''My children, what will be of you? It seems like this is as far as I can go,'' thought Henry.


    "What should we do next, boss? This guy is barely alive and not much use anymore. He and that Rivera kid are totally different in terms of value! Damn this useless old man! He''s to me for helping our golden goose escape!"


    Stan shrugged off the concern. "Do you think making money is that easy? We''ll just catch the Rivera kid again. Is that so difficult? If we could catch him once, we can catch him again. Besides, he''s still apanied by that little loser. With that girl around, how could they have run so far? Start searching along the perimeter of the house. I refuse to believe we can''t find them!"


    Stan found the whole matter increasingly amusing. He thought he would receive the remaining payment early the next morning. He had not expected these three to have such energy to y a game with them in the dead of night.


    ''If only I had broken their hands and feet earlier. At least then they wouldn''t have been able to run away,'' he thought.


    "Remember, don''t show them any mercy once you''ve brought them back. Give them a good beating first so that they''ll learn not to escape even if there''s a chance!"


    "Yes, Boss!"Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Manny drove the van along the roads. He thought the same as Stan, that Lucas and udia could not have gotten far. Thus, as long as he followed the main road, he would find them sooner orter. However, with the early morning still dark, it was proving difficult to spot them.


    "Shh! Quick, hide. I hear a caring!"


    Lucas swiftly pulled udia down into the bushes. Even though the ground underneath them was damp and sticky, they dared not make a sound. They waited for the car to pass. It would be fine if it was the police, but if it was the kidnappers...


    udia''s heart was in her throat. She desperately hoped it was the policeing to rescue them. However, her heart sank when the headlights illuminated the road, and she saw that it was a van.


    udia feared that if she cried, she might make & noise, so she buried her face in the ground, regardless of how dirty it was. She used to be a girl who loved tough and was somewhat of a clean freak, but after this ordeal, she doubted she would ever have those traits again.


    Suddenly, Lucas thought of that too. It was as if his soul was looking down on the earth from deep space, while his body reminded him that it was not over yet.


    When they were sure the car had driven away, udia said tly, "My dad''s in trouble."


    "I''m...sorry."


    Biting her lip, udia continued, "What do we do? Why is this happening?"


    Lucas silently endured it all because he knew it was all his fault. However, the next moment, he hugged udia tightly and covered her mouth. His grip was so strong it hurt.


    "Shh!"


    Why were there suddenly footsteps approaching the bushes? Who else could be there besides them? Even udia''s eyes widened as she clutched onto Lucas'' shirt tightly. ''Who is it?'' they thought.


    "Hehe. There you are! I''ve got you now."


    Manny, appearing out of nowhere, had discovered them. He was standing right in front of them!


    Both Lucas and udia felt a chill


    and


    run down their spines. They had


    thought the danger had passed after


    the van drove away, but little did they know that Manny had quietly abandoned the vehicle and tracked them on foot.