Third Person's POV
"This woman's such a pushover. No wonder men fall for her," Bianca sneered, glaring at Sunny, her teeth gritted.
"Truth is, I'd love to have some fun with her myself. Pity the boss forbids touching her—we'll just have to keep our hands off," the driver said with a sly grin.
Sunny didn't wake to a gentle nudge, but to a splash of cold water straight to the face.
Jolted awake by the shock and sting of it, she opened her eyes to find herself tied to a chair with rope. Panic set in instantly.
"Help! Somebody help me! Let me out of here! Anybody—help!" she screamed, her voice trembling with fear.
"Clarissa! Clarissa, where are you?" she called out, thinking her assistant must be in danger too.
The door creaked open, and in strode a woman with short hair and heavy makeup, a sneer playing on her lips.
At first, Sunny didn't recognize her and shouted, "Who are you? Let me out of here this instant!"
"Let you out? You've got to be kidding. I went through so much trouble to get you here," Bianca rolled her eyes and scoffed.
Sunny finally placed the voice and, upon closer inspection, realized with horror that this woman was none other than Clarissa, her trusted assistant.
"You're Clarissa?" she gasped, her pupils shrinking in disbelief.
"Now you notice," Bianca said, stepping into the light to reveal the left side of her face—marred by red scar, grotesque and horrifying.
Sunny recoiled in shock. This was not the kind and helpful sister figure she knew.
"You think I'm repulsed by you?" Bianca sneered, seeing Sunny's reaction. She yanked Sunny's collar. "You, with your pretty face—do you get to look down on me because I'm ugly?"
"Why have you kidnapped me? What do you want?" Sunny's voice blazed with anger upon realizing the truth.
"Someone's paying us. You won't die yet—but as for the future..." Bianca left the threat hanging, knowing Sunny was still valuable and not to be harmed just yet.
"Who is it? Don't you know this is illegal?" Sunny shouted, a mix of fury and fear in her voice. She strained against the thick hemp rope binding her, but even her taekwondo skills were useless here.
Bianca sneered once more and turned to leave.
"Come back! Tell me who's behind this!" Sunny screamed at the top of her lungs, but the only answer was the cold slam of the door shutting.
On the night of Sunny's kidnapping, Richard made a rare appearance on a financial TV show.
Despite his prison past, he remained the former head of the Chavez family.
His sole purpose for appearing on the show was to draw Olivia's attention.
Richard knew he had no idea where Olivia was hiding. To make her reach out to him, he had to play a "guessing game"—first, let her know he was back in the States, then send signals that he was searching for her, and finally, orchestrate Sunny's kidnapping. This way, Olivia would surely connect the dots and realize it was him.
If she still cared about her daughter's safety, she would show herself.
During the talk show, after discussing the current economic landscape, the host naturally inquired about Richard's personal life.
Richard, facing the camera with a gentle smile, said, "Actually, I returned for one person. She was once very important to me."
"Oh? A lady who's captured your heart?" the host teased.
Richard shamelessly nodded. "Yes, she did. I've been back and have been eager to see her again. But our fate is too shallow; I'm lost in this sea of people and have no idea where she is. If she's watching this, I hope she'll remember the times we shared."
Blake and Leo both watched the interview and were disgusted by Richard's brazenness. He had a wife and a son, yet here he was, spouting such hypocrisy. It was a disgrace to the Chavez family.
Patricia saw it too and came to talk to Blake that night. "Your uncle mentioned a woman he's looking for. Do you know who he's talking about?" She was concerned about her younger son's marital status. If he truly had someone on his mind, maybe it was time to consider remarriage—after all, he wasn't getting any younger and needed someone to care for him.
"Granny, you can't seriously believe him. He's probably just saying whatever it takes for the cameras," Blake said indifferently.
"No, I know your uncle. He's sincere about his feelings!" The old lady shook her head, her face etched with concern.
Blake narrowed his eyes—he didn't know much about Richard's romantic history beyond his marriage to Nick's mother. The other rumors were too vague to take seriously.
"I haven't paid enough attention to him. I should look into this. If that woman..."
"Granny, even if he does have someone in mind, chances are she's already married. Would you really want to tear a family apart?" Blake cut her off, not wanting her to worry further.
"You boy! Are you just going to stand by and do nothing about your uncle's situation?" Patricia shot him a disapproving look.
Blake sneered inwardly—he was planning to do plenty about Richard's schemes, but he knew better than to argue with his grandmother. In her eyes, Richard was a lonely man who'd lost his wife; it was only natural she'd feel sorry for him.
After the show, Richard sat back and waited, confident that things would unfold as he'd planned.
At that very moment, Olivia was under house arrest in a villa. Though well-provided for, she had nothing to do but watch TV to pass the time.
As she flicked through the channels, she suddenly caught sight of Richard's interview and froze, her face drained of color.