Chapter 130 The Real Motive
After Sonya finally admitted that she’d stood by and let someone die, the live stream cut off without
warning.
It wasn’t the system that ended it. This time, the kidnapper had pulled the plug.
Chloe frowned. What was he playing at?
It didn’t feel like he truly intended to kill Sonya. Rather, it was as if his goal all along had been to force her to confess publicly that she’d once stood by and watched someone die.
Glancing down at the information on her phone, Chloe felt a sudden clarity settle over her. At last, she was almost certain of the kidnapper’s identity.
On her screen was a photo she’d taken at the event at the orphanage.
The picture showed the teenage boy who’d been hosting the event inviting Sonya onto the stage.
His build looked almost identical to the kidnapper’s in the video. It had to be him.
So, the boy was the kidnapper?
The orphanage…
the
Chloe’s mind began piecing the events together. First, there was the old news report about the fire five years ago that had suddenly played during the charity gala on the island.
Then, there was the text message the reporter received during the orphanage event, sparking a
confrontation with Sonya.
age neor
Everything seemed to trace back to the orphanage, making that boy the prime suspect.
Chloe had also investigated the co–pilot who’d died in the fire in Cloudrion five years ago. He’d lost his
wife early on and had been raising his son alone. The boy had only been eleven at the time of the
accident.
By that calculation, the boy could very well be the late co–pilot’s son.
Chloe called the police to report her findings.
As she hung up, Curtis stared at her. “Why are you helping Sonya? I thought you couldn’t stand her.”
“I don’t like Sonya. But I was a soldier once, and I know what duty means,” Chloe answered coldly.
Though she’d been discharged, she still carried herself like a soldier and lived by their code.
Curtis‘ heart stirred, and he found himself unable to look away from her.
A soldier… He’d never truly respected her past. To him, it was nothing more than military service. He’d even looked down on her, believing she had no real talent beyond enduring hardship in uniform.
Chapter 130 The Real MotivE
He’d married her because they’d met during his darkest hour, at a time when she herself had just lost both her parents.
Being with her had made his own pain feel less unbearable, and her presence had given him a strange sense of security.
So he’d proposed, vowing to treat her well, to stay loyal to her, and to honor their marriage.
But when had all of that started to change? When had he and Chloe begun to drift apart?
Was it when his startup began to take up all his time, when he first heard Sonya was coming back to the country, or when he saw her in that pilot’s uniform at the airport?
He couldn’t say for certain.
When he’d divorced Chloe, he hadn’t regretted it at all. If anything, he’d been convinced Chloe would be the one to look back with remorse. After all, he thought he had a bright future ahead, while she was just a retired soldier. What did she have compared to him?
Yet now, he couldn’t quite name the feeling that stirred inside him.
All he knew was that Chloe’s unwavering integrity had left him feeling nothing but shame.
After a staff member escorted Curtis away so he could calm down, the talk show interview resumed
despite the earlier live stream.
Still, with most people distracted, the rest of the segment was wrapped up quickly.
Once it ended, Chloe received an update from the police that they’d caught the kidnapper.
“You’ve already found him?” Chloe asked in surprise. The speed of their response was far beyond what she’d expected.
“Yes, it seems he was waiting for us to come,” the officer confirmed.
“Just as you suspected, the kidnapper is the son of the deceased co–pilot. When we arrived, he didn’t put up any resistance. And the liquid he poured on Sonya wasn’t gasoline at all. It was a kind of imitation fuel. Even if it had been ignited, it would only have produced a low–temperature flame.”
Chloe pressed her lips together. “Can I see the suspect?”
“I’m sorry, he can’t meet with anyone else right now. The only person he’s allowed to see is his lawyer, and he doesn’t have one yet,” the police officer said.
When Chloe ended the call, she turned to Brian. Before she could speak, he said, “I’ll send a lawyer to help
that boy.”
Brian had overheard most of the conversation.
“Thank you,” Chloe replied.
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Since the boy hadn’t used real gasoline and instead one that would only create a low–temperature flame, it was clear he’d never truly intended to burn Sonya alive.
All he wanted was for her to speak the truth in front of everyone, but he’d chosen a terrible way to force it
out of her.
“You don’t need to thank me,” Brian said. “I’ll help anyone you want me to help.”
As long as it was her wish, he would make it come true.
After hearing that Sonya had been rescued, Curtis rushed to the hospital.
By the time he got there, she’d already been cleaned up and dressed in a hospital gown. Aside from a few scrapes, her injuries were minor.
Once the police finished taking her statement and left, Curtis stepped into the ward.
The moment Sonya saw him, she struggled to sit up in bed. “Curtis, I still can’t believe this happened to me. That kidnapper was completely deranged. If the police hadn’t arrived when they did, I might never have seen you again!”
Curtis gazed at the woman in his arms, his expression unreadable. “How are you feeling?”
“The doctor said they’re just minor scrapes,” Sonya replied. “Even so, I’m going to sue that kidnapper. I want him locked up, and I’ll make sure he pays for this! There’s no way I’m letting him get away with it.” Her voice was sharp and ice–cold.
For a moment, Curtis felt as if Sonya were a stranger.
“You can sue him if you want, but… that kidnapper might be the son of your late colleague. He only wanted to know the truth about his father’s death. After all, you did leave his father to die, didn’t you?”
He’d caught that detail while overhearing Chloe’s call to the police.
“What?” Sonya froze. “How could you possibly know the kidnapper is my colleague’s son? And what do you mean, I leave his father to die? I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
Curtis wet his dry lips. “You really don’t know, do you? Your kidnapping was livestreamed. The audience and everyone in the studio saw you admit to the kidnapper that you’d left his father to die.”
His words left Sonya stunned.
