The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 145: Chapter 145

Keith had actually sent the money.
Chandler burst into laughter, never imagining someone like Keith having such a vulnerable spot. "If you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first place?"
After his laughter died down, Chandler spoke with cruel satisfaction. "But sorry to break it to you—I'm keeping both the money and your people. You can spend the rest of your life drowning in regret."
He hung up without another word.
Serena froze, completely caught off guard by Chandler's unreasonable behavior. Then again, someone who'd resort to kidnapping wasn't exactly operating on logic.
"Chandler, Keith will find us," she said, forcing herself to stay calm and steady her voice as she tried to reason with him. "If you let us go now, maybe there's still a way to work this out."
But Chandler wasn't buying it. His bloodshot eyes fixed on her as he sneered, "Yeah right. The second I let you go, he'll call the cops."
He let out a sneer. "Then I get nothing."
Chandler was a businessman after all—he wasn't stupid. Even if he couldn't get the money, he damn sure wasn't going to let Keith walk away happy. He'd already made peace with taking everyone down with him.
"As for you—" Chandler's sneer sent chills down her spine as he moved closer. His hand shot out, grabbing her by the throat and yanking her toward him. His disgusting gaze lingered on her face. "No wonder Keith's so crazy about you. You are beautiful."
His grip was iron-tight. Serena could not break free and could only struggle helplessly in his grasp. "Let me go! Keith will make you pay for this!"
"Will he? Then let him try. He would never let me off the hook anyway!" Chandler had lost it now, reaching out to tear at Serena's clothes.
This time was nothing like before. There were other people around, Chandler was stone-cold sober, and Serena had zero chance to fight back, let alone escape.
Fortunately, Serena had come prepared. She quickly pulled a small knife from her pocket and pointed it straight at Chandler. "Stay back!"
He hadn't expected Serena to have this kind of nerve. Just moments ago, she'd seemed so meek and submissive, like she'd given up fighting. It turned out she'd been planning this all along.
"You think that little toy knife is going to stop me?" Chandler's initial surprise faded completely, leaving no trace of fear on his face.
It was an ordinary small folding knife, and with her weak grip, it could scratch someone's skin.
"I'd advise you not to struggle pointlessly. Just listen to me, and maybe I'll let you live." His voice carried a subtle warning, and the malice in his eyes was almost overflowing.
But Serena turned the blade around, pressing the small folding knife against her own throat.
She said, "You're right—I can't hurt you. But what if I kill myself? Kidnapping becomes murder, and you'd spend the rest of your life in prison paying for my death, wouldn't you?"
Chandler wanted to laugh at her, sure she wouldn't have the courage. But then he saw the determination flickering in her beautiful eyes.
She really could do it.
Serena would rather die than let Chandler lay a finger on her.
Besides, Alyssa still needed saving. Serena didn't have a death wish, but she absolutely couldn't give up like this.
"Alright, I won't touch you." Chandler backed down at Serena's words. The truth was, he'd only been acting on impulse anyway.
If Serena was going to fight him tooth and nail, it would just complicate things unnecessarily. He thought, 'Better to let it go.'
Seeing his reaction, Serena knew he wasn't as ruthless as he claimed. He wasn't planning some mutual destruction scenario. Chandler just wanted to grab the money and run.
Relief washed over her. She hadn't seen Alyssa since arriving, so she spoke up immediately, "I need to see Alyssa now. If I don't see her, or if something's happened to Alyssa, I don't mind throwing my life away to make sure you pay for it."
Chandler had just thrown those exact words at her moments ago, and now they were being turned back on him. His face darkened, but he said nothing.
He looked at one of his men, who understood and fetched Alyssa from the other room.
Alyssa was still unconscious, but she appeared unharmed. Chandler probably hadn't dared do anything to her.
Seeing this, Serena couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. 'Thank God Alyssa's okay. Now that Keith's noticed something's wrong, he might track the location I left behind and find us soon.'
All she had to do now was buy time.
"Now that you've seen her, you can put the knife down, right?" Chandler hadn't expected Serena to have such nerve, and for a moment he felt a stab of jealousy.
'Why does Keith get to have a woman like this?' Seeing Keith doing well made Chandler feel worse than dead.
But it didn't matter now. The money was in hand, and once he escaped abroad, he could use it to start a new life.
Nothing here would matter then. The thought made Chandler feel pleased, and he glanced at his watch.
"Pack up. The car picking us up gets here in half an hour. We'll dump these two and leave immediately," Chandler spoke in Glonish, thinking Serena wouldn't understand. He had no idea she'd studied abroad in Glonia.
'Just thirty more minutes,' Serena thought to herself.
After thirty minutes, they would be safe, but Chandler would escape with the money and live it up.
Serena said nothing. She watched them quietly, praying Keith would arrive soon.
As if hearing her silent plea, sirens wailed outside.
"Nobody move!" Police officers burst through the door. One moment, Chandler was lost in his fantasy; the next, he was handcuffed and forced to his knees. "Don't move!"
Keith appeared from the other side, walking straight to Serena. His trembling hands gripped her arms as he checked for injuries.
"I'm fine, don't worry." The tension that had been coiled tight in Serena's chest finally released. Her eyes misted over. "How did you get here so fast?"