Chapter 60

Evelyn blinked in surprise. "What happened to Mr. Goldmann?"

Laura shrugged casually. "Who knows? Maybe he lost his taste for tea."

At Vanderbilt Manor...

Laura Scott paced the lavish living room, her designer heels clicking against the marble floor. Hours had passed with no word about the test results.

Vivian lounged on the velvet couch, her face hidden behind a silk mask. "Mother, your pacing won't change anything," she drawled. "Those brats have to disappear regardless of the test outcome."

Laura froze mid-step. "What do you mean?"

"If anything happens to those little bastards," Vivian peeled off her mask with deliberate slowness, "their so-called mother will come running out of hiding."

Laura's hands trembled. "But what if someone finds out—"

"Relax," Vivian interrupted with a dismissive wave. "I'm not planning to kill them. Just... encourage their guardian to reveal herself." A cruel smile twisted her lips. "If they get hurt during their little adventure, that's on their careless parents, isn't it?"

Meanwhile...

Angela pulled up outside a quaint patisserie and turned to the children. "Stay put. I'll grab some pastries."

"Thanks, Angela!" Daisy beamed, swinging her legs excitedly.

The moment Angela disappeared inside, two burly men slid into the car. Liam reacted instantly, clamping a hand over Daisy's mouth before she could scream.

One thug brandished a knife. "One sound and this goes in your pretty little throat," he growled.

As the car screeched away, Angela burst from the bakery, pastries forgotten. "My car!" she screamed, fumbling for her phone. Only one person could help now - Adrian Boucher.

The kidnappers drove relentlessly toward the city outskirts. The children remained eerily quiet.

"Creepy kids," muttered the passenger, eyeing them suspiciously. "Not even crying."

"Shut up and drive," snapped the driver.

They arrived at a derelict steel mill, its broken windows like empty eye sockets. The men dragged the children inside.

"Ow! You're pulling my hair!" Daisy wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Shut your trap!" the thug barked.

Daisy's sobs cut off abruptly.

Inside the decaying factory, cockroaches scuttled across the filthy floor. Daisy suddenly shrieked and latched onto her captor's leg. "Bug! Big bug!"

The man crushed the insect underfoot. "Jesus, kid, it's just a roach." He shoved her toward his partner. "Tie her up already."

After securing Liam, the crew-cut thug approached Daisy. As he bound her wrists, she peered up with watery eyes. "Mister? Can you make it a bow?"

His hands jerked in surprise. "A bow? Are you kidding me?"

The two kidnappers exchanged exasperated looks as Daisy's lower lip trembled. This wasn't going as planned.