The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Haynes was just as exasperated with Deanna's hysterics. "Mom, why don't you head upstairs for now?" he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

Before Deanna could protest, Callie O'Brien stepped in and gently but firmly guided her mother up the stairs. "Mom, let my brother handle things here. He's got it under control," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

While Deanna's judgment might be clouded, Callie was well aware of the stakes. Stella Cameron was Keen O'Brien's biological mother and had Mr. Burton backing her up. Even if it was just for Keen's sake, the O'Brien family stood to gain plenty from this situation-assuming her mother didn't pick another fight with Stella.

Once Deanna's footsteps faded above, the living room fell into a welcome silence.

Foreman Richards turned his attention to Joshua, who had been so quiet he was almost invisible-yet there was something about him that made him impossible to ignore. "And this is...?"

Stella barely spared Joshua a glance. "Just a friend," she replied, her mind clearly elsewhere.

Foreman didn't press the matter, sensing Stella had no interest in elaborating. The group began discussing the possible motives behind Keen's abduction when suddenly, Haynes's phone rang, slicing through the tense quiet.

He glanced at the screen-an unknown number. His eyes darkened slightly as he met Stella's gaze, then answered, switching to speaker mode.

"Haynes, your son and your first love are with me." The voice on the line was distorted, mechanical. "If you want them to stay alive, don't even think about calling the police. Otherwise... I won't mind killing one of them to teach you a lesson."

Haynes's voice was low and steady. "Fine. I won't call the police."

Given the skills he and Foreman possessed, he was confident they could handle this without outside help.

"One hundred million each. Cash for the hostages, no tricks. Oh, and..." The kidnapper paused, then continued in an offhand tone, "Have your ex-wife come to make the exchange."

"Don't get any ideas. I'm not a patient man."

Haynes betrayed no emotion. "Understood."

The line went dead almost immediately.

Everyone in the room had heard the conversation.

Foreman spoke up at once. "I'll get someone to trace the call." Without waiting for

a response, he pulled out his phone and dialed.

Meanwhile, Haynes's eyes went to Stella.

She gave a quiet nod, signaling she was ready to set aside any personal grievances for now-Keen's safety came first.

Seeing her so resolute, Haynes felt a flicker of admiration. This time, the kidnappers had taken not only Keen but Rachel Pearce as well. He'd half expected Stella to seize this

ve

opportunity for leverage, just as she had before-demanding ten million for the medication that could save Rachel's life, or a million to buy out her studio.

When Stella caught his gaze, she seemed to know exactly what he was thinking.

A faint, mocking smile touched her lips.

"Haynes, if you're done daydreaming, shouldn't you be getting the money ready?"

With a brief downward glance,

Haynes turned away and began

making arrangements to gather the ransom Coming up with that much cash on short notice was no easy feat, but Haynes was no ordinary man-it wouldn't be a problem for him. noveldrama

Within about an hour, the money was all set.

Although they'd managed to locate the kidnapper's position through the phone trace, the perpetrator had already vanished by the time the call ended.

Once everything was ready, Stella asked, “Has the kidnapper sent the address yet?"

Haynes shook his head. "No. He hasn't given any details. He's probably worried we'll try something if we know too early."

Foreman nodded grimly. "He's playing it smart. Giving away the location beforehand would be a rookie mistake."

Someone like Haynes, with his resources and influence, would never be easily outmaneuvered-even without going to the police.