Chapter 1180 Fooled Again
Hannah had just finished her meal when Austin walked back in.
He kept his head down and handed his phone to Hannah. "First number in the contacts. No name saved, but the last four digits are 0980."
Even his voice sounded off.
Hannah, still sitting, looked up and immediately noticed the clear handprints on both sides of Austin's face and the split on his lip.
She raised an eyebrow, half-smiling, "Did she hit you?"
Austin touched his swollen face, brushing it off, "It's nothing! I'll just ice it later."
Hannah didn't press further. She opened the phone's contacts, found the first number, confirmed the last four digits were 0980, and dialed.
The call connected quickly, and a strange male voice answered. "What do you want?"
Hannah urgently said, "I need to hear Oliver's voice. Put him on."
"Hold on." The kidnapper on the other end seemed to recognize the number but not the person. He didn't question Hannah's voice and handed the phone to Oliver.
"Hannah, Hannah."
Hearing Oliver's voice, Hannah gripped the phone tightly, "Oliver, don't be scared. They won't hurt you! Listen to me, do what they say, don't try to escape. Stay calm, and they won't do anything to you."
"But, I... I have my final exams soon! When can I get out? I've been studying for years to get into college. Will I still make it to the exams?"
"You will!" Hannah answered firmly, "You definitely will! No matter what, I'll make sure you get to your exams! Don't worry."
Austin stood quietly to the side. Although he couldn't hear what Oliver was saying, he could guess the conversation from Hannah's responses, and his brow furrowed slightly.
A doubt arose in his mind.
Why was Hannah so certain Oliver could attend his exam? Was it to comfort Oliver, or did she have another plan?
"Oliver, take care of yourself! If you have any requests, just tell the kidnappers. They won't harm you! Don't let yourself suffer."
"I know. Where are you now? Are you with Charles at Sunset Bay?"
Hannah nodded, "Yes, I'm with Charles. Don't worry about me, just take care of yourself!"
"I will!"
The siblings chatted a bit more, mostly exchanging reassurances and well-wishes.
There was nothing suspicious.
Austin's doubts gradually faded.
Seeing that their conversation seemed endless, Austin knocked on the table to remind her of the time.
Hannah glared at him, wiped her tears, and took a deep breath. "Oliver, take care of yourself. I'll call you again when I can!"
Oliver, reluctant and scared, said, "You must call me! I'm scared here alone!"
"I will, I will!" After comforting him, Hannah ended the call but didn't immediately return the phone to Austin.
Austin reached out his hand. "The call's over. Can I have my phone back?"
Hannah clutched the phone tightly, bargaining with him, "Promise me, every three days, let me call Oliver to check on him! I need to make sure he's safe."
If Austin had any doubts about Hannah's certainty earlier, her words now completely dispelled them.
If Hannah had any escape plan, why would she say such things?
Hannah was the purest and kindest, never scheming.
Thinking this, Austin's expression relaxed, and he readily agreed to her request. "Okay! I promise you!"
Seeing him agree so readily, Hannah didn't push further. She returned the phone and prepared to leave, but Austin grabbed her wrist.
Hannah pulled her hand away and turned to him, "What?"
Austin pleaded, "Can you have a meal with me?"
Eating alone was so lonely.
Since breaking up with Hannah, he had been surrounded by loneliness.
He longed for a home with Hannah.
Facing his plea and longing, Hannah just gave a cold smile, "From the moment you bribed the hitman to kill Charles, we could never sit down and have a meal together peacefully. Hating you is a waste of my time and energy, not worth it! So I don't hate you, but I will never forgive you!"
With that, she walked away without looking back, leaving Austin standing alone in the dining room, motionless for a long time.
In the quiet night, so silent they could hear a pin drop, a group of people quietly approached Hannah's house. They easily dealt with the guards outside and quietly picked the lock.
Everything was silent, without a sound.
Austin, asleep, was suddenly woken by someone covering his mouth. He opened his eyes in alarm, ready to struggle, but a familiar voice whispered in his ear.
"Austin, it's me!" It was Tina's voice.
Austin's mind cleared instantly. In the moonlight, he saw her face and couldn't hide his joy.
Seeing that he recognized her, Tina slowly removed her hand from his mouth.
Austin instinctively grabbed her hand, excited, "How are you here? Did Charles let you go?"
Tina shook her head, "No! Someone told me you were released and that Violet was kidnapped, too. That person secretly rescued me and told me to follow Charles, saying I could find you that way.
Hurry, we need to go! Charles is here! He's searching the rooms downstairs for Violet.
If we don't leave now, it'll be too late."
Hearing that Charles was here, Austin sat up abruptly. "I've been tricked again!"
Tina didn't have time to explain further, urging, "We need to go, or it'll be too late. We can find another chance if we stay alive!"
Tina forcibly pulled Austin out of the room.
But Austin jerked her hand away. "No! Even if we leave, we must take Hannah with us! I finally managed to bring her here. I can't let all my effort go to waste now."
Tina's eyes were red with anxiety. "Don't you get it? How do you think Charles found us? Violet has a tracker on her! If you take her with you, Charles will be able to find us wherever we go!"
Austin was dumbfounded for a moment. "A tracker?"
She had obviously been searched. Where was the tracker?
Where did Hannah hide the location tracker? Why couldn't he find it?
So it was a trap from start to finish. How could Charles let go of his inaction so easily?
He lost to Charles again.
Tina had no time to explain. Physically pulling him toward the exit, she urged. "We're out of time! If we don't leave now, it'll be too late! Staying alive is what matters—as long as we're breathing, we'll get another chance!"
But they were still a step too late, running into Charles on the stairs.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
