John grinned. “I, like everyone else in this room, just want to stay alive.
“If you don’t listen to my advice, and those people find us…”
John did not need to finish his sentence; everyone in the room knew what would happen to them if they were found.
One of the men leaped off the bed. “Let’s do as he said, Scarface. We’ll all split up and each find a unit to hide in. It’s all a game of luck from here on out. Even if we’re found, we can’t reveal anything about the rest of us.
“This is far better than staying here and waiting for death to come.”
“But…”
All of a sudden, one of the more timid subordinates piped up. “If we leave this old geezer behind and run away ourselves, Tyson will…”
“Let’s focus on staying alive first. We’ll figure out how to explain this to Tyson later.”
Scarface sighed and accepted John’s idea. “Let’s do as he says. You all know how to break locks, so find a unit each and hide there. When they come knocking, pretend you live here and claim the money for yourselves. Then, run for your lives.”
With that, he glanced out the window.
The cars were parked in front of their building.
“We’re running out of time. Everybody for themselves!”
Finally, he glanced at the man slumped on the ground and frowned. “As for this old geezer, we’ll just leave him behind to fend for himself.”
As soon as he spoke, he looked at John.
“Hey, come help me with this!”
His subordinates rushed forward at his command. “What is it, Scarface?”
“Tie these two together. I’ll keep an eye on them!”
The rest of the men who were about to leave all froze in their tracks. “Scarface, you can’t stay here with them! It’s too dangerous!”
If they were found, Scarface would be pegged as the kidnapper!
‘Well, they’re bound to find us anyway. At least if they find me, you’ll all have a bigger window of time to escape.”
With that, Scarface waved and commanded, “Just help me tie them up, then get out of here.”
The men exchanged nervous glances and sighed. They helped strap John and Andy together, then scurried off as fast as their legs could take them.
The only people left in the room were John, Andy, and Scarface.
John’s heart leaped into his throat when he caught sight of the gun.
He thought his plan would work, but he had become the hostage instead!
He never once imagined that Scarface would be willing to sacrifice himself for all his friends’ sake!
Whoever was searching for the old man was doing this for a reason. He mattered to them, and if anything happened, Scarface would no doubt try to leverage his position by using the old man as a hostage.
Therefore, Scarface would not hesitate to hurt John at all if things took a turn for the worst.
Despair grew in John’s heart when he thought of this.
He was just here to get some quick cash! Who would have thought he would end up in such a situation?
There was no such thing as a free lunch after all…
“Sir,”
John called out. “I never pegged you for such a loyal friend.”
Scarface glared at him. “Don’t talk to me. You’re a slippery eel. I know you’re just talking to me because you’re trying to escape. Well, let me tell you this; you won’t stand a chance.”
Since he had chosen to sacrifice himself by staying behind with the hostages, he was determined not to be fooled by this man anymore.
John’s heart sank. “Sir, I’m not trying to escape. I just wanted to make small talk, that’s all.”
Scarface sneered. “Well, if you’re feeling lonely, you can talk to that old geezer next to you. He’s been here a long time and didn’t have anyone to talk to. Perhaps you guys can be friends and accompany each other when you go to heaven!”
Scarface’s words made John’s skin crawl. He was about to say something else, but Scarface pointed the gun at him.”
Shut up, or I’ll shoot you.”
John froze and decided not to bother him anymore. Instead, he turned to the man next to him. “Hello, sir. Tell me, how rich are you?”
Andy had been held captive for so long that his voice had turned raspy from misuse. He could not utter a word and instead stared at John in puzzlement.
“You must be rich, huh?”
John snickered. “Why else would these men kidnap you in the first place? Come on, tell me. I’m just curious. I’ve never seen that much money in my life.”
Andy mustered all the strength in his body to open his mouth. “You wouldn’t be able to get your hands on my money even if I told you anyway, so why should I?”
John was displeased to hear this. “So what if I can’t get it? I just want to fantasize about it. Why can’t I? Besides…”
He glanced sneakily at Scarface.
Although Scarface was holding a gun, the clothes he wore looked cheap and poorly made.
It was clear that Scarface was probably just as broke as him and had been forced to do this for a living.
He let out a cough and winked at Andy. “Well, if you’re willing to promise us some of your money, we might actually stand a chance of getting it. I’d like to experience what it’s like to be rich before I die!”
Andy chuckled at this. “Well, you’re right. I’m getting old now, and my daughter is nowhere to be found. My money won’t go anywhere anyway, and if I give it to you, you might finally fulfill your dying wish of being a rich man. Sadly…”
Andy sighed. “You won’t have a chance. You’ll never be able to experience what it’s like to be a rich person.”
Scarface stiffened when he heard this, it was clear Andy’s words had struck a chord.
John secretly gave Andy a thumb-up, then added, “Well, if only we can get out of here, we might be able to actually spend some of your money.”
He glanced at Scarface. “Sir, have you ever been rich? Do you know what it’s like?” “Shut your hole!”
The next moment, Scarface had his gun pointed at John’s head. “Shut up, or I’ll kill you!”
John cowered and did not dare to say another word. Instead, he sighed in desolation.
Was he going to die here?
He had yet to hear Anne utter her first word. He had yet to watch his beautiful daughter grow up or see his sister get married…
He closed his eyes.
He had done everything he could to fake Anne’s death so he could sneak her out of Banyan City to somewhere where no one could find them.
He thought he could finally give her the life she wanted and protect her from danger, but he had walked right into a trap, all for the promise of 10000 dollars. He could not even begin to imagine how Robyn and Anne would react if they heard about this.
Would Anne be so stunned by the news of his death that she could finally speak again?
If that happened, perhaps his death would finally mean something after all…
All of a sudden, Scarface turned to glance coldly at Andy and said, “You still haven’t answered the question.”
Andy and John were both stunned to hear this.
A split second later, Andy replied in a voice barely above a whisper, “I have no idea either, but according to the shareholder meeting last year, I own about five million dollars in shares.”
As he said this, he turned to stare expectantly at Scarface.”
If you want, I can bring you to Sea City, claim the shares, and let you two spend it all. That way, both of us will at least die as rich people.”
“You mean the three of us.”
Scarface chuckled. “Trust me. Once I kill you, it won’t be long before I’m dead too.”
He turned to glance at John once more. “Do you have any idea how to sneak out of here?”
John paused then replied, “Well, we can pretend we’re a family. When they come knocking on our door, we can say we’re a trio of father and son, and once they leave, we’ll sneak out of here unnoticed.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.