Chapter 254: Hand Over the Person, and You’ll Let Me Go?

Chapter 254: Chapter 254: Hand Over the Person, and You’ll Let Me Go?

Terrence Lloyd’s face instantly darkened, and he gritted his teeth in fury.

"Get out! Get out of my sight right now!"

Settling into her car, Jean Fanning pressed a hand to her wildly beating heart as a chill ran down her back.

The vicious, bloodthirsty look in Terrence Lloyd’s eyes moments ago left her heart pounding with fear.

She had come to the villa today to pick up her things and do a little digging, but she never expected to walk in on an argument and overhear such a shocking secret.

’Yvonne Lowell, Khemara...’

Jean Fanning’s heart lurched, and a chill shot down her spine.

She remembered with perfect clarity—the missing artist Vesper Grayson had been asking about was named Yvonne Lowell!

In just a few short years, Terrence Lloyd had gone from a nobody to a man with a net worth of nearly a billion, far exceeding the normal profit rate for an entertainment company.

’It’s clear now that he must be involved in other shady, illegal dealings!’

’He was audacious enough to get involved in gray-market industries, suspected of illegal human trafficking, and most likely has his hands dirty with unsavory transactions!’

The thought was terrifying.

At that moment, Jean Fanning was overcome with relief.

’Thank God she was already in the process of divorcing Terrence Lloyd.’

’If she had remained entangled with him and he’d decided to turn on her, the consequences would have been unimaginable!’

She suppressed the storm raging in her heart, calmed herself, and dialed Vesper Grayson’s number. She told her everything she had just overheard, word for word.

"Miss Grayson, this is all I could find out and overhear. I can’t get involved in the rest, nor do I dare to dig any deeper."

On the other end of the line, Vesper Grayson’s voice was gentle. "Thank you."

She understood Jean Fanning’s unspoken message.

Jean Fanning was afraid and wanted no part in this mess. After this call, she wouldn’t be contacting her again.

But these clues alone were a massive help, completely narrowing down the direction of Yvonne Lowell’s whereabouts.

However, a new problem immediately arose.

The powers in Khemara were deeply entrenched and convoluted. The situation was chaotic and complex, with various gray-market factions controlling different territories, making it incredibly dangerous.

Once Yvonne Lowell was sent there, she would be in an extremely precarious position, her chances of survival slim.

Vesper had no connections or channels there. Even if she found Yvonne’s exact location, she had no way to rescue her and bring her home safely.

With no other choice, Vesper Grayson had to ask Jared Hawthorne for help.

After hearing the whole story, Jared Hawthorne’s brow furrowed. "Is there a specific location she was sent to?" he asked in a low voice.

"Not yet." Vesper Grayson frowned slightly and suggested softly, "If all else fails, should we call the police? With official help, maybe we can get her back."

"It’s useless," Jared Hawthorne said, his tone certain. He analyzed the situation calmly. "A cross-border investigation requires solid evidence. They can’t open a case based on suspicion alone. If you want to bring Yvonne Lowell back safely, the most direct and effective way is to break Terrence Lloyd."

"He’s the one who sent her away. Only he can bring her back safely."

"But Terrence Lloyd will never confess willingly," Vesper Grayson said gravely.

’The moment he confesses, he’ll be admitting to a crime, and all that awaits him is prison.’

"It doesn’t matter." Jared Hawthorne’s gaze turned cool, his aura sharp and contained. "We just need to use certain methods to make him talk. Leave this to me. You don’t need to worry about it."

Vesper Grayson agreed and asked no more questions.

’If he said that, he must have his own ways and means.’

She called for Dolly Hughes and gave her quiet instructions.

"Yvonne Lowell won’t be able to attend the brand promotion event tomorrow. Immediately find a few replacement models and make sure the event runs smoothly."

The invitations for the event had already been sent out, so canceling at the last minute was impossible. The only option was to find replacements and hold it as scheduled.

"Understood. I’ll arrange it right away." Dolly Hughes accepted the order and immediately began preparations.

Night fell, and the entire city sank into a deep silence.

After a late-night social engagement, Terrence Lloyd, reeking of alcohol and stumbling unsteadily, stepped out of the elevator.

Without warning, a sharp pain struck the back of his neck!

The blow was swift and vicious. His eyes shot wide open, but before he could turn to see his attacker, his vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.

When he woke up again, a bone-chilling cold, wrapped in an endless gloom, completely enveloped him.

He was in a dim, sealed basement with faint, murky light.

He struggled slightly, only to discover that his limbs were tightly bound by heavy, cold iron chains, leaving him suspended in the air, unable to move.

The surrounding walls were covered with all sorts of torture instruments, polished to a chilling gleam. They shone sharp and bright, reflecting a cold, bloodthirsty edge in the faint light, exuding a deadly sense of oppression from every corner.

CREAK—

The heavy iron door was pushed open from the outside.

