Chapter 226

Chapter 226

Emily walked up to him, her voice dripping with venom: "A bastard child Christina had with someone else, and you claim him as your son? Then what about our Nolan?!"

Ethan had no interest in arguing with her: "I'm already here. Let them go."

Emily let out a wild, unhinged laugh, pointing at Ethan: "Let them go? You care that much about Christina and Henry?"

"Just tell me what you want to let them go." Ethan replied, his tone steady. He had anticipated her greed long ago.

"You've always known what I want." Emily steppedcloser to him. "I want to be with you, to live as a family of three with you and Nolan. Christina and that bastard child must disappear forever."

"You're crazy," Ethan said.

"You’re the one who drove me to this!” Emily screamed. "Why did you have to be with Christina? Why did you to marry her, love her, have children with her?The moment you decided to make her your wife, I lost every shred of sanity! She stole you from me, and now she wants to push her illegitimate son into Nolan’s place. Why should she?"

"You know better than anyone how Nolan came into this world. No one has ever wronged him." Ethan's tone was cold.

Emily smiled bitterly: "Where Nolan came from? You already had a child with Christina, so why couldn't I use Evan's sperm to have my own child?"

"So when you approached me, you were just after the Carter Family's background." Ethan cut straight to the truth.

Emily’s face froze. “How did you find out?"

Ethan ignored the question and repeated calmly, “Let Christina and Henry go. I’ll give you any amount of money you demand."

"I don't want money. I only want you." Emily threw herself at him. "Ethan, my love for you has always been real. Once Christina is dead, we can start over."

At that moment, Ethan suddenly broke free from the bodyguard's grip, grabbed Emily by the throat, and pushed her back several steps.

The nearby bodyguard moved forward, but Ethan was quick and skilled.

After a few rounds, he kicked the bodyguard to the ground, leaving him unable to get up.

He gripped Emily's throat tightly, nearly lifting her off the ground.

More bodyguards rushed forward. Ethan warned sharply: "Anyone who comes closer, I'll throw her overboard right now!"

The bodyguards stopped, looking at each other uncertainly.

"Get them down immediately, or she dies first." Ethan's gaze fell on Christina and Henry hanging in mid-air, barely alive, his tone fierce.

He slammed Emily hard against the railing at the edge of the deck, with most of her body leaning over the side of the ship.

Christina and Henry were his entire world. Even if it cost him his life, he would never let anything happen to them.

Emily's back pressed against the cold railing, with the dark sea below.

She finally got scared and quickly begged: "Don't push me down. I'll let them go. I'll do whatever you say. As long as you transfer the money to my account and guarantee I can leave safely, I'll release Christina and her son."

Ethan quickly scanned their surroundings. The cargo ship was slicing rapidly toward the open ocean, soon to leave Celestria’s territorial waters.

On the way here, his communication devices had already been confiscated. With no rescue arriving, he could only save himself.

"Give me a communication device. I'll call to arrange the money transfer."

"Fine, but let go of me first,” Emily gasped urgently. “Then I’ll hand you the phone.

Just as Ethan began to loosen his grip, slow, deliberate applause echoed from the third deck above.

Both looked up to see a man in a black leather jacket and baseball cap stepping casually to the edge of the deck, looking down at them.

Ethan had already sensed that this kidnapping was beyond Emily's capability to plan. Elizabeth's sudden emergency, Christina and Henry's abduction, the cargo ship transfer,everything had been premeditated.

He just hadn't expected that the mastermind behind it all would be him.

"It's you?" Ethan's voice dropped, full of shock.

The man gave a low, mocking snort. “Long time no see, Ethan."

Ethan's whole body tensed. He would never mistake that voice. "Zack? I’ve spent five years searching for you. I never imagined that the person behind all this would be you, my own brother."

"Own brother?" Evan laughed coldly, walking down the stairs and removing his baseball cap to reveal a face very similar to Ethan's, except his eyes were full of malice. "From the moment I was abandoned by the Carter Family, I had no family. And by the way, my name isn't Zack. It's Evan."

"What happened to Grandma—was that you too?" Ethan asked.

"So what if it was?" Evan's tone was flat, completely indifferent.

"Evan! She's your own grandmother!" Ethan scolded harshly.

"I’m not here for a family reunion.” Evan’s expression darkened. "I orchestrated the kidnapping of Christina and Henry. I lured you here. What do you think I want?"

"You won't get away with this." Ethan tried to buy time. "Let them go first, or you'll get nothing."

"Did you call the police?" Evan sneered. "Aren't you afraid I'll kill them right now?"

"If I'd called the police, I wouldn’t be standing here alone." Ethan's eyes were firm. "Let them go."

Evan raised his hand. The chains holding Christina and Henry began to turn, moving them slowly toward the sea outside the ship, finally stopping directly above the water.

"If I release the chains, they'll be swallowed by the sea immediately."

"Two hundred million dollars,” Ethan said urgently. “I’ll give it to you. Just let them go.

"Two hundred million dollars? That's just Emily's idea." Evan's laugh was sinister. "What I want is for you to die."

Ethan's heart tightened, then he gripped Emily's throat harder: "Aren't you afraid I'll kill her?"

"Doesn't matter. Saves me the trouble." Evan looked disdainful. "A woman who stole my child and carries an STD means nothing to me. Using her to threaten me? You're too stupid."

"Evan! How can you treat me like this? We agreed that if I helped you kidnap Christina, you'd take me abroad!" Emily shrieked with difficulty.

Ethan's eyes darkened: "Even if you don't care about her, what about Nolan? He's your son too."

"Ethan, we look very similar, but do you know what our biggest difference is?" Evan remained completely unthreatened, his tone contemptuous.

Ethan's eyes were dark, saying nothing.

Evan scoffed: "Never mind, there's no point telling you. Nolan doesn't threaten me. You raised him yourself, so you care about him more than I do. An autistic child,I'm not interested."

"Even if you arranged rescue in advance, Christina, Henry, and you will die first."

The temperature at sea was extremely low. The unconscious Henry woke from the cold, opened his little mouth, and cried: "Daddy... Daddy..."

Ethan's heart tightened, his tone softening: "Get them down first. Whatever you want, we can negotiate."

Evan turned to look at Christina and Henry hanging in mid-air, a playful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Emily was still struggling for help beside him, but he didn't even give her a glance.

"I can let them go, even take good care of them for you." Evan spoke slowly. "But the condition is that you must completely disappear from this world."