CHAPTER 145: CHAPTER 145: IRIS CRAWFORD OR HER—CHOOSE ONE

Hearing Dante question the driver in front, Iris Crawford also showed some defensive expressions. She sent a text message to her sister, but after a long time, there was no reply.

Something’s wrong.

Her sister, though always aloof to outsiders, was deeply affectionate to Iris as her younger sister. So Iris sent another message, thinking perhaps the notification tone was too short.

Again, only silence answered her.

As the car drove further away, Iris suspiciously dialed the phone, only to have it hung up as soon as it connected.

Iris was startled, sensing something was not right. She immediately logged into the agency’s dedicated chat channel through a special app—

[Birdie]James Chesterton, do me a favor! Track someone.

[Chestnut]I’m in the middle of a raid, hold on.

[Birdie]It’s about my sister!

Dante, sitting nearby, looked meaningfully at Iris’s anxious demeanor, "You’re interesting. What channel is this? I’ve never seen such a chat software."

"It was developed by our agency," Iris replied without lifting her head. "It’s our dedicated chat channel, unmonitored by anyone. After receiving a commission, we discuss various matters here too..."

Dante raised an eyebrow in surprise, "I couldn’t tell. You seem quite like a female agent."

The car had been driving for a while. Iris recalled the time it took to get from the airport to here and asked, "Isn’t The Royal Palace not far from the airport?"

"Yes."

Dante was puzzled by her question, "Are you eager to return?"

At this moment, the driver in front slightly shrugged his shoulders.

Iris’s eyes sharpened as she addressed the driver, "Sir, are you new, or are you taking us on a detour?"

Dante’s face changed dramatically!

Seeing the driver panic, he stammered, "Miss, I’m new, I... I don’t know the way..."

"At this time, we shouldn’t be here. You’re clearly not taking the route to the airport!"

Iris had a great memory, naturally remembering the scenery along the way, and now... it seemed the driver was taking them to a more remote place!

"I order you to stop the car now!"

Dante, being the First Prince, was always alert to such matters. He immediately sent a message to Raymond and then ordered the new driver to stop. Unexpectedly, hearing this, the driver accelerated, leaving the car with servants following them far behind!

"Damn it!"

Dante’s voice was icy, "Do you know what you’re doing? Getting caught is a dead end!"

"I’m sorry, Your Highness, I..." The driver cried out in pain, then he shouted again, "God, forgive me!"

He slammed the gas pedal to the floor and crazily zigzagged along the road, leaving the blaring Royal cars behind, driving recklessly towards the remote suburbs!

"You’re crazy!"

Iris gripped the seatbelt tightly. The driver’s attitude made her unsure, and even Dante had not anticipated this situation. Instinctively, he asked, "Did Lachlan Wyatt send you?"

"No," Iris said word by word, "He must have been coerced into becoming this driver, to take us to a deserted place!"

Exposed, the driver’s grip on the steering wheel trembled. From the back, Iris said, "If you tell us who, we can spare your life."

"My son is in their hands... Your Highness Dante, please forgive me..."

The driver wept, tears streaming down, but didn’t slow down, "Please forgive me..."

Kidnap someone’s son?

The word kidnapping flashed through Iris’s mind. Her heart raced as she watched the scenery outside flashing by, suddenly realizing, "It’s that crime syndicate from Federation M trying to act in advance!"

Someone must have tipped them off about The Kingdom of L’s affairs, prompting their early action!

Before she could speak further, the driver stomped on the brakes. Even with her seatbelt in the back, Iris almost flew out, jerking forward and then pulled back by the belt. This sudden change left both Dante and Iris pale-faced. The car stopped in front of an abandoned garage, and before they could gather themselves, they were surrounded by people in black robes outside.

Through the glass, Iris glimpsed the weapons in their hands, and her pupils contracted sharply!

"Get out! Tie them up! And this woman, tie her up with the other woman!"

Iris felt a hand reach over, holding a cloth. She didn’t have time to hold her breath before the anesthetic-filled cloth covered her mouth and nose, and soon both she and Dante lost consciousness.

