Chapter 85 Self-Rescue
I endured the pain and mumbled incoherently, "Daisy really didn't give me anything."
They'd waited this long to grab me—they must have done their homework. Continuing to deny knowing Daisy was pointless.
The only thing I could do now was reduce their suspicion that I had what they wanted.
Seeing me still being stubborn, the kidnapper waved his hand irritably. A flurry of fists rained down on me. Kicks landed mercilessly on my body, one after another.
Every inch of my bones felt like they were coming apart. With my hands and feet tied, I couldn't even protect my head. When physical pain reached a certain threshold, I stopped feeling much of anything. My mind actually grew clearer.
Calculating the time, Anna and I had been missing for about a day and night. Would anyone notice we'd disappeared? Who would find me first?
I pushed those thoughts aside. Right now, the most important thing was how to stay alive.
Daisy was the new test subject the Rosewood family had found. We met by chance—perhaps fate—when I overheard a conversation between her and a friend and forced her to add my contact info.
Later events proved my instinct right. To coerce her into signing a contract, James had even tried to hypnotize her. Fortunately, Nicholas and I arrived with the police just in time.
That incident dealt the Rosewood family a heavy blow they still hadn't recovered from. Otherwise, how would Sabrina have ended up needing to play Edward's official girlfriend to earn money for medicine?
To thank me for my help, Daisy had given me a backup copy of her materials. After all, once her enemies discovered I'd helped her get abroad, they'd definitely come after me. This thing was my lifeline. Daisy's too, of course. Otherwise she'd never have survived this long.
We'd agreed that if anything happened to either of us, we'd immediately turn everything over to the police. Right now, I had no idea what kind of situation she was in abroad. But I was trapped in danger myself.
I'd put that thing in the safest place possible. If anything happened to me, the police would notice immediately. So I wasn't afraid of them searching my place.
Time ticked by. I felt like even moving slightly was a luxury.
The lead kidnapper called them off. "That's enough. Don't actually kill her."
Killing me would expose them to far more risk than keeping me alive. These people spent their lives on the knife's edge—they were shrewd.
I had just one breath left. The kidnapper untied the ropes binding me, his tone full of mock sympathy. "Look at you. Holding onto that thing brings you no benefit, and now you've gotten yourself into this mess. Was it worth it?"
I laughed coldly to myself. If I didn't have what they wanted, would I even be alive right now? And if I handed it over, why would they let me live?
I wasn't stupid. But I still chose to act weak and beg for mercy.
"I was wrong. I know I was wrong. Please don't kill me. I'll give you whatever you want. Daisy... Daisy gave me a diary back then. Is that what you're looking for? And lots of other stuff..."
I listed a bunch of random, irrelevant items. Since my mouth was full of blood and foam, speaking was difficult. Being clear was difficult.
The kidnapper listened for ages without getting a single useful piece of information. His patience gradually wore thin. He viciously slapped one of his goons.
"I told you to be careful! How'd you beat her so bad she can't even talk straight!"
The thug apologized profusely.
The kidnapper looked at me again, smiling in a way that sent chills down my spine.
"Don't think you can stall for time waiting for someone to rescue you. Out here in the middle of nowhere, you could rot and no one would know."
My heart clenched. I nodded then shook my head quickly.
Seeing me seemingly delirious, the kidnapper grew excited. His smile deepened. "How about we chat about other topics first? Give you time to think it over properly."
The kidnapper pulled out sponsorship documents.
"Daisy got lucky—met a benefactor who sent her abroad to hide and even let her continue her studies. Following this proof, we discovered that you used to be the test subject the Rosewood family prepared for Sabrina. But you escaped, which led them to Daisy's existence. And you somehow contacted Daisy and staged that whole inside-outside act together."
He spoke word by word, dissecting the details of what happened back then bit by bit. Cold sweat mixed with blood on my back.
Sure enough, nothing could be hidden from them.
After recounting that incident, the kidnapper brought up something else.
"Actually, at first we hadn't tracked you down yet."
The kidnapper unhurriedly pulled out his phone and started scrolling. He shoved the screen in my face. "See, it was because of this video."
I struggled to lift my eyelids and look. When I made out Elaine, my heart instantly went cold.
So that's how it was. Nicholas had worried they'd find me and secretly hidden my identity information. Unfortunately, to make me willingly give up the DI promotion assessment, Elaine had chosen to cause trouble for me in full view of everyone.
Bystanders meant well when they posted the incident online to defend me. But the attention got too high, and they noticed. Following these breadcrumbs, they'd locked onto me.
"Catherine, ready to talk properly now?"
The kidnapper's smile didn't reach his eyes. I sat there numbly, unsure what reaction to give.
"Daisy didn't give me what you're looking for."
I forced out that sentence. The kidnapper's face darkened again.
Before he could explode, I spoke once more. "But Daisy and I are in touch privately. Because of the test subject incident before, Daisy kept the police officer's contact info. If she doesn't hear from me within a day, I can't guarantee she won't send everything she has to the police."
I lifted my eyes to check the sky. "Right about now... the deadline should be coming up pretty soon, shouldn't it?"
A faint smile curved my lips. To these people, I clearly looked like I'd given up on survival.
My words were like a death curse. "If I die, not only will the materials be exposed, but Daisy will hide even deeper. Even if you want revenge, you won't find her."
The lead kidnapper's eyes turned icy. "Then you have no need to stay alive."
I looked completely at peace. My mind rapidly replayed everything that had happened since my rebirth.
After leaving the Rosewood family, I'd successfully gotten into DI as an intern. My work had won first place. I'd eaten so many foods I'd never tried before, met more people. I'd even seen Samuel, who I hadn't been able to wait for in my past life.
Aside from not being able to travel farther, I didn't seem to have many regrets. Without finding a suitable test subject, would Sabrina ever recover in this lifetime?
The thugs lifted me up on either side. One of them laughed lecherously. "Boss, can I..."