Chapter 98 Chapter 98
Amelia
Maxwell's phone rang immediately and he picked up, telling the person he would be there right away. "I will be there soon," he said, before hanging up.
He turned to me, his expression serious. "I have to go, Amelia. Call me when you are done, and I will come pick you up."
I nodded, and he continued, "We will discuss how Rhea's mom is connected to your parents when I get back."
With that, he drove off, and I quickly walked towards my parents' house. I walked into the living room, and my mom's eyes widened as she took in the sight of me. She quickly ran to me, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. "Oh, Amelia, what happened to your neck?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
My dad joined us, his eyes scanning my neck with a mix of worry and anger. "Is this Maxwell's doing?" he asked, his voice firm. "Did he hurt you because you kept secrets about the kids from him?"
I shook my head, trying to reassure them. "No, Mom, Dad, it's not Maxwell. He would never hurt me," I said, trying to calm them down.
As I spoke, I noticed my parents exchanging nervous glances, their faces still tight with worry. They were acting awkwardly, and I could sense there was something they weren't telling me. The air was thick with tension, and I could feel their anxiety radiating towards me.
"Mom, what is going on?" I asked, my voice firm, trying to pierce through the veil of silence. "Who was that woman that just left and what was she doing here?" I asked, my eyes narrowing as I studied their reactions.
They looked shocked, and exchanged another glance. My mom quickly spoke up, "She used to be your father's business partner a long time ago, but they had a very bad fall out." She said, her words tumbling out in a rush.
"I reached out to her again, when the investors were pulling out, she was ready to help again despite our fall out... until Maxwell stepped in. I told her your husband was taking care of it already, but she's angry that I involved her in the first place. She thought I was going to sell," my dad said, his eyes flicking to my mom, who nodded in agreement.
Their story was somehow convincing, but it had too many loopholes in it. I wasn't buying it, not entirely. There was something they weren't telling me, something big.
"Why don't I believe you?" I asked, my voice laced with skepticism. "Is there something you are hiding from me? You know I will always find out, right?" I pressed, my eyes locked on theirs, searching for any flicker of emotion.
Instead of answering, they led me to a chair and sat me down, their movements deliberate and slow. "Tell us, honey, who did this to you?" My dad asked, his voice soft, trying to distract me from the topic at hand.
I looked at both of them, my mind racing. They were trying to avoid talking about Mrs Cole, and I had a feeling that they were hiding something. Maybe I would approach her myself and ask her what relationship she shared with my parents. I wouldn't mention to my parents that I had met her before, not yet.
"Declan did," I said, and their eyes went wide with shock.
"He was at the house and I confronted him about knowing about the kidnap, and then he attacked me," I said, my hands instinctively going to my neck.
"Honey, you were at fault too," my mom said, her words making my anger flare up. "You moved on from one brother to another, got engaged to one and married the other," she said, like it was a crime.
"If we weren't doing well for ourselves, they would have called you a gold digger," she added, her words stinking of justification.
I wriggled her hands off me, anger coursing through my veins. "How am I wrong? Are you justifying his reason for attacking me?" I yelled, my voice rising.
My mom tried to speak, but I cut her off. "He was a douchebag when we were dating, a scum. And his brother... I never knew they were related, and I never planned to have kids for him. They just happened, and he forced me into marrying him. How is any of this my fault?" I asked, my anger boiling over.
My dad intervened, trying to pacify me. "Your mom didn't mean it that way, sweetie. We are angry that you got attacked by Declan, and we believe he should be punished for it."
But I wasn't having it. "I guess you love Declan more than me now," I said, my voice bitter.
My mom shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry, honey, I didn't mean it that way. Let's just focus on finding my grandbabies."
She changed the subject, trying to steer the conversation away from the tension. "How is your husband coming up with the eighty million dollars the kidnappers requested?"
I looked at them in surprise, my mind racing. How did they know about the ransom?
"How did you know about that?" I asked, my voice laced with surprise and curiosity. I hadn't mentioned the ransom to them, and only a handful of people knew about it.
"Adele," my mom said, her expression serious. "She told us when we tried calling and you weren't picking up. We were worried sick, Amelia."
My parents invited the detectives over again, and I gave them an update on what was going on. We went over the details of the kidnap, the ransom demand, and Declan's attack. After a few hours, I decided to leave, the sky outside growing darker by the minute.
I called Maxwell, but he told me he wouldn't be able to come pick me up – he was stuck in a meeting. He promised to send his driver instead.
"I'm sorry, Mel," he said, his voice reassuring. "I am still stuck in the meeting, but I will join you at home soo?"
I nodded, even though he couldn't see me. "Okay," I said, before hanging up.
I hugged my parents tight, trying to reassure them. "I will be fine, Mom. I will call you when I get home," I said, before getting into the car.
We drove back home, the city lights blurring past us. The driver, Joseph, was a quiet man, but I appreciated his calm demeanor.
As we drove, an SUV suddenly swerved in front of us, and our driver stopped short. A man in a fitted suit got out, wearing dark glasses and a face mask. He walked towards our car, his movements deliberate.
The driver, Joseph, rolled down his window, and the man pointed a gun at him. My heart skipped a beat. The gun shifted from Joseph to me, and I felt a cold sweat break out on my forehead.
Before I could utter a word, he pulled the trigger.