Filed To Story: Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel
Shirley had to face a punch and evade everyone else’s attacks. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Imogen was taken to a quiet room. She was genuinely unconscious moments ago. Nonetheless, she had managed to regain consciousness soon enough as she opened her bleary eyes. Then, she rubbed the back of her head, feeling the bump as she said, “You did good, people.”
A middle-aged man hugged her. “Nora, you’re one of us. You made us worried sick.”
Imogen smirked as she revealed her true self, picking up a cigarette, and had a hit. Obviously, this wasn’t her first time smoking. “Finish this job, and you’ll be making tons of money. You can’t afford to fail.”
“You can trust those guys. They’ll take her down eventually.”
Ten minutes later, one of the men came in. “We took her down.”
Imogen puffed out a ring of smoke. “Be careful. Don’t let her run away.”
“She can fight. Broke Casa’s leg.’
“Don’t underestimate her. She’s a great fighter back in our base.” Imogen sat on the couch. “And now you’re going to let me go. I’ll return and tell our boss to prepare the ransom for her.”
“You sure he can afford it?”
“You underestimate her. Her father is in command of the largest base back home. She is also part of the president’s family. Plus, my boss is trying to date her right now. She’s worth a ton.”
The kidnappers were shocked. They had no idea Shirley was this important, and they were instantly seized by fear. They wanted money, but not at the cost of their lives.
“Why didn’t you tell us who she really is, Nora? We should never target people like her.”
Imogen sneered as she snarked, “You don’t strike me as cowards. No pain, no gain. She’s your only ticket to one billion dollars at one go. That’s enough money to last you a lifetime.”
“Where’s the person?” asked the leader.
“In the hall. Her limbs are bound while her mouth is taped shut. There’s also a hood covering her head.” Imogen stood up. “Don’t worry. Now that she’s in your hands, you’ll get the money soon.” Then, as she walked to the side, she spoke to one of the men. “Take me outside. I’ll pretend that I’ve escaped.” Although the leader was somewhat startled, the prospect of a handsome reward convinced him to proceed boldly with the plan.
Since they had already kidnapped their intended target, he signaled to his subordinate, who then escorted Imogen outside. As soon as she stepped out, she exclaimed, “Shirley? Shirley! Are you okay?” “Ugh!” At this moment, Shirley couldn’t see anything with her face covered and mouth taped shut. When she heard Imogen’s voice, she struggled to respond.
“Let her go. Let her go!” Imogen exclaimed. Right after she said those words, she was attacked, and the sound of punches landing on someone reverberated in the air. Soon, there was a sound of people fighting, followed by a shattering window.
Then, her voice came through. “Wait for me, Shirley. I’ll look for help to rescue you.” Shirley heard the sound of the broken window and Imogen’s panicked escape.
Shortly after, she also heard several men speaking.
“Sh*t. She escaped. How can you guys be so careless? Hurry, you idiots. Don’t let these two women escape!” Imogen hailed a passing cab and headed toward the Royal Hotel. She had deliberately allowed the kidnappers to maim her hand so that she could explain to Zacharias that she had lost her ability to save Shirley, which was why she had to return for assistance.
After witnessing Imogen’s successful escape, Shirley breathed a sigh of relief.
However, she had seen and experienced the skills of those men earlier, and it was evident that they were not ordinary thugs. The fact that Imogen could break free and escape was a surprise to Shirley, but thankfully, Imogen was able to flee.
“Bring her inside for me,” a rough male voice instructed. Then, he added, “Until we receive the money, make sure that she doesn’t escape.” Shirley was perplexed as to why she was their target. When she overheard their conversation, she finally understood. Their intention was to use her to extort money, but from who? Was it Zacharias?
She wasn’t surprised as they had both attended the banquet together. If someone had taken photos during the event, it could have created the illusion that she was Zacharias’ woman. Kidnapping her would then be a means of demanding money from Zacharias.
Abominable!
Her limbs were bound, and her mouth was taped shut with a hood covering her head, so she could only rely on her sense of hearing to assess her surroundings.
Meanwhile, the vehicle that Imogen was in arrived at the hotel. She rushed inside, located her team members, and instructed them to inform Zacharias about the ongoing situation immediately.
