CHAPTER 170: CHAPTER 170: KIDNAPPED

"It’s nothing, just didn’t expect rock climbing to be so exhausting." Seraphina Sinclair takes a deep breath and lies on the rocky mountain to rest.

Her stamina is too poor; it looks like she’ll need to work out more.

Desmond Fairchild chuckles at her girlish appearance, reaching out to pinch her dust-stained cheeks: "Don’t push yourself."

Being underestimated, Seraphina shows a displeased expression and snorts, "I’m going to conquer this cliff today!"

Having known Seraphina for so long, Desmond is well aware of her personality. She’s always stubborn, and trying to convince her to give up now would likely earn him a glare.

So he can only stand behind her, being her solid backing, silently supporting her.

"I believe in you." Desmond nods to her.

"That’s more like it." Seraphina finally smiles, regroups, and sets off again.

With Desmond’s encouragement, although climbing slowly, she eventually finishes the entire climb smoothly.

Standing high up and looking down, Seraphina realizes that the scenery she sees after climbing up step by step is indeed beautiful.

However, once she relaxes, she feels her whole body go limp, and after walking just a couple of steps, she collapses on a roadside bench weakly.

She rarely shows this unguarded look in front of outsiders, appearing adorably cute.

"Desmond, I’m so thirsty." Seraphina rubs her throat, having climbed for so long, she feels like her throat is smoking.

As a twenty-four filial boyfriend, he naturally fulfills any request from his girlfriend.

Upon hearing Seraphina say she’s thirsty, Desmond immediately stands up and gently advises, "I’ll go buy water, you sit here and wait for me, don’t wander off."

"Okay." Seraphina replies weakly, she doesn’t have the energy to wander off now.

It’s unclear how much time has passed, when a cold sensation comes on her face, and Seraphina opens her eyes to find a bottle of iced soda shoved to her mouth.

She frowns, reaches out to take the bottle, and says unhappily, "Desmond, what the hell are you doing."

Who hands water like that? It’s really impolite.

Turning her head, meeting those eyes filled with hatred, she quickly backs away two steps, her expression changes drastically: "Shirley Lynch, why you?"

Looking at the soda in her hand, knowing it was handed over by Shirley Lynch, she feels utterly disgusted, and without hesitation throws it in the trash.

"What a coincidence, Seraphina. I also didn’t expect to bump into you here, we really have fate." Shirley Lynch stares at Seraphina fiercely, that undisguised disgust seems about to overflow.

Seraphina didn’t want to encounter her, unwilling to waste words on such a person, she turns and walks away.

Who knew, just as she turned around, a sharp pain suddenly comes from her waist, and within mere seconds, she falls unconscious.

Shirley Lynch sees her collapse, pulls a sedative needle from her body, looks at her with a sneer: "Seraphina, never thought this day would come for you!"

When Desmond returns from buying drinks, Seraphina is nowhere to be seen.

"Seraphina." He grits his teeth, veins bulging on the back of his hand.

Seraphina had promised not to wander off; if she were to go somewhere, she’d definitely inform him via mobile phone. No message came, indicating her departure wasn’t voluntary but forceful.

Realizing this, dark clouds immediately gather around Desmond.

Bayside City Airport.

"What? You say sis-in-law is missing?" Quentin Jennings, who had just a brief stroll in Bayside before arriving at the airport, leaps out of his leather seat upon receiving Desmond’s call.

Damn it!

He doesn’t bother considering anymore, grabs his jacket and bolts out of the airport: "I’ll mobilize some people, keep in touch."

Desmond isn’t panicking now; the more urgent things become, the calmer he is.

Earlier, there were few people around the bench they rested at, it gave others the chance. Considering the time, they wouldn’t have gone far; if leaving, they’d surely exit through the parking lot.

Giving it a thought, Desmond heads straight to the parking lot fee booth, quickly checks the vehicles that left around Seraphina’s disappearance time.

Among them, one car has a license plate clearly from Bayside City.

If that car is involved, he doesn’t know whether to call them too confident or too foolish.

If they’re fleeing, it indicates they don’t want to harm Seraphina temporarily, he still has time.

"Austin, check a license plate, Bayside AE0..." Desmond takes out his phone to notify Austin White.

Austin, being an employee of Cloudsea Group, has no choice but to obey the boss’s orders, though he doesn’t know why Desmond wants to check the car.

"I’ve just returned from work, don’t know if the boss highly values me or..."

"Your godmother has been kidnapped."

Before Austin can finish speaking, Desmond directly interrupts him.

Predictably from the other end comes Austin’s icy voice: "Desmond, if anything happens to my godmother, I’ll kill you! I..."

"Now isn’t the time for idle talk, quickly check, check all!" Desmond interrupts him again.

Austin also understands now isn’t the time for nonsense, Seraphina’s safety is paramount.

Checking a few cars is a piece of cake for him, within moments he has all the information, successfully hacks into the car system and tracks Seraphina’s location through the cameras.

"It’s the Bayside car that captured godmother, they’re heading west of Bayside." Austin says over the phone.

"Got it." Desmond hangs up, puts on his Bluetooth headset, borrows a motorcycle and rushes off, "Leave it to me, I swear to bring your godmother back safe."

Austin clenches his fists: "Better be so, else I won’t spare you!"

"You guide me." Desmond races powerfully towards that Mercedes.

While Austin handles the matter, not a trace of his usual boyish manner is seen; his composed demeanor doesn’t match an eighteen-year-old.

"They’ve slowed down, accelerate, you can catch up in five minutes."

Desmond softly responds and propels the motorcycle to maximum speed.

Minutes later, Desmond indeed sees the Mercedes ahead, they seemingly intend for him to catch up, but increase speed as he nearly closes in.

"Looks like they deliberately want us to follow." Austin sneers a few times, "Then chase them and see what game they’re playing."

Desmond says nothing, pushing the two-wheeler to a supercar-like feeling, relentlessly pursuing that Mercedes.

The other side didn’t expect Desmond’s close chase, initially just wanting to tease him, not expecting he’d genuinely catch up with a lousy motorcycle.

Seeing Desmond about to overtake them, Shirley Lynch’s anxious heart nearly jumps out: "What are you doing! Can you speed up? Don’t you see we’re about to be caught? You think Desmond is easy to deal with?! Speed up, or once he finds Seraphina, we’re all done for!"