CHAPTER 262
The man sneered after a brief pause. “What does it matter if the sky is beautiful? This world’s ruthless. Everyone’s out for themselves.”
Arianna kept her tone steady, trying to keep the conversation going. “It sounds like you’ve been through a lot. If you want, I’m here to listen.”
“I have NOTHING!” the man shouted, his voice growing louder with each word.
“NOTHING! I lost my job and my money, and my wife left me, taking my son with her. I lost everything!”
His voice cracked with bitterness as he continued, “I was just trying to give them a better life. I got a tip about a stock that was supposed to take off. It was going great at first, and I thought, ‘Maybe I can finally buy that big house for my family.’ I even took out online loans to invest more, thinking it was a sure thing.”
His eyes flashed with anger.
“But then the stock crashed. Everything I had disappeared. And my wife? She blamed *me*! Can you believe that? I did it for her, for our future! And she still walked away when I was down.”
He clenched his fists, trembling with rage.
“Debt collectors started hounding me day and night. They were all smiles when I took the loan, but when I asked for a little time, they kept pushing, threatening me.”
He spat his words out. “My company wasn’t any better. They said I was a liability, accused me of misconduct, and fired me. Just because I owe some money, I’m treated like I’m worthless.”
His voice dropped, but the intensity remained.
“And those big investors? They’re the real thieves. They profit while people like me are ruined. They don’t care about us at the bottom. So, if the world won’t let me live, fine! I’ll take everyone down with me. We’ll all go together.”
The madman grew more agitated, his gestures wild as his anger flared.
Arianna balled her hands into fists, trying to keep her rising anger under control. The root of the issue was clear to her—it was the madman’s unchecked greed.
He couldn’t stop after gaining some profit, and when his gamble backfired, he borrowed even more. Now, he was blaming everyone but himself—his family, society, the system—anyone but the person responsible for his downfall. And in his madness, he had taken innocent people hostage, including women and children.
Arianna’s thoughts simmered with frustration. Someone like him, who refuses to take responsibility, deserves to face severe consequences.
Yet, she knew she had to stay calm.
Forcing herself to smile, she spoke gently, “It seems like it’s all about money in the end. Financial problems can be fixed—they don’t have to end like this. It’s not worth all this.”
The man’s face twisted in rage, his tone sharp.
“Easy for you to say! Do you even know how much money we’re talking about here?” His voice grew louder.
“Those rich guys up top, they take everything from people like me. They never stop, never have enough. That’s the real rot in our society! It’s sick!”
His grin turned unsettling. “I’m ready to die today. I’ll make sure the world knows how cruel it is. This is my final act.”
He tightened his grip on the child in front of him. “Hey kid, you and I, we’ll die together. It’ll be worth it!”
The child, who had been silently trembling, couldn’t hold back any longer. Hearing those words, he broke down in tears, sobbing,
“I don’t want to die…”
Arianna’s expression grew grim. The child’s sobs were only making the situation worse, heightening the madman’s aggression.
“Shut up, you little brat! If you don’t stop crying, I swear I’ll stab you!” the madman threatened, his grip tightening on the knife.
Suddenly, Arianna heard the voice of a police officer through her hidden Bluetooth earpiece. “Arianna, this is the police. Listen carefully. We have a sniper in position across the street, but there’s a window in the way. I need you to do two things.”
She couldn’t respond verbally, so she casually brushed her fingers near her ear and tapped the earpiece twice to signal she understood.
The officer continued, “First, you need to walk over and open the window. Second, you’ll have to distract the madman for at least thirty seconds. Keep his focus entirely on you.”
Both tasks were incredibly risky. There was no way the madman would let her walk freely, let alone open the window without suspicion. Distracting him for half a minute would be even harder, especially when he was already on edge.
But she knew she had to try—there was no other option. If she didn’t act, the child’s life was at risk.
‘Stay calm, Arianna,’ she told herself. ‘You can do this. You have to.’
Taking a deep breath, Arianna fixed her gaze on the madman and spoke firmly. “Sir, do you know who I am?”
The madman barely acknowledged her, still shouting at the terrified child. “Cry again, and I’ll kill you right now!”
The knife pressed harder against the child’s throat, and Arianna’s heart raced. But she didn’t waver. “Do you know Xander King? The CEO of King Enterprises?”
The mention of that name caught the madman’s attention. He snapped his head toward her, suddenly interested.
Perfect.
