Chapter 322 - 321: Isaac Sullivan Is Looked Down Upon by His Family

Chapter 322: Chapter 321: Isaac Sullivan Is Looked Down Upon by His Family

Meridia. A private hospital owned by the Sutherland Family.

Asher and I accompanied Lucas Grant to visit Isaac Sullivan.

News had already spread that Isaac was the president of Astraeus Group, leaving everyone in shock. People who had previously looked down on him were now practically beating down the Sutherland Family’s door.

"Look at you. You always looked down on our son, but now he’s more successful in business than you are, and he didn’t even want to tell you."

"Hmph. Don’t think you can get arrogant just because you started a business behind my back and achieved a little success. I’m your father! I will always be your father!"

Just as Asher and I reached the door, we heard a middle-aged man scolding Isaac. Isaac didn’t say a word, though he didn’t look pleased.

I had heard rumors that the Sutherland Family’s son didn’t have a good relationship with his parents. Because of his autistic tendencies, the family had never truly valued him, instead pouring all their efforts into grooming his older and younger brothers. Consequently, his childhood was far from perfect.

"Alright, let the boy get some proper rest. You may be his father, but you still have to politely beg Astraeus Group for a partnership," Mrs. Sullivan said with a laugh. Her eyes were now full of tender affection as she looked at Isaac. "I never would have imagined that out of our three children, our Isaac would be the most successful. If we had just disciplined him properly back then, wouldn’t he be even more successful now?" she added, her pride impossible to conceal.

"Hmph," Mr. Sullivan scoffed. "He even hid something like this from the family. Last month, we begged Astraeus for a partnership for so long, and you actually rejected us? If you won’t even help your own family, are you planning to help outsiders instead?"

His tone was openly reproachful. It was obvious he was still angry, but given Isaac’s current status, he couldn’t bring himself to completely tear away all pretenses.

"Enough, what are you saying?" Mrs. Sullivan quickly pulled him back. "Let’s wait until Isaac is discharged and comes home before we talk about this. His injuries haven’t healed yet. He was held hostage; he must be terrified."

Mr. Sullivan scoffed again but said no more.

Isaac remained silent, his head bowed as he leaned against the headboard. Only after his father had finished complaining did he finally speak. "Someone kidnapped Stella Abbott. Dad, can you step in and help me?"

Mr. Sullivan’s expression instantly darkened. "A minor celebrity? What do you want with a low-class woman like that? This has nothing to do with you."

Isaac clenched his fists and said no more.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

"Um... Excuse me, I’m a police officer. I’m here to ask a few questions," Lucas called out as he knocked on the door.

Seeing an outsider arrive, Mr. Sullivan stood up with a gloomy face and left the room with Mrs. Sullivan. Asher and I exchanged a glance before following Lucas inside.

"Isaac, are you alright?" Lucas asked. "It took a lot of effort for me to get permission to visit you. It’s really hard to get an audience with you right now."

Isaac kept his head down, looking quite upset.

"The great president of Astraeus Group, Meridia’s youngest richest man, and a genius to boot—you still have things to worry about?" Lucas asked with a chuckle.

Isaac subconsciously glanced at Asher before mumbling, "Stella Abbott has been kidnapped. It must be because of me..." He suspected that those people believed controlling Stella Abbott would allow them to control him.

"The police are already investigating," Lucas said, signaling for Isaac to relax.

"The only people who know I have special feelings for her are the ones who were on that ship. Other than that, I’ve never shown any unusual affection toward her anywhere else..." Isaac whispered. He was clearly terrified that she would be mistreated because of him.

"Have the kidnappers contacted you?" I gently probed.

"My dad... took my phone," Isaac replied, a hint of anger in his voice. Mr. Sullivan’s desire for control over Isaac was simply too strong.

"Don’t worry, they’ll find a way to get in touch with you." I scanned the room. Considering his supposed status as the president of Astraeus Group, there were probably quite a few hidden cameras in this hospital room. "If I had known, I would have brought Adrian and Stella along. They could have helped sweep for cameras," I muttered under my breath.

Asher let out an awkward cough.

"Hello, are you Mr. Sullivan? Someone sent you a bouquet." A nurse walked in carrying a large bunch of flowers and placed them on Isaac’s bedside table.

Asher reached out and picked up the card nestled in the bouquet. Sure enough, there was contact information written on it. "If they can’t reach you, they’ll make you contact them," he said, handing the card to Isaac.

Isaac grew tense. "Will she be alright?"

"In a kidnapping, every extra minute the victim spends in the hands of the captors means an extra minute of danger." Lucas handed Isaac his own phone, urging him to make the call immediately.

"This is a public payphone. Even if you trace the location and wiretap it, it’s useless to find it." Asher gestured for Lucas not to alert the police and risk spooking the kidnappers.

"Then what should I do?" Whenever Isaac was afraid, he always subconsciously looked to Asher for guidance.

"Call them first to see what they want, and make sure the hostage is safe," I answered on Asher’s behalf.

Isaac nodded and hurriedly dialed the number on Lucas’s phone. The first time, no one answered. The second time, the call connected.

"Hello..." Isaac began nervously.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit exasperated. Isaac truly had a naive and pure disposition—who says "hello" to a kidnapper?

"Do you have Stella Abbott?" Isaac anxiously cut straight to the chase.

"Thirty million. Tomorrow at five in the afternoon. Come alone and leave the money in the tenth trash can heading southwest on Legion Avenue. Don’t try any tricks, or she dies." The man on the other end had a deep voice. After delivering his threat, he abruptly hung up.

Isaac looked at Asher in a panic. "What do we do? They want thirty million..."

"Astraeus Group’s market value is incredibly high right now. You’re Meridia’s youngest richest man—you can’t produce thirty million? Just give them the money to buy time. We’ll set a trap at the drop-off location and arrest them," Lucas said, telling Isaac to get the cash ready.

Isaac hesitated, afraid to voice his concerns. "What if they have accomplices? If they find out the police are involved, they might kill the hostage." It was clear that he was genuinely terrified for Stella Abbott’s safety.

"Tomorrow, bring a large suitcase—one big enough to hold thirty million in cash," Asher instructed. "If one isn’t enough, bring two. Drag them over and leave them next to the trash can. Make sure it’s real money." The kidnappers clearly wanted to test Isaac’s financial power.

"But I..." Isaac trailed off, looking somewhat troubled.

"It’s fine, you just focus on preparing the money," Asher reassured him.

Only then did Isaac let out a sigh of relief.

"But if the police try to arrest them, won’t they kill the hostage?" Isaac asked, turning to me.

"No. Their goal is to test your financial power. They want to make sure they can use your status as the president of Astraeus Group to blackmail you into working for them in the future. So, Stella Abbott is not in any immediate danger," I explained. I had a sneaking suspicion that the people who took her were from The Genetics Organization. They still harbored doubts about Isaac’s true identity as the president of Astraeus Group, so they needed to verify the situation further.

"Those damn sly foxes..." I muttered under my breath. I wondered if Mrs. Fletcher had anything to do with Stella Abbott’s kidnapping this time.

"Being the president of Astraeus Group sure is dangerous. No wonder he had to hide his identity," Lucas mumbled.

I then noticed Isaac casting a pitiful, wronged look at Asher. I gave Asher a suspicious look as well.

If Asher were the real president of Astraeus Group, then the ones getting kidnapped right now would be me or the two children, wouldn’t it?