Chapter 68
Lucas’s words left Emily unmoved. She’d known exactly how he’d respond even before he spoke.
Stunned by her calm, mocking gaze, Hayden froze for a moment. Then he quickly leaned toward the phone. “Mr. Lucas Bennett, we’ve got your sister. If you want her unharmed, transfer two million to the account she just mentioned within 30
minutes.”
However, Lucas scoffed, “Emily, do you really think I’d fall for some random liar you found? I’m not as gullible as you seem to think.
“So, you claim you’ve been kidnapped, huh? Fine. Then send me a video proof in one minute. If you can’t, stop pulling these pathetic stunts just to get my attention.” Lucas slammed the phone down in a fury, leaving Hayden stunned.
Hayden heard that the Bennett family didn’t favor Emily, but she’d been their darling for eighteen years. ‘Even if they kept a dog, they wouldn’t be this indifferent if it were kidnapped,’ he thought.
Still fuming after hanging up, Lucas lost his appetite for dinner. “After all the trouble we went through sending her to St. Gabriel Reform Academy, she still hasn’t changed a bit. Now she’s even stooped to these cheap tricks to get our attention.”
The rest of the Bennett family at the table had also overheard the call, their expressions darkening. It was evident that none of them believed Emily had actually been kidnapped.
Lydia sighed and chimed in at just the right moment. “Honestly, even if Emily is upset with me, she shouldn’t joke about something like this. Doesn’t she know everyone would be worried?”
Gale angrily put down his fork, his appetite gone. “She knows exactly what she’s doing. That’s why she’s so bold.”
Just then, Lucas’s phone rang again. He casually answered it, and Hayden’s voice suddenly blared through the speaker. “Mr. Lucas Bennett, here’s the video you asked for. Take a look. See if this is the sister you know.”
Lucas’s face paled instantly. In the video, Emily was awkwardly bound to a metal frame with her hair and clothes in disarray. Water dripped down her pale cheeks from her soaked hair, and she looked utterly wretched.
Lucas jumped to his feet, his face drained of color. “Could she really be…”
The rest of the Bennett family also saw the video. Their previously indifferent, even disgusted faces began to change.
Emma’s heart leapt into her throat. “What happened? How could someone kidnap Emily just like that?”
Gale’s brows furrowed. “They’re targeting the Bennett family’s heiress. This is clearly an attack on our family.”
Andrew adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and swiftly pulled out his phone. “I’ll have my team investigate immediately,” he declared.
Just as he was about to dial the number, Lydia’s voice cut through the silence in confusion.
She said, “Wow. Emily’s so brave. She didn’t even cry in front of the kidnappers? If it were me, I’d be crying my eyes out by now and might plead for help in the video.”
Her words hung in the air and immediately froze the anxious group.
They replayed the video, and as expected, Emily showed no trace of the panic one would expect from a kidnapping victim. She just sat there, looking calmly at the screen.
In an instant, anger at almost being deceived washed over them, and they didn’t even truly read Emily’s expression.
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Chapter 68
Emily’s eyes were fixed on the screen. A mix of desperate hope and deep despair filled them. She was devastated by the painful truth that the Bennett family would never care for her. Yet, a faint, foolish hope still lingered in her heart.
