Chapter 6

As he spoke,he actually lifted his phone,ready to dial.

“No!”I cried,my heart nearly stopping.“I…I promise!I’ll make them retreat!”

I couldn’t risk Emma’s life for anything.

The bodyguard looked at me,looking unsure.“Miss…”

I shut my eyes,pain stabbing through me,tears cutting tracks down my face,my nails digging into my palms.“Listen to him.Tell everyone to retreat…for now.Hold off on any action.”

The bodyguard hesitated,then keyed his communicator and relayed the order in a low voice.

Ethan and Natalie exchanged relieved smiles.“That’s better,”Natalie cooed.“Would’ve been easier if you had behaved sooner.Why make a scene?”

Ethan slipped his phone away and scoffed.“Jenna,remember today.Don’t think your family backing makes you untouchable.To me,you’re nothing.”

With that,he started the SUV.It turned and roared off,kicking up dust as it sped away.

I watched them go until my strength left me.I sagged in the back seat,silent tears falling,my heart aching as if it were about to break.

The bodyguard leaned forward,worried etched on his face.“Miss…”

I forced my head up,wiped my face and cold anger instantly filled my eyes.“Notify everyone.”

My voice was raw but steady and cold.“The withdrawal was a ruse.Have the second and third teams flank the road and use every tech we have to monitor and lock onto all communications between Ethan and that man called Scarface Seven.”

“Tell the operations unit to do whatever it takes to secure my daughter within ten minutes.Then…”I paused,my gaze hard as steel.“Stop that SUV.Everyone inside must survive.”

"Yes!"the bodyguard answered with a sharp gaze.He immediately snapped on his walkie-talkie and barked orders.

I stared toward the road where Ethan had gone,my nails biting into my skin.

His car hadn’t gone far.

He parked in front of an old auto repair shop not far ahead,clearly expecting me to follow.

Or perhaps,he never intended to leave at all.As our car pulled up,the rusted roller door groaned open,revealing the darkness inside.

The bodyguard slowed and looked at me,waiting for further instructions.

"Go in,"I said.My voice shook,my palms slick with sweat.

It would be dangerous,I knew that,but Emma was in there and I would walk through fire for her.

The car rolled slowly into the repair shop.

Pale lights cut through the dust in the air.Ethan’s SUV sat in the center of the lot.He leaned against the hood with a cigarette dangling from his lips.Natalie clung to his arm,fixing her makeup in a small mirror and rolling her eyes the moment she saw us pull in.

Further back,I spotted the van.

The doors were closed,so I couldn't see inside,but standing nearby were a few suspicious,rough-looking men.

They were clutching sticks and knives.

My chest instantly tightened.Emma was inside that van.I shuddered,imagining how terrified my little girl must be.

I yanked the door open and moved to run,but the bodyguard caught my arm and warned,“Miss,it’s too dangerous.”

Seeing this,Ethan crushed his cigarette under his shoe with a cold snort.“What’s the rush,Jenna?Your daughter won’t die just yet.”

At his signal,a man with a scar on his face yanked the van door open and dragged Emma out.

She was pale,her eyes swollen from crying.Tape sealed her mouth,bruises marked her body and rope bound her wrists and ankles.The moment she saw me,she began thrashing and sobbing.

"Emma!"My heart ached as if it were being torn apart.I tried to rush forward,but the bodyguard held me back once again.

“Mom?Mom...”Her muffled cry was raw and desperate.

“Ethan,let her go!She's just a child!If you have something against me,take it out on me!”

I screamed like crazy,tears blurring my vision.

Natalie put away the mirror and swayed her waist as she walked over.Her voice dripped with mock sympathy.“Oh,what a touching scene between mother and daughter.But Jenna,too bad,you’re in no place to bargain here.”

Ethan opened his car door,pulled out a folder and slammed it onto the ground in front of me.A cloud of dust rose.

“Sign it,”he said flatly,without the slightest trace of emotion.

I looked down.It was an equity transfer and a divorce agreement.

The terms were extremely brutal,practically forcing me to leave my own house with nothing.

Not only would Ethan take all Sinclair Family shares,property and savings,but he also demanded control over future Sinclair Group projects guaranteed to his company.

It was outright theft.He was taking advantage of my weakness.

"Ethan,stop dreaming!"I shouted,trembling with rage.“Don’t even think about it.”

"So you refused?"Ethan raised an eyebrow,as if he had expected nothing else.He then turned and gave a small nod toward Scarface Seven.

Scarface Seven immediately let out a dark laugh.Before I could react,he grabbed Emma's hair and yanked her head back.

His other hand held a knife,pressing the sharp blade hard against her throat.