<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Cedric walked over to Kaiden and said proudly, “Mr. Harper, Aurora and her driver have been knocked out by our people. Jeremiah will soon learn that his mother has been kidnapped. We’ve taken Aurora to Heaven’s Bliss Resort, which is 6 to 56 miles away from Betrico. By the time he finds her, there won’t be enough time for him to return to thepetition. By then, your victory is assured.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">couldn’t afford to let his guard down even for a Kaiden pressed his lips together, his face serious and his eyes reddening. He couldn’t afford to let his guard down even for a moment. Kaiden instructed Cedric. “Remember, no one should be harmed, understood?”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Cedric nodded. “Understood, Mr. Harper. Rest assured, our people know wh on this matter. Aurora will not be harmed. Just focus on the match.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">At 3:30 PM, Jase and Kyle entered thepetition venue surrounded b a they’re doing. I’ve repeatedly instructed them</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Jeremiah had also changed into hispetition attire and entered the venue?</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Next to him was Jacob, who had returned from the rainforest after making a bet with Yvette. After being provoked by Yvette in the rainforest, Jacob had worked hard and was now Jeremiah’s personal bodyguard.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Media from various countries focused their cameras on Jeremiah as he walked in. Due to his special status, his mask was custom–made. With the mask on, Jeremiah only revealed his bright, deep blue eyes, hiding the rest of his facial features. This was a specific request from Jeremiah himself.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Kaiden sat on a bench, watching Jeremiah walk in with his boots clicking. He lowered his eyes, his fingers tightening. Will everything go as smoothly as I imagined today? What choice will Jeremiah make?‘ He usually wouldn’t take such uncertain actions, but this time he had no other option. ‘But I have no way back now. If I don’t want to be a pawn, I have to take the risk. I just hope everything goes smoothly.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">In thepetition hall, Andrew and Charles sat in the front row of the audience. Yvette and Samantha hadn’te; they were still in Sknd. Only the two of them had arrived.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Andrew saw Jeremiah approaching and stood up in the audience, starting to chant, “Jeremiah, Jeremiah, you’re the strongest Jeremiah, Jeremiah, you’re the best!” His enthusiastic cheering sessfully drew everyone’s attention to him, and the media’s cameras all focused on Andrew.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Charles, seeing this, moved aside and covered his face with a newspaper. ‘I can’t afford to mess this up.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Tim heard Andrew’s voice and turned around, his expression changing. ‘Who the hell raised this idiot? Why is Samantha so smart and capable, while this brat pisses me off to no end?‘</font></font>
An official who knew Andrew and was sitting next to Tim smiled and said to Tim, “Mr. Mitchell, look at this. Truly, like father, like son. Mr. Mitchell’s cheering looks really impressive.”
Another minister from the judicial department nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Everyone in Betrico envies the rtionship between Mr. Mitchell and Jeremiah. They’ve been close since childhood. Look at this setting–Mr. Mitchell has to be here
Tim had some dealings with these two people in the past; they were all in the samepound and knew that these two had no other intentions. Otherwise, he would have kicked them for saying such foolish things like “like father, like son.” Forget that like father, like son crap. This is so embarrassing!‘
Clifford had just finished handling something and arrived at thepetition venue. He took out his phone, staring at the screen with a serious expression. He suddenly had a bad feeling
‘I can’t reach either Aurora or the driver, Max. If one phone has an issue, both can’t be down at the same time. There’s definitely something fishy here. Besides, Max’s phone is an internal line; it shouldn’t have issues like unpaid bills. I’ve called almost fifteen times and still can’t reach either of them. Something must have happened! Thinking this, Clifford couldn’t stay seated. He stood up to leave but received a photo and text from an unknown number.
[They want Aurora to stay alive and Jeremiah toe personally. The location will be notified ten minutester. Don’t make any noise, or face the consequences.]
After reading this, Clifford’s face changed dramatically, his demeanor shifting. I knew it. Aurora is in trouble! Clifford was extremely anxious, but he immediately realized that the true purpose of this message was to prevent Jeremiah from attending today’s fencing match. Who kidnapped Aurora? No need to guess–it was Ybau.
Clifford tightly held his phone, his gaze coldly fixed on Kyle and the visiting Ybau delegation. ‘Using such underhanded tactics for a fair match!‘ Although he knew Aurora wasn’t in life–threatening danger, Clifford couldn’t risk her life. ‘If Jeremiah really doesn’te to save her, and the Ybau kidnappers be truly ruthless…
Clifford stared at the thirty–minute countdown on the big screen, feeling dazed and stuck in ce. At this moment, he was more conflicted than ever, unable to make a choice. ‘I know if Jeremiah is told about this, he will choose Aurora over the match. But without him, where can we find someone to rece him at thest minute: If we randomly pick someone, not only will we lose, but we might lose terribly. Clusia can’t afford to lose face either!Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.
Clifford walked over to Jase and whispered, “Dad, Aurora has been kidnapped. The kidnappers are demanding that Jeremiahes personally, or else…”
Jase’s grip on his cane suddenly tightened, and his expression darkened instantly, his aura turning cold. The people sitting nearby noticed this change, and the quiet conversation came to an abrupt halt. They didn’t dare say anything more. Jase’s sudden shift in demeanor,bined with Clifford’s serious face, clearly indicated that something was wrong.
Kyle turned to him, concern etched on his face. “Jase, what’s going on? Is something wrong?”
Jase didn’t even turn his head, replying curtly, “It’s a family matter; you don’t need to worry about it.”
Kyle knew exactly what was happening, but he pretended to be oblivious and nodded, then turned back to watch the game, focusing intently on it.
After a moment, Jase spoke, his voice as cold as ice. “Go tell Jeremiah to make his own decision. Whatever he decides, we, the Chavez family, will support him. No matter how big the problem is, I’ll handle it, got it?”
Clifford nodded. “Understood, Dad.” Even though he was burning with anxiety, he maintained a calm exterior. ‘Now is not the time to let the Ybaun people see us panicking. We must show them that the honorable Clusia cannot be defeated by cunning tricks.‘
Clifford walked down the stairs and approached Jeremiah. He waved his hand at Jeremiah and handed him his phone. “Jeremiah, your mom is in trouble. They want you to go in person.”
Jeremiah’s brow furrowed, and his eyes instantly turned frosty. He nced expressionlessly at Kaiden sitting across from him and said coldly, “I’ll go.”