Chapter 36 Sabotage
Finished
Whitney had no idea what to say, frozen silently beside him.
Nathaniel gave a cold snort. “Useless as always. Get out. I’ll handle it myself.”
He sat alone in his office, brooding for a long while before finally coming up with a plan to force Estella to leave the orchestra.
He made a call. “Dan, it’s me. I’ve got a job for you…”
The Symphony Band’s second performance was scheduled for Saturday.
Estella had been practicing day and night with the team. When Mr. Chase finally let them off early, she was eager to head home and catch up on some sleep.
Jonathan messaged her, inviting her to dinner.
It had been a while since they’d eaten together, so she happily agreed.
But just as she stepped out of the concert hall, a van screeched to a halt in front of her. A tall man grabbed her and shoved her inside.
She tried to scream, but he covered her mouth and nose with a chloroform–soaked cloth. Within seconds, she passed out.
When she woke up, she was tied hand and foot in a deserted warehouse.
Four burly men sat at a table nearby, shirtless and playing cards.
Estella’s mind raced. The concert was tomorrow. If she didn’t show up, she could be penalized–or even kicked out of the Symphony Band.
This was her hard–won chance. She couldn’t lose it like this.
Staying calm, she tried to negotiate with the kidnappers.
“Who sent you? How much did they pay? I’ll double it.”
One of the men, with dyed yellow hair, glanced back at her. Seeing no fear on her face, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of admiration.
“Relax. We’re not gonna hurt you. The guy who hired us just wants you to stay here for a day and a night. Tomorrow night at ten, you’re free to go. We don’t want your money. We’re greedy, yeah–but we keep to the rules.”
Estella froze.
Ten o’clock tomorrow night–exactly when the performance would be ending.
They’d kidnapped her just to make her miss the show.
Only one person came to mind–Isabelle.
If she couldn’t talk her way out, she had to rely on herself. She wouldn’t just sit here and wait.
Estella felt around in her pocket and found a hairpin. Quietly, she began working it into the ropes.
Her wrists were rubbed raw, pain biting into her with every movement. But she didn’t give up.
Bit by bit, the rope began to loosen, and finally, she freed her hands.
She kept still, not letting the men know. She waited.
Late at night, the four men shut the door and headed into the back room to sleep.
This was her chance..
1/2
3:28 PM
Chapter 36 Sabotage
Estella slipped off the rest of the ropes and crept toward the exit.
Just as she reached the door, one of the men came out and caught her.
They dragged her back.
This time, they tied her up with thicker, rougher rope.
Finished
The man glared, “No more tricks. Just sit tight and let us finish the job. We’re not gonna hurt you–unless you try to run again. Then we might break your legs.”
Estella broke into a cold sweat.
Seeing her frightened expression, the man scoffed and slumped into a lounge chair to sleep.
She realized there was no escaping now. All she could do was pray someone would notice she was missing–and come find her.
Time crawled by.
By the next evening, she was still stuck in the warehouse.
They gave her nothing but bottled water. No food.
She was weak, exhausted, and despairing as the hour of the concert drew near.
One of the kidnappers finally came over.
“We’ll take you back now. Just keep your mouth shut. If you report us, we’ll come after you. Trust me–you won’t have peace.”
Estella didn’t say a word. Her chest felt like it was about to cave in.
Just then, one of the men got a call–and everything changed.
“The guy says he’ll pay fifty grand more to film her naked. Hurry up. Get her clothes off!”
Seeing them approach, Estella screamed in terror. “No! I’ll give you a hundred thousand! Don’t record anything!”
They didn’t care.
“Don’t struggle. It’ll be over quick. We’re just doing our job. But if you keep fighting–who knows what else we might do?”
Estella’s beauty had already stirred their desires. And now, they weren’t holding back.