******

In The Royal Palace, hearing the notification tones continuously pop up, Lachlan Wyatt lay on the bed irritably grabbing his phone, only to discover it was Birdie speaking in the group chat. Watching Iris leave, he didn’t expect to see her chatting unrestrainedly now. But a closer look made Lachlan’s face suddenly change!

Skye Lockwood?

Something happened to Skye Lockwood?

Lachlan didn’t have time to think further. He jumped up directly from the bed, turned on a computer beside him, and skillfully opened a certain software, typing in a string of code.

Twenty minutes later, Lachlan found Skye Lockwood’s address. While driving, he was somewhat dazed, until William Thorne called, "Why did you go to The Kingdom of L?"

"I was just investigating Skye Lockwood."

"Still investigating Skye Lockwood, huh." William Thorne stretched lazily on the other end, "I thought you went to The Kingdom of L to sort out Federation M’s business with Iris Crawford. After all, The Kingdom of L acts like its big brother with Federation M."

Lachlan Wyatt’s eyes darkened. He had an international driver’s license, but having not driven abroad for a long time and feeling anxious, nearly caused a traffic accident. After repeatedly reminding himself to stay calm, he steadied his mind and spoke to William Thorne, "I have something over here that I need your help with from back home, can you handle it?"

"Sure." William Thorne cheerfully hugged Anne Sawyer, "I just returned from a meal with Hector Sutton and the others, we even mentioned you. Just tell me what you need."

Lachlan Wyatt recited a string of numbers, gave a few instructions, and then hung up the phone. He stepped on the gas pedal, and the sports car shot out like an arrow!

On the distant other end, Jonas Kingsley looked at the computer before him, curling his lips in satisfaction, "Look, the choice has come again, Lachlan Wyatt, this time, who will you choose?"

The female secretary, Hannah Lennox, stood behind him, her head bowed in a respectful manner, "The messages have been conveyed to people in Federation M. They’ve acted swiftly and now should have the First Prince and Iris Crawford under control, ensuring our backstage dealings won’t be revealed."

To dare kill and silence members of The Royal, Jonas Kingsley was indeed vicious and bold!

On hearing this, Jonas Kingsley did not falter in the slightest, "Are you feeling a bit scared?"

Hannah Lennox trembled slightly, but said nothing.

"It’s alright, once someone is dead, they’re just a corpse, and a corpse cannot speak." Jonas Kingsley had always been the crime consultant behind the criminal gang in Federation M, just like assisting a mistress to break up someone else’s family. He was involved with many dark things and, ever since being noticed by Iris Crawford and others, there was a risk of exposure, and he obviously couldn’t let anyone threaten him.

"Even if that person is The First Prince of The Kingdom of L." Jonas Kingsley’s eyes gleamed sinisterly, "Dead, he’s just dust, no one can threaten me."

******

When Iris Crawford awoke, she found herself restrained with chains. The familiar chains sent a chill through her heart; the last time she was controlled like this was when Jonas Kingsley imprisoned her.

Could it be that behind Federation M, Jonas Kingsley is the mastermind as well...

The chill in Iris Crawford’s heart grew stronger. She gasped sharply, garnering the attention of a nearby thug, who, dressed in a black robe, came over and gave her a hard smack on the head, saying in English, "Behave!"

Naturally, Iris Crawford wasn’t foolish enough to confront them head-on. She bit her teeth to stabilize her emotions. Upon seeing her humiliation, the thug laughed and said, "Look over there, who is that?"

Iris Crawford turned her head to find another woman restrained with chains not far away—her sister!

Skye Lockwood was still unconscious and had not yet awakened; only Iris Crawford was conscious. With resentment, she said, "What do you want?"

"You’re too smart..." The thug pinched her chin and lifted her face, whispering insidiously into her ear, "Smart women need to be eliminated."

"So it turns out your business of kidnapping women and children is just as I suspected." Iris Crawford clenched her fists.

