The Return Of His Unrivaled Ex-Wife - Chapter 419: Chapter 419

"Lilia, don't be afraid. Mommy will save you."
"Mommy..."
Lilia's crying stopped abruptly. It was obvious that she had been carried away.
Joanna tried her best to calm herself down. "What do you want me to do to make you let my daughter go?"
The person on the other end of the line was silent for a few seconds before he suddenly laughed maniacally. "Jump down from the Emporium Building. I'll let your daughter go once you are dead."
When Bruce heard this, his face turned pale. He snatched the phone back. "Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
"Do you know the consequences of your actions?"
"I can give you money. What do you want? I can give you anything. As long as you let my daughter and Joanna go."
The kidnapper laughed even more maniacally. "I only want Joanna dead. Only one of them can live."
"As long as Joanna jumps down from the Emporium Building, I'll immediately let your daughter go. Otherwise, you will see your daughter's corpse! I'll give you one day to consider."
As the kidnapper spoke, he hung up.
"Wait! Wait!" Bruce called out a few times.
But the call had already ended.
Joanna calmed down, and her eyes revealed a calmness as though she had accepted her death.
As long as her daughter could return safely, she would give up her life for her.
Bruce had guessed Joanna's plan. He immediately went forward and hugged her. "Joanna, don't be stupid. Even if you die, the kidnapper might not let Lilia off!"
"In this situation, we can only call the police."
Joanna shook her head sadly. "We can't call the police. What if the kidnapper hurt Lilia?"
"Don't worry. I'll discreetly call the police. With the help of the authorities, we'll catch the kidnapper."
Joanna's expression was unfocused as she stopped Bruce. "No, we can't call the police."
"If the police cause too much commotion, the kidnappers might find out. It will surely be detrimental to Lilia. The kidnappers' motive is not for monetary gain. We must not provoke them."
"You can't jump off a building, can you?"
"For Lilia, I'm willing!"
Bruce grabbed her arm and shook it hard. "Joanna, don't be silly."
"I won't allow you to do that. Do you hear me?"
"What else can I do? Lilia is already sick, and this will terrify her..." Joanna said, her voice choked with tears. She felt as if her heart was being torn apart.
Her daughter was currently ill. Her life was extremely fragile. If she experienced further distress and abuse, there would be a possibility that she might not be able to withstand it even before the kidnappers took any action.
Bruce pondered for a few seconds and frowned. "Joanna, let me tell you the truth. The kidnapper is Ryan."
Joanna's reaction remained calm, even without Bruce saying anything. She knew deep down that the kidnapper must be Ryan.
"I know. I know it's him. No one wants me dead more than he does."
"Don't be anxious. When he calls again, confront him directly."
"Confront him? What difference would it make? He already wants me dead. Even if I confront him directly, that won't change his mind."
Bruce sighed. "Why don't you ask your father to persuade him?"
"Dad?"
"No, Dad is so sick now. He can't be agitated anymore. Besides, he can't talk now. Even if he goes to persuade Ryan, it won't help."
"Then let's go ahead and wait for him to call again. We'll discuss it with him and see if there are other conditions. In short, I can't watch you do something stupid."
Joanna did not say anything. This was the only thing she could do now.
After waiting for the entire night, the call did not come again.
Bruce and Joanna hadn't slept the entire night, their eyes red from exhaustion. For the whole night, they remained on edge, feeling as if it were doomsday.
Morning came.
Beep, beep, beep.
The phone finally rang again.
The two of them reached for the phone at the same time. "Hello!"
On the other end of the phone, the voice from the voice changer said, "It seems like you haven't made up your mind yet!"
Joanna asked bluntly, "Ryan, is that you?"
The other end of the phone suddenly fell silent.
Joanna took a deep breath and said calmly, "I know it's you. Please, don't hurt Lilia."
"If you hate me, you can come at me. Lilia is just a child. She's innocent. Please do not hurt her. No matter what, you're her biological uncle."
When Ryan heard this, he was furious. "Shut up. Are you done talking?"
