*𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐏𝐀𝐃 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐃*
After a short-lived marriage with the cold and arrogant billionaire Ronin Logan, Carmen Price is eager for a break. Her attempt to unwind leads her to another wealthy billionaire, Simon Walsh. Little does she know...
"You're insane," Diana said over the phone as the car she was sitting in drove towards the airport.
After attending the special family gathering at Carmen's place, the woman was back on her way to Milan, where Simon was ready to get into yet another trouble, or at least that's what she thought he always did whenever a woman of his liking caught his eye.
But that was none of her business. As long as he stayed away from her daughter and her little family, she could let him get away with anything. Especially after everything he and his father had done for her. If it weren't for them, she wouldn't have been alive. And that was something to be grateful for.
Simon on the line chuckled. "Or so you say, but seriously, I'm not kidding. I finally got it."
Diana's thoughts paused for a second before she finally let the surprise pass. "Are you serious?"
"Yep!"
"You found the 1600-year-old artifact for real?"
"Yep, and it comes with dazzling rubies."
"No way," there was no way he found the crown that once belonged to a concubine who lived in the early 400s. It was impossible. That crown was one of those hidden mysteries in the history books. There was no record of how she died or how her crown disappeared. People had always searched for the mysterious crown, but there were never any leads on where it went. In no way was Diana some sort of history buff, but even she knew the story of the crown.
The car pulled up at the airport, and Diana got out of the car, grabbing her handbag on the way. "I take my words back. You're not insane. You're out of your mind."
"Even better," he said, smug and arrogant as always. "Anyway, what time is your flight? You should be here for the auction to see the precious treasure with your own eyes."
She glanced at her wristwatch, considering her schedule. Her flight was in an hour, and there were no other plans in Milan apart from that. "I'm at the airport now, but I might experience some delay."
"Fine by me, as long as you make it on time."
She rolled her eyes before disconnecting the call and slipping the phone into her handbag.
However, she barely took another step towards the airport when she found herself surrounded by three men. One was as tall as a tree, and another was fat. The third one had a strange set of glasses, and they were all dressed in black suits. She stared at them, dumbfounded. But deep, deep down she knew they were for her. Had the organization she had been running from finally caught up to her?
She swallowed, trying her best not to panic, and took a deep breath. There was no point in running or fighting. She was at the airport. If she ran, there was a high chance she might get shot right then and there. These men were trained to be cruel, and she was smart enough to buy herself enough time to think up a plan.
"What do you want?" she asked simply, her back gently pressed against the car. She stood straight, not flinching away from the sight of danger.
"You know exactly what we want, Mrs. Price," the one with the strange glasses spoke, slipping one hand into the pocket of his pants and looking around as if they were two friends meeting each other in the airport, and he was being wary of strangers.
"Do I really?" Diana wondered, quirking an eyebrow.
However, he didn't seem in the mood for a long conversation. He cut to the chase. "Our superiors want the time-altering device that you stole from us. Hand it over, and you might be free to go."
"Stole from you?" Were they kidding? She never stole anything from anyone. But unfortunately, these were not the people one could argue with. The three of them were only following the orders given to them, and that's all. They didn't know the whole story. They didn't care. "I'm sorry, gentlemen, but you're wasting your time. I don't have any devices on me. Sorry."
"We know you don't have it right now," the man with the glasses spoke again. He seemed to be doing all the talking. Perhaps he was the leader. "That's why we are here to tell you that you have 24 hours to bring it to us. Our superiors will be waiting."
Diana scoffed. "Or what? You'll kill me?"
"Not necessarily, but we can't say the same for your family."
Her eyes widened at the sound of that, and she sucked in a deep breath. She thought about Carmen, Ronin, and their little son. No. They wouldn't do that. They didn't know. "You won't dare," she gritted her teeth, wondering how long it would take to grab the gun in her purse and shoot them all. But the second she tried to, there were guns pointed at her, and the three men had their hands on their own weapons.
"We dare. And it will happen. You have 24 hours before we hunt you down and your entire family. We are leaving now, but check your phone, just in case you think we're kidding. See you soon, Diana Price."
They left, walking away as if nothing ever happened. Diana watched them until they disappeared into the crowd and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her hands trembled as she reached for her phone in her handbag and turned it on. She had received a video clip from an unknown number, and her fingers shook as she opened it.
In the clip, Carmen and Ronin were sitting on a couch, with their son clung to Carmen. There were men with big guns behind them, and the message was clear. Diana gasped in fear. No. This couldn't be happening. Not them. Not her family. They wouldn't dare touch them.
But she knew it could happen. She had no other choice. She would not let her family die because of her mistake. If they wanted the time-altering device, then so be it. She would give it to them, and beg for mercy if she had to.
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