Chapter 272: A Different Price
Chapter 272: A Different Price
To gather as much information as possible, Richard and William personally stood in the narrow alley where Isabella had disappeared.
The passage was incredibly cramped—barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side. Anyone coming from the opposite direction would have to press themselves against the wall to squeeze past.
Richard and William were both tall men. Standing together, their shoulders touched, making it nearly impossible to move forward.
By contrast, petite Olivia fit perfectly into the space. The alley seemed made for someone her size.
"Mom definitely wasn't dragged out by force!" Olivia announced the moment she stepped into the alley entrance, her voice carrying absolute certainty.
William and Richard shifted to create space between them, then crouched down to listen carefully to what she had to say.
"Why do you think that?" William asked.
Olivia tilted her head, looking at her father as though puzzled by such an obvious question.
"Because this alley is too narrow. Mom's not like me—she can fight back. If someone tried to drag her out, other people would have noticed for sure."
What method could render Isabella—an adult woman who worked out regularly—instantly incapable of resistance?
William and Richard realized it simultaneously. "Drugs!"
The alley wasn't particularly long, stretching roughly four hundred feet from end to end.
The real problem was its maze-like structure. Seven intersecting passages branched off in different directions, each leading to various neighborhood streets that eventually merged with the main city roads.
Isabella must have run into trouble somewhere in this labyrinth.
And she'd been subdued instantly, with no chance of escape.
Olivia walked ahead in silence, lost in thought.
William and Richard followed, scanning the ground for any clues.
"This is the pearl necklace I gave Mom!"
Olivia's sudden cry drew both men's immediate attention.
They looked where she pointed but saw nothing.
Only after crouching down did they spot a tiny pearl lying among the gravel and pebbles, nearly invisible unless you knew to look for it.
Olivia carefully pinched the pearl between her fingers and cradled it in her palm.
"I gave this to Mom," she said earnestly. "At the last parent day at kindergarten, the teacher said we could bring things from home to sell. I brought lots of storybooks. Zoey traded me this pearl necklace she'd bought at the beach."
"Mom loved it so much. She wore it all the time, even when we went to Canvia!"
There were no signs of struggle on the ground. Even the red brick walls on either side stood smooth and undisturbed.
None of the nearby residents had heard a woman crying for help, which meant Isabella hadn't fought back.
So how had her treasured necklace broken?
William and Richard had found their breakthrough. Together with Olivia, they meticulously searched for the remaining pearls.
A second one. A third...
The scattered pearls formed a trail, as though Isabella had deliberately left them breadcrumbs. They led the trio to the first intersection, then turned left.
Olivia collected forty pearls in total before the trail ended.
The necklace had run out. But thankfully, Isabella had left them enough information to work with.
Richard immediately pulled out his phone and called in a favor to access surveillance footage from that route.
When William stood up, he accidentally pulled at his wound and sucked in a sharp breath.
Olivia had been about to follow Richard but turned back when she heard the sound.
She hesitated. "Dad, if you're not feeling well, you should go back to the hospital. Uncle Richard and I can find Mom together."
The determined light in Olivia's eyes made William feel almost ashamed.
"I can keep going," he said quietly.
When they reached the end of the alley, Richard turned to look at Olivia seriously.
"It's going to be dangerous from here. You need to go home with Mary."
"I want to find Mom! I need to see her as soon as possible!" Olivia's response was fierce, her voice rising with anxiety as she refused.
Richard crouched down and gently pinched her cheek with his fingertips, his tone tender and reassuring. "If your mom knew you put yourself in danger trying to save her, she'd be so worried and upset."
"Be good, sweetheart. You have to trust that I'll bring your mother home safe."
After a moment's hesitation, Olivia nodded hard and threw her arms around Richard's neck.
"Uncle Richard, you have to bring my mom back. Please don't let anything happen to her."
Her voice cracked with the threat of tears.
Watching his daughter cling to Richard with such trust made William's chest tighten with a sour ache.
She was his daughter, yet she was closer to Richard. Wasn't that its own kind of mockery?
Mary arrived quickly from the house. After crossing the street to collect Olivia, she thanked Richard and led the girl away.
"You're coming with me?" Richard raised an eyebrow at William.
Given his physical condition, William might well become a liability. If he passed out halfway through...
Objectively speaking, Richard hadn't planned on bringing him along.
"My daughter's already been won over by you," William said with a slight snort, lifting his chin and straightening his shoulders. "If I don't step up now, my entire family will be under your occupation."
He strode forward with determination.
Richard said nothing, simply accepting the role of driver.
Despite their differences, the two men found themselves unexpectedly in sync.
They shared one unwavering goal: rescue Isabella.
Having made that promise to Olivia, neither could afford to break it.
The person Richard had sent to check surveillance cameras reported back quickly.
Only one suspicious vehicle had entered and exited that alley last night—and it was using stolen plates.
The moment this detail emerged, the suspicion level skyrocketed.
Richard immediately followed the route map they'd sent him, driving out of the city center.
They merged onto the ring road highway.
Eventually, the car stopped near an abandoned steel mill on the outskirts of town.
The factory had relocated over a decade ago, leaving behind nothing but ruins.
Weeds had overtaken everything. The place looked desolate and forsaken.
Richard retrieved a crowbar from his trunk, testing its weight and finding it satisfactory. He also grabbed a golf club for William.
Together, they entered the steel mill.
The men hiding deep within the factory remained vigilant.
The lookout spotted the two approaching figures and immediately rushed back to warn the man guarding Isabella.
The man cursed under his breath and spat.
He pulled out his phone and dialed a number that had contacted him recently.
"Someone's found us. Did you sell us out, you bitch?"
Frantic explanations crackled through from the other end.
The man grabbed a pair of binoculars he'd prepared earlier and calculated the distance.
"No time. We need to deal with this woman now... Clean up your mess for you? That's a different price!"