Chapter 217: Elena is in danger.

"Don’t move."

Cedric struggled desperately. But there was no way for him to break free.

The situation had completely turned against him.

Meanwhile, Elias rushed toward Evelyn. He knelt beside her and immediately removed the gag from her mouth.

Evelyn gasped for air.

"Elias, save Ian."

Elias glanced at Ian, who was lying motionless on the floor. "Nothing will happen to him," he reassured her.

He quickly cut through the ropes around her wrists and ankles. "Don’t be afraid. Everything will be fine."

He helped her to her feet. Then he turned toward his men.

"Take them out safely."

Two men in black suits immediately rushed over. They lifted Ian and carried him out.

Evelyn followed them. But after taking a few steps, she stopped and looked back at Elias.

"Leave," Elias ordered.

Evelyn hesitated. "What about you?"

"Don’t worry about me," he assured her. "I’ll be fine. Just go."

Evelyn nodded reluctantly. Then she turned and hurried out of the building with the security men.

Once she was gone, Elias slowly turned back. His eyes landed on Cedric.

Cedric was still pinned to the floor by two of Elias’s men.

The table had turned.

A few moments ago, Elias had been the one pinned to the ground.

Two masked men had held him down while Cedric stood proudly before him, mocking him, threatening him, and forcing him to sign away his assets.

Now Cedric was the one helpless on the floor.

Elias took a step toward him.

"You thought you could force me by threatening me." His voice was quiet. "You kidnapped my sister and thought I would readily agree to everything you demanded. But you forgot one thing... I am no longer the impulsive, ignorant young boy you knew years ago."

Elias crouched in front of him. He stared directly into Cedric’s eyes.

"I watched my parents get killed. Do you know how terrifying that was?"

The rage in his eyes wasn’t wild. His expression emptied of emotion, leaving behind a calm that was more threatening than anger.

"But I couldn’t make a noise," Elias continued. "I was so terrified that I stayed inside the cupboard for hours. I heard everyone calling my name. I heard them searching for me. But I couldn’t respond. My voice died."

For a moment, the memory seemed to pull him back into that night.

His parents’ cries, the helplessness, the fear, and the unbearable realization that there was nothing he could do – everything returned.

That pain had never truly disappeared.

"But while I was hiding there," Elias continued, "something else was taking root inside me." His eyes turned cold. "Revenge."

Cedric’s heart seemed to stop. He could see the hatred buried deep inside Elias’s eyes.

This wasn’t the Elias he had known for years. Something about him had changed.

Cedric shuddered to the core. He wondered why Elias had brought up his parents at this moment.

’Does he know something?’ His thoughts raced. ’Has he found something against me?’

Elias reached down and picked up the gun that had fallen onto the floor. He stood and pointed it directly at Cedric.

Cedric’s breath hitched. His body became rigid.

A short while ago, he had pointed that same gun at Evelyn. He had even pulled the trigger.

At that time, he hadn’t been afraid. He had been the one holding the weapon.

Now the situation was reversed. And fear consumed him.

"Tell me everything you know about my parents’ murder." His voice was firm, as if he were certain Cedric was involved in the crime. "If you don’t, I’ll shoot you."

Cedric inhaled sharply. He started trembling. "Let me go. I swear I’ll never trouble you again. Just don’t kill me."

"If you don’t speak, forget about leaving this place."

Cedric looked left and right. His mind was overwhelmed with fear. He couldn’t decide what to do.

’He knows something. He must have discovered something.’ That thought kept repeating in his head. ’I shouldn’t lie. I should tell him the truth.’

But another voice stopped him. ’Don’t be foolish. If you reveal the truth, he will kill you."

"Speak," Elias thundered. "If you delay another second, I’ll pull the trigger."

The gun, his thunderous voice, and the murderous instinct in his eyes terrified him so much that he broke down.

"I am sorry. Please forgive me. It’s Victor."

Cedric swallowed.

"He wanted the company. He wanted the Rowan fortune. He believed he had been denied what was rightfully his."

He took a shaky breath. "He resented the Rowans because he believed they had treated his mother and him unfairly."

Cedric’s voice trembled. "His mother and he were also Rowans, but no one acknowledged them. No one gave them what they believed they deserved."

He lowered his head. "He even went to your grandfather and begged him to take them back. But your father humiliated him and kicked him out of the house."

Elias’s fingers tightened around the gun.

"Victor’s mother was sick at the time. "He didn’t have enough money to save her. She died."

Cedric paused.

"Victor blamed the Rowans for her death. From that day forward, he vowed to take everything the Rowan family had."

Cedric looked up at Elias. "So he reached out to me and offered me a partnership."

"And you agreed," Elias said coldly. "You chose Victor over your old friend. Why?"

Cedric remained silent.

"Because you were jealous of the Rowan family’s success?" Elias’s eyes burned with fury. "You depended on the Rowans to keep your own business running. Your insecurity and jealousy grew with it. You betrayed your old business partner."

Elias stepped closer. "You joined hands with Victor and conspired to destroy my family. You knew he was planning to kill my parents."

Elias’s voice rose with anger and hatred. "Yet, you remained silent.

He pressed the gun against Cedric’s forehead.

Cedric closed his eyes, his insides clenching in fear. One bullet, and he would be dead.

"You could have warned my father. You could have stopped Victor. But you did nothing."

Elias’s eyes turned bloodshot. "You stood by and watched them die."

His voice thundered through the room. "You let them die. You are also their murderer."

A murderous glint flashed in them. "I won’t spare you. I’ll kill you."

"No, Elias, please..." Cedric begged, trembling. "Don’t kill me. I told you everything about Victor. I’ll testify against him. I’ll tell the police everything. I’ll help you punish him. But spare me. I’m begging you."

"My parents were also begging that night?" Elias growled. "But no one listened to them."

Cedric’s eyes filled with terror.

"My sister and Ian begged you to let them go. Did you spare them? You fired at them. Ian got injured. And now you expect me to spare you."

His breathing came in harsh bursts. Every rational thought was being drowned beneath a furious, almost unbearable need to shoot him.

"No, Cedric." He shook his head. "I will never forgive you."

He tightened his grip on the phone, his finger hovering over the trigger. He was about to shoot him when his phone vibrated.

He lowered the gun slightly and reached into his pocket.

A video message had appeared on his screen.

He quickly opened it.

The video began playing.

Elias’s blood ran cold.

A masked man stood behind Elena, putting a gun to her head.

"Elena..." His voice came out as barely a whisper.

The video continued.

The masked man forced Elena to look toward the camera.

Her face was pale with fear.

"Elias, help."

Elias’s grip tightened around his phone.

Someone had Elena. They had found the one person who could make Elias forget everything else.