CHAPTER 134: CHAPTER 134: THE FIRST "DAD," AND ALSO THE LAST

Damien Lancaster personally drove the car in wild pursuit.

The rain had turned the remote mountain roads especially muddy.

The car chased all the way to a cliff.

There was no road ahead, and the kidnapper’s car stopped. He got out holding Sophie, retreating to the edge of the cliff. Sophie was already knocked unconscious, completely still, her breathing extraordinarily weak.

By now, the sky had darkened, and the rain began to fall again, the wind swirling the rain obscuring the sight, blowing the drenched clothes into a noisy flapping.

The situation was particularly critical.

"If you want this child to live, then don’t come any closer." The kidnapper pushed Sophie to the edge of the cliff.

Damien Lancaster stopped ten meters away, unable to move forward. He clenched his hands tightly, his dark eyes growing even more somber. "If you want to live, hand over the child to me."

The kidnapper sneered, "Who doesn’t know that President Lancaster is ruthless? If I release the child, will I still have a life?"

"Since you know, why do you still act so recklessly? Who exactly instructed you to do this?"

"This is something President Lancaster doesn’t need to know. Let me leave, and I’ll give the child back to you."

Damien gritted his teeth, without hesitation, turning his head to instruct Julian Jacobs, "Do as he says."

Julian immediately complied.

But then, the kidnapper received a phone call. Whatever the caller said caused a drastic change in the kidnapper’s expression, his hand slowly lowered, his eyes gradually turning crazed, muttering, "No need to prepare anymore..."

Damien watched him, sensing something, his deep pupils contracted sharply as he lunged forward with all his might.

But the distance was too far; the kidnapper jumped off the cliff, holding Sophie, and Damien, despite his best efforts, only managed to grab a piece of Sophie’s clothing.

"Sophie!"

At the last moment, Sophie woke up and saw Damien.

That cry of "Dad" might have been the last in this lifetime.

By inertia, Damien himself was also rushing down the cliff, thankfully, his subordinates behind him pulled him back.

"Sir!" Julian Jacobs forcefully held onto Damien.

Damien looked at the vanished figures before him, a heart-wrenching pain emanating from his chest, but it was too late, everything was too late...

Hospital.

Ivy Summers woke up the next day, opening her eyes to a haze of white.

"Ivy? You’re awake."

The voice by her ear sounded unreal, Ivy Summers moved her eyes, her memory fragmented, her mind a complete blank.

"Doctor, doctor, the patient is awake."

Ella Morgan went to call the doctor.

Ivy Summer’s eyes turned towards the window. The sun was shining brightly, but she distinctly remembered it was storming today, she was fighting with a criminal, trying to save Sophie...

Sophie...

Ivy abruptly sat up, looking at Ella, "Where’s Sophie?"

Ella was slightly startled, her eyes dodged a few times as she poured Ivy a glass of water, "Your voice is hoarse, drink some water first."

Ivy pushed Ella’s hand away, "What water, did Sophie get rescued? I need to see her." Throwing off the quilt, Ivy was about to get out of bed.

Ella stopped her, "Ivy, the doctor said you need to rest now, don’t move for now, okay?"

"I can rest after I come back, I need to see Sophie first."

"Ivy..." Ella’s voice choked slightly, her eyes reddening as she held Ivy’s hand.

Ivy looked at Ella carefully, not knowing why she was crying. She tugged at the corner of her lips, "Why are you crying? Did Sophie get hurt? If she’s hurt... she can heal, let me see her..."

"Ivy, Sophie... wasn’t saved!"

Ella painfully told Ivy this cruel fact.

Ivy became frozen, a long while passed before she slowly looked at Ella, trying to make a sound, but her lips uncontrollably trembled.

"Impossible... how could she not be saved!"

Tears streamed down Ella’s face as she sobbed, "Sophie fell off the cliff, disappeared... we haven’t found her yet..."

Ivy’s legs weakened, her body seemed drained of all strength, and she collapsed heavily to the ground.

"Ivy, Ivy..."

Ivy lifted her head, her eyes empty and bewildered, muttering repeatedly, "Impossible... I have to find her..."

Ivy struggled to leave, and Ella held her emotionally riled-up friend tightly.

"Ivy, calm down, you’re still injured. The rescue team and Damien Lancaster have gone to search, they’ll definitely find her!"

"I have to go, I want to personally search. Sophie must be so scared right now, she’s definitely waiting for me somewhere, I have to find her..."

At this moment, the doctor came in and saw Ivy Summers struggling on the floor. He quickly supported her, "What’s going on? You’re covered in injuries, how can you get out of bed?"