“Imogen, your hand…” A team member expressed concern about Imogen’s hand.
“It’s fine. It’s just broken. Once the bones are set, it’ll be okay. It’s Shirley… She… She was kidnapped by those *ssholes. Her life is in danger now.” Imogen gasped as she feigned a sense of unbearable pain.
The teammate immediately rang Roy. “Hello, Captain Barlowe. Miss Lloyd was kidnapped by gangsters fifteen minutes ago. They’re demanding money from Mr. Flintstone.” “What?!” Roy was shocked to hear the news, never once expecting that gangsters would dare to target Mr. Zacharias.
At that moment, Zacharias was in a meeting, and the bodyguards couldn’t enter.
Since it was a crucial matter and Roy couldn’t afford any delay, he immediately gave Freddie, who was inside the room seated with Zacharias, a ring.
Freddie discreetly answered the call. “Hello?” “Mr. Hurst, please inform Mr. Flintstone immediately that Miss Lloyd has been kidnapped. Her life’s in danger, and we need to rescue her.” Freddie’s mind exploded as he knew how significant Shirley was to Zacharias, so he switched off his phone and stepped toward Zacharias. Then, he lowered himself and urgently whispered, “Mr. Zacharias, Miss Lloyd has been kidnapped.”
pping. Zacharias knew they had to cooperate with local authorities since relying solely on their resources in such a vast territory in Flor would make rescuing Shirley challenging.
“What? Someone dared to kidnap your girlfriend?” the vice president was just as shocked because he never expected such an act damaging their mutual interests to take place on the day that the two nations formed a friendship.
Zacharias felt an overwhelming sense of urgency. He immediately ordered someone to bring Imogen over, instructing her to relate the entire incident and provide the specific location of the kidnappers.
Imogen was escorted to the lounge. She had been on edge in the car because when she initially planned this, she never expected Zacharias to collaborate with the vice president of Flor. The gangsters now not only had to face Zacharias but also the entire police force of Flor.
At this moment, her thoughts shifted. She decided to eliminate those gangsters and could gain recognition or even glory once she returned to her country. She couldn’t care less whether Shirley lived or died.
If Shirley survived, that would be great because she could continue to manipulate Shirley.
If Shirley died, then Imogen would feel more at peace because it meant that she would no longer need to be subjected to the continuous comparison of their lives.
Moreover, with Shirley’s death, Zacharias would be in unbearable pain. Perhaps there would even be an opportunity for Imogen to take advantage of the situation!
As for her association with the kidnappers, she had always remained incognito when dealing with them. So, if she killed them all, no one would know that she was in contact with them anymore.
When Imogen saw Zacharias, her hand had just been treated for the injuries, and visible marks of intense combat adorned her body.
“Imogen, quickly tell me what happened. Why was Shirley kidnapped?” Zacharias disregarded his status as he approached her, his gaze filled with intense concern.
“Mr. Zacharias, I’m sorry. I was incompetent, as I couldn’t rescue Shirley. There were seven or eight men, all of whom were mercenaries. I don’t know how they found out about Shirley’s identity, but it seems like she was their target,” she explained. “I’m sure it’s because of last night’s banquet where you and Shirley were together. It made those gangsters believe that you would pay a large ransom if they kidnapped her.” His fists clenched instantly. Though he wished to tear those b*stards apart, he had to restrain himself and stay calm. Shirley’s safety was the utmost priority.
Imogen bit her lip, guilt evident in her eyes.
“Imogen, are there any distinctive features about those people? Where was the last place that Shirley disappeared?” he asked urgently.
“I’ve written it down. In this bar, there were five foreigners and two mixed-race individuals. They look like they are well-trained mercenaries. Mr. Zacharias, please hurry to rescue Shirley. I’m afraid if we delay any longer, she will be…” she trailed off deliberately, wanting to stoke Zacharias’ righteous anger. She hoped he would join forces with the Florian military to crush those gangsters, thus erasing any trace of her association with them.
Zacharias’ complexion rapidly darkened as veins bulged on his forehead. He handed the address of the said bar to the Florian authorities, who promptly mobilized all of their resources to track the whereabouts of these individuals.