Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace

Dexter and I followed Eason to visit Dayton at the Sacco family’s private hospital in Huma. The news of Dayton being the president of Crowdstar Group had spread like wildfire, leaving everyone in awe. Those who had once underestimated Dayton were now flattering the Sacco family.

"Look at you. You’ve always looked down on our son. He has become far more successful in starting his own business than you ever have, but he chose to keep it from you."

"Hmph! Don’t feel arrogant just because you started a business secretly and achieved success. I’m your father and will always be your father." As we approached the ward, Dexter and I were immediately met with the sound of a middle-aged man scolding Dayton. Dayton remained silent and seemed displeased.

We had heard that Dayton had a strained relationship with his parents. Due to his autistic traits, his family never truly gave him the attention he deserved. Instead, they focused all their efforts on nurturing his older brothers. As a result, Dayton’s childhood was far from perfect.

"That’s enough. Let him have a good rest. Even though you’re his father, please be kind when requesting cooperation with Crowdstar Group," Sophia Allen, Dayton’s mother, said with a smile. Her eyes were full of concern as she looked at Dayton at that moment.

"I never imagined Dayton to be the most promising among our three children. If we had provided him with proper guidance, he would’ve achieved even greater success." Sophia could barely contain her pride.

Oliver Sacco, Dayton’s father, snorted. "Hmph! Why did you keep it from the family for so long? Last month, we sought cooperation with Crowdstar Group for so long, and you actually turned it down. Why aren’t you supporting your own family? Are you planning to help outsiders?"

Oliver was clearly blaming Dayton and was still angry, but he couldn’t confront Dayton directly due to his current status.

Sophia swiftly interrupted Oliver, "Come on! What are you saying? Let’s discuss it when Dayton is discharged from the hospital and he’s back home. His injuries have not healed completely. He was kidnapped, and he’s in shock."

Oliver snorted and remained silent. Dayton kept his head down, leaning against the bed. He waited until Oliver had finished speaking before he asked, "Someone has kidnapped Xandra. Dad, could you help with that?"

Oliver was clearly upset. "A mere celebrity? Why would you want to involve yourself with someone of such low standing? This is none of your concern."

Dayton clenched his hands tightly and said nothing more.

"Excuse me. I’m a police officer here to investigate the situation." Eason knocked on the door.

Oliver noticed the approaching outsiders, and his expression turned grim as he stood up to leave with Sophia. Dexter and I exchanged a glance before following Eason into the ward.

Eason asked, "Dayton, how are you feeling? They’ve finally approved my visitation rights. It’s truly difficult to see you now."

Dayton lowered his head, his expression filled with distress.

"As the president of Crowdstar Group- the youngest, richest man in Huma and also a genius-do you still have any troubles?" Eason asked with a smile.

Dayton unconsciously glanced at Dexter and replied in a hushed tone, "Xandra has been abducted. It must be because of me."

They believed that if they controlled Xandra, they could manipulate Dayton.

"The police force has already initiated an investigation," Eason assured Dayton.

"The only people aware of my feelings toward Xandra are the ones on the cruise. Aside from that, I’ve never displayed any unusual emotions toward Xandra anywhere else," Dayton murmured. He was anxious about Xandra being mistreated because of him.

"Have the kidnappers contacted you?" I asked tentatively.

"My dad took away my phone." Dayton was slightly mad. Oliver had a strong control over Dayton.

"Don’t worry, they’ll find a way to contact you." I looked around. As the president of Crowdstar Group, I knew there were probably numerous surveillance cameras in his ward.

"We should’ve brought Ashton and Xan here. They could’ve found the cameras," I muttered. Upon hearing that, Dexter coughed awkwardly.

"Hi, is this Mr. Sacco? Someone has sent you a bouquet of flowers." A nurse entered the ward with a magnificent bouquet of flowers and placed it on Dayton’s bedside table.

Dexter reached out and picked up the card from the bouquet. Indeed, he discovered a contact number.

"If they’re unable to reach you, they’ll request that you contact them," Dexter said as he handed the card to Dayton.

Dayton felt a slight sense of unease. "Is she going to be fine?"

"If a victim is kidnapped, the longer they are in the hands of the kidnapper, the greater the danger they’ll face." Eason urged Dayton to take his phone and make the call.

"This is a public phone number. Even if we monitor and locate it, it’ll be pointless." Dexter signaled Eason not to alert the police.

"Then, what should I do now?" Dayton always subconsciously looked at Dexter when he was scared.

"Call first to find out their demands and ensure the safety of the hostage," I replied on behalf of Dexter.

Dayton agreed and promptly took Eason’s phone to dial the number. After the first attempt went unanswered, he tried again. Fortunately, the second call was answered.

"Hello," Dayton said anxiously.

I felt utterly powerless. Dayton was truly a naive man. He actually greeted the kidnappers.

"Is Xandra with you?" Dayton asked nervously, getting straight to the point. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Thirty million. Tomorrow at 5:00 pm, you must come alone and place the money in the tenth trash can on the southwest side of Leffers Street. No tricks, or else she’ll die." The man’s low voice on the phone delivered the threat before hanging up abruptly.

Dayton looked at Dexter anxiously. "What should I do? They want 30 million."

"The market value of Crowdstar Group is currently very high. As the youngest, richest man in Huma, can’t you come up with 30 million? Pay the ransom to buy some time first. We’ll set a trap there to arrest them. Eason urged Dayton to prepare for the ransom first.

Dayton was deeply concerned about Xandra. He hesitated, fearful to voice his thoughts. "What if they have accomplices and discover police involvement, leading them to kill the hostage?"

"Tomorrow, bring a large suitcase that can hold 30 million dollars. If one suitcase is not enough, use two. Take it to the trash can. You must use real money." The kidnappers wanted to verify Dayton’s financial status.

"But I..." Dayton hesitated to speak, appearing to be in a dilemma.

"It’s alright. Just make sure you have the funds ready," Dexter reassured.

Dayton finally breathed a sigh of relief before turning to me and asking, "If the police catch them, won’t they kill the hostage?"

"No, their objective is to assess your financial capabilities and use your identity as the president of Crowdstar Group to manipulate you in the future. Xandra should be safe for the time being." It seemed likely that the individual who kidnapped Xandra was affiliated with Genome Society.

Genome Society still harbored doubts about Dayton’s identity as the president of Crowdstar Group. Therefore, they wanted to double-check it.

"These cunning scoundrels," I murmured under my breath, pondering whether Xandra’s abduction had any connection to Mrs. Coleman.

"It’s truly dangerous to be the president of Crowdstar Group. No wonder he has to hide his identity," Eason muttered.

I noticed Dayton gazing at Dexter with a mixture of grievance and pity. I also cast a suspicious gaze toward Dexter. If Dexter were the president of Crowdstar, I couldn’t help but wonder whether it would be me or the two kids who would get kidnapped.