Having reached this point, the criminal gang saw no need to hide anything. They yanked at the chains as though to make Iris Crawford clearly understand her current predicament, "Yes, you’re so smart, chasing us all the way to Federation M and then enlisting The Kingdom of L’s Prince to hit us. Our only recourse is... to eliminate you!"

"The Prince?"

"The Prince is naturally detained in another room. You and this woman are the main attractions..." The one in the black robe laughed venomously, "Mr. J told us capturing just you wasn’t enough; we had to get your sister too..."

If they’re even targeting Skye Lockwood together, they must have conducted a certain degree of investigation on Iris Crawford!

Iris Crawford tasted blood in her mouth, "J?"

Jonas Kingsley?

It was him after all!

Everything was starting to connect... Jonas Kingsley, like a crime consultant, akin to Conan Doyle’s portrayal of late 19th-century Vesperia, if Holmes was the light cutting through Vesperia’s fog, then Moriarty was the epitome of dark crime.

The Napoleon of the criminal world, the head of dark forces, never getting his hands dirty, but providing consulting for crimes. Beyond being a mistress, he’s involved in transferring assets, murder for gain... Jonas Kingsley resembled an antisocial genius supervillain, controlling countless invisible webs to manipulate people, achieving their dirty objectives.

Once the fact of Federation M’s human trafficking syndicate was exposed, they were doomed. So before Iris Crawford could strike at the dark forces, these people made the first move!

Iris Crawford’s mind was a chaotic mix of too much information to process.

Who else could save them... what would reverse the situation...

"Thinking who’s coming to save you?" The thug laughed heartily, "Don’t worry, they won’t find this place anytime soon. Soon, I’ll have someone slowly torment you and send you all to hell!"

Just at that moment, footsteps approached from outside, with someone shouting, "Merck, I’ve found out your real identity. Ten years ago, you consulted Jonas Kingsley, who was already a pervert back then, and he gave you a way out, which was to kidnap innocent heiresses to sell for money as well as extort cash from their families!"

This booming voice was like a hammer striking the dead silence of the underground parking garage!

Footsteps approached the doorway, and Iris Crawford’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at the figure standing outside, her breath caught, "Lachlan..."

"Impossible! How did you get in!" The thug released Iris Crawford’s hair, instinctively gripping the weapon in his hand, "You came in alone? Suicidal!"

Three accomplices guarded the entrance and there was a fingerprint lock, how could he stroll in so easily?

"Oh?" Lachlan Wyatt snorted coldly, "Those useless guards weren’t even an appetizing start. This security lock is no more than a piece of string in front of me. I advise you to release them, or when The Royal Police arrive, you won’t have any choices left!"

"Choices? Hahaha, Young Master Wyatt, so deep and sincere are your emotions, it seems Mr. J was right that kidnapping these two will bring you here, indeed he was right!"

Lachlan Wyatt came alone, frowning, "These matters involve personal vendettas between me and my brother Jonas. He used you to kidnap these people, you’ve nowhere to run now!"

"Do you think I can’t escape?" The thug, naturally vicious and audacious, said, "J will be helping us, no matter how capable you think you are, Lachlan!"

"Kidnapping members of The Royal Family is a death sentence!" Lachlan Wyatt might truly be alone, but his quick location of the place had already shocked the thug enough.

"Target me alone, leave my sister out of this!" Iris Crawford’s shoulders still trembled faintly. Lachlan Wyatt coming alone was still too dangerous, "It was my initiative to investigate and track you; my sister has nothing to do with this! Don’t pull innocent people down with me!"

"Nothing to do with your sister, but it involves Lachlan Wyatt. Mr. J said he hated Lachlan the most and naturally wants to make life unlivable for him..."

The thug yanked Iris Crawford’s hair without care for the pain, causing the chains to rattle, "Lachlan, between this woman and Skye Lockwood, who you always cherished and couldn’t bear to touch, you can only take one! Hahaha, doesn’t this scene look familiar!"

The familiar choice of saving one from a kidnapping made Iris Crawford’s face turn pale suddenly!