CHAPTER 127: CHAPTER 127: CHOOSE ONE—SOPHIE OR ANNELISE

She looked fearfully at the man who had pushed her over.

The man squatted down and sneered, "Miss Shaw, why are you running?"

Rachel Shaw’s eyelashes trembled desperately, her voice shaking, "You, you... what do you want to do?"

"What do you think? Because of you, our men were captured, the police tracked down our organization, now there are police everywhere, what do you think we’re looking for you for?"

"But I’ve already paid, it’s your own incompetence, you didn’t finish the job, and you didn’t catch them."

With a "thud" sound.

A knife was embedded in front of Rachel Shaw.

Her words seemed to have angered them.

Rachel Shaw shrank her neck in fear, trembling even more intensely.

The man’s expression was dark and terrifying, "When you contacted us, you didn’t tell us this job was so dangerous."

"I didn’t expect this either!"

"You didn’t expect it, so you have to take responsibility and get us out of here. Doesn’t your family have a private jet? It should be pretty simple to fly us out."

Rachel Shaw’s eyes widened, "I’m in danger myself now, how could I possibly have a way to get so many of you out?"

"You’re lying, don’t think we don’t know about your family’s status in Aethelgard."

Rachel Shaw kept shaking her head, she really couldn’t do it.

Even if she could, she wouldn’t dare. The police are after them now, and if they were caught on the Shaw family’s private jet, wouldn’t that just blatantly announce their connection to the Shaw Family?

She didn’t want to die, how could she be willing to take such a big risk to let them escape.

"Not willing? That’s fine, but you won’t be leaving today. If we have you, I believe your father will figure out a way to help us escape."

And with that, the man reached out and grabbed Rachel Shaw’s neck, attempting to drag her further inside.

Rachel Shaw screamed in terror, "Don’t touch me, my dad can’t help. If you want to leave now, you’ll need the Lancaster Family to act. Otherwise, no one can save you."

"The Lancaster Family, right, oh, you’ve reminded me, I heard you’re still the apple of First Young Master Lancaster’s eye. If we threaten him with you, he might help us escape."

Rachel Shaw shook her head desperately, "It’s no use, the one he truly loves isn’t me. He won’t let you go to save me. His wife is Ivy Summers, you should capture her, capture her instead."

"Ivy Summers, you mean the mother of that child?"

"That’s right."

The man frowned, recalling that smart and fearless woman. Such a woman would be difficult to deal with, and it wasn’t wise for them to be too blatant in capturing people now; it could easily lead to trouble.

"We’re currently wanted, and you want us to blatantly go and grab people, are you trying to harm us? Besides, it seems like that woman has someone protecting her, not easy to capture."

Rachel Shaw, "Then go capture her child, the one named Sophie. To save the child, they’ll surely ensure your safe escape. You might even extort a sum of money."

"Her child? I’ve heard that the child is currently living with First Young Master Lancaster, and there’s someone picking her up and dropping her off. The school has increased security because of past kidnapping incidents, so tell me, how do we capture her? If you can’t think of a useful plan, we’ll take you as the hostage."

Rachel Shaw’s neck was grabbed again, and she screamed in fear, "I have a plan, I have a plan, let me think, let me think..."

Rachel Shaw slumped to the ground and lowered her head, squinting her eyes.

If it weren’t for Ivy Summers and that brat, she wouldn’t be in such a mess now. Since these people wanted to kidnap someone as a hostage, she had to use it well.

Suddenly, she squinted her eyes and had an idea...

"I have a plan to let you escape smoothly and make a big fortune, provided you’re brave enough to do it."

"We are desperadoes, there’s nothing we won’t dare to do."

"That’s good..."

An hour later, Rachel Shaw was released safely.

Rachel Shaw stood ominously in the shadows.

Ivy Summers, this time, let’s see who wins.

...

Ivy Summers had just returned home when Nathan and Leo were already waiting at the door for her.

"Mommy."

Ivy Summers squatted down and hugged the two little ones, "Why didn’t you tell Mommy you came back? Were you planning to hide from me if I didn’t notice?"

Nathan said, "We originally didn’t intend to tell Mommy. We thought of just seeing you and Sophie and then leaving, but when we saw Sophie being bullied, we couldn’t help but show up."

Speaking of showing up.

Ivy Summers’ gaze deepened. Damien Lancaster had also watched the surveillance at that time, and although Nathan and Leo were wearing masks and weren’t seen by Damien Lancaster, the masks made them stand out.

She wondered if Damien Lancaster suspected anything.

Leo mumbled and asked, "Mommy, did we bother you by showing up?"

"No." Ivy Summers stroked the kids’ heads, "You stood up for your sister who was bullied; you did a good job."

Nathan asked, "How is Sophie? What happened to those people?"

"Sophie had a small injury on her face, but it’s bandaged, and those people have been punished."