"Let go of me! Let go of me!" Ivy Summers sobbed loudly, the sounds coming from her throat were all broken. Struggling tugged at her injuries, making her face pale with pain.

The doctor couldn’t understand how someone so badly injured could still want to go out.

"Where are you going? What’s going on?"

Ella Morgan covered her mouth, unable to make a sound through her sobs.

Ivy Summers was too emotional, so the doctor could only give her a sedative shot first.

Ivy Summers was finally pressed back onto the bed. Once the sedative was administered, her eyelids trembled nonstop, but her eyes were bloodshot, and she kept them wide open. Even under the influence of the medication, she couldn’t fall asleep, tears continuously sliding down from the corners of her eyes, making the doctor shake his head involuntarily.

At this moment, there was a commotion outside, and Ella Morgan went out.

It was Damien Lancaster.

Seeing Damien, Ella ran up to him, "Where’s the child? Have you found the child yet?"

"No." Damien Lancaster was exhausted, his voice hoarse beyond recognition. After a whole night of sleepless searching, Sophie was still not found.

Ella had heard about the situation as soon as she arrived. There was a burning anger within her, and upon hearing that Sophie was still missing, she directly and desperately questioned:

"So does this mean Sophie might never be found again?"

Damien Lancaster didn’t speak.

"Why? Damien Lancaster, what right do you have to exchange my child for your family’s child? Now my child is missing, tell me, what should I do? Tell me what to do?"

Ella rushed forward, hitting and kicking Damien Lancaster.

Damien Lancaster stood still, allowing the beating and the insults.

Zachary Lancaster stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Ella’s waist to pull her away, "Calm down."

"Calm down?" Ella’s eyes were red with rage as she glared at Zachary, "Easy for you to say, the knife isn’t cutting you, the child that’s lost isn’t yours, so you don’t feel the pain, do you?"

Zachary said, "I didn’t mean it that way."

Damien Lancaster walked towards the hospital room, intending to check on Ivy Summers.

Ella pushed Zachary aside and blocked Damien Lancaster, looking at him with eyes filled with hatred, preventing him from entering, "Get out! You don’t deserve to see her! If it weren’t for you, Ivy wouldn’t be so hurt, and Sophie wouldn’t be missing, it’s all your fault, do you know Sophie actually is..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ella was pushed aside, and Annelise Lancaster ran up, standing in front of Damien with her arms outstretched, angrily saying to Ella, "Get away, you wicked woman, why are you hitting my dad?"

Ella looked down at the little girl in front of her. She had heard Ivy mention over the phone that the Lancaster family adopted a little girl, it must be her.

Because she was kidnapped, Sophie had to be taken to exchange for her.

Nathan and Leo had casually mentioned during a phone call that this little girl had bullied Sophie before.

Thinking of this, Ella’s anger surged. She grabbed Annelise’s collar and slapped her, "Won’t hit your dad? Then I’ll hit you."

Annelise clutched her face, sat down on the ground, and immediately started crying.

"Why are you crying? None of us have even cried, what are you crying about? Shut up!"

Ella roared angrily, growing increasingly annoyed with this child.

A complete little brat, the Lancaster family must be blind to adopt such a troublesome child.

Aren’t they afraid she’ll grow up and bring disaster to the Lancaster family?

Seraphina Kennedy caught up from behind, having heard the tragic news about Sophie. Seraphina couldn’t help but feel sorrow and wanted to offer some comfort.

But seeing the red handprint on Annelise’s face, Seraphina felt a bit unwilling, yet considering Ella’s emotional agitation from losing her child, Seraphina held back from acting out, only pulling Annelise to Ella, "Annelise, it’s Auntie’s child who saved you, say thank you to Auntie."

"Thank you?" Ella tilted her head, looking at their faces, almost feeling sick.

"Do you intend for a mere thank you to make up for the pain of losing Sophie?"

"No, I know this is the Lancaster family’s fault. We’ll compensate you, okay?"

"Compensation? With what? Do you think money can solve everything?"

Seraphina pursed her lips, "Compensation is just a token of our sincerity, you..."

"Who wants your compensation? I only want Sophie, I just want Sophie back, otherwise, I won’t let this go. Get out, all of you out!"

Lying in the hospital room, Ivy Summers heard the noise outside, closed her eyes tightly, and when she opened them, she saw a blood-stained note beside her pillow.

She weakly lifted her hand, taking the paper and slowly unfolding it in her hand.

She recognized it, this was Sophie’s handwriting, and what was written on it was...