Celestia's operatives were top-tier agents, trained by Rufus himself overseas. They were as lethal and precise as professional hitmen.
Blending seamlessly into the crowd, these men and women looked like any other visitors, but they were closing in on Melinda and her son, Sam.
Melinda was completely engrossed in taking care of Sam, occasionally bending down to explain dinosaur facts to him or looking up to find the next interesting exhibit. She had no clue that danger was so close.
At that moment, Raymond's bodyguard, Milo, sensed something was off. He instinctively turned around and saw a seemingly ordinary middle-aged woman approaching him with a smile.
Milo's heart raced, and he tried to react, but it was too late. The woman swiftly injected something into his side.
Milo felt his body go limp and lost all strength. He struggled to send a warning through his earpiece but collapsed, powerless.
The woman quickly disguised herself as Milo's wife, supporting him. Two other men swiftly helped her move Milo away from the scene.
Everything happened so fast that no one around noticed anything unusual.
Meanwhile, the other three bodyguards were similarly attacked from different directions.
Despite their elite training, they were caught off guard and overwhelmed by the sudden assault.
Melinda finally sensed something was wrong.
She noticed a couple blocking her view of Sam. Instinctively, she pushed them aside to look for her son.
But when she looked back at the dinosaur egg exhibit where Sam had been, he was gone.
"Sam!" Melinda called out anxiously, searching the crowd for any sign of her son. She scoured the entire dinosaur exhibit but found no trace of him.
Panicked, she grabbed a nearby staff member and asked, "Have you seen a little boy in a blue puffer jacket? He was just here."
The staff member, moved by her distress, quickly reassured her, "Don't worry, I'll help you look."
He picked up his radio and called for his colleagues to assist in the search.
Minutes passed, but there was still no sign of Sam.
Melinda's anxiety grew. She suddenly realized Milo and the other bodyguards were also missing.
Her heart sank as she understood the gravity of the situation.
She quickly called Raymond, "Raymond, Sam is missing! Milo and the others are gone too! You need to find him!"
Raymond was in a meeting at his company when he received Melinda's call. His expression immediately changed.
He tried to calm Melinda, telling her to keep looking, while he attempted to contact Milo.
But when he called Milo's phone, it was already turned off.
His heart tightened, realizing the situation was more serious than he had thought.
Just then, Melinda called again.
"Raymond, I announced a missing child alert at the information desk, but there's still no news. Do you think Sam was taken by someone?" Her voice trembled with fear and helplessness.
Raymond's heart sank. He took a deep breath and said, "Melinda, don't panic. I'm coming to you. Remember, don't call the police and stay at the museum entrance."
He hung up and immediately drove to the museum.
Melinda stood by the information desk, anxiously waiting for any news. Every minute felt like an eternity.
The announcement about the missing child echoed throughout the museum, sending a wave of concern through the visitors.
Raymond's phone rang again. "Melinda, it's bad! Sam might have been kidnapped! I can't reach any of the bodyguards!"
Melinda felt her mind go blank, nearly collapsing. Kidnapped? Sam was kidnapped? How could this be? She shakily asked the staff to check the security footage.
In the footage, she saw Sam being taken and the bodyguards being attacked and carried away. It confirmed her worst fears—this was a coordinated attack, and Sam was the target!
Raymond received a call from the kidnappers while on his way to the museum. Using a voice changer, they demanded he not call the police and follow their instructions, or Melinda would never see her son again.
Raymond realized the kidnappers' ultimate target was him, but to ensure Sam's safety, he had no choice but to comply.
A sudden brake-induced accident outside made a man jump back in fear. Raymond hung up the phone with a grim expression and sped towards the museum.
Seeing Melinda's distressed face, Raymond took her hand and said, "Don't worry too much. Rufus has always wanted to take back the Thomas Group. He'll use Sam as leverage until he gets what he wants."
Despite Raymond's words, Melinda was still consumed by fear and anxiety. Her son was out there, and she had no idea what he was going through.
At that moment, Sam was locked in a small, enclosed room. His hands and feet weren't bound, and he sat on the bed, eyes warily fixed on the door.
The door opened, and Celestia walked in. She looked at Sam with a jealous smile, "You look so much like Raymond."
Sam stared at Celestia, his small body tense. He wasn't swayed by her words. Instead, his gaze was firm. "You're a bad person. You brought me here, but my mom and Mr. Thomas won't let you get away with this!"
Celestia walked over and slapped Sam hard across the face. "Shut up, you little brat!" She then scratched his face. "Your face looks just like Raymond's. It annoys me!"
Sam's face swelled instantly, and blood trickled from his mouth. But he didn't cry. He just glared at Celestia with hatred.
Celestia was unnerved by his stare. She sneered, "Don't look at me like that. Blame your mom! If it weren't for using you to trade with Raymond, I'd have thrown you into the ocean to feed the sharks!"
She turned and left the room. Sam listened to her footsteps fade away, his small hands clenched tightly.
Celestia stood in the control room, watching the screens. Her operatives were busy preparing for Raymond's arrival.
"Ms. Banks, Raymond is on his way with two bodyguards. He'll reach the designated location in about three hours."
Celestia nodded, a sinister smile on her face. "Good. This time, Raymond won't leave here alive!"
She glanced at the Thomas Group's security footage. "But before dealing with Raymond, we need to handle the Thomas Group's security and their surveillance systems."
"Don't worry, Ms. Banks. Everything is ready."
Celestia nodded in satisfaction, then looked back at Raymond's footage. Her expression was complex. She didn't want to be Raymond's enemy. But he was the president of the Thomas Group. She hated the Thomas Group, so she hated Raymond too!