Chapter 595

Finnegan raised his hand to hit Mabel, but stopped mid-swing.

Breathing heavily, he ended up shoving the nightstand over instead.

The lamp crashed onto the carpet with a dull thud.

Outside the door, thirteen-year-old Jett bit his lip, his fists clenched so tightly they turned white.

He had only come to ask what was for lunch because he was hungry, but instead, he overheard his parents arguing fiercely about his half-sister Claire. In Jett's memory, his parents had their disagreements, but they had never fought like this.

"Jett?" Upton's voice called from the staircase, "You must be hungry. Let's go get some food."

Jett trudged downstairs, sulking. "It's all Claire's fault! If she weren't in Marigoldia, Mom and Dad wouldn't be fighting! They never used to be like this."

Upton's eyes flickered with an idea as he put an arm around Jett's shoulders. "Do you want to teach Claire a lesson?"

Jett looked up, a dark glint in his eyes that seemed too mature for his age. "How?"

Upton smiled mysteriously and pulled a bottle of white pills from his pocket, shaking it slightly. "I have a way."

The midday sun blazed down on the beach as Zoey and her group, exhausted from playing, brought Gabriel and Travis to the resort's main restaurant. Gabriel and Travis were dozing off on Henry's shoulders.

"They played too hard this morning," Zoey laughed, brushing the sweat-soaked hair from the kids' foreheads. "They need a good nap after lunch."

Claire helped Joseph pull out a chair, her gaze casually sweeping the restaurant entrance before she suddenly froze.

Joseph followed her line of sight to see a small, timid boy standing there, looking at them hesitantly.

"Is that your brother?" Joseph frowned.

Jett seemed to notice their attention and, after a moment's hesitation, slowly walked over.

His eyes were red, as if he had been crying.

"Claire," Jett's voice was barely a whisper, "Can I talk to you alone? It's really important."

Claire's expression grew complicated. She had little affection for her half-brother Jett, but seeing him looking so pitiful, she couldn't harden her heart completely.

Zoey touched Claire's wrist, concerned. "Do you want us to come with you?"

"No, it's fine," Claire shook her head and stood up. "Jett is just a kid." She followed Jett out of the restaurant, the sunlight immediately washing over her.

Joseph's eyes followed them until they disappeared behind a palm tree at the corner of the restaurant.

For some reason, a wave of unease surged in his chest.

"What's wrong?" Henry noticed Joseph's unease.

Joseph shook his head. "I don't know, I just have a bad feeling."

Meanwhile, behind the tree, Claire looked at Jett, puzzled. "What's so secretive?"

Jett stared at the ground, drawing circles in the sand with his toe. "Claire, Mom and Dad had a huge fight because of you," his voice quivered with tears. "Dad pushed Mom, and her head hit the nightstand."

Claire gasped. "What? Is she okay?"

Despite her resentment towards Finnegan and Mabel, hearing about violence made Claire instinctively worried.

At that moment, a rough hand suddenly clamped over her mouth and nose from behind!

Claire's eyes widened, catching a glimpse of Jett's face, which flickered with panic before morphing into a strange excitement.

Claire struggled desperately, but the sickly sweet smell of chemicals filled her nostrils.

Ether! The realization sent a jolt of terror through Claire.

She elbowed backward with all her strength, hearing a grunt, but the hand remained firmly over her mouth and nose.

Her vision began to blur, her ears filled with the sound of her own frantic heartbeat and Jett's rapid breathing.

"Help me out here!" Upton's gritted voice came from above, "Hold her legs!"

Claire felt clumsy hands pinning her ankles.

In the last moment before she lost consciousness, she looked incredulously at Jett, whom she had thought was just being manipulated. Jett was now helping Upton with all his might, his eyes gleaming with the same greed as Finnegan's.

Darkness engulfed her.

Upton quickly scanned the area, ensuring no one had noticed them.

He deftly stuffed the unconscious Claire into a pre-prepared burlap sack and slung it over his shoulder.

"Let's go!" Upton grabbed Jett and ran towards the private dock. "The yacht is ready!"

Jett followed, both excited and scared. "Upton, are we really taking Claire to that island? What if Dad finds out..."

"Shut up!" Upton snapped, "It's too late to back out now! Remember, this was all your idea, got it?"

Jett nodded, his face pale.

The yacht's engine roared, masked perfectly by the sound of the waves.

Upton tossed the sack into the cabin and expertly untied the ropes.

The small yacht sped across the blue sea, leaving a white trail in its wake.

The midday sun streamed through the restaurant's floor-to-ceiling windows, casting light on the table where Joseph's fingers drummed faster and faster.

He checked his watch for the third time.

It was 12:48 PM.

Claire had been gone for half an hour.

"Something's wrong." Joseph stood abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. "No matter how important, Claire wouldn't take this long."

Zoey set down her juice, frowning. "Are you worried..."

"Jett is only thirteen," Celine interjected, though her tone was uncertain. "Nothing should happen, right?"

"That bad boy!" Travis suddenly jumped up from his high chair, his little face red with anger. "He took my snacks last time!"

Gabriel nodded vigorously in agreement. "He pushed Claire, too!"

The two three-year-olds waved their tiny fists, using their limited vocabulary to express their displeasure with Jett.

Henry and Zoey exchanged a wary glance.

Despite their young age, Gabriel and Travis's instincts were often surprisingly accurate.

Joseph's face had turned ashen. "I'm going to find Claire."

He bolted for the door, with Henry right behind him.

"We're coming too." Zoey stood up quickly, and Celine called over the nanny standing nearby. "Please take Gabriel and Travis back for their nap."

"No!" Travis clung to Zoey's leg. "We want to find Claire!"

Zoey knelt and kissed Travis's forehead. "I promise we'll bring Claire back safely. Now go with the nanny and take a nap, okay?"

Watching the nanny lead a reluctant Gabriel and Travis away, Zoey regained her calm and decisive demeanor. "We'll split up. Joseph, Henry, you check by the trees. Celine and I will review the security footage."