Chapter 210: Chapter 210: Forcing Her Abroad
Under his gaze, Alice York bit her lip, her eyes turning red.
In the video, the elderly couple finally found the right camera. The old man waved, muttering something. Alice York listened closely and finally made out his words: "We’re okay, Little Girl. Don’t worry. We’ll be home in a couple of days."
In an instant, Alice York burst into uncontrollable sobs.
Not far away, Wyatt Sterling saw Alice York crying and took a step toward her. Just then, a subordinate hurried over with a tablet, whispering, "Third Master, I’ve got the dashcam footage from his car. I’ve rewatched it several times and pinpointed a general location."
Wyatt Sterling’s face was as cold as frost. He pulled his gaze away and looked at the red dot on the tablet. Drones were sweeping the area to lock onto the location.
"Pinpoint their location within two minutes."
He wouldn’t wait a second longer.
At that moment, Alice York’s already inflamed throat constricted even more painfully. Before she could say anything to the elderly couple in the video, the feed was suddenly cut.
"You—!"
She glared at Ian Bishop.
Ian Bishop said, "Time is limited. We can’t chat any longer. If anything goes wrong, this whole negotiation will be for nothing. Once you get them back, you’ll have all the time in the world to talk."
Crying was partly Alice York losing control of her emotions, but it was also a way to stall. She needed to buy Wyatt Sterling more time.
She slowly composed herself, wiped her tears, and said, "We can start negotiating now. What do you... or rather, what do *you people* want?"
Ian Bishop put his phone away, pocketing it. "It’s not about what we want *from* you, but what we need you *to do*."
Alice York was calm. "What do you need me to do?"
Ian Bishop said, "Take your grandparents and go live abroad. We’ll pay for your expenses, and we’ll arrange a job and a house for you. Once you leave, you can never return to the country."
Before coming down, Alice York had considered many possibilities, but she never imagined their goal was to make her leave the country.
’Why?’
’Am I an eyesore to someone here?’
"How can I be sure I’ll be safe abroad?" She didn’t show any resistance, instead focusing on her own safety first. "That’s a foreign country. It would be easy for you to get rid of me. If I die mysteriously overseas, no one will ever know."
Ian Bishop laughed. "I knew you’d worry about that."
’My reaction was just as he predicted.’
"There’s no way to guarantee it, because you wouldn’t believe any guarantee I gave you," Ian Bishop told Alice York bluntly. "Right now, you only have one choice: do as I say and take your grandparents abroad, or choose to save your own skin and ignore whether they end up... dead or alive."
Ian Bishop deliberately emphasized the last few words.
Alice York let out a choked laugh, her face filled with sorrow. "Is there even a choice to make? I just want my grandparents..."
"Excellent!" Ian Bishop was very satisfied. "You made the right choice. In fact, if you look at it from another perspective, we’re actually helping you, aren’t we?"
Alice York’s eyes were filled with scorn. "Threatening me to leave the country is what you call helping me?"
Ian Bishop said, "Think about it. What kind of life have you been living with the Sterlings? They treat you like a pawn, sending you here and there, not even treating you like a person. You even have to choose your job based on what Old Master Sterling wants. You’ve never been able to be yourself."
Alice York’s heart slowly sank.
Ian Bishop continued, "Once you’re abroad, you’ll have freedom and money. You can live the life you’ve always wanted. No one will be able to chain your soul anymore. Won’t that be wonderfully liberating?"
’Heh, it seems they really do know her like the back of their hand. It’s as if they’ve been hiding in the shadows, monitoring her entire life.’
’But who are they?’
’Why are they so determined to drive me out of the country...?’
"Can you tell me whose way I’m in?" Alice York wanted to understand. "Or who have I offended?"
Of course, Ian Bishop wouldn’t tell her. "You can only blame your own bad luck."
’Bad luck...’
She did have bad luck. Her father died young, her mother remarried, and she had been walking on thin ice, barely surviving with the Sterlings. She had thought that if she just stayed positive and optimistic, everything would slowly get better, but in the end, it all came down to fate.
"Go back and get ready. I’ll contact you. This move abroad is a secret. Don’t tell anyone, or else..." The threat in Ian Bishop’s voice was completely undisguised. "Your grandparents might have a little... accident, and end up bedridden for a few days."
"You dare—!"
Alice York roared, her voice hoarse.
Ian Bishop shrugged. "Just giving you a friendly reminder."
Having said all he needed to, Ian Bishop turned to leave and came face to face with Wyatt Sterling. Ian even smiled and greeted him, "Third Master Sterling, are you done with my dashcam footage? If so, remember to put it back. I still need to use it."
Ian Bishop had already thought of everything.
Since he dared to come alone, there was no way he would leave any leverage for Wyatt Sterling.
’What a joke.’
"You certainly are cautious." Wyatt Sterling was perfectly calm, showing no anger at being played.
Ian Bishop smiled. "You flatter me."
The car wasn’t Ian Bishop’s.
It was a temporary rental. The last location locked by the dashcam was the rental company, which meant he had led Wyatt Sterling on a wild goose chase.
That’s why Ian Bishop was so smug. Seeing Wyatt Sterling get played was deeply satisfying for him.
But Ian Bishop’s smugness didn’t last long. Wyatt Sterling raised his phone, and the screen showed the location of the elderly couple.
The color drained from Ian Bishop’s face. "You—"
"You what?" Wyatt Sterling brushed past Ian Bishop. "You primitive bastard. When I decide to treat you like a human, you don’t even know how to act the part. Seize him."
Ian Bishop knew his plan had failed and turned to run, but the area was swarming with Wyatt Sterling’s men. It was an inescapable net, and he was quickly captured.
A subordinate forced Ian Bishop to the ground. Ian refused to accept it. "How on earth did you find them?"
Wyatt Sterling looked down at him and bluffed, "The moment you appeared downstairs at the hospital, we started a city-wide search for every trace you left. Weren’t you tired after driving around all morning?"
"That’s impossible!" Ian Bishop refused to believe it.
The next second, Wyatt Sterling planted his foot on Ian Bishop’s shoulder, pinning him to the ground. "The moment she cried, even dying ten thousand times wouldn’t be enough for you."
As Alice York approached, she happened to hear Wyatt Sterling say those very words.
She stared blankly at his back. Even his extreme arrogance was all for her protection.
"Third Uncle." She called out as she got closer.
Wyatt Sterling removed his foot. "Send him to the police station. If someone comes to bail him out, trace them to the very end."
Ian Bishop: "..."
It was a move designed not just to capture a man, but to crush his spirit.
Turning around, Wyatt Sterling pulled Alice York in front of him. He saw that she had already dried her tears, leaving no trace that she had been crying.
"There, there. It’s all over now." He pressed her into his embrace, patting her back gently as if coaxing a child.
Alice York clutched the front of his shirt and looked up, asking, "Are my grandparents really okay?"
"They’re fine. Someone helped out and has already gotten them out. Just wait here and relax. You’ll see them soon," Wyatt Sterling said.
Alice York’s heart finally settled, but that phrase—"someone helped out"—made her ask immediately, "Who helped?"
