Female Novel
Chapter 402
“Do you have proof that Holden is Claude Wyble?”
The man in black shook his head and replied hesitantly, “It is just a guess, and I don't have substantialproof. However, Lionel secretly sent a lot of his men to find out the whereabouts of Tarragon's vicepresident, Holden. That is strange enough so I'm pretty sure he is investigating Holden because of Ms.Wendy.”
Raymond slammed his palm on the table as a flash of excitement appeared on his weathered face.“Since you have a guess, do your best to confirm it.”
The man in black nodded. “How do I do that?”
Raymond sneered, “His son is with us, right? If Holden is indeed Claude, he must've discovered thathis son is here. I believe he'll do his best to save his son. We'll set a trap so he'll reveal himself.”
With that, he waved at the man in black.
The man came nearer to the table and bent down.
Raymond whispered something in his ear.
“Got it?”
“Yes. I'll make the arrangements now.”
“Mm. Go ahead.”
The following day, Juliana dragged her exhausted body to Shelbert Condominium.
When the door opened, she fell into the arms of the person who opened the door for her.
Artemis' brows furrowed. “I'm not your master.”
Huh?
A muddled Juliana looked down and promptly leaped away from him.
“Master Artemis, sorry about that.”
Huh? Why the h*ll is she calling me Master Artemis?
Bailey walked out of the bedroom to see Artemis standing at the door in a daze. Curious, she went overto him.
Upon spotting Juliana, she rolled her eyes and said, “I thought a gorgeous lady showed up. Why areyou in a daze after seeing Juliana? I...”
Before she could finish, Juliana threw herself at Bailey.
“Master...”
Bailey arched a brow. “Why? Do you feel reluctant to leave me? If you don't want to return to the
Hoffman family, you can stay. No one can take you away from me.”
She then grabbed Juliana's shoulders and tried to shove the latter away.
Nevertheless, the sight of a few red marks on Juliana's nape caused Bailey to narrow her eyesinstinctively.
Those look suggestive, huh?
Previously, Bailey wouldn't be that sure, but she was recently ravaged by Artemis relentlessly and gotused to getting hickeys from him.
The red marks on Juliana's neck were the same as hers.
Oh, Juliana...
A thought flashed across her mind. Before she could ponder upon it, Juliana said in a muffled voice,“Master, I'm leaving Hallsbay soon. I'm not sure if I get to visit you in the future, so I might not be ableto attend your wedding.”
Bailey let out a soft sigh. “It isn't as serious as you claim. When you gain power, the whole Adrune hasto listen to you. Why are you worrying about losing your freedom?”
Juliana's gaze lit up. “You're right. After I gain power, no one will stop me from going anywhere. If theymake me upset, I will just punish them severely!”
Bailey pinched her cheek. “That's it. The Hoffman family is the most mysterious and prestigious family
in Adrune. You're the descendants of King Adam and had ruled over Adrune for a few centuries.People respect you. After you ascend the throne, I might even need to rely on you.”
Juliana flung her arms around Bailey yet again. “Sure. I will protect you, Master. If you suffer in Aploth,come to Adrune. I promise you can do whatever you want in Adrune.”
Bursting into laughter, Bailey patted her back and assured her, “Don't worry. No one dares to go againstme in Aploth.”
“Of course. You're now part of the most prominent family in Aploth. Besides, you're so capable ineverything you do and your various identities. No one will dare to offend you.”
In the living room of his private mansion, Holden took a look at the parcel on the table and furrowed hisbrows.
“Who sent this?”
The security guard shook his head. “The sender is anonymous. We've used a scanner to scan thecontents, but there isn't any weapon inside. It seemed that there is a child's finger inside.”
Holden's gaze turned cold as something occurred to him. A tense silence ensued. It was as if time itselfhad come to a standstill.
A while later, he ordered, “Open it.”
“Yes.”
The security guard opened the parcel to reveal a note on the top. There was a metal box underneaththe note.
After he opened the lid of the metal box, an unmistakable metallic scent of blood overwhelmed theirsenses.
There was indeed a finger inside the box. Judging from its size, it seemed to belong to a kid around sixto seven years old.
Holden's pupils constricted as an ominous feeling rose in his heart.
He grabbed the note which read: Ms. Wendy, the three-day deadline has expired. Ms. Juliana isn't backyet, and Mr. Raymond is furious. To appease him, we have no choice but to chop off Mr. Sebastian'sfinger. From today onward, we'll chop off one of Mr. Sebastian's fingers every day if Ms. Juliana stilldoesn't show up.
Holden gripped the note.
The sender deliberately used the wrong form of address. The recipient seemed to be Wendy andJuliana, but it was meant as a reminder to him.
They wanted him to pay them a visit to get the boy back. Otherwise, the next parcel sent to him wouldcontain the boy's real finger.
It was a threat and also a test.
If he wasn't the boy's father, then he could ignore the boy's safety after receiving the parcel. However, if
he was the boy's father, there was no way he could sit back and do nothing.
“Well, well. They are trying to set a trap for me, huh? Good. They want something from me, right? Ishall fulfill their wish.”
With that said, he rose to his feet from the couch and went to the door. novelbin
“Let's go to the resort so I can meet Mr. Raymond in person.”
He had just stepped out of his mansion when his phone rang in his pocket.
Pulling it out, he realized it was from an unknown number.
After a few seconds of hesitation, he decided to answer the call.
“Who is this?”
“It's me, Lionel. Wends only said those words out of anger that day, so please don't take it to heart.Don't act impulsively, okay? Juliana has decided to return to the Hoffman family to get Sebastian back.Please don't be reckless unless you want the Hoffman family to know Sebastian is your son. If thathappens, they won't give Sebastian back to us even if we offer ten Julianas in exchange.”
Holden's face was grim as he tightened his grip on his phone until a crunching noise could be heard.
“It's too late. I just received a parcel with a kid's finger inside. It isn't Sebastian's, but I'm pretty surethey have a wicked idea in mind. Judging from the content in the note, they already knew thatSebastian is my son.”
“What?” Lionel raised his voice. “Did you do something that made them sense something was off?”
Holden snorted icily. “It wasn't me; it was you. You sent your men to search for me, and the old geezersin the Hoffman family aren't fools. They only need to ponder over it to realize my relationship withWendy and Sebastian.”
Lionel was at a loss for words. A momentary silence later, he asked in a deep voice, “What will you do?Will you send your men to save Sebastian or do nothing?”