Chapter 204 The Next Phase

Chapter 204 The Next Phase

Joan's breathing quickened as she glanced nervously toward her office door, making sure no one was around before allowing herself to relax slightly.

"Ryan, what's your next move?"

Ryan's laughter came through the phone. "I need more people to see the cracks in the Howard family, to escalate their conflicts even further. Only then will our plan succeed."

Joan frowned, pressing for details. "How exactly are you going to do that?"

"You don't need to worry about that. Just keep doing what I told you—monitor Matthew's movements. I'll update you when there are new developments."

Without another word, Ryan hung up.

Joan clutched her phone, unease settling in her stomach, but she had no choice but to follow Ryan's instructions.

The next morning, Matthew had barely stepped out of his car at the company when a swarm of reporters descended on him, thrusting microphones in his face with a barrage of questions.

"Mr. Howard, we heard Olivia's brother was kidnapped. Does this have anything to do with your uncle Stanley?"

"Mr. Howard, is the Howard family's internal conflict the reason someone targeted Jasper?"

Matthew's expression darkened immediately. His security detail quickly moved to block the reporters as he strode into the building without a word, the journalists still shouting questions at his retreating figure.

At the same time, Howard Manor was also under siege by reporters.

Celeste and Molly had barely stepped outside when they were ambushed by the press.

"Mrs. Celeste Howard, did your brother Stanley kidnap Jasper? Are you aware of this situation?"

"Mrs. Celeste Howard, after Olivia took your dog, now her brother Jasper has been kidnapped. What's your take on this?"

Celeste's face went pale with rage as she turned and fled back into the manor, slamming the door behind her. Molly, rendered speechless by the invasive questions, hurried after her into the safety of the estate.

"That's enough. Please leave immediately. We won't be granting any interviews."

Damon's voice was ice-cold as he instructed security to clear out all the reporters.

Stanley's residence was equally besieged. When he tried to drive out, reporters immediately swarmed his car.

"Mr. Stanley Howard, why did you kidnap Jasper? Was it revenge for Celeste?"

"Mr. Stanley Howard, have your conflicts with Matthew escalated to the point of kidnapping?"

Stanley glared at the reporters, his eyes burning with fury.

"I told you idiots already. I didn't kidnap anyone! Stop slandering me!" Stanley roared, his men working to disperse the persistent journalists.

At the hospital, Olivia sat on her bed clutching Jasper's photo, tears streaming down her face. Suddenly, she heard the distinctive click of a camera shutter. Turning toward the sound, she spotted someone lurking at her doorway, camera in hand.

Panic flared in her chest, but before she could call for help, a large hand grabbed the intruder by the collar and hoisted him up.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Zack's tone was deadly serious as he pinned the man against the wall, his imposing frame making the stranger cower in terror.

"I... I'm a reporter. I just wanted to interview Olivia."

Zack frowned. Olivia was already devastated, yet these reporters buzzed around like vultures, completely disregarding the victim's emotional state for the sake of a story. He was tempted to punch the guy.

"Enough, Zack. Let him go." Olivia's voice was hoarse and weary.

Zack shot the reporter a withering glare before dropping him to the floor. The man scrambled to his feet and fled the hospital.

"He was probably here to interview you about Jasper's kidnapping," Zack said grimly as he entered the room. "I'll beef up security at the door; no more unauthorized personnel will get through."

Olivia nodded silently. Apart from Jasper's situation, she couldn't muster interest in anything else.

Watching Olivia's haggard state, Zack sighed and decided he needed to report this incident to Matthew.

Minutes later, Matthew sat in his office, and upon hearing that reporters had infiltrated the hospital, his fury erupted. He slammed his fist on the desk and immediately called John.

"John, handle this immediately. Warn all the media outlets to stop covering this story. I don't care how much it costs—kill this story completely. And find out who leaked information to the press."

"Yes, sir. I'm on it."

After hanging up, Matthew's expression remained grim. He knew someone had deliberately leaked information to the media, trying to humiliate the Howard family and inflame their conflicts.

John worked with remarkable efficiency.

By that evening, all news about Jasper's kidnapping had mysteriously vanished from websites and newspapers, replaced by celebrity gossip and scandal.

Ryan sat in his office, casually flipping an antique brass lighter between his fingers. He studied the news on his computer screen, a cold smile playing at his lips. "Matthew's reach is impressive—he was willing to spend that much money to silence the press."

His subordinate nodded. "Boss, should we try another approach to keep this story alive?"

Ryan shook his head. "No need. Matthew's probably already got us in his crosshairs. Push any further and he'll find leads back to us. How's Jasper doing, by the way?"

"He's holding up well. We gave him his ALS medication yesterday, so he's stabilized and hasn't caused any trouble."

Ryan paused thoughtfully, then his expression turned cruelly amused. "Find an opportunity to plant Jasper somewhere on Stanley's territory. That should make things much more interesting."

His subordinate hesitated. "Should we deliver him alive or...?"

Ryan's silence stretched for several seconds before his eyes turned cold as ice. "Dead men tell no tales. And a corpse would guarantee that Matthew and Stanley destroy each other completely."

The subordinate was clearly shaken by Ryan's callousness but nodded nonetheless. "Understood, boss. I'll arrange it."

Meanwhile, at Stanley's apartment, he sat on his sofa with a glass of whiskey, his expression dark. His men stood nearby, afraid to speak.

"I knew something was off when Jasper suddenly disappeared. Now it's clear—there's a third party pulling strings behind the scenes."

One of his men looked up cautiously. "Boss, should we investigate who's really behind this?"

"Damn right we should!" Stanley slammed his glass on the table. "Get our people on it immediately. Check for any suspicious activity or movement from rival factions. I want whoever's responsible found!"

"Yes, boss. I'll coordinate the search right away."

After his man left, Stanley leaned back into the sofa, his eyes glittering with menace. "Whoever's trying to play me for a fool will end up in a wood chipper."

At the hospital that night, Olivia sat on her bed staring at the untouched dinner the nurse had brought. She opened Jasper's laptop, and their old chat history popped up on screen.

Reading through their conversations, tears fell freely down her cheeks. Jasper used to share everything with her, no matter what happened. Now he'd been kidnapped, and she felt completely powerless.

As Olivia cried and scrolled through the computer files, reliving memories with Jasper, something caught her eye. A new icon had appeared on the desktop—it looked like a map, something she'd never seen before.

Her heart raced as she double-clicked the icon. A map opened, displaying a red dot marked at a location on the city's outskirts.