Chapter 285: Tormenting the Everetts!!

Chapter 285: Chapter 285: Tormenting the Everetts!!

Isabelle Sutton was startled. In the dead of night, several burly strangers were loitering outside the apartment building. Covered in tattoos and draped in gold chains, they all looked vicious—the kind of people you didn’t want to mess with.

Afraid of attracting unnecessary trouble, Isabelle didn’t stare. All she wanted was to get upstairs and back to her apartment as quickly as possible.

For some reason, the security guard on duty wasn’t at his post today.

The entire ground-floor lobby was eerily quiet.

Isabelle had barely taken two steps inside when she heard footsteps behind her. She wondered if those strangers had followed her in.

Isabelle’s scalp prickled with fear, her heart pounding in her throat. Without daring to look back, she broke into a dead run for the elevators.

But before she reached the elevators, a muscular arm seized her from behind. A moment later, a damp cloth was pressed over her mouth and nose.

Isabelle didn’t even have time to struggle before her consciousness faded and she blacked out...

...

「Veridian Gardens.」

"Is your head hurting again?"

Sienna Everett reached out and began massaging Julian Forrester’s temples. Her heart felt heavy. ’When will these chronic headaches of his finally go away?’

The medication he was on didn’t seem to be helping much.

"Don’t worry, it’s much better now," Julian Forrester said, unable to bear seeing her so anxious.

"Don’t you lie to me. Let me have a look." Sienna studied his complexion. She could tell he was still in pain and wished she could bear it for him.

She continued to massage his temples gently for a while. When she saw the color return to his face, she figured his headache must have subsided somewhat, and she finally allowed herself to relax a little.

But for some reason, a nagging sense of unease lingered.

A moment later, Sienna’s phone rang.

She picked it up and saw it was from an unknown number.

Sienna’s brow immediately furrowed.

She’d developed an almost pavlovian response to unknown numbers; the sight of one was enough to irritate her.

’If this is one of the Everetts calling to start something again, I’m never answering an unknown number again!’

Sienna answered, annoyed.

The moment she answered, a hesitant, nervous male voice came through the line. "Sienna, your friend I... Isabelle Sutton is in trouble!"

Sienna froze. ’Mason Everett?’

It was Mason’s voice.

’A call from Mason, who’s been missing all this time? What’s going on?’

"You said Isabelle is in trouble?" Sienna’s expression instantly sharpened. Better to be safe than sorry.

"Sienna, wait—don’t hang up!" It had been a long time since Mason Everett had spoken to Sienna, and he sounded nervous and scared, terrified she would reject him. "Sienna, I’m not lying to you! My disappearance... I staged it. I wasn’t really missing. I’ve been hiding in the shadows, watching the Everett family, trying to get to the bottom of a few things."

"Over the last few days, I discovered that our father..." Mason stopped himself, then quickly changed his phrasing. "I noticed something was off with Morgan Everett. He’s been in secret contact with several wanted fugitives. I knew he was up to something, but I didn’t know what. It was only today I found out... Morgan sent those fugitives to your friend Isabelle Sutton’s apartment, and they took her... Sienna, believe me, I’m not lying!"

For days, Mason had been lurking in the shadows, secretly watching the Everett family and racking his brain for a way to beg for Sienna’s forgiveness. Sometimes, when he couldn’t take it anymore and missed her too much, he’d call her from a burner number.

Even when she picked up, he never dared to speak. Like a rat hiding in a sewer, shunning the light, he would just listen to the sound of her voice for a moment, and that was enough to satisfy him.

Isabelle Sutton’s kidnapping should have had nothing to do with him. He didn’t even care about her.

But then he’d had another thought: Isabelle was Sienna’s friend. If something happened to her, Sienna would be devastated. So this time, he didn’t just listen in silence. He forced himself to speak up and tell her everything.

’But I’m the bastard brother who once tried to get her thrown in prison. She despises me... Why would she ever believe a word I say?’

He stewed in his anxiety for less than half a second before he heard Sienna’s voice, sharp with a mixture of panic and rage. "Where did they take Isabelle?!"

As Sienna asked the question, the fury in her sharp gaze blazed. She wanted to kill Morgan Everett.

’Wanted fugitives... These are violent, desperate men. If they hurt Isabelle...’

When Mason heard Sienna not only believe him but ask him for more information, his heart seized. He wasn’t sure if it was relief or excitement, but tears began to stream inexplicably down his face. ’Sienna believes me... She believes me...’

Mason wiped away the strange tears, ashamed of his own uselessness. "I... I don’t know where they took her yet. But don’t worry, Sienna. I’ll find her as fast as I can. I’ll let you know the moment I have any news!"

Sienna couldn’t afford to waste a second. She hung up and immediately dialed Isabelle’s number. It didn’t go through. Something had definitely happened.

Sienna threw on a jacket, intending to go straight to the Everett estate and demand Morgan Everett release her friend.

Julian had been beside her during the call and had naturally overheard parts of it. "Isabelle’s missing?"

"Morgan Everett had someone take her. I’m going to him to get her back now." Sienna’s expression was chilling, her entire presence radiating suppressed fury.

’Morgan Everett...’

’If he had a problem, he should have come for me. What kind of coward goes after Isabelle?!’

Julian made an instant decision. "I’m going with you."

"But what about your headache?"

"It’s fine."

Sienna considered it. This was no time for false bravado. The priority was finding Isabelle. According to Mason, her kidnappers were wanted fugitives. If Isabelle got hurt...

"Fine, you’re coming with me." Sienna flexed her fingers, forcing herself to think calmly and strategically. "We’ll go straight to the Everett estate to confront Morgan, but I’m worried he’ll play games... Can you send some people to Isabelle’s apartment to check the area? See if any security cameras caught anything, just in case they left any clues..."

’Tackling it from two sides at once would be more efficient.’

"Alright, I’m on it." As Julian made the call to issue his orders, he took Sienna’s hand. Only then did he realize that despite her calm facade, her palm was ice-cold. She was terrified for Isabelle.

Moments later, Leon Stone, the head of the Forrester family’s security team and one of Julian’s most trusted men, assembled a team of more than a dozen tall, formidable bodyguards.

These men were the elite of the elite. One group headed for the area around Isabelle’s apartment, as Julian had ordered, to look for leads from security footage.

The rest went with Sienna and Julian to the Everett estate.

A convoy of black cars sped through the night.

They hadn’t been driving for long when Sienna, sitting in the back of the lead car, frowned at Leon Stone in the driver’s seat. "Pull over."

Leon Stone paused, confused, but this was Sienna Everett. In other words, she was the boss.

Leon immediately glanced at Julian Forrester in the rearview mirror, seeking his approval.

Julian gave a slight nod.

’Just as I thought,’ Leon mused. He’d figured it out long ago: Mr. Forrester was completely whipped when it came to Miss Everett. He’d do absolutely anything his future wife said.

Leon obediently pulled the car over to the side of the road.

Sienna got out of the back, strode to the front, and pulled open the driver’s-side door. "You’re too slow. Scoot over. I’m driving!"

Leon froze for a second before it dawned on him. ’Right. This is Miss Everett... the legendary God of Racing, Zephyr.’

’No wonder she thinks I’m slow!’