Chapter 13
Sophia rubbed her stinging cheek and approached step by step, her eyes full of malice.
"Emily, you still think I won't lay a hand on you?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand and slapped Emily hard across the face, making her head snap to the side.
"I've put up with you all these years just because I didn't want to ruin my image in James's eyes. But you actually thought you were something special."
With a smug and mocking tone, she suddenly changed the subject, giving Emily no chance to catch her breath.
"The divorce papers - are you going to sign them for your mom or not?"
Emily turned her head and bit down hard on the wrist of the bodyguard beside her.
The bodyguard cried out in pain and let go. Seeing how crazy she was, the other one couldn't help but step back.
Free from their grip, Emily broke loose instantly, her eyes cold as ice. "Sophia, you really think I'm a pushover?"
Emily pressed forward step by step. Sophia panicked instead, stumbling backward in her high heels and screaming. "If you don't sign today, I'll send those two little bastards of yours to the Wilson family!"
These words made Emily freeze in her tracks, her heart tightening. "What do you mean by that?"
Sophia sneered, quickly pulling up a video on her phone and shoving it in her face.
In the video, two naked bodies were tangled together, and the woman's figure looked extremely similar to Emily.
"You were lucky back then - you weren't taken away by that homeless man, but ran into Mr. Wilson instead. And those two little bastards are his children." Her tone was casual, her eyes full of scheming.
"You've seen the video. I came here today with two conditions." Sophia put away her phone, her tone firm and uncompromising.
"First, sign the divorce papers between your mom and my dad right now and get out of the Johnson family's sight. Second, you're going to spend tonight with Mr. Wilson."
"In your dreams!" Emily's eyes were sharp as knives. Like a mother beast protecting her cubs, she blocked the courtyard gate, not letting them get near the house.
"You think I'll give in based on your nonsense? Sophia, you're too naive."
"I tried being nice, but since you won't listen, don't blame me for being rude." Sophia raised her hand and waved lightly. The two bodyguards closed in again.
Emily fought back with all her might, but she was outnumbered. She was soon pinned down and forced into a car parked outside the courtyard.
"Take her away."
"Mommy!"
Aiden and Nina rushed out, still clutching the small wooden sticks they'd prepared to scare off the bad guys, but they only saw the car speeding away.
"Oscar, what do we do now?" Nina's eyes instantly filled with tears. Her small hands gripped Aiden's arm tightly as she choked back sobs.
They had been inside preparing things to scare away the bad guys.
But Sophia and her people had moved too fast, giving them no chance to save Emily.
Aiden's hands clenched into tight fists, his brow furrowed, his tone exceptionally firm. "Don't be scared. I'll definitely save Mommy."
He turned and took Nina's hand, heading back. "Let's go find him for help. He'll know what to do."
As the two children's figures disappeared into the courtyard, William finally managed to move himself onto the wheelchair.
His limited mobility really restricted him everywhere.
William had heard the commotion outside earlier.
After struggling several times, he'd managed to get himself into the wheelchair, but seeing the two children come in looking panicked, he knew the outcome.
"Don't be scared. I'll definitely save her." He wheeled forward and pulled Aiden and Nina into his arms, comforting them gently.
When he received the call, the bodyguard ran upstairs in just a few steps.
In the room, Oscar and Jeffrey's decryption work had reached the most critical stage.
Both of them accessed Azure Palace Hotel's dual-layer security network simultaneously, with data streams scrolling rapidly across the screen.
Oscar stared at the timestamp on the screen, his fingers moving so fast they left only afterimages. "Now! Access the main server from September 27th."
Jeffrey responded and operated accordingly. Just as the surveillance footage was about to be pulled up, the Brown Mansion's network was suddenly cut off, and the computer screen went black.
"Oh no, we've been discovered." Jeffrey's heart sank, his face changing color.
Oscar reacted even faster, quickly saving the decrypted data fragments to a hidden USB drive and tucking it into his sleeve.
He'd just finished cleaning up when the door was pushed open, and the bodyguard who'd been following him walked in.
"Aiden, are you okay?"
The bodyguard's eyes swept over Jeffrey casually. "The Brown Mansion's network just experienced severe fluctuations. To prevent data loss, our people forcibly cut the network."
This explanation covered the reason.
Oscar frowned, looking displeased. "We were just testing a new system, and you ruined it."
"That was my oversight. I apologize for disturbing you. Our tech department will fix the network shortly to make sure it doesn't interfere with your classes." The bodyguard's explanation was thorough. Then he looked at Jeffrey. "Mr. Adams, let's end today's lesson here. It's not convenient for you to stay long at the Brown Mansion."
"Alright." Jeffrey nodded, gave Oscar a subtle look, and left with a smile.
A melodious ringtone sounded. Oscar glanced at him coolly. "Whose call is it?"
"It's Mr. Brown's call." The bodyguard answered, then covered the receiver and walked to the side.
"Yes, Mr. Brown, I'll send someone to investigate right away."
Oscar sneaked closer but only heard the busy tone from the other end.
"You rest first. A teacher will come later for your class." After giving these instructions, the bodyguard hurried downstairs.
Oscar's heart sank. He seemed to have heard something about Emily in that conversation.
Without time to think further, he returned to the computer and typed on the keyboard, locating Emily's phone.
To prevent getting separated from Emily, Oscar had secretly installed a hidden tracking program on her phone.
Her phone signal last appeared at a villa in the suburbs, then went dead.
In the dark, damp basement of that villa, Emily was being held.
Sophia had someone bring a chair and sat across from her, laughing at her miserable state. "Emily, you could never beat me before, and it's still the same now. I already gave you a chance. If you don't treasure it, tonight those two little bastards will be sent to the Wilson Villa, to do with as they please."
Her threatening words echoed in Emily's ears. Emily's whole body stiffened, her head hanging low, as if she'd given in.
Sophia watched her calmly, feeling satisfied.
This bitch had finally fallen into her hands.
When Emily raised her head, blood seeped slightly from her lips, but her eyes remained determined.