CHAPTER 130: CHAPTER 130: SOPHIE NEVER EXPECTED HER DAD WOULD TREAT HER THIS WAY

"Yeah, Sophie’s Mom, didn’t you know?"

"Who granted her leave?"

This morning, the villa’s servant clearly told her that Damien Lancaster had already sent Sophie to school, so how did it suddenly turn into a leave of absence?

"It was the gentleman who usually picks up Sophie from school, with the last name Lancaster."

Damien Lancaster?

Ivy Summers frowned.

Sophie didn’t go to school, so why did Damien Lancaster and the villa’s servant lie to her?

She said a word to the teacher, hung up the phone, and called Damien Lancaster.

But the phone went unanswered.

Ivy Summers suddenly felt a wave of panic, immediately grabbed her car keys, and drove to Imperial Bay Villa.

At this moment, Damien Lancaster had already seen Annelise Lancaster, who was abandoned by them on the roadside.

Seraphina Kennedy ran out of the car, and Annelise weakly leaned against a big tree, covered in blood, which made Seraphina Kennedy afraid to even touch her.

Seraphina Kennedy was terrified, "Annelise? Annelise?"

Annelise opened her half-closed eyes, first recoiling in fear when she saw someone, then, realizing it was Seraphina Kennedy, her tears immediately spilled, "Grandma, Grandma..."

Seraphina Kennedy’s heart ached terribly, "Annelise, my Annelise, does it hurt a lot? You’ve suffered, Grandma will take you home now, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid..."

Annelise nodded, looked at Damien Lancaster, and lifted her hand with difficulty, calling out, "Daddy..."

Seraphina Kennedy turned to look at Damien Lancaster, whose face was serious, knowing that Annelise desperately longed for parental love. She sympathetically suggested to Damien, "Damien, why don’t we take Annelise to the hospital first, she was just frightened, and having us with her would make her feel safer."

Damien Lancaster narrowed his eyes, his dark eyes filled with a cold light.

Seraphina Kennedy shuddered under his gaze.

Damien Lancaster had no mind to care for Annelise now.

Originally, it was Annelise’s own playful roaming that got her caught, and now even Sophie was in danger.

Damien Lancaster was fed up with this child.

Coming to her rescue was already the greatest kindness Damien could muster.

"You take her to the hospital yourself." Damien Lancaster turned to leave.

At that moment, Annelise reached out, grabbing onto Damien Lancaster’s pant leg, "Daddy... don’t go, don’t abandon Annelise, okay? Annelise is scared..."

"You’re already safe, what are you afraid of?"

"Annelise is just scared, Annelise thought she was going to die... Daddy, can’t you stay with Annelise?"

Annelise said with a pout, tears streaming down her wounded face, looking especially pitiable.

But Damien Lancaster’s face only grew darker after hearing these words.

"Do you know why you’re safe now? It’s because Sophie was exchanged for you, she saved you."

Annelise pressed her cracked, bloody lips together, "Daddy... I’m the Lancaster Family child, and Sophie is just an ordinary child, how could she compare to me..."

What Annelise meant by this was, I’m nobler than Sophie, and it was right to exchange her for me.

Seraphina Kennedy was taken aback hearing this.

This child... how could she speak like that?

When she looked up, sure enough, she saw the dangerous glint in Damien Lancaster’s eyes.

Seraphina Kennedy’s heart skipped a beat.

She cautioned Annelise to stop speaking.

But Annelise remained oblivious to the danger.

Annelise believed there was nothing wrong with what she said. On the day she was adopted, even the orphanage director said she was lucky to be chosen by the Lancaster Family and would be a rich young lady from then on, her status unlike before.

Since coming to the Lancaster Family, everyone pampered her every day. At school, everyone wanted to befriend her. Whenever she gave an order, no one refuted, wasn’t she noble?

So how could Sophie compare to her?

It was only right to exchange Sophie for her.

"Do you think you’re nobler than Sophie, worth more than her life, and she should have saved you?" Damien Lancaster’s voice turned sinister, the anger in his eyes about to explode the next moment.

