Chapter 887
Suddenly, she was jolted and sprang up from her chair.
Jonathan hurried to Rosalie and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Yvette!” Rosalie exclaimed, pointing to the woman approaching Zachary. Despite the somewhat unclear surveillance footage and the changes that had occurred in her appearance over the past five years, Rosalie had no difficulty recognizing her at a glance.
After all, Yvette represented a trauma deeply etched in her memory.
Jonathan narrowed his eyes as he watched the surveillance camera alongside Rosalie. When Yvette beckoned a child over to Zachary, Rosalie was stunned.
Rosalie remembered this kid to be the little boy who had performed exceptionally well on the piano at that exhibition on that particular day.
She wondered, ‘Is this child related to Yvette? Could this child be Yvette’s?
Since Yvette brought the child to meet Zachary, does that imply the child might also be Zachary’s?”
All these guesses swirled through Rosalie’s mind, and soon someone found the surveillance footage of Yvette’s second encounter with Zachary.
Jonathan instructed someone to use the surveillance footage to trace Yvette’s whereabouts.
Indeed, using the surveillance footage made it considerably easier to track Yvette’s movements. They discovered that she had stayed at a budget inn, but had already checked out before Zekiah was kidnapped.
As the investigation progressed, they encountered some unexpected gains. They finally managed to find out where Yvette had been in hiding in recent years.
They learned that she was residing in Lostaria, and she had a five-year-old son named Felix Hamilton. Felix had never attended a formal kindergarten. Yvette had encountered a retired piano teacher in the shanty town where they resided in Lostaria, and Felix had been learning piano from that teacher. At that moment, the kidnappers sent an email to Carlos’ mailbox from an overseas location. It was evident that they had taken precautions against surveillance.
While it might not be particularly challenging to trace the true source of the email, it would undoubtedly consume some time. Even if discovered, the location was likely to be an internet cafe or a shopping mall, making it challenging to pinpoint the kidnappers’ precise whereabouts.
The content of the email caused Jonathan to furrow his brow in deep concern.
In the email, the kidnappers demanded a direct transfer of 20 million dollars into a foreign account, stipulating that Rosalie should go alone to a designated location to fetch the child.
“Absolutely not!” Jonathan responded firmly. “It’s far too risky for you to go alone to fetch the child!”
“Whether it is dangerous or not, I must give it a try!” Rosalie said.
Jonathan contemplated for a moment and responded to the email, asserting that the money would only be transferred once they had ascertained the child’s safety. He proposed they choose a location where they could collect the child and execute the money transfer simultaneously, effectively trading the money for the child directly.
Regarding who would bring the child back, Jonathan conveyed in the email that he would be there in person and would not be accompanied by any of his men.
“Jon, you won’t let me go alone, but now you’re going alone?” Rosalie remarked, her concern evident.
“It’s safer for me to go than you! We’ll have a better chance. Moreover, I’m Zeki’s father. It’s only natural for me to go,” Jonathan declared, and without further ado, he sent the email, leaving Rosalie no room for further discussion.
However, not long after, the kidnappers responded, stating that they were willing to hand over the child and receive the money transfer simultaneously, but they insisted that it had to be Rosalie who handed over the money and picked up the child.
The tone of the kidnappers in the email was menacing, hinting that if their terms were not accepted, they
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would be prepared to let everyone meet a dire fate together.
Furthermore, they conveyed that during the time of the transaction, they would send an email with
precise instructions. If Rosalie failed to appear at the designated location at the specified time, they would choose to kill the hostage.
Jonathan’s expression darkened as he read the email, and despite sending additional messages, there was no response from the kidnappers.
Rosalie firmly declared, “I’ll go. Looks like Yvette and Zachary insist that I be there.”
Jonathan pressed his thin lips together but refrained from saying anything, clearly disapproving of Rosalie’s decision.
“Jon, I’ll do everything to protect myself. Even if you disagree, I’m still going to rescue Zeki. It’s the only thing I can do for him now as his mother!” Rosalie’s determination shone through her words. Jonathan let out a resigned sigh. He knew that when it came to her decision, he would never be able to oppose it.
“Okay, let’s take a risk. If something really happens to you, I will be there for you!”
That single sentence embodied his unwavering commitment. For a split second, Rosalie’s heart quivered as she realized that Jonathan intended to stand with her through thick and thin, living and dying together. That night, Rosalie forced herself to fall asleep. She recognized that only by obtaining adequate rest could she bolster her physical strength and energy to successfully rescue Zekiah.
After Rosalie had fallen asleep, Jonathan gently opened his eyes and planted a tender kiss on her deformed fingers.
“Rosie, who means the most to you in this world?”
However, no one answered that question of his.
The designated location for the transaction was on a remote, densely forested mountain, encompassed by vast undeveloped areas and difficult to access.
Naturally, such a remote location was susceptible to accidents and unexpected incidents.
Rosalie held a phone, which was provided by the kidnappers. They had placed it in a spot without surveillance cameras, and in the email, they had instructed her to collect it.
However, this phone was restricted to only receiving incoming calls and couldn’t send messages or make outbound calls.
Standing before her was a man donning a cheap Iron Man mask that was commonly found in small, inexpensive shops. He passed her a laptop and instructed her to initiate the money transfer.
“I need to see Zeki before I transfer the money. If I don’t see him, I won’t do it,” Rosalie asserted.
“Let her see him!” said a female voice on the phone.
The man turned without a word and, moments later, emerged carrying a child who appeared to be in a
comatose state.
“Zeki!” Rosalie cried out. The boy’s face bore signs of swelling and bruising, evidently having been subjected to harm. “What have you done to him? Why is he unconscious?”
“I just fed him some pills so he could get some sleep. Don’t worry, he won’t die,” the female voice on the phone explained, though there was still a hint of anger and resentment in her tone.
The woman on the other end of the line mused, ‘That damned brat didn’t behave like a normal child at all. He even hurt me!
As expected from a child trained by that pervert, Mr. Wilmer!’
“Hurry up and transfer the money. As long as the money is received, you can leave with the child. We’ll all get what we want,” The woman said.
“What pill did you give him?” Rosalie asked sternly.
