Beyond the Divorce

When Atlas heard the impatient tone on the other side of the line, he smiled calmly and said, "That's not a problem. Give me a number, and I'll send it over for you." The kidnapper abruptly hung up.

The IT specialist slammed his fist on the table in frustration, saying, "I was so close!"

Atlas, with a composed expression, said, "Don't worry! We still have a chance. Be prepared."

As expected, the phone he held tightly rang again. It was a video call, and he quickly answered. The camera showed only a white ceiling and a hanging lamp.

I glanced at the screen, and it was clear that the camera was pointing at the ceiling.

"Let me see that notebook." The disguised voice from the other end seemed impatient. "I said, the hostage is in my hands. How I deal with him depends on how you cooperate." Atlas said calmly, "Hold on. I'll show it to you."

"Hurry up! Don't play any tricks!" It seemed the kidnapper was a cunning one.

Atlas leisurely took out his phone and found a photo in the gallery. It was one of the images Arnold had sent. He aimed the camera at the notebook cover, saying, "Can you see it?"

A roar came from the other side. "I want the real thing! Are you trying to deceive me?"

"Are you kidding? Since you want it so much, I have to be cautious. Do you want to check the contents inside to verify it?" Atlas replied, not yielding an inch with a hint of mockery in his tone. Then, he glanced at the IT specialist, who was entirely focused on rapidly tracing the signal's origin.

As they were about to track it down, the video suddenly cut off.

We were disappointed again.

"It seems like he's an old hand, very skilled at anti-surveillance," The IT specialist remarked, "But judging from the signal strength, he must still be in the city."

At that moment, my phone played a video showing my dad bound and leaning sideways as if asleep.

Five minutes later, the phone rang again, and the ominous voice said, "Hand over the item, and I'll release him! Otherwise, you'll know the consequences, Atlas Pierce." He articulated each syllable of Atlas's name, indicating that he knew who Atlas was.

Furious, I shouted into the phone, "Why is my dad asleep? What have you done to him? I warn you, if you want to get what you're after, you need to make sure my dad is safe. He needs to come back without a scratch, or you won't get a thing!"

"Don't get so riled up, Ms. Chloe." The voice sounded threatening. "We were just catching up. He hasn't slept all night. You should let him rest."

Then, insidious laughter echoed through the phone.

Catching up?

I glanced at Atlas uneasily.

That meant my dad probably knew the kidnapper.

The voice continued, "Don't try to pull any tricks. It would be best for you to cooperate and bring me the item. Otherwise, I'll take him with me. He'll never return to Foswood again.

"I warned you. Bring the item to the riverside near Thenou Temple. Put it on the fourth chair."

After saying that, he hung up again. The IT specialist exclaimed, "Okay! In Wickers Mart-"NôvelDrama.Org: owner of this content.

But before he could finish his excited words, his enthusiasm suddenly waned, and he struggled to continue.

Apparently, the address was incorrect.

Wickers Mart was bustling with people. How could they hide a hostage there?

"The possible hiding spots may be within a five-minute radius of the pinned location," Atlas said decisively.

"A five-minute journey?" The IT

specialist questioned, thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up. He quickly turned to Atlas and asked, "Are you saying that it may be five minutes away from Wickers

"Yes!" Atlas replied with certainty.

The IT specialist, who seemed very clever, swiftly opened the satellite map of the small city. He rapidly found the location of Wickers Mart

and marked the surrounding area we could get to in five-minutes.

Everyone gathered to look. As I observed the map, something suddenly clicked in my mind.

I quickly opened the short video recording of my dad, played it again, then exclaimed, "Atlas, I know where they are!"