By the secretive look on Nigelâs face, Bella suspected the matter was
tied to his family secret.
It would be rude of her to probe further.
She always knew when to stop, but anything concerning Justin would get to her head. She blurted, âIs
there angst between Justin and his brother, Grandpa Nigel? Is it related to their abduction as kids?â
Nigel widened his eyes at her in shock. âSo you know about the
abduction?â
âIâm sorry, Grandpa Nigel. I didnât get to know about it on purpose.
Her throat went dry. Bella fell into contemplation for a moment and
murmured, âJustin had mentioned his brother to me before. He said
he would tell me everything, but I was picking a fight with him then. I didnât want to hear anything
coming from his mouth, but my curiosity
got the better of me, and Iâ¦â
Nigel noticed Bella turning red in embarrassment, reminding him of the once shy girl from back then.
The grimace faded away from his
face.
That was a good thing.
At least she was no longer as resistant to Justin as before. She had
started to become curious about him too. There was less tension
between them.
âYouâre close to Justin because he wants to talk to you about his
past, Anna. He wants to lay bare and confide in you.â
Nigel sighed. He was still in distress, thinking about the past. âMy two grandsons were kidnapped
together when they were kids. The kidnappers had a long history of breaking the law. They had been
involved in selling drugs, murder, and bank robberies. Itâs not their
first rodeo taking children from wealthy families for hefty ransoms.â
âI know. Youâre talking about the mafia leader known as Jer or
Jeremy Mateo, right?â
Bella had heard about Jeremyâs gang. Sasha had told her.
Jeremy had worked for Sashaâs father, but driven by greed and
ambition, he left the organization and made it out on his own.
Back then, Jeremy was rather cocky and rampant. He made it clear to the cops that he would only
retire from crime after making $10 billion
in ransom.
Jeremy was arrested 18 years ago, and the media covered the story
in celebration. However, Jeremy faced the camera with a smile, and
the public was infuriated.
Sasha once mentioned that her fatherâs biggest regret was not
purging Jeremy when he could.
âThatâs right. Thatâs the guy.â
Nigel held his head in anguish. âGregory and I did everything we could
to take precautions, but Jeremy somehow managed to slide through
security and abduct my grandsons.â
Feeling a clutch to her chest, Bella asked, âWhat happened after that?â
Chapple 712
âJeremyâs gang demanded $2 billion for the safe return of Grant and Justin. Itâs $1 billion for each child.
$2 billion then is equivalent to $ billion now, but I didnât hesitate to get the money ready. Nothin more
important than my grandchildren. But Jeremy was so sneak He changed the location for the exchange
multiple times to toy with us. They held Grant and Justin for two weeks, and we didnât dare to
call the cops.â
Nigel lowered his gaze and shook his head in despair. âLater, Justin managed to escape from their
clutches, but he was bruised and beaten. I didnât expect him to escape. He was only 11 years old then.â
âDid he manage to get out alone?â
Bella was shocked, and it reflected in her eyes. âHe was too young to
face off with his abductors. How could he escape? Someone must
have helped him.â
âYes. It was Grant.â
Bella gasped sharply.