88 The Ransom

"Who am I? Maybe you don't remember, because you were drunk that night. I'm Wendell Chung. Because of your husband, I lost everything!" He shouted in her face.

Charlotte frowned. The last time she had touched alcohol was a year ago at the charity ball she had attended when she first started working for Gordon. She had accidentally drank too much and Gordon had kept her safe at the hotel over night. The reason he had kept her safe was because a man had tried to take her away while she was drunk. Gordon and Andrew has sent their men to teach the pervert a lesson. Then that meant that this man—

"You! You're the man who tried to take advantage of me at the ball! My husband avenged me by having you beaten up!" Charlotte said, gaining some clarity.

"If That were all he'd done I'd have let this go, but he used his abilities to bring down the value of my company's shares, bought them up, and merged them into his own. I lost my company, my income! My wife left me and I haven't seen my children in months! Your husband ruined me all because I wanted a one night stand with a lowly secretary. Now he's going to pay. He's going to lose his family too!" Wendell yelled.

"Gordon avenged my honor. He protected the woman he loved. You took the consequences of your actions into your hands when you chose to try and hurt me. That is on you! My husband's hands are clean!" Charlotte yelled back.

"It's too late! He's going to pay!" Wendell screamed.

He pulled out a cell phone and made a call in front of Charlotte.

———————————

Everyone at the Zhou villa moved about the day in tense silence.

Edward has left to return to Amy's side in the hospital for the night, and Michael had sent Rachel and the baby home to rest. Anna has taken Bella home to Grandmother Stella and had returned alone to sit with her husband and son. Calvin, Amy, Cora, Michael, Andrew, Mark, Daniel and Grace, Robert and Anna, and even Uncle Arthur and Gordon's driver, William all waited uneasily. Andrew was busy on his laptop at the dining room table, having turned it into a makeshift desk in order to do his magic, hacking and snooping through the cameras of the city, trying to follow the trail.

Anna had joined the chef in the kitchen, preparing food for everyone as the hours stretched on. Calvin had returned from his meeting with Old Jia, who had promised his men and resources to help. All of the men on their security teams were searching the city—except for the men who had been tasked with Charlotte's detail.

"I pay you to do one job and one job only! That is to protect my wife! All of you failed today. If my wife doesn't return to me safely I promise you, none of you will be able to live in this city, do you understand?!" Gordon had shouted in a way that rarely ever happened.

Everyone watched Gordon with concern. He, who was confident and in control at all times in his business dealings, was falling apart in front of their eyes. He and Charlotte had become as one being, moving and functioning together with tacit understanding. Without her, he no longer felt whole.

Gordon's phone, which Andrew was keeping watch over, hoping to trace any call regarding Charlotte, began to ring with an unknown number.

"Remember, keep them talking if it's about her." Andrew reminded him as he passed Gordon the phone.

"Hello?" Gordon said.

"Mr. Zhou, it's been awhile." Gordon recognized the voice of Wendell Chung.

"What do you want?" Gordon was irritated.

"Oh, come now, no need to forget our manners. After all, I have something of great interest to you. He said.

"What are you talking about?" Gordon's voice went low and hard as steel.

"I believe you're missing something. Or rather, someone?" Wendell taunted.

"I'll kill you!" Gordon snarled. "I'll rip you apart, piece by piece, do you hear me?!" Gordon was hysterical. Andrew was frantically signaling for him to calm down before the call was lost.

"You may. But if you don't bring me five billion yuan by midnight, your wife and child will join me in the afterlife." Wendell mocked.

"How am I supposed to liquidate those assets in four hours? If you touch a hair of her head—" Gordon threatened.

"Oh, I plan to touch more than her hair. While we wait for your arrival I plan to finish what I started before you interrupted me last year. I plan to get to know your wife very intimately. If you bring the money, I'll just **** her. However, if you fail to bring the money or if you bring anyone but yourself, not only will I ravage her body but I will cut your child from her belly in front of your eyes and you can watch them die!" Wendell had lost all sense of reason in his mind.

"I'll have the money. I'll give you anything. Just don't harm them! If you hurt them—"Gordon yelled.

"You're wasting time. I'll text you with the address closer to midnight. And remember what I said would happen if you bring backup." Wendell reminded him.

"I want to talk to her! I want to know she's still alive!" Gordon demanded.

"Gordon! Don't come! It's a—" Charlotte shouted, but was cut off. Gordon could hear the slap of flesh on flesh. His rage overtook him.

"I'm going to slit your throat, you filthy son of—" Gordon suddenly stopped speaking as he heard the phone beeping. Gordon slammed the phone down on the table.

"Please tell me you have a location!" Gordon demanded.

Andrew nodded.

"Then give the command to everyone to mobilize near there. We'll move in together and overwhelm him with force." Gordon instructed.

"Son, I suggest surveillance before moving in. Moving rashly could get Charlotte and the baby killed. That man isn't bluffing. He sounds as though he's lost touch with reality." Robert cautioned.