Chapter 253

Chapter 253

"Okay, I'll meet you alone. Where are you?"

Hearing James's unconditional compromise, Veda immediately smiled smugly, "James, remember what I'm saying—I want to meet you alone. If I find out you've got a bunch of bodyguards following you, then Sophia's time is up. I'll kill her right in front of you."

Hearing this, James clenched his hands tightly into fists. In all his years, no one had ever threatened him like this. Veda was the first.

But right now, to see Sophia, he had no choice but to agree, "Fine, I got it."

After James agreed, Veda gave him an address.

At this moment, David, who was standing nearby, spoke up, "Mr. Smith, let me take some people there first to set up an ambush. After all, Veda doesn't have the money now to hire killers or bodyguards. She's probably on her own."

"If I take people over there now, she probably won't be able to fight back."

James frowned slightly. If this were before, he definitely would have taken David's suggestion, but now things were different. From that phone call just now, he could tell that Veda was ready to go down together.

That kind of person was the most terrifying.

Those people who used to fear James did so because they were afraid of dying, so they found James terrifying. But the current Veda wasn't afraid of death at all, which meant James seemed to have no way to deal with her.

So James shook his head, "No, I think this Veda has gone a bit crazy right now. If she finds out you've taken people to surround her, she really might hurt Sophia. Right now Sophia is in her hands—if something unexpected happens, that would be bad."

David's expression turned serious. After thinking carefully, he spoke again, "Mr. Smith, how about this—if you insist on going alone, I'll put a hidden camera on you. I'll stay outside and watch your movements the whole time. If I see anything wrong happening in there, I can rush in immediately."

David was thinking he'd go with James, then get out at a safe distance and let James go meet Veda by himself.

James nodded, thinking this method was more workable. After all, the crazed Veda right now wasn't someone he could mess with, "Okay, let's do it your way."

Before long, David had installed a hidden camera on James. Then James drove alone to the location Veda had sent.

David stayed at a distance with a group of bodyguards, watching secretly.

James came alone to the abandoned house in the suburbs. The last time Sophia went missing, James had come to this abandoned house looking for her. He never expected that this time Veda would bring her here again.

At that moment, Veda was holding Sophia inside the abandoned house, shaking her violently like a crazed lion, "Sophia, why? Why do you get to dress up so beautifully today, looking like a princess, while I look like a witch, only able to hide in dark corners?"

"Why do you get to be happy? I'm better than you in every way—why is my life so miserable?"

Right now Sophia was tied to a broken chair in the abandoned house.

Her white wedding dress had become dirty and dark, with parts of the skirt torn.

"Veda, don't you think you're acting like a psycho right now? Your life isn't going well—why are you blaming everything on me?"

"Everything you're going through today wasn't caused by me. It's the punishment you and your mother deserve."

Even though she was kidnapped and held hostage, Sophia wasn't afraid of Veda at all.

Mia had died at Hazel's hands. Facing Veda, Sophia wanted nothing more than to tear her to pieces. Mia was her only family.

But these words immediately set Veda off. She suddenly got emotional, turned around and shouted loudly, "You're lying! How could this have anything to do with my mother? It's all because of you."

"All along, my mother has been helping me from behind the scenes. She's the person who loves me most in this world, and you threw her in prison. So all my suffering today was caused by you, Sophia."

As Veda spoke, she stepped forward and raised her hand, slapping Sophia hard across the face, "Sophia, you vicious woman! If it weren't for you, my mother wouldn't be in prison."

Although Veda hit her hard, Sophia still wouldn't give in, "Veda, I think you've really been blinded by hatred. How could this be my fault? If your mother hadn't committed crimes, why would the police arrest her for no reason?"

Veda was now on the edge of rage and couldn't hear anything Sophia was saying.

She just wanted to vent the unfairness in her heart.

Just as she was about to say something, James's voice suddenly came from outside, "Veda, I'm here. What do you want?"

James stood outside the abandoned house, not going in rashly, because he was afraid of angering Veda.

At that moment, hearing James's voice, Sophia's heart immediately filled with panic.

She really didn't want to drag James into her problems again.

If something unexpected happened today and she died here, at least there was bad blood between her and Veda. But James was completely dragged into this because of her.

Today was supposed to be her and James's wedding. The Smith family had made their wedding so grand, but on the wedding day, she, the bride-to-be, had disappeared. This already made Sophia feel she'd wronged James.

Now hearing James's voice made Sophia especially panicked, "James, leave quickly! Don't worry about me."

Sophia shouted loudly.

Veda was immediately furious. She turned and kicked Sophia, "What are you shouting about? James came here for me, not for you."

At this point, Veda looked absolutely livid, "I really didn't expect that to save you, James would actually come here alone. Isn't he afraid I've set a trap here?"

Thinking about James being in danger, Sophia's tears fell one by one, "Veda, things have come to this point—why won't you repent? After I was abandoned by the Brown family, I never bothered you at all. It was only because Hayden wanted to save face that he took me back after I graduated from college. If it weren't for the Brown family's reputation, I probably would never have had anything to do with you in my whole life."