A tall man wearing a black mask walked slowly toward him, his aura frigid and his presence overwhelmingly oppressive.

Terrence Lloyd was both shocked and enraged. He struggled desperately, the chains rattling with a harsh CLANG.

"Who are you?! Do you have any idea who I am?! Let me go right now!"

The masked man ignored him, simply raising a hand to present a photograph—a headshot of Yvonne Lowell.

A low, hoarse voice, devoid of any warmth, slowly spoke.

"Tell me where she is, and I’ll let you live."

Terrence Lloyd’s heart plummeted, but he forced himself to remain calm and tried to argue his way out.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about! I don’t know the person in the photo!"

The man remained silent. He deliberately pulled on a pair of black non-slip gloves, then reached up and took a long, barbed whip from the wall.

The next instant!

The sharp whip cut through the air and struck Terrence Lloyd viciously!

With a sickening RIP, his flesh was instantly torn open. Agonizing pain engulfed his entire body, and Terrence Lloyd let out a bloodcurdling scream!

Lash after lash fell heavily upon him.

After several lashes, Terrence Lloyd’s body was a crisscross of bloody welts. The pain was unbearable, and he fainted several times.

Before he could even catch his breath, a basin of ice-cold lake water mixed with coarse salt was thrown viciously over his head!

Piercing agony shot through every inch of his body!

"AHHH—!!!"

A scream of ultimate agony echoed throughout the basement.

From the shadows, the masked man drew a gleaming, sharp deboning knife. He ran a finger lightly along the blade before slowly pressing it against Lloyd’s skin. His tone was apathetic and cruel.

"Tell me, where should I start?"

Terrence Lloyd clenched his jaw, his breathing weak and erratic.

"Who hired you? Whatever they’re paying, I’ll double it! I’ll even triple it! Just let me go... Ah!"

Before he could finish, a sharp pain exploded through him.

The sharp blade suddenly sliced across his chest, tearing the skin. A small piece of flesh was carved away, and a bone-deep pain instantly swept through his body.

"President Lloyd, think carefully before you speak again." The cold voice was laced with a bone-chilling frost. "Right now, you have only two choices: life or death."

The man leaned in slightly, his tone laced with a taunting confidence that preyed on one’s psyche.

"I hear your little mistress is pregnant. Are you willing to let the child in her belly be born without a father?"

"Knowing Roya Winters’s personality, the moment you’re dead, she’ll turn around, take the fortune you’ve spent half your life building, and run into another man’s arms."

"The empire and wealth you’ve fought and bled for will end up being a windfall for some other guy."

Terrence Lloyd’s pupils contracted. Overwhelming terror surged in his eyes as he stared at the man closing in on him, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Before he could catch his breath, the man’s voice sounded again, every word precisely striking his most hidden vulnerabilities.

"For years, you’ve been secretly colluding with fraud rings and human trafficking organizations in Khemara. You’ve been in cahoots with them for a long time. This business of yours has never been as clean as it appears to the outside world."

"All I want is the woman in the photo, and your pathetic life will be spared! Surely, President Lloyd, you wouldn’t throw everything away for a single woman, would you?"

BOOM.

Terrence Lloyd’s mind went blank as terror completely consumed him.

He thought he had covered up his filthy dealings flawlessly, yet this man knew everything!

Weighing life against death, he broke out in a cold sweat, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"If I hand her over... you’ll let me go?"

"Of course," the man answered crisply.

As if gambling on his last chance at survival, Terrence Lloyd steeled himself and gritted his teeth.

"I need to make a call."

The man reached out, loosened one of his restraints, and tossed a phone into his palm.

With trembling fingers, Terrence Lloyd quickly unlocked the screen and expertly dialed a number.

When the call connected, he suppressed his panic and asked in a low voice, "That woman I sent over a few days ago, has she been dealt with?"

A rough male voice came from the receiver. "No, she’s still locked up. This one’s tough as nails. Refuses to break. We were planning to starve her for a couple of days to wear her down."

"Bring her to the original drop-off point immediately. I’m sending someone to pick her up."

The person on the other end instantly grew wary, his tone laced with displeasure. "President Lloyd, don’t you know the rules? Once someone is sent over, there’s no taking them back!"

"Someone witnessed me taking her, and the police have already opened a case!" Terrence Lloyd’s heart pounded with anxiety, his words rushed. "If this blows up, I won’t be able to get out of it, and you’ll all be dragged down with me! Just send her back for now, and I’ll compensate you later!"

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

"Fine. We can send her back, but you have to pay one million in cash as compensation."

Terrence Lloyd spat through gritted teeth, "Fine! Deal!"

A million in cash was nothing to him, but being forced into a passive position, completely at someone else’s mercy, filled him with a gut-wrenching, humiliating anger.

After hanging up, Terrence Lloyd looked up at the man before him.

"Now, can you let me go?"