"Ryan, can we talk calmly? Even if I die, many things can't be resolved."
"What do you want? Or what do you want me to do? You can tell me."
Knowing his identity had been exposed, Ryan turned off the voice changer and shouted directly into the phone, "Joanna Haynes, you're not worthy of negotiating with me. I only want you to die immediately. Only one of you can live. Either she dies, or you die. You choose!"
Joanna's eyes sank as her brain forced herself to calm down. The more critical the situation, the more she could not lose her rationality.
"Ryan, since you hate me so much. Wouldn't it satisfy you even more if you killed me personally? Wouldn't it relieve your hatred more?"
"I want to exchange my life for my daughter's."
"You told me to kill myself. What if you broke your promise after I died?"
"Return my daughter to me. I'll be your hostage. Do whatever you want with me."
When Bruce heard this, he couldn't hold it in anymore. "Joanna, are you crazy?"
On the other end of the phone, Ryan pondered over a minute.
"How is it? If I die in your hands, you will be able to relieve the hatred in your heart. If I commit suicide, how can you experience the pleasure of revenge?"
"Haha." Ryan Haynes laughed darkly.
This suggestion was risky.
However, she was right! Only by killing her personally and torturing her to extreme pain. He could then relieve the hatred in his heart.
"Your suggestion is excellent. I agree!"
"Okay, where are you now? I'll come to find you."
"But make sure my daughter is safe!"
"Wait for my call. I'll let you know."
With that, Ryan hung up the phone.
Bruce's eyes turned red as he roared angrily, "Joanna, are you crazy? I won't allow you to go."
"Bruce. As long as I can get my daughter back, I don't care."
"No, I should be the one going. I can't lose you, let alone see you die..."
"He hates me. What's the point of you going?"
"Joanna, I definitely won't let you go. Ryan is crazy. Going to him is purely courting death."
Joanna sighed sadly. "What can I do if I don't go? Lilia is in his hands. I can't just watch him kill Lilia."
When Bruce heard this, he was speechless and distraught!
At this moment, he suddenly felt the sorrow of being wealthy.
If he were just an ordinary person, his children, and family wouldn't have become targets of the kidnappers.
"Joanna, no matter what, no matter what you say, I will never let you go."
Even if he lost his daughter, he could not lose Joanna.
Although he loved his daughter very much, he loved Joanna even more.
"I only hope that God will bless Lilia and keep her safe."
In the suburbs.
It was an abandoned sewer. This place was deserted and uninhabited!
"Boohoo..."
"Stop crying. If you continue crying, I'll strangle you."
Lilia's face was covered in mud, and her dress was dirty. She sat on the ground, resembling a dirty little puppy.
One of the kidnappers said frustratedly, "Boss, just strangle her to end it all. That crying child is getting on my nerves."
"Even if she's dead, we can still use her corpse to lure her mother over."
Another kidnapper retorted, "Are you crazy? This is Bruce Everett's daughter. Let me tell you. We should demand a hefty ransom from him."
Ryan glanced at Lilia gloomily and could not suppress the anger in his heart.
"Boohoo..." Lilia was so scared that her entire body trembled as she cried.
"Let's just strangle her to death. She cried all night. Her cries are frustrating me."
Ryan took a deep puff of his cigarette. His face was filled with murderous intent.
Lilia and Joanna looked similar. She was like a chip of the old block of Joanna.
Just looking at her reminded him of Joanna.
As soon as the thought of Joanna crossed his mind, an uncontrollable surge of anger and pain overwhelmed him. His hand immediately clamped down on Lilia's neck.
Lilia could not breathe. Her face was pale, and her hands struggled weakly a few times. She squeezed out a raspy voice from her throat. "Uncle..."
When Ryan heard this, he held his breath and subconsciously stopped.
"Boss, she's just a kid. Besides, she is a gold mine. She's worth a lot more than that Princess Martha."
"We should think of a way to extort more money from Bruce Everett."
"We need money right now. Demanding a higher ransom is what matters."
"Take her aside. Her crying is messing up my mind."
"Cough cough..."
"Boss, do something!"