Chapter 254 You Need to Go Quickly, There's No Time Left
"Damn it, you have quite some strength!"
The dude yanked Aurelia to the ground with a rough pull.
Aurelia tried to steady herself and saw a tall guy in black, wearing a mask. Her fear hit the roof, and she struggled to keep it together, but her voice shook as she asked,
"Who are you? What do you want from me?"
The guy chuckled in the dark, "I'm here for you!"
He grabbed her arm and dragged her toward an old black car hidden in the shadows.
Aurelia fought back, but he had a vice grip on her.
She saw her car door just a few feet away, wide open, but she couldn't reach it. Despair washed over her.
The strength gap was too big; how could she fight off this big guy?
She was quickly shoved into the car. Despite her screams, no one came to help.
Inside, there were ropes, tape, and even a sack.
The guy took off his mask, revealing a creepy smile. He quickly tied her up with thick rope, securing her to the back seat.
Aurelia thought he looked familiar but couldn't place him.
"What did I ever do to you? Why are you kidnapping me?"
She remembered keeping a low profile for four years in Coral Bay, not pissing anyone off. She had a hunch this guy was from Imperick.
His intense stare made her shiver.
He sneered, then slapped tape over her mouth, locked the car door, and hopped into the driver's seat,
"I'll tell you when we get there, so you'll know why you're gonna die."
Aurelia lay helpless in the back seat, only able to make muffled sounds. She tried to calm down but couldn't think of a way out.
Her phone was left in the parking lot. She felt the car speeding up and turning, clueless about where they were headed. Everything was a big question mark.
The air got more humid, and there were fewer cars around. She guessed they were leaving the city, maybe heading toward the sea.
She felt like this was the end.
Finally, the car screeched to a stop, and her heart pounded.
The guy parked and took his sweet time smoking a cigarette. After a bit, he opened the door and got into the back seat. With the cigarette still hanging from his lips, he ripped the tape off her mouth.
"We've arrived. Take a long, hard look at the view—this is where you'll depart from this world. Leave your spirit here and don't return to the city."
Aurelia was so scared that tears streamed down her face. She looked out the window and saw they were by the sea, with no one around.
"Who sent you?" she asked.
The guy blew out smoke and sneered, "Because of you, my kid died! Now you gotta pay with your life for my unborn son. You deserve to die!"
Aurelia gasped and tried to reason with him,
"I haven't hurt anyone. Please calm down. Maybe you've got the wrong person? If it's money you need, I can give it to you, and I promise not to call the cops."
The guy laughed bitterly, almost like he was crying,
"I'd know you even if you were ashes! If it weren't for you, my son would be four years old now. Letting you live these extra four years was already too generous."
He pressed a button near the car seat, and a beeping sound filled the car. Red countdown numbers glowed in the dark, signaling doom.
Aurelia was so freaked out she could barely get a word out.
Aurelia questioned, "What button did you press?"
"Enjoy it!"
The guy shot her a look full of hate, then bolted out of the car and took off.
Aurelia's mind raced—this car was probably rigged to blow. Her thoughts flashed to her two kids waiting at home, her loving grandma, uncle, aunt, brother, and sister-in-law.
She sank into a pit of despair.
Maybe this was it for her.
Nathaniel had been swamped all day but finally had a moment to swing by Aurelia's workplace that evening. He didn't expect to see her, just wanted to walk where she walked and clear his head.
Visiting her office building had become his new stress relief.
As he drove up, he saw an old car speeding out of the parking lot with its plates covered.
At first, he didn't think much of it, but then he noticed Aurelia's car parked there with the door wide open and no one inside.
He parked and got out, stepping on a shattered phone screen.
"Aurelia, you here?"
He called out towards her car but got no answer, having a bad feeling.
Quickly, he remembered the car that had just left. He jumped back in his car and sped out of the lot, scanning the intersection, unsure which way to go.
In those two minutes of hesitation, that black car had already gotten far.
He called Zack, "Check the surveillance footage from the Anne Studio parking lot for the past ten minutes, ASAP. Look for a black car with covered plates and figure out which way it went. Hurry up!"
Zack was doing laundry for his wife when he heard the urgency in Nathaniel's voice, realizing something serious was up. He quickly wiped the soap off his hands and rushed to follow Nathaniel's orders.
Nathaniel waited anxiously for about ten minutes, the longest ten minutes of his life.
Zack called back, "Mr. Heilbronn, your wife's been kidnapped. The car headed toward Maple Avenue, away from the city. If you floor it, you might catch up."
Nathaniel's worst fears were confirmed. Aurelia was in danger.
As soon as Zack finished speaking, Nathaniel floored the gas pedal, making his Bugatti fly down the road.
One thought consumed him: this time, he would find her and not let what happened four years ago repeat. He sped past countless cars, drifting on the road, driving faster than he ever had in his life.
After several miles, he finally spotted the black car in the distance.
He zeroed in on it, accelerating to force it to stop. The black car suddenly sped up, driving recklessly.
Nathaniel pressed down on the gas, staying right on its tail. Finally, the car stopped on a desolate beach.
He saw a man in black jump out and run away, like he was avoiding something dangerous.
No time to chase him. Nathaniel rushed to the car, his heartbeat, footsteps, and rapid breathing all he could hear.
When he reached the car, he yanked the door open and saw Aurelia tied up inside, shaking with fear.
"Aurelia!" He called out, reaching to hold her, not noticing the beeping sound in the car.
Aurelia was shocked to see Nathaniel. She shook her head frantically.
"Nathaniel, get out of here, there's no time!"
Her eyes darted to the source of the beeping under the seat, and Nathaniel realized why the guy had run.
Aurelia was tied up with ropes, and it would take at least ten seconds to free her. Getting out would take even more time. Nathaniel swiftly calculated that there wasn't enough time to allow them to get out safely.
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