The man burst intoughter. "Oh, I''m terrified. Go ahead, call him toe and beat me up."


    Realizing his threats weren''t working, Mason red at him, ncing around for a chance to escape.


    The man left him no opportunity, shoving him into a nearby car and instructing the driver to start the engine.


    Mason noticed he wasn''t tied up, sparking a glimmer of hope. He turned to the man. "Where are you taking me?"


    He silently resolved to find a way to contact his parents and let them know his whereabouts.


    "You said it yourself—I''m a kidnapper. I''m going to sell you, of course," the man replied.


    ...


    Damon had just arrived at the subway station when his phone buzzed with a call from one of his men.


    "Mr. Sumner, we''ve found Gabriel. He''s unconscious at the apartment door, but there''s no sign of Mr. Mason," the subordinate reported.


    Damon''s expression darkened. "Wake Gabriel up and make him tell you where Buddy is."


    Ending the call, he turned to his driver. "Stop the car."


    As soon as the vehicle pulled over, Damon stepped out. "Go check the subway station to see if Buddy is there. Call me immediately, whether you find him or not."


    "Understood, Mr. Sumner," the driver replied.


    Damon gged down a taxi and headed toward Garmony Residence. On the way, he called N, updating her on Gabriel''s condition and theck of news about Mason.


    "I''m closer to Garmony Residence," N said immediately. "I''ll head there now!" "Alright," Damon replied.


    Ten minutester, N arrived at Garmony Residence.


    As she entered the living room, she froze.


    Gabriel was tied to a chair, his face bruised and swollen beyond recognition.


    Luca approached her quickly. "Ms. Kinsey, Gabriel said a mysterious man took Mr. Mason. We checked the security footage, but someone deleted the segment showing the mamentering and leaving. We''re working on recovering it now."


    N''s legs buckled, and Luca guided her to the couch.


    "Ms. Kinsey, don''t worry too much... Mr. Mason will be fine," he said gently.


    N lowered her head, covering her face with her hands as panic wed at her chest.


    She had thought the worst-case


    scenario would be staying with


    Mason no matter what. But n


    Mason was gone, taken by someone she didn''t even know.


    Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Luca. "Do you have any suspects?"


    "None so far. The man seems to


    have vanished into thin air. Even the surrounding surveince didn''t catch him," Luca answered.


    e tent


    N''s heart sank. "Keep looking. If we recover the missing footage, we should be


    able to figure out who took Buddy."


    Her voice broke as she spoke, tears streaming down her face.


    "Ms. Kinsey, don''t lose hope. Your son wille back safely," Luca reassured her.


    N didn''t respond, silently wiping her tears as despair settled over her.


    Luca watched helplessly, unsure how tofort her.


    By the time Damon arrived, more than an hour had passed.