Chapter 1859
Veronica dashed into the room, trying to understand what was going on. âGrandma?â She asked.
She only saw three kids in the house and became deeply concerned. âWhat happened? Baber was
just fine. How did he get taken away? Did you take them out?â
Marissa, her voice choked with tears, tried to explain. âNo, no. I didn't take them anywhere! At my
age, I can't keep up with them. We were just relaxing in the backyard after dinner, and this man
selling balloons walked by.
The kids loved the balloons and wanted them. Your grandpa and I sent the butler to buy some, but
the rascals insisted on picking out their own. As the butler paid, the man just dropped all his
balloons, picked up Baber, and ran off!â
A balloon seller?!
Again, it was a balloon seller! Ellinor remembered seeing a man selling balloons around them lately,
and her intuition told her something was off about
him.
She had specifically warned Veronica and the maids about the balloon seller. She told them not to
let the children buy any balloons. But she had forgotten to warn her in-laws and their butler, Devin.
Her in-laws and Devin usually didn't have to watch the children.
Theo had just returned, so everyone was excited, which probably lowered their guard.
It seemed that the balloon seller had targeted Baber from the start.
But why? What was his connection with Baber?
Realization dawned on Veronica, and she admitted regretfully, âOh! The balloon seller! Ellinor
warned me about him, but Grandma and Grandpa didnât know. I shouldn't have gone out on a date
this afternoon. What do we do now? Baber's been kidnapped!â
After calming Ellinor, Theo asked in a steady voice, âDid anyone call the police?â
Veronica immediately chimed in. âRight, did anyone call the police?â
At the mention of the police, Marissaâs cries grew louder, to the point where she couldn't speak.
Putnam, however, was slightly calmer. âWe were about to, but then a call came in from an unknown
number, warning us not to call the police, or we'd never see Baber again.â
Kidnapping and a ransom threat?!
Ellinor snapped to attention. âHow much do they want?â
If it was a matter of money, it wasn't a problem.
Putnam sighed. âThat's the worst part. They didn't mention money. They just warned us not to call
the police and hung up. When we tried to call back, the number was disconnected.â
Ellinor's hope plummeted. Theo supported her as he gave out instructions to the people around
him. âKeep an eye on Grandma, Grandpa, and the kids.â
Then he led Ellinor upstairs.
Veronica followed them. âBrother, what are you going to do? Shouldn't we call the police?â
Theo gave his sister a stern look. âJust take care of the kids. Don't worry about anything else.â
Though she was anxious, Veronica was afraid to cause any more trouble, so she nodded in
agreement.
Theo didn't lead Ellinor to their bedroom. Instead, they went to the study and turned on the
computer.