Annelise looked up at Damien Lancaster standing before her; he was so tall, making him even more oppressive from her perspective.

But this was what Annelise believed, so she instinctively nodded.

Damien Lancaster’s gaze darkened fiercely, laughing in anger, "You should have died at their hands."

Annelise’s eyes widened, frightened into hiding in Seraphina Kennedy’s arms by Damien’s words.

Seraphina Kennedy anxiously said, "Damien! What nonsense are you saying."

Damien Lancaster wondered why he felt such strong malice towards a child, perhaps out of anger, perhaps regret.

He regretted using Sophie to save someone like this.

Damien never intended for Sophie to be exchanged for Annelise.

In his eyes, Sophie was more important than Annelise.

But the fact was if Sophie didn’t go, Annelise would have to die.

The Lancaster Family adopted Annelise and thus bore responsibility; he couldn’t remain indifferent.

After speaking, Damien Lancaster turned and got into the car to leave.

Annelise, with tears in her eyes, stayed in Seraphina Kennedy’s arms, asking aggrievedly, "Grandma, did I say something wrong? Why does Daddy treat me like this, why does he want me to die?"

Seraphina Kennedy sighed, those words would anger not only Damien but also made her uncomfortable.

Though Sophie had no relation to her, it was still a life.

Seraphina Kennedy took Annelise to the hospital.

Damien Lancaster went back to rescue Sophie.

Although he was sure those people wouldn’t dare to hurt Sophie, Damien was still on edge.

...

Sophie was knocked unconscious and brought back by that group.

In a ramshackle, abandoned warehouse, Sophie awoke inside an iron cage. Despite the scorching weather, a chill seeped up from the ground, and when Sophie awoke, she felt cold all over.

"Yo, awake?"

A voice came.

Sophie opened her eyes, and upon seeing the person in front, she immediately recoiled in fear, her small body hitting the iron cage, emitting a "creak" sound.

The person in front extended a stick into the cage to warn her, "Now that you’re awake, be a good girl, hear me?"

Sophie curled up at the deepest part of the cage, tightly hugging herself, nodding her little head vigorously.

Seeing her obedience, the person withdrew the stick.

Sophie, overwhelmed with fear and confusion, observed her surroundings. The place reeked of damp mold, the iron cage covered in cobwebs. Outside, the rain still fell, the drip-drop sound echoing in the vast warehouse.

Up ahead, that group of vicious people are busy with something.

Although Sophie didn’t know who they were.

She did recognize one of them as one of the trio who had initially kidnapped her.

In an instant, Sophie’s memory was dragged back to when she was abducted to a rundown cabin, watching them don waterproof aprons meant for the slaughterhouse, grabbing sticks as they walked toward her, echoing the things they discussed about how to kill her.

Sophie raised her small hand, trembling as she covered her ears desperately, unable to stop whimpering, "Please... please don’t kill me... don’t..."

The man at the front noticed Sophie trembling intensely and her abnormal complexion. He squatted outside the rusty cage, tapping it twice with a stick and asked, "Hey? Little child, what are you mumbling about?"

Sophie’s small body jerked, her breathing becoming more rapid.

When she was sent here, Sophie knew she would soon face dangerous people but didn’t know Damien had handed her over to them.

Handed over to those who had previously kidnapped her.

Damien himself had rescued her from these kidnappers, yet now he handed her back.

Sophie bit her lip hard, knowing her mommy said to stay calm in danger, but now her mind was filled with their sinister faces, and Sophie cried out aloud.

Mommy... Mommy, where are you...

Sophie was so scared...

Sophie’s crying and fear didn’t deter the man before her; instead, it excited him. He glanced at the stick in his hand, deliberately pounding on the iron door, producing booming noises, continually aggravating Sophie’s fragile nerves.

"Grimblade, what are you doing? She’s valuable; don’t torture her. Better watch out or you’ll end up in trouble." The man in front called out to him.

The man then withdrew the stick, tossing it aside.

"Boss, if this little girl is so valuable, how can we not make good use of her? How about asking Damien for more money?"

