The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

I stood

up

and walked toward the bedroom, replying coldly, "Call the police, then. Why come to me?"

Steven blocked my way. "The kidnapper is Jessica's ex-husband."

I wanted to circle away from him and return to the bedroom. My tone turned harsher. "Then, look for Jessica!"

He followed me again, forbidding me from taking another step forward. "He thought I slept with Jessica and got mad. He wants you to spend a night with him before releasing Zachary."

He seemed helpless and in pain. "Honey-"Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

I already knew what he meant without hearing the rest of his words. My body trembled with utter fury, and I slapped him across the face. "Are you a fucking man, Steven?"

"Honey, he's your son. You can't forsake him!" Subsequently, he took a bottle of spray from behind and jetted it in my

Immediately, I felt my limbs weakening and my brain fogging. That bastard had drugged me!

I stumbled and dashed toward the nearest room amid his distraction, but no matter how hard I turned the doorknob, it wouldn't budge at all. I went to open another room, and the same thing happened. Steven uttered slowly, "I've locked all the rooms, including the main door."

Right then, I realized I had no way out. I couldn't help but realize how cruel this man before me was!

I questioned him harshly, "You agreed on my behalf?"

"I didn't have a choice!" he roared. "He said if you don't show up in two hours, he'll kill Zachary! Honey, that's the son we raised together. Can you really bear to watch him die?"

I wanted to struggle but could barely move. At last, I used all my might to scream, "I can!"

"No, you can't." Steven watched as I slowly lost consciousness. With a condescending posture, cold and ruthless, he said, "Haven't you been wanting a divorce? Once you return, we'll proceed with it."

When I woke up again, my body remained lethargic. The room I was in seemed quiet, and Zachary had probably been rescued.

I struggled to prop myself up, sitting up with great effort while going through my recollection regarding any clue of Jessica's ex-husband.

As far as I could remember, his name was Casper Gibson. At the height of his family's success, his assets were so substantial that they made most people envious.

As the heir, Casper presented himself as the quintessential young gentleman, exuding charm and sophistication. He was handsome and cultured, the ideal choice for countless women dreaming of the perfect partner. However, something happened in the last two years, causing his family to go bankrupt. He was deeply affected by the situation, gradually becoming unhinged and neglecting his appearance.

In the meantime, I scanned my surroundings. The room door was locked from the outside, and the windows were sealed shut. Without a key, I couldn't open the door or escape.

An overwhelming panic engulfed me, but I reminded myself that I had to stay calm.

I forced myself to appear relaxed as I sat on the edge, staring at Casper, while my mind raced through countless solutions to navigate this danger.

He had a scruffy beard and clearly wasn't in a rush to engage with me. Instead, he focused intently on adjusting the camera equipment in front of him.

"Do you know why I kidnapped your son?" he asked but didn't intend on letting me answer. "It's because Jessica wants to marry your husband. She did what she could, yet Steven took forever to divorce you.

"In order to replace you and become his wife, she orchestrated this kidnapping scheme after learning I've returned to the country. She told me that as long as we had sex, Steven would divorce you without a second thought." I still had no solutions in mind at that point and could only go along with him in the hope of dragging things out. "She knows Steven quite well, then."

Casper seemed surprised that I remained calm even when I was on the brink of danger. He stopped his movements, looked at me, and attempted to provoke me. "Would you like to know how your son fell into my hand?"