vehicle did not attempt to shun the routes with surveillance cameras. It made Zack’s work easier.
When he saw where the men parked their vehicle, he jumped in anger and left the villa in his car.
Meanwhile, Gilbert was busy helping with the search, but he didn’t have the manpower in Bardoff City, nor was he the best at tracking down suspects. Therefore, he called Danika, thinking the search would be sped up with the Zellweger family’s assistance.
Danika was perplexed to receive Gilbert’s call in the dead of night, but she didn’t ask questions. Zack never joked around. Something must have happened for him to ask for help in locating the men.
Little did they know that Zack had found the suspects, and he barged into an establishment. It was a popular high-end club in Bardoff City that supplied everything one could ever want, including women.
When he stepped foot in the club, the staff immediately approached him.” Sir, do you have an appointment?”
Zack gave him a cold look. ‘Where are these men?”
“Sir, you can’t enter without an appointment!” The staff member blocked his way to stop him from entering but was kicked Zack rushed into the club because he had no time to lose.
He arrived at the main hall, which was quite deserted because it was late at night. He instantly heard the screams from within.
It was Janet!
Without thinking, Zack charged at the room and kicked the door open. He saw two men forcing Janet to kneel on the floor. She had a few slap marks on her face. It was obviously recent.
His presence caught everyone by surprise. They looked at him at the same time. “Who’s this guy? Who let him in?”
“Let go of her!” Zack shouted as he went to grab Janet. Before he could reach her, he was kicked aside by a man.
“Wow, looks like you’re her lover. How loyal of you! You came at the right time-1 was about to fuck her. It’ll be more fun if you witness it.” Then, he ordered his men to hold Zack before he walked up to Janet. He grabbed her chin with a look of admiration. “You’re quite the looker. I don’t regret the money I spent on buying you. Do your best, and you will be the club’s top escort down the road!”
“Let go of her! I’ll pay you any amount you want!’ Zack struggled to break free but failed.
Janet had tears in her eyes when she looked at him. “You are a fool! You shouldn’t have come.”
“Janet!” He choked on his tears. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
“That’s enough. Are you playing Romeo and Juliet?” The man smirked as he grabbed Janet and threw her onto the couch. “Let’s see if you are still lovebirds after I’m done with her.” “No! Let go of me!” Janet struggled with all her might-she did not want to be sullied, especially in front of Zack.
Bow to You? Dream On!
There was no way Zack would allow anything bad to happen to Janet. He broke free of the two men holding him back and rushed toward her. Then, he shoved the man who tried to sexually assault her. “Janet, don’t be scared!” He quickly pulled her into his arms and backed away.
The man was infuriated. He drew a dagger and pointed it at Zack. “You’re courting death, aren’t you? But you’re at the wrong place. No one would bat an eye even if I killed you here!”
Zack stared at him fearlessly. “Isn’t money all you want? I’ll pay you. Let us go.’
“I wanted money at first, but I have changed my mind. I want the woman now!’ The man was incandescent because no one had the audacity to challenge him like Zack.
Janet clutched onto Zack tightly in fear. “Zack, you should go. Don’t mind me.”
“Nonsense!” He turned around to look at her. How could he possibly leave her behind?
“Leave that woman behind and bow to me for forgiveness, and I might forgive you,” the man demanded as he walked toward Zack.
Zack regretted not learning martial arts more enthusiastically when he was taking lessons with Danika. If he did, he would have been strong enough to fight back. “I’d advise you to think before you act. We’re living under the rule of law.” He attempted to calm his opponent.
However, the hooligans never held any regard for the law. “It’s the rule of law for an average man like you. But for us, it’s a dog-eat-dog world.” To them, the law existed to be broken. The man in the lead was backed by the Britt family, one of the Ten Elites in Bardoff City, and that fueled his arrogance. Zack, the upper-middle-class guy, was not to be taken seriously.
Zack fell silent, knowing that nothing he said would be of help. Instead, he tilted his head and whispered in Janet’s ear, “When I charge at them, you’ll take the chance to escape!”
“Zack!” She shook her head. She couldn’t make that risky move.
Still, Zack ignored her worries. “Be good. When you’re out, tell Gilbert to come save me.”
Her eyes turned misty. She wondered, “Would help come in time?”
The man stood in front of Zack with the dagger in hand and a grin on his face. “So? Have you made your decision?”
Zack smirked at the man and gave him a surprise punch, much to the latter’s disbelief. “Bow to you? Dream on!” Next, he roared at Janet, “Janet, run!”
He moved fast, and Janet was well-prepared too. She knew that she would be an obstacle to him if she stayed. Therefore, she chose to run and look for Gilbert. At least, they’d stand a chance against that man.