Leo asked curiously, "Mommy, why did that girl named Annelise Lancaster say the bad daddy is her father?"

Ivy Summers explained, "She is a child adopted by the Lancaster Family."

"No wonder she’s so arrogant."

Nathan and Leo both thought that if Annelise wasn’t a girl, they surely would have landed a few more punches on her.

At this time, Sophie was on her way home with Damien Lancaster.

As the car waited at a traffic light, Sophie leaned against the window and saw a shop selling candied hawthorn.

"Do you want some candied hawthorn?" Damien Lancaster, sitting next to Sophie, asked.

Sophie licked her lips and nodded.

Damien Lancaster saw the scars on Sophie’s face and felt a pang of heartache. He asked the driver to stop and got out with Sophie in his arms.

Sophie had always loved sweets, and Damien knew this.

Arriving at the store, the shop assistant selling candied hawthorns couldn’t help but brighten up upon seeing the handsome man in front of her.

"Sir, what would you like?"

The store had many combinations of candied hawthorns, and Damien let Sophie choose for herself.

Sophie pointed to the strawberry, orange, and hawthorn candied hawthorns.

She also wanted the hawthorn ones flattened.

Damien didn’t understand the difference between flat and round, "Does the flat one taste better?"

"Hasn’t Uncle ever tried it? Flat candied hawthorns are sweeter."

Damien chuckled, "I see."

After buying the candied hawthorns, Sophie was satisfied.

Back in the car, Damien watched Sophie eat with relish, each change of flavor bringing a look of delight to her face.

After taking many bites, Sophie licked her lips and said, "Mommy says I shouldn’t eat too many sweets in the evening."

"You really listen to your mommy?"

Sophie took another bite, "Uh-huh."

Seeing Sophie earnestly saying she shouldn’t eat much, yet continuing to eat, Damien couldn’t help but laugh.

"Uncle, do you want some?"

Sophie lifted her hand, offering the candied hawthorn to Damien, "It’s really good."

Damien didn’t like sweets, "Uncle doesn’t eat; you have it, Sophie."

"Then could Uncle not tell Mommy I ate so many candied hawthorns?"

Damien took out some tissues to wipe Sophie’s mouth, "Hmm, tonight this is our secret; Uncle won’t tell anyone."

Sophie was even happier eating.

Damien found Sophie to be extremely innocent and easygoing, without holding grudges.

Back home, Damien told stories to Sophie to coax her to sleep.

Perhaps due to guilt, Damien couldn’t help but be kind to Sophie.

The next day.

Damien personally took Sophie to school and picked her up afterward.

The teacher, seeing Damien for the first time, couldn’t help but ask Sophie, "Sophie, is this your dad? Your mom is beautiful, and your dad is so handsome."

Sophie raised her little face and corrected, "Teacher, he’s not Sophie’s dad; he’s Uncle."

The teacher smiled awkwardly, "I see, Sophie’s uncle is very handsome."

"Uncle Lancaster, the teacher is complimenting you, say thank you to the teacher."

Damien held Sophie’s hand and earnestly thanked the teacher.

With his deep magnetic voice and handsome face, the teacher couldn’t help but blush.

Damien left with Sophie.

Back home, Sophie went upstairs to do her homework, and Damien received a call from Seraphina Kennedy.

Seraphina burst into tears over the phone, "Damien, Annelise is missing; she’s been kidnapped."

Damien frowned, "Did she run off to play?"

"No, no, she’s been kidnapped; the kidnappers even sent us a photo."

Soon, a picture of Annelise Lancaster, tied up and thrown in the trunk of a car, was sent to Damien’s phone.

Damien’s face grew more serious.

Seraphina sobbed, "It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault! It must be because I announced Annelise’s identity publically last night, so it attracted the attention of our family’s enemies, and they kidnapped Annelise to threaten our family. Damien, what should we do? What should we do?"

The Lancaster Family had many enemies, who targeted their weaknesses.

But Damien didn’t believe it was the enemies’ doing.

If it were the enemies, they wouldn’t send such blatant photos; whoever sent the photo must have a different agenda.

At this moment, Damien’s phone rang again, an unfamiliar number.

Damien hesitated for a few seconds before answering.

"Hello."

"Mr. Lancaster, the child from your family is with me." The person on the other end used a voice changer, making it hard to tell if it was a man or a woman.

"What do you want?"

"To keep this child alive, give me a hundred million and that child named Sophie in exchange."

Damien’s eyes turned cold, lips pressed tight.

"Mr. Lancaster, I give you twenty-four hours. If I don’t see the child and the money, I’ll take this child’s life."

"Are you the ones who kidnapped Sophie before?"

The other party was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into a cold laugh.

"Mr. Lancaster is smart; then Mr. Lancaster should know people like us can do anything. Don’t play tricks; this child’s neck is so fragile, just a squeeze, and it’s over. Even if you discover us, it’ll be too late to save her."