Chapter 3

Sophia seemed hurt by my laughter. Her brows furrowed.

"Lucas, I know you're angry, but Ethan didn't mean to..."

"Enough!" I cut her off.

"I don't want to hear anything about him. Please leave."

Just then, her phone rang.

She answered, and her face instantly changed.

"What did you say? Ethan's been kidnapped?!"

I laughed coldly to myself. What was bound to happen had finally come.

In my past life, the international crime syndicate kidnapped Ethan to get revenge on Sophia for her undercover work.

And to save her true love, she had used me as a scapegoat.

Sophia hung up the phone and looked at me, struggling to speak:

"Lucas, I'm sorry, but he can't be harmed. He's the only reason for my existence."

She suddenly seemed to make a decision, a look of determination flashing in her eyes.

"Lucas, help me one last time," she pleaded.

"The kidnappers want Ethan, but they don't know what he looks like. Go in his place."

I stared at her in silence, as if hearing the biggest joke of my life.

She grew uncomfortable under my gaze and avoided my eyes.

"I'll give you a large sum of money, enough to live comfortably for the rest of your life..."

"I'll arrange everything, ensure your safety..."

"And if I refuse?" I asked coldly.

The last bit of warmth vanished from her eyes.

"Then you don't have a choice," she said.

She made a gesture, and two burly bodyguards entered, roughly lifting me from the bed and forcing me into a wheelchair.

"Sophia!" I struggled, the pain in my broken leg making me see stars.

"You'll regret this!" I warned.

She didn't look at me, just stood with her back to me, her voice hard as iron.

"I never regret anything."

The exchange point was an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city.

I sat in the wheelchair, pushed by Sophia herself.

She told the kidnappers, "This is the Ethan you're looking for. He's the one I love."

Ethan was tied to a pillar. When he saw us, he immediately started crying dramatically.

But I caught the flash of glee in his eyes.

The lead kidnapper walked over with a sinister grin.

"Well, Miss Song keeps her word. You've brought your precious sweetheart, so you can take this man back."

Sophia pushed me forward without hesitation.

The kidnapper, true to his word, started untying Ethan.

As the kidnapper grabbed my wheelchair and released Ethan, Sophia rushed over, pulling him into her arms and shielding him behind her.

Seeing Sophia's triumphant smile, the kidnapper instantly realized he'd been tricked.

He yanked me out of the wheelchair, pressing a knife to my throat.

"You dare play me?" he snarled. "Want to see him die right now?!"

However, Sophia looked utterly unconcerned. "Do what you want. I don't love him anyway."

The kidnapper's eyes bulged with rage. The sharp blade pressed against my skin, drawing a line of bright red blood.

Just then, the warehouse doors were smashed open from the outside.

Dozens of blinding flashlight beams shot in, momentarily blinding everyone.

In the split second the kidnapper was stunned, a bullet whizzed by, precisely hitting his knife-wielding hand.

Blood splattered as the kidnapper screamed in pain, the knife clattering to the ground.

Immediately after, a figure dashed over, kicking the kidnapper away with one swift move.

A clear, urgent voice rang out beside me: "Lucas! Don't be afraid! I'm here!"

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