Chapter 35 He Would Actually Come to Save Me?
The minutes dragged by as I waited, the air thick with anxiety.
The room had no windows, and with her phone gone, Daisy was lost. She couldn't tell if it was day or night outside.
She could only guess from how her body felt that several hours had probably passed.
Marcus was in even worse shape. His breathing was ragged, and he was completely out. He didn’t even flinch, no matter how much Shawn yelled at him.
Daisy leaned against the wall, her mind racing with all kinds of thoughts.
Her only hope now was the emergency SOS she'd sent Vincent that morning.
But the real question was: would Vincent see it? And if he did, would he even care?
Though this was her only hope, Daisy didn't dare place any hope in this one hope.
After all, Vincent had disappointed her too many times.
Soon, footsteps echoed outside. The lock clicked, and the door swung open.
The middle-aged man stood in the doorway with a blank stare. "Come out," he said. "The boss wants to see you."
Shawn huddled behind Daisy, his first instinct to hide.
Daisy took a deep breath, stood up, and walked out holding Shawn's hand.
She glanced down at Marcus as she passed. He was dead still, eyes shut tight, looking like he’d already passed out.
"He's dying," Daisy said. "Don't you want to get him a doctor?"
The middle-aged man said nothing, just gestured for them to follow.
They were taken to a room on the first floor.
The room was pure luxury—all leather sofas, mahogany furniture, and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the mountains and woods.
A man stood by the window with his hands behind his back, his face hidden as he stared outside.
"Boss, we brought them," the middle-aged man said.
The man slowly turned around.
He looked to be in his fifties, with graying hair and deep-set wrinkles, but his eyes remained sharp.
During her years with the Blacks, Daisy had met plenty of people like him—every last one of them sneaky and cold-blooded.
"Sit," he said, pointing to the sofa across from him.
Daisy and Shawn traded looks and sat down, their nerves on edge.
"You've got some nerve," the man began. A smile touched his face, but his words were ice-cold. "Daring to lie to me, are you?"
Daisy's heart jumped. Her first thought was that her lie had been exposed.
Cold sweat slid down her back. She gripped Shawn's hand—it was trembling too.
Shawn started to speak, but Daisy squeezed her hand, signaling for her to stay quiet.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Daisy tried to keep her voice calm. "But I can guarantee that if you let us go today, we won't breathe a word about what we've seen or heard!"
"But if you lay a finger on us, then we'll all die together!"
The man looked at her and laughed.
The smile was faint, but it sent chills down Daisy's spine.
"Young lady, what's your name?"
Daisy hesitated for a second, then said, "Daisy Hart."
"Daisy." The man repeated it, nodding. "Ms. Hart, do you know what's on that USB drive?"
Daisy fell silent. Before she could speak, the man continued, "That's the entire transaction network the Bennetts have built up over decades."
"Maybe Ms. Hart doesn't know what the Bennetts do. That's fine. You just need to know that thing is deadly important—that's enough."
"One wrong move, and everyone in the Bennetts, top to bottom, will die. Tell me, can I afford not to be careful? Can I just casually let go of people who might have seen what's inside?"
"I didn't—" Shawn started to speak, but Daisy squeezed her hand and Shawn immediately stopped. Daisy said slowly, "I see. Since it's so important, then Mr. Bennett—may I call you that?"
"Mr. Bennett, you'd better make your decision quickly. If you don't let us go before dark, then your entire family will really have to die with us!"
"Ha, you're lying to me." Mr. Bennett's eyes narrowed slightly as he said word by word, "You don't have any timed upload at all, and Marcus would never give you that chance."
Daisy spread her hands. "Since you're so sure, then what's there to say?"
She leaned back on the sofa. "Go ahead."
The room suddenly fell silent, so quiet it was almost suffocating.
Shawn gripped Daisy's hand tightly, her nails nearly digging into her flesh.
After a long while, the man laughed.
"Interesting," he said. "In all these years, not many young people have dared talk to me like this."
He stood up, poured a drink at the liquor cabinet, and paced back to the sofa across from Daisy.
"Do you know that in this world, there are many things more cruel than death? I didn't want to do this to you, but..."
Daisy and Shawn both froze.
Just then, a commotion suddenly came from outside—
When Vincent drove up to the villa, he immediately spotted the flagpole in front of it with a green flag hanging from it.
The flag fluttered in the wind, and the emblem on it made Vincent's expression darken, his entire presence growing heavier.
It was the Bennetts.
How on earth had Daisy gotten involved with this family?
He stepped forward and rang the doorbell.
...
"Sir, someone's here, says he wants to see you." The middle-aged man from before came in, looking troubled.
Mr. Bennett's brow furrowed. "See me? Who is it?"
"It's... it's Vincent Black from Black Group."
This sentence made Daisy's heart seem to skip a beat.
He... he actually came?
To save me?
Mr. Bennett was also stunned for a moment, looking at Daisy with surprise. "You know Vincent?"
Shawn blurted out, "She's Vincent's wife!"
Mr. Bennett looked even more surprised, looking Daisy up and down several times with a strange expression.
Then he instructed his subordinate, "Since someone from the Blacks is here, why aren't you inviting him in?"
Daisy hadn't expected to see Vincent like this.
His suit was somewhat wrinkled, his hair messed up by the wind, and there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. He didn't look at all like his usual calm and composed self.
But his steps were still steady. After entering, his first glance went to Daisy sitting on the sofa.
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
Daisy stared at him blankly. Only when a hint of impatience showed in his eyes did she snap back to reality and quickly shake her head.
Only then did Vincent look away, turning to Mr. Bennett in the main seat.
"Mr. Bennett, I've heard much about you."
Mr. Bennett was also sizing him up, swirling his glass, saying slowly, "You're quite bold, coming here alone."
Vincent didn't respond to that. He just walked to Daisy's side and stood still.
"Mr. Bennett," he said, "my wife is naive. If she's offended you in any way, I apologize on her behalf. Whatever your conditions are, name them."
Mr. Bennett smiled. "Vincent, do you know she took something of mine?"
"Everthing has a price."
Mr. Bennett raised an eyebrow. "Let me hear your price."
Vincent looked at him and said word by word, "Five percent of Black Group's shares."
Daisy froze.
Shawn gasped.