In no time, Wesley's men overpowered the bodyguards and forced them to open the gate to the manor. The dozen or so military vehicles drove into the manor in an imposing manner, seemingly unstoppable.
As soon as they reached the main villa, Debbie quickly jumped out of the car and ran towards the villa, heart burning with anxiety. She didn't want to waste a single second.
When she saw the traditional black and white funerary couplet hanging on each side of the doorway, she almost fell to her knees as her legs became weak. The elaborate calligraphy seemed to writhe of its own accord, becoming menacing instead of beautiful, as it was intended to be. It was a reminder that Carlos may have indeed passed on. Luckily, Curtis had superior reflexes and caught her just in time.
Curtis, Wesley and Debbie rushed into the villa, practically bursting through the doorway. In the living room, Tabitha and Valerie were sobbing sadly, sitting in front of a black and white photo of Carlos, blown up, framed, and set on an easel. James was on the phone at the time. A bodyguard had already informed him that Wesley had forced his way in, along with a contingent of soldiers. But James was almost too preoccupied to care. The ZL Group was a mess these days, and hadn't fared well after the accident of Carlos.
"Uncle James," Wesley called out as he approached James.
James hastily ended the phone call and said in a choked and hoarse voice, "Wesley! You finally came. Carlos… he's…" He let out a long sigh, unable to finish his sentence.
Staring at Carlos' black and white portrait, Wesley ignored him, and simply asked, "Where is Carlos' body now?"
"It's in the mourning hall, not here…"
James sighed with each sentence he said. In the end, he choked on his tears, lost his voice and hung his head, tears streaming down his face.
Before Wesley could ask more questions, James suddenly pointed his finger at Debbie, as if he had just noticed she was there. He shouted angrily, "You! You have some serious stones, coming here like this!" It wasn't lost on Wesley that James had suddenly regained his voice, and became his usual rage-filled self. "What did Carlos ever do to you? He treated you like a queen, and you went and cheated on him while he was dying! What a stupid ho!"
Instead of responding to him, Debbie asked, "Where's Aunt Miranda?"
"What 'Aunt Miranda'? You chose to divorce Carlos. You're not part of the family now! She's not your aunt Miranda anymore! The only reason I asked you here is because I want you to kneel in front of Carlos' portrait and beg for his forgiveness!"
"I…chose? I chose life for the baby, not…"
She paused in mid-sentence. Her cellphone suddenly rang. She was going to reject the call at first, but when she saw "Aunt Lucinda" on the caller ID, she quickly tapped the answer key. "Debbie, where are you? Sasha's been kidnapped! The kidnappers said that you pissed someone off. What's going on?" Lucinda's anxious voice came from the other end of the phone.
"What?" Debbie wasn't able to take in her words. At all. It was already too much for her, but troubles came at her like waves. It seemed, and this time it threatened to knock her off her feet and drag her under.
"Someone called me, and said you have to go where they tell you. Do that and Sasha's safe. Tell anyone, and they kill Sasha… Tell you what, let's meet at my house and figure out what to do next," Lucinda said worriedly.
Her eyes widening in shock, Debbie shifted her gaze to the now silent James. She had initially wanted to have it out with James in front of Wesley and Curtis, let them know it was James who had forced her to sign the divorce papers. But now, all the words stuck in her throat. She knew what would happen if she said anything now.
She clenched her fist and closed her eyes in anger. Taking a deep breath to try and calm her frazzled nerves, she said, "Okay, Aunt Lucinda. I understand. I'll be there soon."
After ending the call, she took one more look at Carlos' portrait and whispered to Curtis, "I have to get to my aunt's. If you could stay here as a show of strength…"
"Something wrong?" Curtis asked in confusion.
Debbie looked at James again. He was calm now, gazing back at her with a meaningful look in his eyes. She turned to Curtis and said, "I don't know. So I guess you're in charge of figuring out what's up with Carlos' death. For now, anyway. Sorry."
Curtis wanted to go with Debbie, but he also wanted to stay here and look into Carlos' death with Wesley. Pulled in two directions, he finally decided. He directed two of the bodyguards to drive Debbie to her aunt's house.
On her way to the Mu family's residence, Debbie looked out the window, deep in thought. She prayed Wesley and Curtis could uncover the truth. She also prayed for some good news. She could use that right about now.
