Chapter 10

Lucas raced out of his office as soon as the bank manager called, the urgency in his voice unsettling him. When he heard the outrageous amount of money Eleanor was demanding, his worry had deepened. He had called her mom only to be informed her mom wasn’t actually ill.

Moments Later, Alex called to inform him that Eleanor was missing. Her broken and scared voice still echoed in his ears as he hung up the phone.

Lucas turned to Sebastian, who seemed more worried than ever. They had just left a conference meeting when Alex's call interrupted them.

“Have you found her yet?” Lucas thundered into his phone as he got into the car with Sebastian.

“They have found her location,” Sebastian muttered as Lucas ended his call. “The police are on their way. Thanks to the alarm button she set off, we can trace her current location.”

With a roar, the engine started as Lucas floored the accelerator, catching up with the police on the way. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles white, and his jaw clenched as his mind raced with thoughts of the worst that could happen to his wife and children.

With a sharp turn and increased speed, they arrived at the abandoned building alongside the police. Lucas rushed inside, his heart pounding in his chest. His eyes quickly found Eleanor. She was bleeding, her face pale and weak, her eyes fluttering open and shut. She looked at Lucas with a glimmer of hope.

Standing face to face were Lucas, Sebastian, and Marcus. Marcus held a knife to Eleanor's throat. “Nobody fucking move!” he yelled.

“I told you not to call the police or your husband, you fucking bitch,” Marcus snarled.

“Don't you dare speak to my wife that way,” Lucas shouted back, his voice trembling with anger.

“Your wife or your property?” Marcus sneered.

“Let her go, young man. We don't want to hurt you,” Sebastian said, holding a gun, steadily pointing it at Marcus.

“And who's he?” Marcus looked down at Eleanor, questioning her. “One of the people you plan on milking dry, huh?”

“Lower your weapon or we will be forced to shoot you,” one of the police officers warned as they advanced slowly.

“Don't you fucking move, or I'll slit her throat. She's my wife anyway,” Marcus said, his free hand tracing her wet cheeks slightly. “Right, hun?”

Lucas almost lost it. He grabbed a gun from one of the officers. “It's money you want, right? Take it all, but don't fucking call my wife yours.”

“Now give me my wife and my children because I won't hesitate to pull the fucking trigger to your head.”

Marcus looked defeated as he brought the knife closer to her throat. “Do you have any idea what your so called-innocent wife did to me?”

“I don't care what she did to you. You have no right to abduct her and the children.”

Sebastian lost his composure and aimed at Marcus, pulling the trigger. The bullet grazed Marcus's arm, and the officers swung into action.

“Grab the bag!” Marcus shouted to the nanny as he released Eleanor and took cover in one of the rooms.

“Go after him!” Lucas yelled as he and Sebastian ran to Eleanor's side. “Find the kids!” lucas ordered one of the officers

“Call an ambulance, Sebastian,” Lucas said, lifting Eleanor up.

Marcus pulled out his gun and fired back at the police. As he was about to escape with the nanny, one of the officers aimed at him. Marcus shoved the nanny in front of him, and the bullet meant for him hit her near the chest. She fell to the ground, dying instantly

Marcus rapidly got into his car with the money, the police returning back to their cars to chase him down as the rest of the other police untied the kids, relieved they were left on touched and without a scratch and escorted them alongside Alex straight back home

Lucas and Sebastian rushed Eleanor into the hospital, the sound of their footsteps echoing off the sterile walls. The nurses on standby quickly took her in, wheeling her away on a stretcher. "Please, you can't enter," the doctor said firmly, holding up a hand to stop them from following. Lucas's face contorted in anguish.

"I have to be there, that's my wife," he pleaded, trying to push past the doctor. But the doctor stood firm. "I'm sorry, but you can't enter." The door swung shut, and Lucas sank into a nearby chair, his body shaking with fear and worry.

Sebastian placed a comforting hand on Lucas's back, his voice soft. "She's going to be okay, Lucas”.

Lucas nodded, his eyes fixed on the door to the operating room. He repeated the words like a mantra, hoping for them to be true.

"She has to be okay”.