Chapter 6 - The Ransom
Margaret paced back and forth in the grand library of her mansion.
Ethan sat on the leather sofa with his head buried in his hands.
"Claire is frantic because Noah never came home last night," Ethan said miserably.
Margaret stopped pacing and looked at her son.
She finally realized her aggressive actions had pushed the boy to do something desperate.
The massive television screen in the library suddenly flickered to life.
A live video feed appeared, showing Noah tied to a metal chair in a dark warehouse.
Victor Thorne stepped into the frame, holding a knife to the teenager's throat.
Ethan leaped off the couch in pure horror.
"Hello, Margaret," Victor said smoothly through the speakers.
"What do you want, Victor?" Margaret demanded, her voice cold as ice.
"The boy refused to steal your prototype for me, which is highly inconvenient," Victor sighed.
"So now, the price for his life is ten million dollars in untraceable cryptocurrency."
Noah looked directly into the camera with tears streaming down his bruised face.
"Do not pay him, Ethan," Noah yelled bravely.
Victor slapped the boy across the face, causing Ethan to scream in rage.
"You have exactly one hour to transfer the funds, Margaret, or the boy dies," Victor warned.
The screen abruptly went black.
Ethan turned to his mother with absolute desperation in his eyes.
"We have to pay him right now," Ethan pleaded.
Margaret walked over to her desk and opened a hidden safe.
She pulled out a sleek black satellite phone.
"We are not paying him anything," Margaret said fiercely.
"We are going to crush him."
Margaret dialed a highly classified number reserved only for absolute emergencies.
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"Get my tactical team ready," Margaret ordered into the phone.
"We are going to war."