Lucinda and Sebastian anxiously paced back and forth in the living room. When they saw Debbie come in, they quickly jogged over to her, as if clutching at the last straw of hope. Lucinda held Debbie's hands in hers and asked, "Tell me everything. Did you tick someone off? What's going on? Why did they kidnap Sasha?"
Debbie didn't know how to explain everything, nor did she have the time. Sasha's safety was paramount. So she asked, "You know where she is?"
"We're holding off calling the cops, because they said they'd kill her if we did. But we can't let you go there in exchange for Sasha!" Sebastian said. He racked his brain, trying to figure out the best solution.
Debbie shook her head. "I know who's behind this." It was James. He stirred up all this trouble. He held Sasha hostage to stop Debbie from revealing the truth.
"You know? Then let's call the cops now!" Lucinda suggested in an agitated voice.
Debbie shook again. "No, I don't have any proof. The police won't believe me. Don't worry. Just tell me where she is. I'll go there myself."
Debbie was sure that James wouldn't kill her. If he wanted to kill her, he would have already done it at the hospital on that day.
"No way. You're a girl, and you're pregnant. Why don't we let the authorities handle this?" Sebastian said as he took out his phone.
"No, Uncle Sebastian. Don't call the police! They'll kill Sasha." 'Sasha is innocent. She has nothing to do with this. And now she's in danger because of me, ' Debbie thought sadly.
In the end, Lucinda and Sebastian failed to talk Debbie out of it, and told her the address.
The assailants took Sasha to a hill behind a ruined temple. The road leading to it was too narrow for a car to drive there.
So Debbie had no choice but to get out of the car and make it on foot. Two bodyguards went with to make sure she was safe.
Debbie had already walked past the temple, but then she remembered something. She went back to the temple and knelt down in front of a broken statue of Bodhisattva. It seemed that no one had come to burn incense or clean the temple in a long time.
Looking at the abandoned statue, she bowed again and again, her eyes brimming with tears. 'Please let Carlos be alive. Bless our baby, and make sure it's healthy. Bless Sasha and keep her safe. And please bless that Emmett can rest in peace in heaven…' She recited all this in her mind, praying for the people she held dearest.
As she had stood up and dusted herself off, her phone rang. It was Sebastian. "Debbie, the kidnappers called again. They said they saw you. They stopped the bodyguards from following you. They asked you to send them back to the car."
Debbie inhaled sharply. "Okay."
"Debbie, please stay safe."
"Uh huh. Thanks," Debbie said calmly.
Then, she climbed the hill on her own, following the instructions given by the kidnappers. It was a bushy and rugged path. Ignoring anything else, Debbie made her way there quickly. Her every thought was of Sasha.
A few minutes later, she finally reached a broken courtyard in a flat area.
The door to the courtyard was already open. Two men dressed in black from head to toe with only their eyes exposed were guarding the doorway. As they saw her approach, they looked around, trying to spot any bodyguards or soldiers. After verifying she was alone, they guided her into the courtyard.
Inside the courtyard, Sasha was there, her wrists and feet were bound with rope; her mouth was covered with a piece of tape and her hair was disheveled.
When she saw Debbie enter, Sasha wept in a muffled voice.
Horror filled Debbie's heart. But she knew she had to be strong. Taking a deep breath, she suppressed her fear and comforted Sasha. "Sasha, don't be afraid. I'm here!"
Sasha nodded. She wanted to say, 'Jeez, you're dumb! Why did you come alone?'
A man sat lazily in a wooden office chair. He grabbed a piece of paper and asked another man to bring it to Debbie.
After a quick look at what was written there, Debbie widened her eyes in shock and refused. "No way!"
Unflappable, the man said casually, "Your cousin is pretty hot. If you don't sign that…" As he said that, he stood up and took his coat off.
Realizing what he was going to do to Sasha, Debbie balled her fists in fury.
As the man took off his shirt, he turned to look at Debbie and said in a lewd voice, "Make a choice. Sign your name and leave Y City, or I'll give her the d. She'll never forget me!"
Sasha was startled by the man's movements, her eyes almost popped out of her sockets. She wriggled and tried to kick her legs, trying to say something through the tape over her mouth. All to no avail. She was still tied up.
Debbie's eyes burned with flames of rage. She wouldn't surrender to them so easily!
