Chapter 4 - The Ransom Demand
I stared at the television screen in absolute, paralyzing horror.
The small explosive device in Rachel's hand had a blinking red timer securely attached to it.
"You are completely insane," I whispered, my voice shaking with raw terror.
Rachel gently stroked Sophie's hair with her free hand, acting like a loving mother.
"I am a highly successful businesswoman who is simply cashing out her final investment," she replied coldly.
She explained that she had targeted me specifically because of my massive corporate trust fund.
"The money is tightly locked in a secure account that requires dual authentication," I argued desperately.
"Then you better drive incredibly fast to your business partner's house and force him to authorize the release," Rachel commanded.
The video feed abruptly cut to black, leaving me standing in the silent, empty living room.
I ran to the car and drove aggressively toward the wealthy suburbs where my business partner lived.
Marcus was the only other person on the entire planet who could authorize a transfer that large.
I pulled into his massive driveway and violently pounded my fists against his wooden front door.
Marcus opened the door wearing a silk robe, looking deeply confused by my frantic appearance.
"Daniel, what on earth is going on?" Marcus asked, stepping aside to let me inside.
I quickly explained the horrific kidnapping and the terrifying ransom demand Rachel had just made.
Marcus turned incredibly pale and immediately rushed toward his home office to boot up his computer.
We frantically logged into the highly secure corporate banking portal to initiate the massive transfer.
I typed in the exact routing numbers Rachel had sent to my phone.
The banking system took a few agonizing seconds to process the highly encrypted data.
A green confirmation screen suddenly popped up, displaying the verified name of the receiving account owner.
I froze completely, feeling my heart slam painfully against my ribcage.
The offshore bank account did not belong to Rachel or any of her fake identities.
The screen clearly stated that the sole owner of the receiving account was Marcus.
May you like
I slowly turned my head to look at my trusted business partner.
Marcus was standing directly behind me, pointing a heavy, suppressed pistol straight at my head.
