Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
“The police said they only have surveillance footage up to this point. If we want to investigate further, well have to look into private surveillance cameras,’ Neil briefed Danika, following closely behind her.
She surveyed the surroundings and noticed the lack of surveillance cameras. Since the abductors had deliberately dodged the areas with surveillance, they could not be easily tracked down. A short pause later, she instructed him, ‘Get someone to make a copy of all available surveillance footage along this route.”
“All of them?” Neil sounded doubtful.
“All of them.” She nodded. Although Neil was confused, he still carried her orders because she was the de facto head of the Zellweger family now that Graham had disappeared.
Once he was gone, Danika drove the car down the route slowly. She wracked her brain to figure out the destination where the abductors were headed with Graham and James. “Could they be kept in the same place?’ she wondered.
While she was busy searching for the two men, there was a buzz online over the abduction of Graham Zellweger and James Windsor. Netizens were in disbelief when the news first broke out. If the two men were still unaccounted for by dawn, the stock prices of their respective family businesses would be in freefall until they breached the price limit.
The Windsors launched a frantic search for James as well, but their efforts have been in vain. The abductors must have been well-prepared; they did not want a repeat of the failed assassination of Danika.
At the same time, the other families in the Ten Elites were worried for themselves.
After all, they had no idea about the identities of the abductors and whether or not the criminals might come for the other families.
In the dead of night, a few cars quietly drove into a small town next to Bardoff City, where the roads were empty. The cars were discreet, not attracting any attention.
Ten minutes later, the cars drove into the grounds of a logging factory. A man jumped out to check the surroundings. He made sure the coast was clear before giving a signal to his partners, who quickly got out of their cars.
Two men were forcefully dragged out of the cars with their heads covered. Had Danika been there, she would have recognized Graham and James in no time. They were brought into the factory and locked in an abandoned room, the cloth over their heads removed.
“Mr. Zellweger.” James looked at Graham with concern. Graham shook his head. “I’m fine. Let’s figure out an escape.’
They could not afford to waste another minute in captivity, as that would put them and Danika at a disadvantage. Until now, they had no idea about the motive of the abductors. If the abductors wanted to assassinate Graham and James, they would not need to bring the two men to the factory—they could have gotten the job done when they captured their victims.
James checked the surroundings and noticed a door and a window. Even if they escaped from the room, they would still be trapped in the logging factory under the watchful eyes of the abductors.
Moments later, he finally calmed down and said, “Mr. Zellweger, let’s stay calm for now. Since they’re not after our lives, they must have different demands. That will make things easier.’ He would be more concerned if the abductors had no other demands than taking the lives of the hostages.
“Still, I’m worried they’d go after Danika.” If the abductors blackmailed Danika with Graham’s life on the line, she would definitely cave in. At the mere thought, he’d rather bear the brunt of it.
Clever Men
Graham’s worries were not unfounded. James frowned at his words. “I think there’s a tiny possibility of that happening, so we can’t rule it out. Why don’t we ask them right away?” Then, he kicked the table beside him, and it toppled over.
The huge crash attracted the attention of those who were standing guard outside. Someone entered the room—it was the blond man, the same one that had attacked Danika.
“Wow! What do you want, gentlemen? You don’t act like prisoners, do you?” He was pissed when he detected no hint of fear on Graham and James’ faces.
James ignored his smirk and asked, “What do you want?”
The blond man was stunned by James’ boldness. Then, he chuckled and said, “You two are clever men.” He didn’t abduct them for no good reason. If he had followed the instructions of the Glasses, he would have killed off the two hostages instead of going through the trouble of hiding them.
James scoffed, thinking, “Isn’t that obvious? I don’t even need to guess.”
“I bet you know who’s behind all this. Had I strictly followed their orders, you’d both be dead by now,” the blond man went on, but he saw no fear in Graham or James. He added, “The Glasses offered us 300 million dollars to take your lives. It’s up to you how much you’re willing to offer us to save yourselves.”
