“Oh, come on, Mr. Lawrence, stop fooling around. The meeting is starting soon, and you’ve wrinkled your suit—how will you face the reporters…” The call cut off, their flirtatious banter ending abruptly.
Lucas seemed to be making a silent announcement.
Between love and career, he chose career.
Between me and Sophia, he chose Sophia.
I stood frozen, unable to accept it.
I didn’t notice the kidnappers’ expressions changing.
On the eighth day, the ransom still hadn’t arrived.
The kidnappers broke my fingers as a warning.
Lucas didn’t respond, didn’t yield.
On the ninth day, the ransom still hadn’t come.
They recorded my humiliation, threatening to destroy my reputation.
Lucas didn’t reply, only issuing a company statement that afternoon:
“The Lawrence Corporation will never bow to evil forces.”
On the tenth day, my parents announced they were cutting off the investment and relocating overseas.
I became completely abandoned, stripped of the last shred of value.
The kidnappers were furious.
Their rage drove them to torture and degrade me with everything they had.
At that time, both they and I still clung to faint hope—
That someone would come to save me.
But no one did.