Chapter 577
Sweet Subterfuge
Xavier had justified his actions by saying that this was the only way for them to get the money.
He dropped his bossy attitude and poured out his frustrations on lan. When he spoke about his struggles, he even shed emotional tears.
lanâs heart was instantly softened. After thinking it over, he contacted Ron on Xavierâs behall When they were carrying out the kidnapping, lan was constantly on edge. He warned Ron repeatedly.
âDo not hurt the child.â
If they merely held Bethany captive, they still had a chance of getting off the h ook lightly, but if she was harmed in any way, the consequences would be catastrophic.
lanâs conscience wouldnât allow him to do something so cruel to a child.
Ron agreed readily. Initially, he followed lanâs instructions and sent videos of Bethany regularly, confirming that she was alive and well. As time passed, Ronâs patience grew thin as Kevan continued to delay paying the ransom. He had called lan several times to complain in arage.
In one of the videos that he sent lan could clearly see the bruises on Bethanyâs face. Terrified for their lives, he quickly sent money to placate Ron, urging him to not harm Bethany any further. However, once the money was gone, the effects didnât last long.
A week ago, Ron did not send any videos of Bethany at the designated time, lan panicked and called Ron, but his phone was inactivated.
Refusing to give up, lan topped up Ronâs phone with a hundred dollars to reactivate it. Now the call could go through, but no one picked. up the call.
Extremely worried, lan dropped everything he was doing and took a cab to Ronâs place in a ghetto. Ron was living in a run-down bungalow. At 9 pm, the bungalow was in complete darkness.
Lan knocked on the door continuously and shouted Ronâs name, but he did not appear at the door.
Instead, a neighbor shouted in response, âStop shouting! His place has been empty for two weeks, so heâs probably back in jailâ lanâs heart sank to the pit of his stomach Ronâs family had long abandoned him. Even if he sought them out, he wouldnât get any information about Ron from them. On the other hand, he couldnât go to the police station to inquire about Ronâs whereabouts either. In the end, lan could only return home empty-handed, filled with anxiety and worry.
For the following week, lan had been desperately searching for Ron, but there was no sign of him. lan lived in constant fear as he didnât dare to tell Xavier about this, so he tried to hide the truth for as long as he could.
lan had hoped that the investment from Fantasy Utopia would make Xavier forget about the hundred million dollar ransom, but he didnât expect Xavier to still be fixated on that money.
â1ââ lan hesitated as beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. The look of anxiety became more apparent on his face.
Finally, Xavier noticed lanâs uneasiness. He straightened up and stared lan down with a piercing gaze, making lan shudder inexplicably.â Whatâs wrong? Did something happen with that friend of yours?â
lan hung his head to avoid meeting Xavierâs eyes. Stammering, his teeth chattered from nervousness.
âMr. Seymour, Iâm sorry but I canât reach my friend Iâm afraid that he has been arrested by the police.â