Chapter 175
Chapter 175:
Liam stood in the study at Kensington Manor. Beatrice sat in her armchair, sipping tea, looking remarkably unbothered.
“She probably ran off with a lover,” Beatrice sniffed. “Stop pacing, Liam. It’s undignified p>
The phone rang. A video call. Unknown ID.
Liam answered instantly.
Skye appeared on the screen. She was tied to a pipe, blood trickling down her neck. The background was dark steel.
“Liam,” she said. Her voice was calm, but her eyes were urgent. “They want fifty million. In one hour p>
“Fifty million?!” Beatrice shrieked, jumping up. “Absolutely not! Let them keep her p>
Liam turned on his grandmother, his face a mask of fury. He yanked the gun from his bodyguard’s holster and slammed it onto the mahogany desk.
“One more word,” Liam whispered, his voice shaking with rage, “and I will forget that we are related p>
Beatrice sat down, her mouth snapping shut, her face pale.
“I’ll pay it,” Liam said to the screen. “I’ll pay anything. Just don’t hurt her p>
The screen went black. SWIFT codes and escrow details appeared.
Liam began the frantic process of authorizing transfers. He called bankers, liquidated assets. He was burning the Kensington liquid reserves to the ground to save her.
In the chaos, Beatrice slipped out of the room. She pulled out her encrypted phone.
“Call the bank,” she hissed to her private banker. “Monitor the escrow. Once the transfer is staged, I want you to issue a stop-payment order immediately. Use my overriding authority as the Chair of the Board. If he releases her, I pay nothing. If she dies… well, that’s a tragedy we can afford p>
On the boat, Skye watched the transfer progress bar on Viper’s tablet. She felt a strange pang in her chest.
𝘙𝘦𝘤𝗼𝗆m𝖾ո𝖽 𝘣e𝗅ո𝗈v𝗲𝗹s.𝘤о𝘮 𝘁𝗈 𝘆o𝘶𝗋 f𝗋𝗂е𝘯𝖽𝘀
Liam was actually doing it.
“The wire confirmation is coming through,” the lieutenant said.
Viper nodded. He looked at Skye. “Your husband is generous p>
“Ex-husband,” Skye corrected. “And don’t get comfortable. We move in one hour p>
She touched the hidden transmitter in her heel.
Three taps.
Alistair, come get me.
The ocean was a churning abyss of black water.
Liam stood on the deck of a speedboat, wind whipping his hair. Behind him, Alistair was in a separate tactical boat, geared up and ready to breach.
Ahead, the rusty trawler bobbed in the waves.
Skye stood on the upper deck. A gun was pressed to her head. She looked ethereal in the searchlights, her white shirt torn, her hair wild.
“The money!” Viper shouted over the wind.
Liam held up a tablet showing the completed transfer. “It’s done! Send her over p>
Viper checked his phone, refreshing the bank application. His face twisted in rage.