Third Person's POV
"You're quite detached, unlike Nick. He's still stuck in that mess," Richard remarked, casting a sidelong glance at Nick.
Emily feigned surprise and said, "You actually have a thing for Catherine? What's so great about her? She just puts on an act of being innocent..."
"Stop talking nonsense! Just eat." Nick interrupted sharply.
Emily fell silent but smirked inwardly; it seemed Nick was serious this time.
Catherine... she couldn't help but feel envious.
Midway through the meal, Richard's phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID, he frowned.
The moment he answered, his expression turned grim, and he hurriedly excused himself to his room.
Emily tensed—she had heard a woman's voice on the other end of the line.
Nick also paused, staring after his father.
She continued to eat as if nothing had happened, but inside, she began to scheme—it seemed Richard was finally receiving the call he'd been waiting for...
The call was from Olivia.
Richard let out a sigh of relief; it appeared that Olivia had finally come to her senses and was willing to turn herself in to the police.
"Richard, I must see my daughter safe with my own eyes before I surrender!" Olivia's voice came through the receiver, resolute and desperate.
Olivia's demand instantly darkened Richard's mood. He gritted his teeth and sneered, "Olivia, where do you get the nerve to negotiate? Have you grown so callous toward your daughter's life?"
"Richard, I know you all too well. Even if I surrender, you won't let my daughter off the hook. Since the outcome is the same either way, I'd rather take a gamble," Olivia replied with uncharacteristic steadfastness.
She was well aware of Richard's true nature—if she still harbored any illusions about humanity, that would be foolish. This man had long been driven mad by his desires.
Richard hadn't anticipated Olivia's audacity to turn the tables on him. His eyes narrowed in rage, "I could release your daughter, but what's to stop you from reneging?"
"I won't. You hold all the power, and I'm in no position to resist. Moreover, my daughter's life is more precious to me than my own. If I don't surrender, she'll forever be in danger. Rest assured, I will confess," Olivia bit out.
"Where are you? I'll bring her to you now and have someone keep an eye on you," Richard conceded in the end.
Olivia breathed a quiet sigh of relief—Blake had indeed seen through Richard and correctly anticipated that he would accept the terms.
"I'm at the café across from the police station. I'll be there shortly. Bring her, and I want to witness her safe departure with my own eyes," Olivia, now calm, began to carefully plan her next move.
"Change the location!" Richard stiffened.
For her daughter's safety, Olivia relented, "The café at the second intersection. I'll be watching from the second floor. You bring her to the opposite side of the road."
"How have you suddenly become so astute? Who's advising you?" Richard sneered, suspicion creeping in.
"When you realize you're left with either death or a life in prison, you'll understand why I'm staying composed—it's you who've driven me to this," Olivia retorted with derision.
Richard snorted, "If I hadn't shown mercy back then, you would have been dead already."
"I truly regret making a deal with you! You're a devil! You promised to spare me," Olivia's voice was laced with regret and fury.
"Save the small talk. The past five years haven't been easy for me either. You wait there obediently, and don't try any tricks!" Richard hung up and immediately called Bianca, "Bring Sunny out and meet Olivia."
"Don't forget the money you promised me," Bianca seized the opportunity to remind him.
"Every last penny," Richard said impatiently before hanging up.
He pushed open the door to see Emily clearing the table and, after a moment of hesitation, announced, "I'm going out to meet a friend."
"Okay. Nick just left," Emily responded with a smile.
As soon as Richard's figure vanished into the elevator, Emily dropped the cloth, rushed back to her room, grabbed her bag, and dashed toward another elevator.
Upon descending, she spotted Richard getting into a black sedan.
Worried about not having a vehicle to follow, a black car pulled up. She quickly hailed it and, with wide, innocent eyes, pleaded with the driver, "Sir, could you give me a ride? I live upstairs and I'm going to be late for work!"
The driver, a resident of the same building, recognized the beautiful Emily and, charmed by her beseeching gaze, agreed without hesitation.
"Could you follow the car in front? That's my dad... he's secretly meeting someone behind my mom's back. Please help me!" Emily fabricated an excuse, her eyes locked onto Richard's vehicle.
"Is that so? Your dad's quite the ladies' man!" the driver gossiped with a grin, stepping on the gas to follow. "I'm heading to breakfast anyway, so I'll help you out."
On the other side, after arriving at the café, Olivia immediately contacted Leo to arrange the rescue for Sunny.
Leo and Blake quietly drove to the location. To avoid alerting Richard, they stayed in their car and kept watch.
"Blake, why isn't he here yet?" Leo asked, clenching his fists in agitation.
"Patience. He'll come, but he'll be cautious," Blake replied, his gaze fixed on the intersection, composed as ever.
"If anything happens to Sunny, I'll kill him!" Leo growled through gritted teeth.
"I know the feeling..." Blake murmured softly.
Though Richard's death would end the crisis, the thought of their parents grieving again for their son stayed Blake's hand.
As the two kept watch, a white vehicle with fake plates suddenly pulled over.
The door flung open, and Sunny was roughly shoved out before the car sped away.
Sunny collapsed onto the ground. After a night of being bound, coupled with hunger and exhaustion from crying, she was on the verge of passing out.
But the primal instinct for freedom kicked in, and she struggled to her feet.
Dazed and disoriented, she stood on the street. It wasn't long before passersby recognized her. "Is that Sunny? What happened to her?"
"Is she filming a movie? This is too realistic!"