Chapter 280 Gold Bar

Chapter 280 Gold Bar

When Serenity heard this, her vision went black and her body went limp as she collapsed.

"Serenity!" Sophia quickly reached out to catch her, shouting into the phone, "Officer, Serenity just passed out. I need to get her to the hospital first. Contact me if there's any news."

After hanging up, Sophia held the unconscious Serenity and rushed to Northbridge City Hospital.

At the hospital, the doctor immediately examined Serenity and said it was temporary shock caused by emotional distress—nothing serious. She just needed some fluids and rest, and she'd be fine.

Sophia sat by the hospital bed, looking at Serenity's pale face, feeling a mix of complicated emotions.

In her past life, Serenity had ended up paralyzed and unconscious trying to protect her.

In this life, because of her again, Serenity had suffered so many blows.

Sophia closed her eyes. If it weren't for her, Serenity wouldn't have suffered so much.

After some time, Serenity slowly opened her eyes. When she saw Sophia sitting by the bed, tears immediately streamed down her face.

"Sophia..." Serenity grabbed her hand, her voice hoarse. "What about James? Have they found him?"

Sophia gently shook her head, her tone heavy. "Not yet. Byron and the others went to Sullivan's villa, but he'd already run."

"Sullivan..." Serenity gritted her teeth, her eyes full of hatred. "It must be him. He must have taken James. That monster. Why is he doing this to us, to my son and me?"

"Serenity, please don't get upset." Sophia gently patted the back of her hand. "I suspect Sullivan kidnapped James not just for revenge—there must be another reason. He'll contact us soon."

Just as she finished speaking, Sophia's phone suddenly rang.

It was an unknown number.

Sophia and Serenity exchanged glances, and she pressed the answer button.

"Sophia," a cold male voice came through the phone, carrying a hint of mocking laughter.

Sophia's heart sank.

It was Sullivan.

"Sullivan, I knew it was you," Sophia said through gritted teeth. "Where's James? What have you done to him?"

"What have I done?" Sullivan laughed coldly. "Don't worry, he's still alive. But whether he lives past today depends on how you perform."

"What do you want?" Sophia asked in a low voice.

"It's simple," Sullivan said. "Prepare a briefcase full of gold bars. Three o'clock this afternoon, leave it at the entrance of the abandoned old factory in the suburbs. Remember, you come alone. No police."

"If I see any cops, or if you try anything funny, you can start planning James's funeral."

"A briefcase full of gold bars?" Sophia frowned. "Sullivan, are you crazy? A briefcase of gold bars would be worth at least two hundred million dollars. Where am I supposed to get that much gold in such a short time?"

"Can't get it?" Sullivan's tone instantly turned vicious. "That's your problem. Don't you want to save James's life? Or do you just not care whether he lives or dies?"

"I'll give it to him. I'll give it to him," Serenity immediately grabbed the phone and shouted into it. "Sullivan, don't hurt James. I have gold bars. I still have some at home, and I'll buy more if it's not enough. I'll definitely get you the full amount. Please don't hurt my son."

"Serenity?" Sullivan laughed. "Now you're being smart. Remember, three o'clock this afternoon, a briefcase of gold bars, Sophia delivers it alone. No police, or face the consequences."

"Wait," Sophia grabbed the phone back. "Sullivan, that much gold—I can't possibly gather it all in one afternoon. Can we do cash or a transfer instead? I'll transfer two hundred million dollars to you, or cash works too."

"Cash? Transfer?" Sullivan sneered. "Sophia, do you think I'm an idiot? Transfers leave a trail, and that much cash—how would you even carry it? I only want gold bars."

"Don't try to negotiate with me. Three o'clock this afternoon, if I don't see the gold bars, James is dead."

"You know perfectly well I can't gather that much gold in one afternoon," Sophia said angrily.

"That's up to you," Sullivan said coldly. "Don't try anything clever, or you'll outsmart yourself."

With that, without waiting for Sophia to say anything else, Sullivan hung up.

Serenity instantly broke down. She grabbed Sophia's arm, crying. "Sophia, what do we do? What do we do? He wants gold bars by three this afternoon. In such a short time, where can I get two hundred million dollars worth of gold bars?"

"Serenity, please calm down." Sophia helped her sit down. "A briefcase packed with gold bars would weigh hundreds of pounds. Even if we had the money, there's no way a bank could get that much gold ready for us in just one afternoon. Sullivan is clearly making things impossible on purpose."

"Then what do we do? Are we just supposed to watch James die?" Serenity's voice cracked. "I don't care. I have to save James. I'm going to the bank right now. I'll withdraw all my savings and exchange it for gold bars."

"If it's not enough, I'll sell the house. Sell the car. I'll do anything to save James."

"Serenity," Sophia held her back. "Calm down. Even if you sold everything, you couldn't gather that much gold in a few hours."

"Banks have limited gold reserves, and withdrawing large amounts of gold requires advance notice. There's no time."

"Then what do you suggest?" Serenity looked at her, eyes full of despair. "Are we just going to do nothing? Sophia, I'm begging you, you have to think of a way to save James. He ended up like this trying to save you—you can't just abandon him."

"I'm not abandoning him," Sophia sighed. "But in this situation, we can't gather the gold bars. We have to call the police. Only the police can help us find James and catch Sullivan."

"Call the police?" Serenity froze, then shook her head. "No. We can't call the police. Sullivan said if we call the police, he'll kill James. I can't risk my son's life."

"Serenity, listen to me." Sophia looked into her eyes, speaking seriously. "Sullivan never planned to let James go. Even if we really gathered all the gold bars and gave them to him, he'd definitely kill him to silence him."

"He kidnapped James to get revenge on us in the first place—how could he just let him go? Right now, the only option is to trust the police and let them help us find where James is and rescue him."

Serenity looked at Sophia, her eyes full of conflict. She was afraid calling the police would anger Sullivan and hurt James, but she also knew Sophia was right.

They couldn't gather that much gold, and even if they did, Sullivan might not release James anyway.

After a long while, Serenity finally nodded slowly, tears falling. "Okay... let's call the police. I'll do what you say."