NovelEnglish.
Chapter 77
Damien was right. Within the minutes of abduction, his employees at the theme park realized their disappearance.
They searched everywhere and based on the CCTV footage, Damien and Ava never exited the washroom. It was normal to have
no surveillance cameras installed in the washroom due to privacy. The employees hurried to the washrooms and found drag
marks on the floor. Much to their dismay, Damien and Ava’s phones were left behind and smashed to pieces.
They must have been attacked!
The window of the washroom led to an unused road, whereby the surveillance camera installed was no functioning yet. It was
most likely that both Damien and Ava were dragged out via this path! In a flash, the whole city was placed under lockdown. It
was no laughing matter when the CEO of the Radbury Group being kidnapped in a broad daylight. Hence, nearly every police
were dispatched to search for Damien and Ava.
But both of them seemed to vanish into thin air.
At the Radbury residence, Karen was sobbing hardly. “How could this happen again? Somebody, please tell me where is
Damien!” Karen wailed loudly as she clutched her chest from heartache, and Daryl was perplexed by everything. “Enough! Stop
crying and let me think!” Daryl shouted at her. “Don’t worry, Damien isn’t five years old anymore. He will be alright, mom.” Enrico
hearted rascal! How could you say that when your brother is missing! We don’t even know if he is still alive and you’re not being
helpful at all!” Enrico’ snorted, “I experienced the same thing as a kid too and I’m still alive now. Damien and Ava are together so
nothing could happen to them.” Daryl shot him a complicated look and did not reply to Enrico. Karen wiped her tears and started
screaming, “The one being kidnapped last time was Dam...” “Shut up, Karen!” Daryl interrupted his wife. Having to suffer from
high fevers and disorders, Enrico had no memories of the actual abduction details twenty years ago. He only knew that it was
Damien that abandoned him when he was kidnapped. The Radbury family chose to play along with Enrico’s delusional thoughts
in order to stabilize the latter’s condition. In the end, they couldn’t reveal the secret after twenty years as well. Enrico had always
been Karen’s weakness and she composed herself quickly.
Enrico stood up and left the living room. After ensuring that no one was watching, he dialed a number. Beth answered the call
and asked anxiously, “What should I do next, Enrico?” “Don’t worry. Just hold them for all three days. In the meantime, you’re
free to do as you please with them as long as you don’t kill my brother.” “Fine. I couldn’t bear to kill Damien too, but Ava...” “As
you wish.” Enrico ended the call. He smirked. This was the best feeling ever! It was Damien’s turn now to suffer the same pain
Enrico experienced before!
“It must be exhilarating being trapped in a dark space and wait anxiously for your death. Right, Damien?” Enrico muttered to
himself.
The cellar was chilly and damp. Ava started shivering after being confined several hours there. Damien took off his coat and
wrapped it around Ava but the latter declined, “Keep it to yourself and stay warm, Damien. You are thinly-dressed than me.” “I’m
not cold.” “Neither do I. Maybe you can hug me instead?” Damien cħuckled and embraced Ava. She never thought that they
could be such intimate, especially now. The warmth from Damien’s body made her sobbed. “Damien, do you know that I’ve been
longing for your embrace?” Ava thought to herself. Although they had no idea about the current time, Ava and Damien could
sense that they had been trapped for quite some time now. Due to fatigue and hunger, both were not talking to save their energy.
Everything was silent. Suddenly, Damien chuckled. “How can you still laugh now?” How strange, Ava thought. Damien was
always a stoic person. He replied calmly, “Last time when I was kidnapped in the dark, hunger was not much of a problem. I just
needed someone beside me because everything was too quiet and scary.” “Then, are you afraid now?” “Of course not. Because
we are together now.” “What a weirdo! Unlike you, I just want to escape as soon as possible,” she grunted deliberately. Suddenly,
Ava remembered her mother. If she knew that Ava was kidnapped, she would be extremely worried. As time went by, both
Damien and Ava were getting weaker. Ava’s eyelids became heavier and she was on the verge of fainting.
“Ava, don’t sleep!” Damien shook Ava to keep her awake. He was worried that Ava might never wake up once she drifted into
her slumber. “But... I’m sleepy now. How about we have a conversation to keep me awake then?” “Alright.” But Damien did not
know where to begin. There was dead silence for a few seconds before Ava initiated the conversation, “How did you escape
back then?” “My father paid the ransom. After all, money was the kidnapper wanted and he decided to spare my life.” “Do you
think it’s the same this time? Are we going to be okay?” “Maybe.” Ava leaned against the wall and murmured, “I wonder how
much is your worth. Fortunately, I’m nothing otherwise your parents will not agree to pay for my safety.” “We are of the same
worth,” claimed Damien. Ava was surprised by the statement. She was curious about Damien’s expression now but nothing was
visible due to the darkness. Though the ending was unpredictable, it was not a bad choice to have Damien by her side before
dying. “Damien, remember that basketball court at our high school?” “Mmm...” Damien wondered why she brought it up
suddenly. “The truth is, I was there for Selden. He was good-looking and every girl loved to watch him play basketball back then.”
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