Chapter 18 William Hooks the Machete on the Ground with His Toes.....
Everyone on the outside thought he was a reliable lawyer, but those who knew him well were aware that William was nothing but a polished scoundrel.
In the yard of an abandoned factory, a bucket of water splashed Thalia awake.
She coughed, blinking as she took in her surroundings, silently cursing William.
If it hadn't been for him pushing her buttons, she wouldn't have felt the need to take a walk to clear her head, and she wouldn't have ended up kidnapped.
"Ms. Smith, you're awake?" Two kidnappers sat across from Thalia, leering at her legs.
"What do you want?"
"Kidnapping you, obviously. We want money. But right now... we want something more," one of the kidnappers said, pointing to her chest.
Thalia glanced down at her V-neck top.
It was all William's fault. If she hadn't been trying to seduce him, she wouldn't have been dressed so provocatively.
"Look, I can let you have your fun, just let me live."
"We in the entertainment industry have been with more men than prostitutes. Let me live, and I'll double whatever they're paying you. I'll even take care of you both. What do you say?"
The kidnappers hesitated.
Seeing their hesitation, Thalia continued, "The person who had you kidnap me just wants money. Think about it. If you kill me, they might get billions, but you'll only get a few million. Is it worth it? If you let me live, I can give you more than a few million."
"Or you can keep this over my head. As long as I'm in the entertainment industry, I won't dare defy you. You'll have a steady stream of money. Think about it... which is better?"
The two kidnappers exchanged a look, seeming to think Thalia made sense.
"How can we trust you?"
"Get my phone and call William. Tell him you want money. He'll transfer it to you right away."
Half-believing, the kidnappers took out Thalia's phone and found a contact named William.
"Who is he to you?"
"He handles my money."
One of the kidnappers used his own phone to call William.
On the other end, William was already on his way.
Seeing an unknown number, he hesitated, "Who's this?"
"Do you know Thalia?"
William's eyebrow twitched. The fact that they called meant there was still room to maneuver.
"I know her. What do you want?"
"Send two million dollars to the account I give you."
William looked at the account number sent to him, his face turning grim.
He opened his banking app to make the transfer.
Daniel grabbed his hand, "Are you really going to transfer it?"
"What else? Watch Thalia die?"
"She has parents and twelve siblings! It's not your job to transfer money!"
William glanced at Daniel's hand gripping his own, "Then why do you think the kidnappers called me?"
Daniel was speechless...
No one was reliable.
Daniel waved his hand, "Fine, transfer it."
Within minutes, the kidnappers saw the money had arrived, their faces lighting up with joy, "Didn't expect it, a walking ATM, hahaha."
"Strip her and take some nude photos."
"Aren't you going to rape her? Wouldn't a video be even better?"
The lead kidnapper smacked the other on the head, "What do you know?"
"If we take a video, she could claim she was raped and clear her name. Nude photos are harder to explain."
Thalia thought to herself, At least one of you's got a brain!
The kidnappers, half-understanding, reached out to strip Thalia's clothes but struggled because her hands were tied behind her back.
Frustrated, one of them slapped her thigh.
Thalia winced, thinking, My prized legs, sullied by a thug? I take back what I said earlier.
"How do you take this off?"
"You've tied my hands. It's not coming off. Maybe try a different position?"
"Don't try any tricks."
"What tricks could I pull? You've got the money. Why would I deceive you?"
"Change her position," the other kidnapper ordered, moving to untie Thalia from the chair.
Thalia watched the process closely.
As the rope was untied, the kidnapper grabbed her hands to bring them forward.
Suddenly, Thalia twisted the rope around the kidnapper's neck, "You've got guts, kidnapping me."
"Who sent you?" Thalia tightened the rope, causing the man to turn pale.
His feet scraped the ground desperately.
"We fell for your trick," the lead kidnapper cursed.
He picked up a stick and charged at Thalia.
Thalia released the man, pushing him to take the hit. He collapsed with a thud.
No regard for his partner's life, a ruthless one.
"Think you can trick me? I'll kill you today."
Thalia kicked off her high heels, grabbed a steel pipe from the ground, and fought back.
The kidnappers didn't expect Thalia to be a fighter. She managed to injure them with a few moves.
One of the kidnappers dropped his stick and retrieved a machete from the corner.
Thalia thought, Oh, great...
The kidnapper wielded the machete, forcing Thalia to retreat.
"Thought you could fight? Keep going!"
In the abandoned factory, the ground was littered with loose parts. Thalia dodged and ran, but her feet were soon bleeding.
The kidnapper kicked Thalia to the ground...
"I was killing people and doing time before you were born! Think you can fool me?" The kidnapper looked down at Thalia, raising the machete to knock her out.
Thalia saw the machete coming down and instinctively raised her hand to block it. This was it... her beautiful life was over.
Suddenly—a man flew in.
Trailing behind was a man in a khaki trench coat who grabbed the kidnapper's head and slammed it into a pillar, delivering a brutal beating.
"Playing with knives on women? Didn't your mom teach you to respect the weak?"
William flicked the machete up with his foot, pinned the kidnapper's arm with the other, and swiftly brought the blade down...
In the abandoned factory, the screams were earth-shattering...