"Don’t push your luck! Be careful, or you might end up rich but dead."

"Then are we really going to let this little girl go?"

"What else? If you don’t let her go, are you waiting for Damien to hunt you down? That man is not to be trifled with in Aethelgard."

The man referred to as "Boss" squinted his eyes, took a drag of a cigarette, extinguished the butt directly on the table, picked up the Golden Card in front, greed flashing in his eyes, "You guys go transfer all the money in this card to our bank account."

"Yes."

The few grabbed the card and quickly went to carry it out.

The man called Grimblade sat down beside the leader, "Boss, these kids sent back, how will they explain it to the person surnamed Xu?"

"I don’t owe her any explanation."

Damien offered ten times the payment they asked for, indicating how important the child is to him.

Under these circumstances, harming the child would be suicidal.

Especially for ten billion, more than enough for them to live comfortably for ten generations, why touch the child?

"She asked us to capture this child and the woman surnamed Summers, and I’ll do it. Whether to release them is up to me; once the money’s all in, the plane checked, if there’s no issue, I don’t care who she is, nothing will stop me from going abroad for a life of luxury." The man laughed heartily.

Grimblade also laughed loudly.

Indeed.

Ten billion.

No need to remain kidnappers, directly transform into billionaires.

"Make sure everyone stays alert, watch the surroundings closely, can’t afford any mistakes at this time."

"Understood."

...

Ivy Summers had already reached Imperial Bay Villa, pressed the doorbell, a maid emerged, "Miss Summers? Why do you come back again?"

"Is Sophie at home?"

"Sophie?" The maid’s eyes shifted slightly, saying, "Miss Sophie is supposed to be at school, Miss Summers. It’s not dismissal time yet, so how could Sophie be at home?"

Ivy Summers couldn’t understand why this maid would lie.

"I called the school; Sophie hasn’t gone there. The teacher said she took leave, yet you claim she’s at school, why lie?"

Ivy Summers’ gaze became sharp, the maid panicked, "This... I..."

Ivy Summers sensed something was wrong, shoved the maid aside and began searching inside, but couldn’t find any sign of Sophie.

Her brows furrowed tightly; turning around, she stared intensely at the anxious maid, "Where’s Sophie?"

"Miss Summers, Sophie truly isn’t home."

"Not home, not at school, tell me where she is!"

"This..." The maid gripped her apron tightly, becoming increasingly flustered.

Ivy Summers saw her behavior, growing more uneasy.

"Miss Summers, you should call Mr. Lancaster yourself; I don’t dare say anything."

Ivy Summers pulled out her phone to call Damien, a bit anxious, even her hands were trembling.

The call went through, rang for quite a while.

She wondered if he didn’t hear or was deliberately not answering.

Ivy Summers, worried, hung up and dialed again.

This time... Damien answered.

"Hello." A deep, hoarse voice.

"Damien, why did you deceive me? Where’s Sophie? The school’s teacher said she never went."

Following Ivy Summers’ words, silence fell, causing her heart to panic.

"Why aren’t you speaking? Talk to me, Damien, why lie to me? Even your housemaid is lying, what are you hiding from me?"

Damien still didn’t respond.

He seemed at a loss for what to say.

Ivy Summers, extremely anxious, then heard a message notification on her phone.

She put down the phone, glanced at it.

The mere glance left her utterly stunned.

Her blood felt as if it flowed backward at that moment.

She stared at the screen in disbelief, biting her lip hard, the pain reminded her everything she saw was real... Sophie was confined in a rusty iron cage, surrounded by darkness and decay, huddled like an abandoned puppy in the furthest corner.

"No way... It’s impossible..." Ivy Summers kept staring at the photo, the words coming as broken, trembling tones.

Damien heard Ivy Summers’ voice from the other end, realized something wrong, spoke out, "Ivy Summers!"

Ivy Summers’ hands trembled uncontrollably, stiffly placing the phone next to her ear, it took her a while to find her voice again and speak:

"Damien...

Has Sophie... been kidnapped?"