âHow forgetful of you, Mr. Fairchild!âA series of strange mechanical laughter then drifted out from the phone. âYour residential area is so elite that even calling for an elevator requires a fingerprint. Canât you figure out how my man took the elevator up?âXavierâs expression promptly darkened.Winnieâs thoughts quickly aligned with hisâthe finger belonged to Yulissa.Yulissaâs fingerprint was registered with the management, so she had no issues taking the buildingâs elevator.Therefore, it was evident that the person earlier used her severed finger to call for the elevator and successfully reached the thirty-
second floor. Subsequently, he placed the cardboard box containing the severed finger at Xavierâs doorstep.As though to verify Xavierâs conjecture, the other party instantly sent a video over.In the video, a woman was bound to a chair. Her right hand was missing a finger, and blood was dripping incessantly.Although she was disheveled, one could still tell that the woman was Yulissa.As a bucket of icy water hit her full in the face, Yulissa immediately jolted awake.Upon seeing that someone was filming her from the front, she wailed at the camera at once.âSave me, Xavier! Hurry up and save me! It wasnât my intention to fight with you yesterday, nor did I intend to go to the bar to drink. Iâm sorry!
Please save me. Theyâve chopped off my finger, and theyâll kill me if you donât comply with their demands. Iâm not afraid of death, Xavier. But Iâm afraid that theyâll violate me. Iâm your woman, so I donât want to be sullied by them. Theyâre the scum of the earth and have no humanity to speak of. Save me, Xavier!âTears streamed down her face. Fear, terror, and anguish were all etched across her features.At that precise moment, however, the video cut off.The kidnapperâs voice rang out once more.âIt looks like you gave your woman the boot last night, Mr. Fairchild. I initially didnât want to kidnap her, but she ran right into me while blind drunk alone. Thus, I had no choice but to take her away.âXavierâs brows furrowed, but he remained as calm as ever. âJust cut straight to the chase. How much do you want exactly?ââYouâre indeed a straightforward person, Mr. Fairchild! No matter what, sheâs your woman, so itâs not too much to ask you for twenty million, right?âXavier didnât bother yakking with him. âName the time and place.ââSit tight first, Mr. Fairchild. Iâll decide the time and place. After that, Iâll notify you. But Mr. Fairchild, I hope you can play by my rules. Otherwise, youâll only be able to collect your womanâs body.ââGo on. Iâm listening.â Xavier was unhurried, his speech brief and concise.
It was as though he was merely discussing a not-so-important business.âI want gold bars. Change the twenty million into gold bars. Most importantly, youâre not to lodge a police report. If you do so, your woman will die a ghastly death.ââOkay. But it takes time to change the money into gold bars.ââIn that case, Iâll give you two hours. Drive over alone.âAt that, Xavier paused for a moment. âMy leg is broken, so I canât drive alone. In fact, itâs in a cast right now. If you spent any time investigating me before planning this kidnapping, you should know that Iâm speaking the truth.âFollowing that, the kidnapper discussed it with the others and relented right away. âFine, you can bring a driver along. But it must be a female driver. Now, the countdown to two hours begins. I hope you can get the gold bars ready as soon as possible. Iâm looking forward to our meeting.âAfter saying that, the kidnapper hung up without a secondâs delay.Only then did the house return to its usual silence.Winnie felt as though she had just watched a police show.However, she found the male leadâXavierârather strange.He doesnât seem anxious or apprehensive. Instead, he was frightfully calm throughout the entire process. It was as though he was merely going through the motions.Her curiosity was inexorably piqued.She grew intrigued about Xavier and Yulissaâs relationship.He should love and care about her greatly, yet not only has he never touched her ever since she returned, but heâs even all unconcerned despite her having been kidnapped.Eyeing him, she inwardly tutted. Heâs really unfathomable, his thoughts entirely indiscernible!âWhy are you looking at me like that?âXavier initially wanted to make a call, but the gaze of the woman before him was too intrusive. Hence, he stilled and pinned his eyes on her.In response, Winnie curled her lips in disdain.âYour girlfriend has been kidnapped and her finger severed, but you seemingly appear awfully indifferent, Mr. Fairchild. Do all your women end up in such tragic straits?âThe fact that she used the word âwomenâ had Xavier casting a chilly glance at her. âWhat do you mean by âwomenâ?ââI heard that your ex-wife has gone missing, and her whereabouts are unknown to this day. Who knows whether sheâs still alive now?ââShut up! Who gave you the guts to talk about her?âNo sooner had Winnieâs words rang out than her entire person was pinned against the couch with an arm at her neck.She never expected Xavier to spring to his feet without any regard for his injured leg and press his arm against her throat just because of a simple remark.Unbidden, mirth flooded her.
âAre you angry, Mr. Fairchild? Did I say anything wrong?ââYes, you said something wrong. She isnât my ex-wife. Sheâs still my wife!â Xavier gritted his teeth.He wasnât at all anxious though Yulissa had been kidnapped. But at the mere mention of something to do with Winnie, he grew emotional in a flash.Alas, Winnie was very much displeased by his words.He was the one who proposed a divorce, and he agreed to dissolve our marriage before the elders. So, why is he claiming that Iâm still his wife now?
Fury blazed within her. âOh, really? Didnât you feel that she was unworthy of you because sheâs slow-
witted? Why are you putting on a show in front of me now?ââShut up!â Iâm already regretting it to the core, yet sheâs now using these words to stab me in the heart!Xavier pressed down against her neck.
âIâm short of a female driver. Youâll do.ââHah! Iâm not obliged to cooperate with you to meet the kidnappers, Mr. Fairchild,â Winnie sneered.Giving a bark of laughter impassively, Xavier sat back in the wheelchair.He stared at âPaulinaâ before him, his eyes brimming with confidence that everything was in the palm of his hands.âDonât assume that Iâm ignorant to the fact that you approached me to search for something in particular. But itâs clear as day that you havenât found it so far.ââOh? Then, do you know what Iâm searching for?â Winnie wasnât the least bit surprised that he surmised her motive.At that, Xavierâs lips turned up a fraction. âNo matter what it is, Iâm the only person who knows where it is. Is that not so?â