Chapter 209 Eli Had to Compromise
"Hello?"
Emily seized the moment. Just as Eli was about to hang up, tormented by his thoughts, she finally answered the call.
"Emily, you—"
Eli's voice was filled with frustration, his tone sharp.
Emily wasn't here to be berated. She cut him off immediately, reminding him, "Watch your words, Eli. If you piss me off, I won't agree to anything."
Eli almost choked on his anger, swallowing his harsh words with difficulty.
He took several deep breaths to calm down before speaking, "Fine, I'll give you the twenty percent of the shares. But can you guarantee you'll be able to rescue Hayden? How can I trust you?"
Eli's voice was heavy with distrust.
"If you don't trust me, then we have nothing to discuss."
Emily could guarantee it; if she couldn't save Hayden, she wouldn't need to live.
In her previous life, she had foolishly said such things because she didn't love herself, so others treated her with disdain.
This time, she was the one being asked for help. Why should she say such things now?
"You!" Eli was furious, but he seemed to have no other options. He thought for a moment and said, "Since you don't care about personal feelings, let's do this by the book. We'll transfer the shares, and you rescue Hayden. This is a transaction, and we need to sign a contract."
"No problem, but twenty percent of the shares isn't enough."
"What do you mean? Raising the price? Emily, even if it's a stranger, you can't kick someone when they're down. And this is Hayden we're talking about!"
Eli couldn't believe Emily was pushing her luck.
Emily chuckled lightly, "I'd rather it be a stranger! No more nonsense. With everything blowing up online, do you really think the kidnappers aren't watching? The difficulty of the rescue has increased, so naturally, the price goes up. Think carefully; there are only a few hours left. If you wait any longer, you might only see Hayden's body parts."
"How much more? And since you say there are only a few hours left, even if we head to Zephyria now, we won't make it in time. How are you planning to rescue him? I almost believed you."
Eli suddenly regretted trusting Emily, thinking she might be deliberately stalling, hoping for Hayden's death.
He seemed to forget that the delay was because Bianca had confidently claimed she could save Hayden.
"Just because you can't do it doesn't mean others can't. This isn't your concern. If it were, I wouldn't be the one rescuing him. Once the contract is signed, rescuing Hayden is my responsibility."
"Fine, I'll trust you this one time. Where do we sign the contract?"
Eli gritted his teeth and chose to believe Emily.
Emily checked the map and sent Eli the address of a restaurant near the Smith Villa before hanging up.
Having decided to rescue Hayden, she called Knox next.
"I've decided to go ahead with the rescue. Please find a way to buy us some time."
Knox had seen Emily's moves online and knew she planned to force the Johnson family to compromise before rescuing Hayden.
So, he was ready. As soon as Emily called, he would start negotiations.
"Got it. I'll get on it right away. I'll have an answer for you within an hour."
"Thanks!"
After hanging up, Emily took out her laptop.
She logged onto the dark web and, using her SQ identity, posted a job: one million dollars for a mercenary to rescue someone from Orville's territory.
The price wasn't high, but SQ was a big name.
Soon, someone messaged her.
Emily wasn't willing to work with just anyone. She quickly vetted the identities and past jobs of those who contacted her to determine their reliability.
She selected five people to meet in Zephyria.
She wasn't being overconfident by choosing only a few.
More people would make it easier to expose their target and harder to coordinate.
Besides, she had other help.
In her past life, an important figure had been kidnapped while on a project inspection in Zephyria. That person represented the government.
Emily knew the kidnappers' hideout and roughly where they were holding the hostages. This information would be invaluable to the officials planning the rescue, allowing them to minimize casualties.
So, before leaving, Emily contacted the authorities to assist in the rescue.
The kidnappers had other citizens besides Hayden, and they all needed to be rescued.
After making all the arrangements, Emily informed Daniel.
"I need to go out for a bit. It won't take long."
She didn't mention meeting Eli.
Daniel knew about the online situation. Although public opinion was shifting in Emily's favor, there were still extremists out there, so he was worried. "I'll come with you. It's not safe."
Emily understood his concern and explained, "Don't worry. It's nearby. No one will find out where I am so quickly. The person I'm meeting is more afraid of being seen than I am."
The Johnson family didn't have a good reputation right now. People might have more animosity toward them than toward her.
"I'll have York drive you. He can protect you from a distance."
Daniel wanted to go himself.
But Emily had warned him not to overexert himself, as it could worsen his condition. If she were in danger, he wouldn't be able to help.
"Alright."
Emily didn't refuse.
Because York was protecting her, he waited downstairs while she met Eli, missing the chance to report back to Daniel immediately.
By the time Daniel found out, Emily had already left.
When Emily met Eli, they both looked at each other with disdain.
Eli wanted to negotiate, but Emily shut him down, "You can waste time haggling with me if you want Hayden dead. You should know that no matter who you find to rescue Hayden, the cost won't be less than what I'm asking. In fact, you're getting a bargain."
If Eli had a cheaper, effective solution, he wouldn't have turned to Emily.
"Fine, I'll sign. Can you at least tell me how you plan to rescue him?"
Eli handed over the signed contract, unable to contain his curiosity.
Emily didn't look up as she signed. Only after the contract was finalized did she respond, "Even if you ask, I won't tell you. If I were you, I'd just wait for the results. Now, I have to go."
With a copy of the contract for each party, Emily took her copy and prepared to leave.
Eli called after her, "At least give me a timeline."
Emily thought of the week Knox had bought her and replied, "Within a week."
"You have to promise Hayden will come back unharmed."
Emily felt a chill in her heart.
He didn't consider any threats to her, only demanded Hayden's safety.
For a moment, she wanted to throw the contract in his face and forget about the twenty percent of Johnson Group shares.
But she had a lingering attachment from her past life. Johnson Group's revival and subsequent success were her efforts, credited to Aiden and Bianca.
These should have been hers. Why should she give them up?
"Survival is the only thing I can guarantee."
With that, she left the restaurant without looking back at Eli.