James frowned. “Aren’t you worried that your international reputation would be ruined if you take advantage of both sides?” Danika had told him that the mercenaries refused her offer to pay them in exchange for her life during her assassination attempt. Why did they change their tone now?
“We would have feared the Glasses in the past because of their influence. But now…” He chuckled. “I have you to thank.”
If the Zellwegers and the Windsors didn’t crush the Glasses, the blond man wouldn’t have had the guts to pull off such a sly trick. And he never planned to release Graham and James in the first place-he planned to take their money and lives.
The mercenaries had not had a good time of late. They were in constant hiding from being hunted by Graham and James. On top of that, they had to run away from Clusia’s police. Even if they received their pay, they had to figure out a way to exit Clusia, which would be a massive headache.
With that in mind, the blond man was adamant about not letting Graham and James go. No matter what, he had to make a quick buck out of them to make up for their losses before.
“How much do you want?” James asked. He was willing to pay any price for his life as it was more valuable than money. He was also worried by the sight of Graham’s wounded leg. “If you want our money, you have to at least keep us alive, right? Stop Mr. Zellweger’s bleeding now. You won’t see a single dime if anything happens to him.”
The blond man stared at Graham’s wound and agreed, “No problem.” He ordered one of his men to stop the bleeding. One could not help but be amazed by the plethora of talents under the blond man. The man bandaged Graham’s wound fast, but Graham had to wait until he was sent to the hospital to get the bullet removed.
“I will need 300 million dollars from each of you. A fair price, right? You’re both filthy rich anyway,” the blond man negotiated. Even though it was a dangerous mission, he was rewarded with equally handsome pay. If Graham and James paid up, adding the Glasses’ money, that would be a grand total of 900 million dollars. The group of mercenaries might as well retire after the lucrative deal.
Pay Up or Die
Graham and James were well aware of the blond man’s craftiness but did not object to the ransom amount.
“Money is not a problem. But how can you guarantee you’d let us go after you get the money?” James asked. In his eyes, the abductors had no credibility at all.
“Mr. Windsor, just trust us,” the blond man offered a lackadaisical promise, unconcerned with whether Graham and James were convinced, knowing full well they had no other option. His hostages didn’t have the luxury of giving up their only hope, even if he walked back on the promise. That was the reason behind his cockiness.
James glanced at him but did not call him out. “How about this? We’ll pay you the first 300 million dollars to release Mr. Zellweger. You can let me go when you receive the second payment,” he suggested. At the very least, one of them could be free. Graham would be safe even if the blond man took back his word.
“No!” Graham spoke ahead of the blond man. “James, you leave first. I’ll be the last to go.” He and James knew that the blond man wouldn’t free them both. Whoever was left behind would lose his life. Putting aside the business partnership between the
Zellwegers and the Windsors, the fact that James was Danika’s senior meant Graham wouldn’t do that to him.
“Mr. Zellweger…’
“James Windsor!” Graham growled quietly. “Listen to me. I only have one request please go easy on Jo if you can.” He sighed, knowing it was too much to ask from James, especially at that moment, but he was at the end of his wit. He wasn’t worried about Danika because he had everything arranged at Zellweger Inc.
Even if someone wanted to sabotage the company, he believed that Danika could handle the challenge. The same could not be said for Jolene. He sensed that the
Windsors would call off the engagement soon, which was not surprising, but he hoped that James could show mercy to her after the failed engagement. He still cared a lot about Jolene because she was his daughter.
The mood became somber. James stared at Graham in silence.
On the other hand, the blond man burst out laughing. He squatted and held James by the chin. “Who told you I’d consider your suggestion? Why are you discussing who’d leave first when I have not given you the green light?”
“You…”
“Cut the nonsense. Pay up or die.’ He let go of James and shot him an icy look without giving him a chance to speak. Then, he dropped a phone in front of them. ‘Call your family. You should know what to say to them,” he said before drawing out a gun and sitting in front of them.
Seeing that, James exchanged looks with Graham and finally picked up the phone. He called Danika instead of the Windsor Villa landline.
