Take My Breath Away

In no time, Wesley's men overpowered the bodyguards and forced them to open the gate to the manor. The dozen or so military vehicles drove into the manor in an imposing manner, seemingly unstoppable.

As soon as they reached the main villa, Debbie quickly jumped out of the car and ran towards the villa, heart burning with anxiety. She didn't want to waste a single second.

When she saw the traditional black and white funerary couplet hanging on each side of the doorway, she almost fell to her knees as her legs became weak. The elaborate calligraphy seemed to writhe of its own accord, becoming menacing instead of beautiful, as it was intended to be. It was a reminder that Carlos may have indeed passed on. Luckily, Curtis had superior reflexes and caught her just in time.

Curtis, Wesley and Debbie rushed into the villa, practically bursting through the doorway. In the living room, Tabitha and Valerie were sobbing sadly, sitting in front of a black and white photo of Carlos, blown up, framed, and set on an easel. James was on the phone at the time. A bodyguard had already informed him that Wesley had forced his way in, along with a contingent of soldiers. But James was almost too preoccupied to care. The ZL Group was a mess these days, and hadn't fared well after the accident of Carlos.

"Uncle James," Wesley called out as he approached James.

James hastily ended the phone call and said in a choked and hoarse voice, "Wesley! You finally came. Carlos... he's..." He let out a long sigh, unable to finish his sentence.

Staring at Carlos' black and white portrait, Wesley ignored him, and simply asked, "Where is Carlos' body now?"

"It's in the mourning hall, not here..."

James sighed with each sentence he said. In the end, he choked on his tears, lost his voice and hung his head, tears streaming down his face.

Before Wesley could ask more questions, James suddenly pointed his finger at Debbie, as if he had just noticed she was there. He shouted angrily, "You! You have some serious stones, coming here like this!" It wasn't lost on Wesley that James had suddenly regained his voice, and became his usual rage-filled self. "What did Carlos ever do to you? He treated you like a queen, and you went and cheated on him while he was dying! What a stupid ho!"

Instead of responding to him, Debbie asked, "Where's Aunt Miranda?"

"What 'Aunt Miranda'? You chose to divorce Carlos. You're not part of the family now! She's not your aunt Miranda anymore! The only reason I asked you here is because I want you to kneel in front of Carlos' portrait and beg for his forgiveness!"

"I...chose? I chose life for the baby, not..."

She paused in mid-sentence. Her cellphone suddenly rang. She was going to reject the call at first, but when she saw "Aunt Lucinda" on the caller ID, she quickly tapped the answer key. "Debbie, where are you? Sasha's been kidnapped! The kidna

en by the kidnappers. It was a bushy and rugged path. Ignoring anything else, Debbie made her way there quickly. Her every thought was of Sasha.

A few minutes later, she finally reached a broken courtyard in a flat area.

The door to the courtyard was already open. Two men dressed in black from head to toe with only their eyes exposed were guarding the doorway. As they saw her approach, they looked around, trying to spot any bodyguards or soldiers. After verifying she was alone, they guided her into the courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, Sasha was there, her wrists and feet were bound with rope; her mouth was covered with a piece of tape and her hair was disheveled.

When she saw Debbie enter, Sasha wept in a muffled voice.

Horror filled Debbie's heart. But she knew she had to be strong. Taking a deep breath, she suppressed her fear and comforted Sasha. "Sasha, don't be afraid. I'm here!"

Sasha nodded. She wanted to say, 'Jeez, you're dumb! Why did you come alone?'

A man sat lazily in a wooden office chair. He grabbed a piece of paper and asked another man to bring it to Debbie.

After a quick look at what was written there, Debbie widened her eyes in shock and refused. "No way!"

Unflappable, the man said casually, "Your cousin is pretty hot. If you don't sign that..." As he said that, he stood up and took his coat off.

Realizing what he was going to do to Sasha, Debbie balled her fists in fury.

As the man took off his shirt, he turned to look at Debbie and said in a lewd voice, "Make a choice. Sign your name and leave Y City, or I'll give her the d. She'll never forget me!"

Sasha was startled by the man's movements, her eyes almost popped out of her sockets. She wriggled and tried to kick her legs, trying to say something through the tape over her mouth. All to no avail. She was still tied up.

Debbie's eyes burned with flames of rage. She wouldn't surrender to them so easily!