Chapter 218: The rescue team arrived.

"Elias, help," Elena cried. "These people killed the bodyguard. They are threatening me. I am scared."

The video ended.

Elias’s hand shook around the gun. His legs almost gave out beneath him. His gaze remained fixed on Elena’s tear-streaked face on the screen.

Seeing the terror on Elias’s face, Cedric realized that his Plan B had worked.

He knew Elias would bring his guards to rescue Evelyn. So he had another team prepared to pick up Elena.

His confidence returned, and the fear that had briefly crossed his face disappeared.

"What is it, Elias? Your wife is in danger now," he scoffed.

Elias glared back at him. Fury rushed through his veins, violent and blinding, drowning out reason.

He firmly kept the gun pointed at him. "Tell them to release her. Or you will be dead."

But Cedric smirked.

"You saw what happened here. Ian got shot. The same thing can happen to your wife." His expression turned cold. "You should stop fighting and accept my terms. They will let her go. But if you hurt me, you will never find her."

"You..." Elias’s hands shook with the effort of holding himself back, but the restraint was thinning with every heartbeat. He raised his fist to punch him.

Before he could, his phone rang. It was the same number that had sent him the message earlier.

"Hello," he answered.

"Mr. Rowan, your wife is with me. Don’t make the mistake of hurting my boss. If you want her safe, do whatever my boss says. Otherwise, she will be dead."

Elias’s stomach dropped. The thought of Elena being hurt chilled him to the bone.

’She is pregnant.’ Those words echoed inside his head.

"I need to talk to her," he said. "I want to know if she is alright."

"You saw the video. She is fine for now. But if you don’t obey, she won’t be fine anymore."

Elias gritted his teeth. "How could I be sure she is fine? Maybe that video was fake. It might be AI-generated. I don’t trust you."

His gaze darkened as he looked back at Cedric. "As long as I don’t speak with her and confirm that she hasn’t been hurt, I won’t agree to your terms."

Cedric knew he was winning this time. Whether Elias spoke to Elena or not wouldn’t change anything.

"Let him talk to her," he said.

The man on the other end of the phone heard him. "Alright. I am giving her the phone."

The next moment, Elena’s voice came from the other side. "Elias."

Elias’s heart skipped a beat. "Elena..." His voice shook slightly. "Are you okay?"

"Elias, don’t sign anything, okay? You can’t let them force you."

Elias’s heart ached. "Don’t worry about that, my love. I promised to protect you at all costs. Even if I have to lose everything, I won’t hesitate. Just hang on there. I’ll take you home safely."

He stole a glance at one of his men.

The man subtly nodded.

While Cedric was distracted, the man in black discreetly sent an SOS message to the backup team.

"You heard her voice," the kidnapper said from the other end. "Now do as my boss says."

The call ended.

Cedric stood up, pushing the two men away.

No one dared to stop him. The equation had changed again.

Cedric had regained the upper hand. He looked down at his blood-stained hand.

"You injured me and killed my men. You have to compensate me for that damage. Now I want the overseas branch office too."

"Don’t go too far, Cedric," Elias roared. Heat crawled beneath his skin.

"Still defying me?" Cedric sneered. "One word from me, and your wife will be gone."

Elias’s pulse hammered against his temples. He had no choice but to agree.

He could build his business ties again. He could recover his losses, but he couldn’t lose his wife and children.

"Fine," he said, clenching his jaw. "I’ll transfer the office to you. But it will take time. It won’t happen overnight."

"Then make it possible," Cedric snapped. "You can do it. Call the CEO of the branch office. Tell him that the office belongs to me now. All business operations will be run by the Sterling Group from now on. Tell him to prepare the documents."

Elias inhaled and exhaled deeply. Every part of him wanted to refuse. But he couldn’t put Elena in greater danger.

The backup team might already be on its way to find her.

’I have to buy time,’ Elias told himself.

"How about I sign the ownership documents first?" He bent down and gathered the scattered documents from the floor, deliberately taking his time.

Cedric’s patience snapped. "Do it fast. My patience is running thin."

Elias glanced up at his man.

The man gave him a thumbs-up.

Elias understood immediately.

The backup team had already located Elena. They were on their way.

He straightened and faced Cedric, holding up the documents.

"You want the port and the overseas branch office. Then someday, you’ll demand that I hand over the entire company. Your greed has no limit."

His voice hardened. "You think you will get whatever you want. Wrong."

Cedric’s expression changed. "You... Just wait. I will call and tell them to kill her."

He barely had time to dial.

A guard lunged forward and snatched the phone from his hand. Another guard seized Cedric’s injured hand and twisted it behind him.

"Ah..." Cedric cried out.

A sharp wave of pain shot through his hand and up his arm. His vision blurred, and dizziness washed over him. For a moment, he felt as if he might faint.

He glared at Elias with burning hatred.

"You will never see your wife again," he spat. "If I don’t make that call within the next five minutes, she will die."

Across the city...

Elena sat inside the car, fear clouding her face. She stared through the window at the deserted road.

There was nothing.

She desperately hoped a car would appear or someone would happen to pass by. But no one came. Her hope was slowly fading.

She didn’t know how Elias was. She didn’t know what Cedric and his people had done to him.

’Elias, I hope you are safe.’ She pressed her trembling hands together.

Then she heard the kidnappers talking outside the car.

"Why hasn’t Mr. Sterling called yet? This was supposed to be done quickly."

"We can’t stay here much longer," another man said. "Anyone could come. Then we’ll be exposed."

"Should I call him?" the first one asked.

The tallest man shook his head, his expression thoughtful. "We still have time. Let’s wait another five minutes. If his call doesn’t come, we’ll kill her and leave."