Chapter 60: Only Caroline
Daryl froze for a moment.
"Grandpa? We're just letting this go?"
"What else can we do?"
Landon slumped back into his chair, his eyes dim, his face full of helplessness and resentment.
"Right now, the Collins family's fate is in her and James's hands. What can we do besides endure it?"
He didn't even dare say another harsh word.
But Daryl was completely unwilling to accept this. Seeing that Landon had given up, he ground his teeth in hatred.
That night, Daryl secretly snuck out of the house and found a gang member in Silvermoon City named Dorian Reid.
Dorian had significant influence in Silvermoon City's underground world, specializing in kidnapping and extortion.
As long as you paid enough, he'd do anything.
When Daryl found Dorian, he was drinking at a bar.
Daryl hurried over and handed him a stack of cash.
"Dorian, I need your help with something."
Dorian glanced at Daryl, then at the cash in his hand, a greedy smile spreading across his face.
"What is it? Speak up. As long as the money's right, I can handle anything for you."
Daryl leaned closer to Dorian and lowered his voice.
"I need you to kidnap someone for me—Caroline, the current head of the Collins family."
Dorian held his glass, took a sip, and looked at Daryl sideways, his smile growing wider.
"Caroline? I know her. She's been making waves in Silvermoon City lately. I heard James has her back. You dare mess with her?"
Daryl gritted his teeth, the resentment in his eyes almost overflowing, his fists clenched tight.
"So what if it's James? As long as you can kidnap her for me, money's no problem. I'll double it. Plus, I've already figured out a way to make sure James can't trace it back to me."
He calculated in his mind—once Caroline was kidnapped and sold overseas, no matter how powerful James was, he wouldn't be able to find her.
Then, with the Collins Group leaderless and James having no energy to watch over it, he could seize back everything that belonged to him.
Dorian raised an eyebrow and patted the cash Daryl handed over. It felt thick, and his heart was immediately moved.
"Alright, I'll take the job. But let me be clear—if something goes wrong, I'm not covering for you."
"And I need half the money upfront. The other half, you pay me after I hand the target over to your designated person."
"No problem!"
Daryl agreed without hesitation and quickly pulled out another stack of cash from his bag.
Three days passed, and Caroline was working late at the company.
Julie sat beside her, helping organize materials for a partnership project.
After several busy days, everything at the company was getting on track, and Caroline felt relieved.
She rubbed her throbbing temples, thinking that once this busy period was over, she'd spend some quality time with James.
During this time, James had been by her side, helping her handle company matters. She felt both touched and a bit guilty, feeling like she'd been neglecting him.
Just then, her phone suddenly rang, showing an unknown number on the screen.
Caroline frowned, hesitated for a moment, but still answered.
"Is this Caroline?"
A strange woman's voice came through, sounding urgent and panicked.
"Yes, this is she. Who is this? What's the matter?"
Caroline's tone was calm, but her heart filled with doubt.
"Ms. Collins, something terrible happened! Bronte collapsed at GreenLeaf Market. She's still lying on the ground, and no one dares to move her. You need to come quickly!"
The woman's voice grew more urgent, even carrying a hint of tears.
Caroline's heart sank, and the pen in her hand dropped straight onto the desk.
How could Bronte suddenly collapse?
Caroline's emotions became incredibly complicated in an instant.
Although she'd long been disappointed with the Collins family, Bronte was still the person who gave birth to her and raised her. She couldn't just ignore this.
Meanwhile, the voice on the phone kept urging her.
"Please come quickly. Your mother looks like she's not going to make it, and we can't reach anyone else."
With that, the caller hung up.
Caroline's face went pale with disbelief.
Julie, seeing her expression change, quickly put down the materials and asked with concern.
"Ms. Collins, what's wrong? What happened?"
Caroline snapped back to reality, the panic in her heart growing stronger.
She grabbed her bag from the desk and rushed outside, saying as she ran.
"Something happened to my mom. She collapsed at GreenLeaf Market. I need to get there right away!"
Julie froze for a moment, then quickly followed, saying doubtfully.
"Ms. Collins, wait a moment. Should I come with you? Or should you call your mother first to confirm?"
Caroline was already panicking. She quickly called Bronte's phone.
But after several attempts, no one answered.
The more the calls went unanswered, the more panicked she became, her mind racing with all kinds of terrible thoughts.
Without time to say more, she ran straight out of the company.
Watching her panicked figure, Julie frowned and picked up her phone to make a call.
More than ten minutes later, the taxi arrived near GreenLeaf Market.
Caroline paid the fare and rushed into the supermarket.
But after searching around, she saw no sign of Bronte, nor anyone collapsed on the ground.
A hint of doubt crept into her heart. Had that caller gotten the wrong number?
Or had that woman lied to her?
Just then, a tall man walked over and tapped her shoulder.
"Ms. Collins, you're here looking for someone, right?"
Caroline turned around and saw the man's fierce, menacing appearance. A sense of alertness immediately rose in her heart.
"Who are you? Did my mom collapse here?"
The man smiled, his tone strange.
"Ms. Collins, come with me. I'll take you to see her."
Although Caroline felt wary, thinking that Bronte might be in danger, she gritted her teeth and followed.
The man led her toward the warehouse behind the supermarket, going further and further off the main path.
The surroundings grew quieter and quieter, without a soul in sight.
The unease in Caroline's heart grew stronger. She immediately became alert and wanted to quietly turn around and leave.
But just then, several people suddenly rushed out, all tall and imposing, instantly surrounding Caroline.
Caroline's heart sank. She knew she'd been tricked—this was a trap all along.
"Who are you? Who sent you?"
Caroline forced herself to stay calm, her tone icy, though her heart was racing with panic.
She knew she was no match for these people right now. She could only try to stall for time and wait for a chance to call for help.
Dorian stepped out from the crowd, looking at Caroline with a greedy smile spreading across his face.