Olivia felt her breath stutter, her fingers trembling as they clutched the phone tighter. Her entire body had gone rigid, her blood running cold in her veins.
"C-Carter..." Her voice barely came out, a whisper of disbelief and horror. "Why do you have Zivia's phone?"
Another dark chuckle. Slow. Drawn out. Mocking.
"You really aren't that smart, are you, sweetheart?" Carter murmured, his voice dripping with amusement. "She's with me."
Olivia's stomach twisted violently, nausea rising in her throat. Her heart pounded against her ribs, her entire body shaking.
No. No, no, no, no.
Before she could even say anything, her phone vibrated in her hand. A message.
A picture.
She didn't want to look.
God, she didn't want to look.
But she did.
And what she saw made her entire soul shatter.
Zivia.
Her baby.
Tied to a chair, her tiny body limp, her golden-brown curls matted with sweat and blood. Her cheek-oh God, her cheek -had a deep, fresh gash, blood oozing down her face, staining her soft, delicate skin. Her wrists and ankles were bound tightly with thick ropes, digging into her fragile skin, leaving deep red marks. Her little mouth was gagged, a piece of dirty fabric tied cruelly around her lips. Her eyes-
Oh, God. Her eyes weren't even open.
She was unconscious.
Olivia's entire world caved in.
Her breath hitched, a strangled cry escaping her lips as her free hand flew to her mouth. Her lungs refused to work.
"Jesus, Carter," she choked out, her voice breaking, shaking. "She's just a kid."
Another low, sinister laugh.
"Exactly," Carter said, voice smug, wicked. "Which is why I've shown her mercy."
Mercy.
Mercy?!
Something inside Olivia snapped.
"What the hell do you want?!" she demanded, her voice raw, furious, desperate.
Carter hummed, as if considering. "Forty-five million dollars in cash."
Olivia's breath caught. "What?"
"You heard me, sweetheart," he drawled lazily. "I want forty-five million dollars in cash. By six in the evening."
Olivia's head spun. "Carter, that's-that's impossible! I need more time. Four hours isn't enough to gather that kind of money-"
"Not my problem," Carter cut her off sharply, his voice turning ice-cold. "Forty-five million. Cash. By six. Or you never see your daughter again."
Olivia sucked in a deep breath, her heart hammering so hard it physically hurt.
Four hours.
Just four hours.
She had no choice.
She swallowed the bile in her throat, forcing her voice to stay steady, even though every inch of her was breaking apart.
Carter let out a satisfied hum. "That's my girl."
And the line went dead.
---
Olivia sat frozen for a long moment, her phone still clutched in her trembling hand, Carter's words echoing like a death sentence in her head.
