Chapter 602: It's His Turn to Take Action

Melinda watched the group with a smile, then glanced outside the door and whispered, "Your mayor's a real cheapskate. You better transfer the money outta that card now before he finds out, or he'll definitely take it."

Her words made the group pause, curious about how Melinda knew their mayor was stingy.

"We didn't say anything. How do you know our mayor's stingy?"

Melinda could tell from their cheap fast food and the stiff fabric of their clothes. If they were working for a generous boss, they wouldn't be treated so poorly.

"Stop talking and go to the counter to transfer the money before it's too late. If you get caught, you'll end up with nothing."

If there really were five million dollars on that card, each of them could get a million. That kind of money was hard to resist.

The assistant looked around and pulled aside a trusted young subordinate.

"We're at least an hour from the city. I can't leave here. You go to the counter and check if the card really has that much money. If it does, send us a message, and we'll give you the account number."

So they were far from the city. Elmwood would have a hard time finding her.

The young subordinate nodded. "Got it. I'll go now."

The assistant urged him to hurry. With Hugo resting, they still had a chance.

Melinda secretly sighed in relief, hoping the young subordinate would succeed. If he transferred the money at the counter, Elmwood would get the message. It was the only way she could think of to send a signal.

Luckily, these people were greedy; otherwise, they wouldn't have listened.

Now that she was full, Melinda could rest. She lay on the makeshift bed, gently touching her slightly rounded belly. She had to protect her children no matter what.

Elmwood was on the verge of losing it.

A whole day had passed with no sign of Melinda and no news.

If the kidnappers wanted to threaten him, why hadn't they called?

He couldn't figure it out and had no choice but to keep searching.

He was consumed with regret. If anything happened to Melinda, he would never forgive himself.

Late at night, Elmwood sat in the car, lost in thought, when his phone buzzed with a notification.

It buzzed five times in a row. He checked and saw five transactions of one million dollars each from Melinda's bank card.

There was no way Melinda could be making transfers now. She must be using this to send him a message.

Elmwood immediately investigated the counter's location and had Leander drive there.

He pulled out his tablet to check the counter's surveillance footage, hoping to find a clue.

He found footage of a man in black clothes and a mask, similar to the group seen at the hotel.

Elmwood was sure these were the people who kidnapped Melinda. They had taken her card to split the money.

He tracked their vehicle but found they were skilled at evading detection, driving in circles and avoiding cameras.

The complex route made it impossible to pinpoint their location.

If the traffic department could help track the car, it would be much easier.

But in Charlington, he didn't have that kind of pull. He decided to call Stanley.

Stanley was a night owl and hadn't slept even though he was in the hospital.

He was uneasy because Melinda and the others hadn't called to say they were back.

He had been waiting for their call.

When Elmwood called, Stanley was surprised.

"Calling me at this hour? I thought you forgot about me after going back home."

He clearly didn't know. The Douglas Family hadn't told him anything.

"Stanley, listen carefully. We didn't go back."

Stanley was puzzled. "Are you joking? You left early this morning."

Elmwood wasn't one to joke, but this seemed far-fetched.

Elmwood urgently said, "I'm not joking. Listen carefully. Last night, when I went to rescue you, Hugo kidnapped Mel. She's been taken. Someone just transferred money from her card. I can't track them and need the traffic department's help."

Stanley was silent.

It was late, but he wasn't dreaming. He checked his phone; it was a real call.

"Mel was kidnapped, and you all knew?"

Stanley recalled his parents' hesitant words and Rafferty's attitude. He had wanted to say something but was interrupted by his mother.

It all made sense now. He hadn't thought much of it, assuming Rafferty was still upset about Jade.

"Now's not the time to dwell on that. Get moving."

"Got it. Send me the location."

As he hung up, Stanley cursed, "You idiot, why did you go to save me?"

Elmwood didn't want to argue and sent the location.

Stanley immediately contacted his friends in the traffic department to track the car.

They quickly responded that the car had fake plates and had changed them twice, making it hard to track.

Damn it. Stanley couldn't sit still and left the hospital against medical advice.

Beckett hurried after him. "Mr. Stanley Douglas, you're still running a fever. The doctor said you need rest."

Stanley glared at him. "You knew about Mel's disappearance, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me?"

Beckett frowned. "Your parents ordered it, and your health was too poor. Mr. Sanctuary only told you now for your own good."

Stanley was furious. "You idiots! Nothing is more important than Mel's safety."

Beckett didn't respond. Stanley angrily ordered him to drive to meet Elmwood.

The traffic department sent another message. The car was heading to an abandoned industrial area, a vast place where hiding someone would be easy.

But as long as they could follow the car, there was hope.

When Stanley found Elmwood, he was on the phone with a friend. Seeing Stanley, he frowned.

"What are you doing here? You should be resting in the hospital."

Stanley rolled his eyes. "Can you stop talking nonsense? You didn't tell me about this until now. What if something happened? You should have told me right away."

Elmwood was exasperated. "You passed out immediately. You only woke up tonight. How could I tell you?"