His voice was thick with restraint. The moment he learned Lauren Shaw had gone missing, Yancy Shaw pulled every string the Shen family had to look for her.
But in a vast sea of people, tracking down just one person's whereabouts was anything but simple.
Right now, they were reviewing surveillance footage from the underground parking garage. The instant Yancy Shaw saw Lauren Shaw being forced into a van, his hand at his side curled into a fist, a murderous glint appearing in his eyes.
Yuan Ran, beside him, barely dared to breathe. Suddenly, Yancy Shaw’s phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, his whole body tensed, and when he answered, his voice was laced with a subtle tremor.
This was the first time anyone had seen Yancy Shaw like this.
"Sheng Sheng, where are you?" he asked, his tone cautious and gentle.
But instead of her, a man’s voice answered.
"Are you her husband?"
The man sounded rough, a little irritable. Yancy Shaw’s brows drew together, his face turning cold and hard. "Who are you? Why did you take my Sheng Sheng?"
A mocking snort came through the line. "She’s with me now. I’m giving you two hours to transfer fifty million yuan. If I don’t have the money by then, you might as well start preparing her funeral."
His words were full of menace.
But since money was the only thing he cared about, he was unlikely to really hurt her—at least not yet.
Not wanting to anger the man, Yancy Shaw’s tone softened, "Alright. Just don’t hurt her. How much do you want, just name it."
The kidnapper’s attitude shifted a bit too. "You have just two hours. If I don’t see the transfer by then, you know exactly what’ll happen."
Normally, Yancy Shaw hated being threatened. But in this moment, he lowered his stance. "Don’t worry. I always keep my word. As long as you promise me not to hurt her—I swear, if you do, you’ll pay dearly."
The kidnapper only cared about the payout; as long as they got the money, they wanted no part in a killing.
"Don’t worry. Once the cash is in, I’ll deliver her back safe and sound."
Yancy Shaw’s nerves stayed taut. "How do I know you’re for real? Let me hear my wife’s voice. I need to know she’s safe."
The kidnapper switched the phone to speaker and held it in front of Lauren Shaw.
Lauren Shaw called out, "Yancheng!"
She had kept her composure all this time, but when she heard his voice, she couldn’t help betraying a sliver of unease.
"Baby, are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?" Yancy Shaw’s voice shook; anyone could hear his desperation.
Lauren Shaw answered softly, trying to reassure him. "No, I’m not hurt."
"Alright, enough. If you have time to chit-chat, you’re better off hurrying up and getting the money. And don’t even think about calling the cops—or you’ll never see her alive again!"
With a fierce scowl, the kidnapper hung up and gave Lauren Shaw a sly look.
"Still, you’re the valuable one." He then shot a mocking glance at Xiao Pei. "Look at what you’ve brought me—and then look at her."
Xiao Pei kept her head down, biting her lip till her face went pale.
---
Yancy Shaw gripped the phone so hard his fingertips went white. If you looked closely, you’d see the cold sweat beading on his forehead. Perhaps just knowing Lauren Shaw was safe for the moment let him breathe a little easier.
"Young Master, we’ve found the madam’s location!"
Yuan Ran enlarged the signal from Lauren Shaw’s phone on the map. "She’s in a residential building in the suburbs."
Yancy Shaw stared darkly at the little red dot on the monitor. "I’m heading over now. Take your team and surround the place. Don’t tip them off—and don’t let anyone slip away."
"And get the money ready. If the kidnappers get impatient, just wire it to them. Above all, keep Sheng Sheng safe."
Money meant nothing to him—not if it risked making the kidnappers desperate or Lauren Shaw getting hurt.
---
The kidnappers took the phone away, leaving only Lauren Shaw and Xiao Pei in the room.
Xiao Pei was half-lying on the floor, her clothes still soaked and freezing cold after having cold water dumped on her, leaving her shivering.
Lauren Shaw tried to move, but her hands and feet were tied tight—getting up was impossible.
Xiao Pei laughed at herself. "You must be pretty pleased right now—your husband cares so much about you. Look at me. Don’t you think I’m pathetic?"
"How do you expect me to feel pleased at a time like this?" Lauren Shaw replied coolly. "If not for you, I wouldn’t even be here."
Xiao Pei lowered her head, looking utterly defeated. "I thought I meant something to Zhu Xun. Turns out I’m nothing."
"He’s slept with countless women. Why would you ever think a man like that could settle down for you?"
Lauren Shaw had seen Zhu Xun’s type before. She figured this wasn’t the first time this sort of thing had happened.
"But he promised me forever, said he’d treat me well for life," Xiao Pei mumbled, still lost in his sweet words.
"Wake up! Just look at yourself now. Is he worried about you at all?"
Lauren Shaw’s words brutally shattered her delusions.
Tears streamed down Xiao Pei’s face. Who knew if she’d heard any of what Lauren Shaw said.
Meanwhile, Yancy Shaw had arrived nearby.
Yuan Ran called in, and Yancy Shaw’s face was uneasy. "Any news?"
"Young Master, the overseas account is tied to the Zhu family."
"The Zhu family?" Yancy Shaw was caught off guard. Was the Zhu family involved in this kidnapping?
For now, he couldn’t risk alerting the police—if the kidnappers found out, Lauren Shaw could be in danger.
"I’ll go in first. You wait outside for my call."
"Young Master, let me check things out instead—"
Yancy Shaw cut him off. "I’ll handle this. Wait for my call outside."
He hung up, then strode alone toward the residential building.
Inside, two kidnappers sat smoking. One asked, "Bro, you think he’ll actually send the money?"
"No need to worry. We’ll know soon enough."
Suddenly, a call came in. The man grinned and answered, and a woman’s voice rang out from the other end.
"What’s going on? Didn’t I tell you to deal with her already?"
The man sneered, "You think I’m stupid? You told me to kidnap her, not kill her. If I do end up killing, do you really think I’ll make it out alive?"
The woman yelled, panic rising in her voice: "Do you really think you have any way out? You’ve kidnapped a Shen family member! If they find you, you’re done. You’d better take care of them before the Shen family gets here, or you’ll have more trouble than you can handle!"
But the man didn’t take her threats seriously. He smirked, "Miss Zhu, we’ve done what you asked. Now it’s your turn to keep your promise."
Zhu Yurou hated being threatened most of all. She’d only wanted to scare Xiao Pei, to keep her away from Zhu Xun, but these kidnappers weren’t following her orders at all.