Chapter 163

Chapter 163

Seraphine's POV

"I—"

Brielle tried to say something more.

Annoyed, I cut her off. "Can't you understand what I'm saying? Just take care of yourself. Whether I live or die is none of your business! Go!"

Brielle flinched, her whole body trembling. Tears streamed down her face. "I'll think of something..."

"I don't need you to!" I refused coldly. "Take care of yourself and leave. Now."

Brielle said nothing more. She just looked at me deeply one last time before running out.

I only relaxed once she was completely out of sight. Then I turned to Quinlan and Orion. "I'll call Octavius now. Give me my phone."

Orion chuckled and handed over the phone.

I dialed Octavius's number and put it on speaker.

Someone picked up quickly—but it was an unfamiliar male voice.

"Who is this? Do you have business with Mr. Capulet?"

I took a deep breath. "This is Seraphine. Put Octavius on. I have something very important to tell him."

The man on the other end paused. "Mr. Capulet went somewhere and didn't bring his phone. If you need to reach him, try calling in a few hours."

"Where did he go? Do you know?" I hadn't expected Octavius to be unavailable at a time like this.

The man hesitated. "I'm not sure. I think he went to see someone. Anyway, he'll be back in a few hours."

"I understand."

I hung up and looked at them both.

"You heard. Octavius left temporarily. I can't reach him right now."

"Are you relieved you didn't get through?" Quinlan stepped closer, smiling brightly. "That's fine. If you can't reach him now, just keep calling until he picks up. Seraphine, don't think you can escape. Even if Octavius doesn't answer, all you have to do is buy yourself a little time."

I couldn't help but frown. "Will killing me really get you what you want?"

Quinlan admitted it readily. "I want you dead! Octavius had already agreed to be with me. If it weren't for you showing up, he wouldn't keep thinking about you and pushing me away! I'll never let you two be together. Knock her out and take her away!"

As soon as she finished speaking, one of the bodyguards stepped forward and hit me.

I didn't even have a chance to resist. I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head, and then everything went black.

When I regained consciousness, I could vaguely hear voices nearby.

"When are they bringing us food?"

"Was it really necessary to bring her to such a remote place? She's in our hands—she's not getting away!"

As I listened, my mind slowly cleared.

I was in a dilapidated warehouse. It was dark, damp, and I could barely see anything.

I tried to move, and the two bodyguards immediately noticed.

One of them turned his head and glared at me coldly. "She's awake."

I met their mocking looks and asked quietly, "Did Orion send you to watch me, or was it Quinlan?"

"Does it matter?" The bodyguards didn't seem interested in talking to me. "Stop asking questions. Now that you're awake, hurry up and call Octavius to bring the money and save you. That way we can finish this job sooner."

I looked at them and laughed coldly. "You’re working this hard for Orion—how much money are you even making? When this is over, do you really think he’ll give you a million each?"

Both bodyguards froze.

I caught the brief hesitation between them and laughed even more mockingly. "Don't tell me—you're helping him with something this big, knowing Octavius will come after you and might even kill you, and they won't even pay you a million dollars?"

"What do you mean they won't?" One bodyguard scoffed. "That much money is years' worth of salary for us. How could they possibly pay that much?"

I looked at them steadily. "If you help me—if you let me go and let me find Octavius—I guarantee each of you will get a million dollars. Deal?"

Hearing this, both bodyguards looked stunned.

They exchanged glances, then looked back at me. "The Whitaker family's already fallen. Where would you get the money to pay us?"

"Before my father went to prison, he left me some money. In total, it's tens of millions of dollars. If you let me go, I'll split it with you. Forget a million—I could even give you five million each. Are you interested?"

I had no way to escape on my own. The only thing I could do was try to buy them over.

Both of them looked skeptical.

"You'd really give us that much? You're willing to part with it?"

I smiled. "Why wouldn't I be? That money doesn't mean much to me. As long as I get out and meet with Octavius, he'll give me back what belongs to the Whitaker family. I can give you an extra five million on top of that."

"All I want is to get out of here alive and live the rest of my life in peace. I'm willing to pay any amount for that. But Orion and the others won't give you nearly as much."

The bodyguards fell silent after hearing this.

I tried to move again and realized the ropes binding me were too tight—I couldn't break free.

"Orion just wants a few of you to risk your lives for him. If he succeeds and gets the money, he can run. But what about you?"

"Can you guarantee that once he gets what he wants, he’ll take care of you? That he won’t just leave you behind? You can't, can you?"

I kept trying to persuade them, hoping they'd let me go.

Right now, I was completely on my own.

I didn't even know where Brielle had gone.

Even if she if she managed to tell Octavius, it wouldn't help.

Octavius had no idea where I was. I was still completely at their mercy.

More importantly, I didn't want him throwing away that kind of money just to save me.

If that money ended up in Orion's hands, it would feel worse than dying.

Orion, that scumbag, didn't deserve a single cent.

The bodyguards just looked at me in silence.

I knew they were tempted. I didn't rush them to make a decision.

"Think it over carefully. Not everyone gets a chance to earn wealth they'd never make in a lifetime. This job of yours is exhausting—and dangerous. I'm helping you maximize your benefit here."

"If you can't even trust me, I really don't know who you can trust. As for what choice you make—that's up to you."

With that, I closed my eyes and stopped paying attention to them.

Neither of them said anything, but their breathing grew noticeably heavier.

I didn't know what they were thinking. All I could do was gamble—gamble that they were desperate enough to make a fortune off me.

After a brief silence, one of the bodyguards suddenly spoke. "You'd better keep your word. We'll let you go right now."

My eyes lit up as I looked at them. "Really? You're willing to let me go?"

"Of course. But we're coming back with you. Once you get that bank card you mentioned, you have to split the money with us."

"Absolutely." I agreed immediately. "Take me back now."

The two bodyguards exchanged glances, finally making up their minds. They walked over and began untying the ropes binding me.

I hadn't expected things to go this smoothly.

Just as I was about to stand, the warehouse door was suddenly pushed open.