Chapter 95: Kidnapping

"What is this?"

Anna's face turned pale; she was startled.

She retreated to the table, took out a handgun from a drawer, and trembled as she raised it. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

The room was eerily quiet, and the figure under the blanket remained motionless.

In a state of heightened alertness, Anna suddenly smelled a faint stench in the air, as if there was a scent of decay and something resembling formalin.

Anna suddenly realized something and rushed towards the bed.

Next to the bed, she grabbed the blanket, lifting it with a single pull. Underneath it lay a person, but a dead one. She had witnessed it with her own eyes, Giulio had shot and killed him! It finally dawned on her what Henry meant. This was the gift she used to love, it signified the body of the man she had an affair with.

"Didn't Giulio blow up the villa? How is his body intact?" Anna was horrified. If Henry could arrange to get a corpse onto her bed, he could certainly get access for a living person armed with a knife or a gun.

This indicated that the Costa family's strict defenses were as fragile as air before Henry. If he wished, he could have someone kill her at any time. Was Henry really just Nicholas's subordinate dog? The more Anna thought about it, the more frightened she became. Veins popped on her face, and Henry's image had become akin to that of a demon in her eyes.

After quite some time, when Anna managed to calm herself down, she pondered for a moment and called her trusted subordinate to handle the body. She didn't dare tell Giulio about this, fearing not only his reaction upon seeing the corpse but also the humiliation it would bring back. It wouldn't be worth it if he became enraged and punished her.

In any case, she didn't need Giulio. She was the mistress of the Costa family and had considerable authority. "The entire Costa family's security system needs a complete overhaul!"

If there was a problem, it all had to be assessed and replaced. Anna couldn't believe that changing merely a group of people would prevent similar incidents from happening again. "Giulio, did anything happen in Freton City last night?"

In the study, Anna asked as she found Giulio. The Costa family's intelligence system was substantial, and Giulio could get information about many things in no time. Giulio sneered coldly, "Are you trying to teach me how to do my job? Get lost."

Anna held back her anger and refrained from retorting. She was eager to confirm what had happened yesterday and didn't want to waste time talking to Giulio. She called the person in charge of intelligence and, after listening to the report, Anna remained speechless for a long time.

Yesterday, hundreds of assassins had mysteriously disappeared, even their bodies couldn't be found. This matter had alarmed the state government, leading to a detailed investigation that took them to Eagle Ridge. However, they found nothing, as if yesterday's assassins were merely illusions that never existed.

But that was clearly impossible. There was an invisible hand at play, erasing everything. "Is this the kind of power that Nicholas possesses?" Anna couldn't fully believe it. She sat there stunned, unable to find the right words.

As Anna left the study, Giulio sneered and paid no attention. Instead, he made a phone call to connect with someone else.

"Make sure everything is clear and follow my instruction to the letter. This morning, follow the time I mentioned, and take action. Remember, even if the plan fails, you must not harm her! If you notice anything wrong with her, immediately abort the plan. Understand? Otherwise, not even your father can protect you, Elijah!"

"Henry, just take me to Sophia's family. My father has sent someone there to wait for me. With the help of Sophia's family, we can keep it hidden and not expose that I stayed at your place last night." Laura said as she turned around.

Henry was speechless. "What's wrong with staying at my place? I wasn't even there last night."

"Where did you go, exactly?"

Curious, Laura, knowing that Henry wasn't that kind of person, even suspected that he went out on a date with another woman.

She even took the chance to sniff him, but there was no unusual scent on Henry, as if he had just taken a shower.

This made her even more suspicious, feeling like Henry was trying to wash away some smell.

"Ask your mom later." Henry replied with a curious smile.

Laura was momentarily puzzled, then, realizing that he didn't intend to say anything else on this subject, so she could only grumble and get into the car.

Henry wanted to accompany her but she immediately chased him out.

"What could possibly happen? Don't come with me. If our family members see us together, it could cause big trouble. My dad and mom will definitely confine me to our house and not let me out anymore."

Henry thought about it and didn't insist any further.

The vehicle sped away. Upon arrival at Sophia's family home, Laura specifically asked to be dropped off at the back door, then walked out through the front door.

"Jason, it's you who came to pick me up?" Laura immediately recognized the driver and greeted him with a sweet smile.

Jason smiled and replied, "Who else could it be? You wouldn't feel safe with anyone else."

"That's right, I won't get in a car if it's not yours." Laura said, expressing her trust in Jason.

From childhood to adulthood, Jason had been her dedicated driver, so she never gave it much thought.

Therefore, she didn't notice that Jason's hands gripping the steering wheel were trembling slightly, and a tinge of guilt flashed across his face.

Laura sat in the back seat, closing her eyes and dozing off.

She had barely slept last night as she had been chatting with Sophia almost all night.

Suddenly, the vehicle abruptly stopped. If it weren't for the seatbelt holding her tightly, Laura felt like she would have been thrown from the back to the front seat.

"Jason, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Laura thought there might be something wrong with Jason, maybe due to his age, but when she looked up, she saw a huge cargo truck blocking the road in the middle.

There were about ten masked men standing not far from the front of the car, coldly staring in their direction.

Laura's heart sank to the bottom of her stomach in an instant. She wasn't stupid, she could tell that these people were specifically targeting her.

"Jason, go back quickly!" she shouted through gritted teeth, but Jason remained motionless.

"The road behind us is blocked too."

Laura glanced back and felt instant despair.

The sound of tapping on the glass filled the air as several masked men surrounded the car, raising their guns.

"Miss Costa, what shall it be? Will you come out on your own, or shall we drag you out?" one of the masked men said.

Though her face paled, Laura angrily replied, "You know who I am and yet you still dare to stand in my way? This is Freton City, offend the Costa family, and you won't have a good outcome."

"No need to worry about us," the leader of the masked men said in a hoarse voice. "I'll count to three, and if you don't come out, you'll face the consequences."