Chapter 93 Chapter 93
Amelia
“I will do whatever you ask,” I cried into the phone. “Please… please don’t hurt my babies.”
My voice was shaking so badly I could barely hear myself. Adele stood beside me, rubbing my back slowly, trying to steady me, but nothing could steady the fear clawing at my chest.
For a moment, there was only silence on the line, then the woman spoke again. “If you want to see your daughters alive,” she said calmly, “you will prepare eighty million dollars.”
My breath caught in my throat. “What?” I screamed before I could stop myself. “Eighty million?!”
My voice echoed in the room. “You think that’s too much for five little girls’ lives?” the woman snapped. Her tone turned sharp, almost angry. “Do you know how much I could make if I sell them to traffickers?”
The words hit me like a knife, I felt the world spin. My legs gave out beneath me and I collapsed onto the couch, clutching the phone with both hands as if it was the only thing keeping me alive.
“Calm down,” Maxwell said sharply beside me.
His hand gripped my shoulder — firm. I didn’t know if he was steadying me or himself.
“Let her speak,” he added, his voice controlled. The number kept repeating in my head like a siren that wouldn’t stop. My company wasn’t even worth that much. Everything I owned, everything I had built, it meant nothing compared to that figure.
“That amount will be paid in cash,” the woman continued. “No police tricks, no trackers. No delays. If you try to act smart, you will lose your girls.”
I covered my mouth with my free hand to stop myself from screaming again. “Where should the money be sent?” Maxwell asked.
His voice was steady like he was discussing a business deal. “We don’t want a transfer,” the woman replied. “Cash only. Once you have it ready, we will send the drop location.”
My stomach twisted painfully. “When do you want it?” Maxwell asked.
“You will hear from us soon,” she said. “And remember — no police involvement if you want your daughters alive.”
The line went dead, I stared at the phone screen until it slowly dimmed in my hands.
Then the sobs came, It tore out of me loud and uncontrollable. “They are going to sell them…” I choked. “Maxwell, they said they are going to sell them…”
“Calm down,” Adele said softly as she sat beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “The girls will be fine. We’ll get them back.” But her voice trembled too.
Maxwell stood still for a moment after the call ended. His jaw was tight. His eyes were dark, distant, like something inside him had completely shut down.
Then he straightened his shoulders. “I’m calling my accountant,” he said flatly. “We will have the cash ready.”
I looked up at him through blurred vision. My cheeks were wet, my throat raw from crying. “Max… that’s so much money,” I whispered. “Thank you…”
He turned to me slowly. “They asked for money,” he said coldly. “That means they want something. If they wanted them dead, they wouldn’t ask.” His eyes held mine for a second, and I felt the distance between us like a physical wall. “And I’m doing this for my girls,” he added. “Not for you.”
The contempt in his voice cut deeper than I expected. Guilt flooded me all over again. If I hadn’t hidden the girls from him… if I had told him the truth from the beginning maybe none of this would be happening. Maybe we wouldn’t be scrambling to gather eighty million dollars for criminals.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He didn’t respond, he simply looked away, already pulling out his phone. Within seconds he was speaking again “I need immediate liquidity,” he said. “Start with the offshore accounts. Move discreetly. Prepare for large cash withdrawals.”
Adele squeezed my hand, grounding me as I sat there shaking. Before I could gather my thoughts, the front door opened. All three of us looked up at once.
Maxwell turned instantly, alert, his mother stepped inside and we all froze.
This was the first time she had ever stepped into this house since I moved in. My heart began to race for a completely different reason. Did she hear about the girls, Is that why she was here? Fear clawed at my chest. If she knew about the kidnapping, then this nightmare had spread even further.
She closed the door slowly behind her. Her heels tapped sharply against the marble floor as she walked further in. Her eyes swept across the room carefully. My tear-streaked face, Adele sitting stiffly beside me and Maxwell standing with his phone in his hand, tension radiating off him like heat.
“What is going on here?” she asked. Her gaze moved from one of us to the other, waiting. No one answered immediately.
I couldn’t even lift my head properly. Shame burned through me. Fear tangled with desperation.
Maxwell ended his call and slipped his phone into his pocket. “Mom,” he said as he walked toward her. “You didn’t tell me you were coming. What if I wasn’t home?”
She frowned slightly. “I can visit anytime I want,” she replied calmly. “If you weren’t home, I would have waited.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Now tell me, what is going on?” The air felt heavy again. “Why is the atmosphere so tense?” she continued. Then her gaze landed on me.
She pointed slightly in my direction. “Isn’t that Declan’s fiancée? The one he brought to dinner?”
My stomach dropped. “What is she doing in your house?” I felt Adele shift beside me.
“Why are you here, Mom?” Maxwell asked. I knew that tone. He was trying to redirect her. Avoid the question. But the look on her face made it clear she wasn’t going anywhere without answers.
“You haven’t been visiting,” she continued. “Your father needs you. I called you all through yesterday. You didn’t pick up. You didn’t return my calls.”
Maxwell opened his mouth to respond, but she lifted her hand slightly, cutting him off. “We will get to that later,” she said firmly. “Right now, I want to know what she is doing here. And what is happening.”
Maxwell sighed and ran his hands through his hair, frustration evident. “I didn’t want you finding out this way,” he said. “I was going to tell you and Dad. But this situation came up suddenly.”
She waited. He glanced at me briefly before looking back at her. “Amelia is my wife,” he said.
For a second, his mother didn’t react. Then her eyes widened. “What?!” she exclaimed. “Declan’s fiancée is your wife?”
Her voice rose in disbelief.