Hello, Ex! I Finally Found My Worth! - Chapter 97

Chapter 97: What Demands?

The morning sunlight streamed into the room, but Alex barely noticed it as he paced back and forth, his phone clutched tightly in his hand as he waited for Claire to join him.

His heart was heavy with dread, his mind racing with worst-case scenarios. Emma had been missing for over seventeen hours, and every passing second felt like a countdown to disaster.

A couple of moments later, Claire joined him, her expression a mix of anger and worry.

She had barely spoken since Alex had told her he was going to the police station and she had decided to follow him.

Alex hearing her footsteps, turned in her direction and their eyes met, the weight of the situation hanging heavily in the air, both of them consumed by fear for Emma’s safety.

Just as Alex grabbed his car keys so they could leave, his phone buzzed in his hand.

Immediately, he raised the phone to see who was calling. He froze, staring at the unknown number on the screen.

Could it be the kidnappers? Or was it someone else? It has to be the kidnappers, Alex told himself as he looked at the number.

His stomach churned as he answered the call.

“Hello?” he said, his voice taut with tension.

There was a pause, then a voice, low and menacing, came through the line. “Mr. Sterling, we have your wife. I’m sure you must’ve been searching for her since yesterday.”

Alex’s breath hitched, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of his chest.

It was really them.

“Where is she? What have you done to her? What do you want and why have you kidnapped her?” he asked excessively, his heart hammering fast against the wall of his chest.

The man on the other end chuckled darkly. “Calm down. She’s alive and well… for now. That depends on you.”

Alex gripped the phone tighter, his knuckles white. “What do you want?” he asked, glad that Emma was alive at least and there was now a way to save her.

Although he wasn’t sure what they wanted yet, he was glad it was just a case of random kidnap and not for revenge or anything.

But why then did they had to kill the guards? Alex mused still finding it a bit odd.

“We want you and your sister to withdraw your statement against Jake,” the man said smoothly. “Drop the charges and get him released. Do that, and you’ll get your wife back. Fail, and… well, let’s just say she’ll meet the same fate as those guards.”

“Did Margaret ask you to do this?” Alex asked while Claire paced back and forth, her anxiousness showing in her strides.

The kidnappers burst into laughter. “He’s asking us questions. Can you believe that?” one of them said mocking.

“You have no right to ask us questions, Mr Sterling. All you are to do is follow orders or risk burying your wife before the day runs out!” the second man yelled, irritation tinged in his voice.

Alex’s blood ran cold. His jaw tightened as a wave of helplessness washed over him. “You can’t do this,” he said, his voice shaking. “Emma has nothing to do with this.”

The kidnapper ignored his plea. “How is that any of my business? You have one hour to decide. I’ll be calling you again at exactly one hour from now. If we don’t get a positive reply from you by then, you’ll be collecting her body at exactly one hour from then. Think carefully.”

The line went dead, and Alex stared at his phone, his mind racing. His hands trembled as the reality of the situation sank in.

Was it Margaret or was it Jake? No random kidnapper would call him and ask for Jake’s release if the kidnap was not connected to Jake.

Could Jake and Margaret really go to such extent? Could Margaret do all this alone just to save her son? Jake was in prison and couldn’t do much so who else was helping Margaret?

“Who was it? The kidnappers? What are they saying and what was that about Margaret?” Claire asked, her voice sharp and filled with dread.

From Alex’s side of the conversations, she could deduce that what the kidnappers wanted was in a way connected to Margaret and Jake.

What was it? She mused, looking at Alex and waiting fir him to answer her questions.

Alex turned to her, his expression grim. “The kidnappers. They want us to drop the charges against Jake and get him released. They said if we don’t… they’ll kill her.”

Claire shot to her feet, her face a mask of fury. “What? How could a kidnapper make such demands? No, it can’t be. This is Margaret and Jake’s doing. No random kidnapper would request that instead of money. It has to be them. They are behind this!”

“Claire, calm down—” Alex began, but Claire cut him off.

“Calm down?” she snapped, her voice rising. “How can I calm down when they kidnapped Emma? How can Margaret stoop this low? Kidnapping someone just to protect her son? This is insane!”

Alex stepped closer, trying to keep his voice steady. “We need to think this through. Running off won’t help Emma. We need a plan—”

“No, Alex. I’m done sitting around and waiting for answers. I’m going to Margaret’s house. I need to see just how heartless she has become,” Claire said, her voice laced with determination.

“Claire, listen to me—”

But she was already grabbing her purse and heading for the door.

“Claire, don’t do this,” Alex called after her, his tone urgent. “You’ll only make things worse.”

Claire turned to him, her eyes blazing with anger. “Worse? How can it get any worse than this? I won’t let her get away with this, Alex. I’ll make her tell me where Emma is.”

Before Alex could stop her, Claire stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

As soon as the door slammed shut behind Claire, Alex stood frozen in place. His mind screamed at him to go after her, to stop her from doing something impulsive, but another thought rooted him to the spot.

Time was running out, and every second mattered.

He clenched his fists, torn between his sister and his wife. If I go after Claire, I lose time. If I don’t, she might do something reckless, he thought, pacing back and forth.

A deep breath steadied him. I can’t afford to waste time. Claire will handle herself—she’s always been strong. Right now, I need to focus on Emma. I need to act fast.

With resolve hardening in his chest, Alex pulled out his phone and dialed Harry.

“Alex,” Harry’s voice came through, laced with tension. “Any updates? Have they called?”

“They just called,” Alex said, his voice tight but controlled. “They gave me an hour to drop the charges against Jake. What now?” Alex asked, his mind racing.

“We need to track their location during their next call so we can go there and save Emma,” Harry said and Alex nodded.

“So, how do we do it? Should I come to you or…..”

“I’m coming to you,” Alex cut in, already grabbing his jacket. “When they call again, we’ll trace the number while I’m there then we leave with the some boys while Chris alerts the police. I can’t sit around waiting, Harry. I need to act.”

Harry didn’t hesitate before replying, “Alright, come over. We’ll set everything up.”

“Thanks,” Alex said quickly and hung up.

As he reached the door, he hesitated again, his thoughts racing. Claire’s face flashed in his mind, her anger blazing as she stormed out.

He shook his head. She’ll be fine, he reassured himself. Right now, Emma is the priority. And taking Claire with him might out her life at risk since the kidnappers sounded really dangerous.

The last thing he needed was to be worried about Emma and Claire at the same time. He might die of worry. He told himself before heading out.

On his way out, he dialed Chris’s number. The phone rang twice before Chris answered, his voice tinged with worry.

“Alex, any news?” Chris asked.

“Yes,” Alex said, wasting no time. “The kidnappers called. They gave me an hour to meet their demands.”

“What demands?” Chris asked, his tone sharpening.

“They want me to drop the charges against Jake,” Alex explained. “But listen, I can’t go to the police myself. I need you to make the report for me. I’m heading to Harry’s to try and trace their location during their next call.”

Chris paused, processing the gravity of the situation. “Alright,” he said finally. “I’ll head to the station now. Be careful, Alex. Don’t do anything reckless.”

“I won’t,” Alex assured him, though his heart was pounding with the weight of everything at stake. “Thanks, Chris.”

“Just find her, Alex,” Chris said, his voice softer now.

“I will,” Alex promised before ending the call.

As Alex climbed into his car and sped toward Harry’s, his thoughts swirled like a storm.

Hang on, Emma, he thought desperately. I’m coming for you. Just hold on.

The road ahead blurred as he focused on his next steps. Every fiber of his being screamed for action, and now, he finally had a direction.

All he could do now was hope that the clock wouldn’t run out before he found her.