Danika’s first reaction to unknown calls was usually to slide and decline. She was putting all her effort into tracking the car that Graham and James were in and was in no mood to take any calls. However, she picked up the incoming call without thinking since she had a gut feeling it was important.
“Who’s this?” she asked, voice trembling.
“It’s me.”
Her eyes widened in shock and joy when she heard James’ voice. “James, where are you and Dad? Are you both safe?” She was dying to get more details, but at the same time, she scribbled something on the notepad and handed it to Neil, who was right beside her.
The note read: “Track this number down.”
Neil glanced at the note and sprung into action without hesitation.
Are You Threatening Me Now?
James wanted to chat with Danika, but the blond man was aiming the gun at him. His intention was obvious; he didn’t want James to waste time.
James said, “They told me they’ll only let us go if we pay 300 million dollars each.”
“Tell him that’s not a problem, but we will do the exchange in person,” Danika replied.
The blond man heard her answer through speaker mode and said, ‘Wire the money. I will text you the account later. Remember, Miss Zellweger, you don’t have a choice now.”
Hearing that, she bit her lips, struggling to keep her composure. “Okay. But I need to talk to my dad. I need to make sure he’s safe.” Knowing that Graham was shot in the thigh, she’d be worried if she couldn’t verify that he was safe.
The blond man was happy to oblige her at the thought of the incoming 600 million dollars. James handed the phone to Graham. Graham took the call and assured her,
“Danika, I’m fine.”
“Dad, don’t worry. I’ll get you out,” she comforted him and added, ‘Is everything okay over there?”
“It’s okay, but I feel sick from the smell of wood in the air. You know I have rhinitis. It’s quite uncomfortable for me,” he answered.
She got the hint and said, “Just hang on for a little bit more. I’m calling up some connections and gathering the money.”
“Sure. I trust you. Don’t be too sad if anything happens to me, though. I’m happy as long as you’re safe.” Graham did not carry much hope at this point. He knew the mercenaries might not release him and James even if the ransom was paid. He wasn’t too bothered about his safety but felt sorry for James, who had many years ahead of him. Graham made it his mission to get James out no matter what.
Danika felt uneasy when she heard his words. “You’ll be fine.” She glanced at Neil, asking him with her eyes if he had pinned down the location.
Neil shook his head. He needed more time.
Feeling defeated, Danika decided to buy time. Alas, the blond man was no fool. “End the call now. She will gather the money. I want it in my account in an hour, or you’re all dead.”
Graham repeated the threat to Danika.
“Hand him the phone. Tell him I need to talk to him.” Danika refused to hang up-she needed to buy time for her team. Even so, she couldn’t place her father in danger. The only way left was to talk to the abductor.
The blond man was surprised when Graham handed him the phone. He took it and scoffed, “Miss Zellweger, I don’t know you well. What is it that you want to talk about?”
“You’re Kevin, right? I have nothing much to talk to you about. Just one question; have you ever thought about how you’re leaving Clusia after creating this huge mess?”
Danika announced his name out loud. Since her last encounter with them, she had looked into the background of the mercenaries and got hold of Kevin’s name.
The blond man frowned. ‘Are you threatening me now?”
“Well, it’s not exactly a threat. Just a friendly reminder.” She sounded hostile. Then, she suggested, “If you keep my dad and James safe, I can help you out.” Kevin was silent. She added, “Even if you receive the money, you can’t leave Clusia. What’s the point of it all?”
Killing Two Birds with One Stone
Kevin was well aware of the obstacles in his path that Danika brought up. More than that, he wanted to understand her motive. Perhaps, he now had a newfound respect for her because she had survived their attack. “Miss Zellweger, what do you want out of this?’
“My goal is simple; do not lay a finger on your hostages. If you’re worried about revenge from the Glasses, I can solve that problem for you.” Danika was satisfied with her proposed solution. Kevin had no good reason to turn her down unless he didn’t want to get out of Clusia safely.
