After sleeping for just over four hours, Lauren woke up and hurriedly returned to the Intensive Care Unit. Unfortunately, the nurse had just wheeled Oliver out to transfer him to the regular ward.Lauren broke down when she didn’t see Oliver, crying, "Where is he? Where's Oliver?"At that moment, I was afraid that if something really happened to Oliver, Lauren might think about ending her life too.Alex stepped forward, gently embracing the agitated Lauren. He softly said, "Don’t be upset, Lauren. They're getting ready to move him to the regular ward. Don't worry."Lauren looked at Alex in astonishment, asking, "Really? Don't lie to me.""It's true."I nodded, and we helped her back to the room to wait. Shortly after, they brought Oliver back.Lauren rushed over. "Oliver."Oliver was still unconscious on the bed. He looked extremely pale, and was still receiving a blood transfusion.Soon after, Jared and Atlas entered the room together. They had been handling business outside
Atlas furrowed his brow and said into the phone, "Mike, don't worry! We're heading there right away. Call the police and let them investigate. We'll be there soon.""All right. Hurry up and come over. I'll try to gather some friends to figure things out."After hanging up the phone, he turned to Cane beside him. "Book the plane tickets immediately. Jared, I'll leave things here to you."In the hospital room, everyone seemed a bit lost. Lauren reassured me, "Go quickly! You can leave this to me and Jared. Don't worry. We'll find him."I just glanced at the weak Oliver lying on the hospital bed and said, "Oliver, take care of yourself. Sorry!"He blinked. "Go on."Atlas, Cane, and I left the room. We immediately ran into Ivanna who was carrying a thermos. She asked, "Where are you all going in such a hurry?""We've got something urgent. We'll leave things here to you."I was still pondering how someone could disappear like that? A perfectly healthy person, at that?My phone ra
I quickly entered their dressing room, which was neatly arranged with no clutter or signs of any books brought back.I searched around hastily and then hurriedly left the dressing room. Time didn't allow me to continue searching. I needed to find my mom and ask her what my dad brought home.Exiting their room, I rushed to Rose’s room since they were probably together.I indeed found my mom with Rose, organizing something.I immediately asked, "Mom! When you and Dad returned from Bibury, did you bring back any books?"My mom turned to look at me, hesitatingly asking, "Why did you come back so early today? How’s Oliver?""He's stabilized. He's out of intensive care now, and things seem to be fine. He just needs some rest," I responded absentmindedly. My mind was focused on the question I needed to ask her."Thank goodness. We were just discussing this matter with Mrs. Rose," my mom mumbled.Anxious, I pressed on, "Mom? Did you bring back some books from Bibury?""Why are you sud
"We have to play it by ear." He said, " I believe this notebook must be crucial, not just to your father but also to the ones who want it. There must be secrets involved. Even if we have this, we can't let them have their way."As soon as Atlas said this, everything clicked for me.Indeed, they knew my father better than I did. How did they know about this mysterious notebook? What exactly was in it that led them to resort to kidnapping?"So, are we heading there now? But the person on the phone is after the notebook. If we don't give it to them, then...?" I was a bit unsettled, especially since it involved my dad's well-being."All the clues lead to the small town, so we must make a trip there to understand the whole story," Atlas asserted.Just as we were about to leave the lobby, I heard my mom calling me from behind. "Chlo..."I turned around to see her quickly descending the stairs.We both stood in place, watching her approach. Though her expression remained composed, he
I looked at him incredulously. "Why are you saying this? Can you stop hiding things from me? I'm not a child!""I haven't hidden anything from you." He reached out, wrapping his arm around me. "They've caught the person, but it was an online transaction, and the identity of the other party is unknown.""Unknown identity?" I questioned.Atlas assured me, "But it's not Liora.""She's ruled out!" "Yes! She wouldn't be able to find such a person so quickly," Atlas said confidently, "There must be someone else involved."I fell silent. Someone else?He pulled the blanket up over me. "Get some sleep, hmm? Whoever he is, anyone who harms you won't have an easy time.""Did you already know that Oliver was seriously injured?" "The position and depth of the knife were clear at a glance," he answered."So... they intended to harm me?" I muttered. "Do you think the person that kidnapped my dad will…" My mind was spinning. I didn't hold back my questions."They won't touch your dad u
The police also reported on the inspection of nearby surveillance. Despite being a small town, it wasn't quite dead at night. The hotel my dad stayed at was the newest star-rated establishment, with cars coming and going.After a thorough investigation, they finally identified a black Audi parked in front of the hotel during that time frame. However, it was parked at such a tricky angle that one couldn't see the person coming out the door. That car's license plate belonged to our small town, but upon further investigation, it turned out to be a fake.It seemed like this was a well-planned and premeditated incident. We were anxiously awaiting the latest clues from the investigating officers.Just at that moment, my phone rang again.I quickly said to everyone, "It's that unknown number."Atlas reached over and took my phone, then turned on the speaker.The next second, the modulated voice echoed again. "Ms. Chloe, it seems you don't care about your father's safety, collaborating w
The notebook contained notes from when my dad was working. He used to teach chemistry but later took on a managerial role at the school. He hadn't been involved in practical chemistry experiments and tutorials for a long time. What was the use of these old things?I looked at Atlas, who was studying the contents earnestly. His expression remained unreadable. I wasn’t sure if he understood what was written inside.Then, he glanced at the executive who welcomed us and said, "We’ve found what they want. Our current task is to locate them, then we can negotiate.""Negotiate?" The executive looked at Atlas with some confusion. "But the item isn't in our hands.""Don't worry, I have a plan. When they call again, we'll confirm their location," Atlas confidently replied. "They must still be in Bibury."I watched Atlas. His speculation was correct. They wanted this notebook, and there was no need for them to travel around with someone.But I didn't understand what use they had for an ol
Ryan's revelation sparked my intense curiosity.I pressed for more details, asking, "And? Is there anything else?""No... You know the situation, and I was on borrowed time. Plus, when I started investigating, I realized that finding even this bit of information was quite a lot of trouble," Ryan replied earnestly."When did you think about looking into this?" I was curious."It was after returning to Bibury and recalling when we first met, along with everything that happened afterward. I wanted to help you figure out the things you've been suspicious about. But once I started digging, I found out how peculiar it all was."I had complete faith in Ryan's words. It seemed my parents were not what I expected. They weren't northerners, and certainly not from Bibury."Finding that old teacher was incredibly difficult, and the old man is almost 90 years old now, but he's sharp as a tack, with a remarkably clear mind. He said he felt uneasy after getting that large sum of money, so he de