Chapter 97 Negotiation
"Come on, just this once. That kid's been kidnapped. As a soldier, you can't just stand there and do nothing," Billy said through gritted teeth.
Vance wiped his face and, with the hand holding the whip, pointed tremblingly at Billy on the ground. "You got the nerve to call me a soldier? This ain't my army; it's the country's! You want me to break the rules and act all righteous? What does that kid have to do with me? He ain't my grandson. If he's kidnapped, call the cops. Don't bother me!"
"I'm not asking for a whole army, just a few soldiers," Billy pleaded.
Vance, enraged, whipped Billy again, this time hitting his arm and nearly knocking him over.
"Get out, you bastard!" Vance shouted, panting as he dropped the whip and called for the butler.
The butler, used to such scenes, quickly stepped forward to help Vance.
As they reached the door, Vance paused and, without turning his head, said, "Throw Billy out. Don't let him back in without my permission!"
The butler, looking troubled, still notified the guards to get Billy out.
Billy sat dejectedly at the villa's entrance. He thought he could at least help Diana a little. But then Robert messaged him, saying they didn't need to gather money anymore because Diana had borrowed it from Charles. If they didn't need money, he thought he could at least use his family's connections to rescue Cecil. But Vance refused to help and had Billy thrown out with no room for negotiation.
What could he do now? When Diana needed him, he had neither money nor the ability to help. He felt utterly useless.
Thinking this, Billy tugged at his hair in frustration, silently venting his inner pain.
Inside the Spencer Villa, the four of them anxiously stared at Isolde's phone, waiting for news from the kidnapper.
It wasn't until 9 p.m. that the phone suddenly rang. The usually cheerful ringtone now sounded terrifying. Diana started recording and answered the call, quickly heading to another room.
"Hello," Diana said.
"Hello? Who are you? Where's Isolde? Did she go to the police?" The voice on the phone was deep, rough, and clearly synthesized.
He only heard one word and realized something was off, becoming agitated.
Diana steadied her voice, trying to remain calm. "I'm Ms. Porter's secretary. She's out raising funds. We haven't called the police. You should know that since you're watching us."
The man quieted down, then sneered. "Raising funds? From whom? Netizens? 300 million dollars, really?"
Diana rolled her eyes, thinking, 'Why not? You dared to ask for it.' But she calmed down, carefully connecting the computer and phone, her hands moving quickly.
To distract him, Diana said, "Don't hurt the child. We're working hard to raise the money. We already have five million dollars."
Hearing the money, the man was filled with greedy desire. "Alright, split the money into three parts and place them at these locations. No police, only one person can act. Don't try any tricks; I'm watching you. Leave immediately after placing the money."
"Which three places?" Diana asked.
"Why so rush? I'll send the addresses later."
"We're preparing the money now. How can we be sure the child is safe?" Diana asked, her hands still working.
The man seemed to be doing something, taking a while to respond. "Here, cry."
A child's whimper came through the phone, confirming to Diana that it was Cecil. The man grew impatient when Cecil didn't cry, seemingly ready to act.
Sensing something wrong, Diana quickly interrupted, "Enough, I heard it. It's Cecil's voice."
"Good, as long as you recognize him. Follow my instructions. If you play tricks, you'll see his corpse." With that, the man hung up angrily.
Diana's fingers moved quickly on the keyboard, and finally paused. She found the address, located in the south of Evergreen City.
With the general location locked, Diana breathed a sigh of relief. She picked up the phone and stepped out, just meeting the three anxious people at the door.
Isolde stammered, "How did it go, Diana? What did he say?"
Diana played the recording for everyone to hear. Hearing Cecil's voice, Isolde burst into tears, nearly fainting, but Evelyn supported her.
Diana patted Isolde's shoulder and shared some good news. "We found the address. He is in the south of Evergreen City. This means Cecil isn't far away from us and isn't in immediate danger. Don't panic. He said he'd send three addresses for us to place the five million dollars divided into three parts."
Hearing the address was found, a hint of joy flashed across their faces, but they fell silent at the mention of the ransom.
Diana said, "It's okay. Don't forget that we have Charles. Once his money is in our account, we'll go find the kidnapper." As soon as Diana finished speaking, the kidnapper sent the three addresses.
They quickly began researching these locations. All three addresses were sparsely populated and open areas, so it was difficult for them to make any moves.
Looking at the information, Diana asked, "Isolde, do you have any idea who the kidnapper might be?"
Isolde shook her head. After learning about Cecil's kidnapping, she had thought of everyone who might hold a grudge, but none seemed likely to harm a child.
Isolde said, "No, I conduct my business cleanly. Even if I have competitors who go against me, they would at least play a trick on work. They wouldn't resort to kidnapping my child."
Diana pondered and asked, "Did you tell Finnian about Cecil's kidnapping?"
Isolde paused, her lips trembling, then she softly said, "No, after our divorce, he left with his parents. He has no money or power now. Even if I told him, he couldn't help."
Diana nodded, not saying much more, and urged Isolde to rest.
Isolde, exhausted due to days of stress and Cecil's kidnapping, had been sleeping less than four hours a night. Her eyes were swollen, her voice was hoarse, and her condition was far worse than Diana's.
Knowing Diana meant well, Isolde nodded and let Evelyn take her to the guest room.
Once Isolde was out of her sight, Diana turned to Robert and said, "This kidnapping is too outrageous. I think it might be her ex-husband."
Robert's eyes widened in surprise, then he asked, "Why do you think it's him?"
"That Finnian is a cunning and ambitious man. He and his mistress tried to take all of Isolde's money before. After living a luxurious life for so long, he wouldn't give it up easily." Though it was just a guess, Diana said, a note of certainty in her tone.
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