?<strong>Chapter 1063:</strong>


    Just then, a cruise ship cut through the river’s calm, approaching steadily. The man snapped to attention and moved towards the riverbank, awaiting its arrival.


    Elyse’s heart thudded against her ribs. Instinctively, she knew—the cruise’s passengers were likely embroiled in the ck market.


    The cruise liner arrived at port, and two men in dark coats disembarked, both dressed identically in ck hats and tinted sses. Between them, the one trailing behind held arge travel case.


    The man who had knocked Elyse out grinned servilely, bowing and nodding to the pair as he escorted them toward a nearby vehicle.


    Inside the car, Elyse trembled, too terrified to even nce in their direction. One of the men from the ck market nodded slowly and asked, “You didn’t touch her, right? The client had very specific requests. If you didn’t follow them, there’s no payment.”


    The man who had rendered Elyse unconscious quickly replied, “Of course not! Don’t worry about it. Why would I even bother? She’s nothing special—no figure whatsoever to speak of. She’s too in for my liking. Once I get paid, I can have someone more interesting.”


    His exnation seemed to satisfy the men, who opened the car door and hauled Elyse out. Shaking with fear, Elyse remembered a time when Kaelyn had also employed underworld figures, but Elyse had kept her distance back then, so she hadn’t experienced their menace up close. Now, there was no escaping the terror of being in their grasp.


    The men handed over tworge cases to Elyse’s kidnapper. When he opened them, he found them packed with cash. Ecstatic, he leafed through the money, casting a nce at Elyse. “Who would’ve thought she’d be worth this much? What kind of wealthy person would spend all this on her?”


    “That’s not for you to know,” one of the men responded. “We only deal in cash. You’ve got yours, now we’re done here.”


    Elyse was then led back to the ship by the pair. To them, she was nothing more than cargo. With the odd instructions from their buyer, they had no intention of harming her. After chaining her up, they paid her no further attention, as though she didn’t exist.


    Huddled in a corner, Elyse wrapped her arms around her knees. For the first time, she truly understood what it felt like to have no idea what wasing next. Hours passed before exhaustion finally imed her, and she drifted into sleep.


    When she awoke, she found herself in a different location. Now, she was confined to an iron cage, surrounded by discarded items.


    The room was damp, and after sitting for a while, she began to feel the chill, hugging herself to keep warm. Time seemed to drag on, and then a tall figure in a ck windbreaker appeared before her.


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