Reclaiming Her Heart

Ralph stood before him in silence for a long while before finally speaking, "If Christopher's behavior became dangerously erratic, what would you do?"

"I'd shoot him," Raymond answered without hesitation.

"Even if that meant the real Christopher could never return? From what I understand, he once cared deeply for you," Ralph said.noveldrama

Raymond remained silent. Ralph crouched down, still holding the umbrella over them.

Ralph continued, "The current Christopher is unpredictable. He refuses to surrender the chip and has grown increasingly hostile. You can't reach him through sentiment-he's even tried to kill you. He feels nothing for the Montague family or our country. Go home, Raymond. I can't support you based on empty promises."

Still kneeling, Raymond looked up with piercing determination. "Mr. Murray, do you remember when I was fourteen? You sent me to Vistalia, saying no one had ever survived the underground fighting rings, let alone risen through their ranks. You expected me to die there. But I survived. I fought men twice my age built like mountains, battled against beasts, and lived through the highest-stake wagers. You once said I could create miracles. For all the valuable intelligence I've delivered from those fighting rings over the years, I'm begging you give me another chance, like you did when I was fourteen."

Ralph remained silent. Rain drummed steadily against the umbrella. The downpour created a misty landscape, with fog rising from the ground and reducing visibility.

Finally, Ralph sighed and patted Raymond's shoulder. "I have a way to release Christopher to you, but it carries enormous risk. Are you willing to accept the consequences?"

"Yes," Raymond answered, his gaze unwavering.

Ralph tapped his shoulder with a closed fist. "Let's discuss the details inside."

The rain continued to fall as they spoke privately. No one knew what they discussed. Two days later, the Montague Group officially announced that Raymond had transferred all his shares to the management board, with his assistant John receiving ownership rights for three years. During this period, the shares couldn't be traded, but they would secure John's position.

Just as everyone assumed major changes were coming to the Montague family, explosive news hit insider circles: Raymond Montague had defied direct orders, forcibly removed a person of interest from custody, and fled the country. He now faced criminal charges.

"Am I seeing this right? Raymond kidnapped a high-value asset and escaped?"

"Out of respect for Mr. William Montague's service to the country, authorities are only pursuing him for now. I heard Mr. Murray collapsed from shock. He never expected Raymond to pull something like this. Mr. Murray himself is being questioned by the rival faction."

"So the person taken was Christopher?"

"Unclear. Details are being suppressed. Raymond has already boarded a flight to Vistalia."

People were stunned. The man who had been aggressively acquiring companies just weeks ago had suddenly become a fugitive.

Questions abounded, but answers were scarce.

When Paul heard the news, he called Raymond immediately, though his phone was under surveillance due to their close association. Raymond didn't answer.

As Paul sat in his villa, Alex burst through the door.

Alex said, "Has he lost his mind? Sneaking away with Christopher? Christopher was under the tightest security-this could get him executed! How dare he take such a risk! Is this all for Selena?"

Paul couldn't make sense of the situation either.

He called Ralph, but someone else answered, explaining that Ralph had fallen ill from anger and was refusing all visitors.

Paul set down his phone, his expression grave.

Alex paced anxiously before him. While usually concerned with entertainment gossip rather than Silver Bay City politics, even he recognized the magnitude of this crisis. "Paul, think of something! Are we really going to let him get executed?"

"What can I possibly do?" Paul snapped, his patience wearing thin. He had accompanied Raymond to meet Ralph, witnessed him kneeling for two days, then suddenly Raymond had kidnapped Christopher and fled—all without giving Paul any information.

Now Ralph was bedridden, leaving all important matters to a rival faction.

Without Ralph's protection, if that faction captured Raymond, immediate execution was possible.

Worse still, Raymond had Christopher, who was under observation by multiple foreign powers interested in the human experiments. Raymond had effectively positioned himself against every major world power.

How could one man possibly stand against such odds?