Chapter 21

His body stiffened but he didn’t turn around immediately. On the other side of the rooftop, Guinevere was being pressed against the railings by another kidnapper. Half of her body was over the roof. She looked at the man in the distance with reddened eyes. “I’m scared…” She was trembling and her hair disheveled. There was even a traumatized expression on her beautiful face. The usually proud celebrity was now hugging her stomach in fear, staring at her fiance with reddened eyes. “Don’t come here. They’ll hurt you!” Stella wasn’t at all fazed by her wails, and in fact even marveled at her acting skills despite this situation. If she hadn’t woken up and overheard Guinevere’s conversation with the kidnappers, Stella might have actually been deceived by Guinevere’s acting skills too. Stella didn’t understand why. She had never actively provoked them before. It was Weston who asked for the marriage, ruthlessly brought up divorce, and then wanted her to abort the baby… Yet, Guinevere wanted her life instead! Stella only wanted to keep the only child she could ever have. Why must Guinevere force her to die? Stella was never given a choice. She was just a sacrificial item in their game of love! She said nothing and stared straight at the man, watching him turn without hesitation to walk over to Guinevere. It was as if that momentary pause she saw earlier was just a misconception. Between her and Guinevere, Weston would always only choose Guinevere. What was she hoping for…? Stella dug her nails into her palm and the sharp pain jolted her mind awake. She closed her eyes and forced down that surging pain to cry out in a hoarse voice, “Weston! She’s lying to you. These kidnappers are her people… Mmhm!” The man behind her covered her mouth firmly before she could finish. His expression looked anxious and twisted as he glared at her. “Shut up, b*tch!” Guinevere had never expected Stella to suddenly say that too, so her expression stiffened slightly. But when she saw darkness flash across Weston’s eyes, she quickly regained her senses and put on a confused look, turning to Stella. “What are you saying? I don’t even know these people…” Before she could finish, as if to prove her claims, the man behind her suddenly grabbed her by her shirt collar and rammed her against the railings. The metal scratched her skin and a bloody wound appeared. “Tss…” Guinevere couldn’t resist hissing. She seemed to be in pain but refused to shout. She only gritted her teeth and stared at Weston with teary eyes, “Weston…” The kidnapper suddenly took out a knife and held it at Guinevere’s throat. “Don’t come closer! Where is the stuff I asked for?!” With an icy glint in his eyes, Weston tossed the suitcase onto the floor, stepped on it, and kicked, sending the suitcase flying forward. After counting the amount, the kidnappers signaled to each other. Weston twisted his wrists in anger. “Let them go. Then take the money and scram!” The kidnapper behind Stella snorted a laugh. “Mr. Ford, you’re a smart man. You even brought so many people here with you. If I were to actually give you both of these women back, would my brothers and I be able to get out alive?” Having said that, his expression immediately turned savage. “On account that you’ve delivered the money here on time, you can choose to take one of these women back with you. As for the remaining one… We’ll send her back to you once we’re safe!” Stella’s body stiffened and she abruptly shouted, “Weston, don’t believe them!” She struggled with all her might, yelling, “Believe me just this once! They’re really Guinevere’s people. She won’t let me return alive, trust me…” Her tears kept falling. Stella came to realize that no matter how tough she acted, she still felt incredibly scared. ‘I’m begging you… Please don’t push me toward death…’ She sobbed. “Trust me, Weston! I’d never lie… You know that… I wouldn’t joke about something as serious as this…” The man’s eyes were dark and ominous. His emotions were like crashing waves but he could only grit his teeth and endure. “There’s not much time left, Mr. Ford. Who will you choose between these two?” “Three!” “Two!” “...” “Give me Gwen.” Weston’s patience had reached a breaking point and he couldn’t conceal the hostility on his face anymore. He clenched his fists tight and the veins on the back of his hand popped. Finally, he warned through gritted teeth, “You’d better return the other one unharmed…” Before he could finish, Stella screamed, “They won’t let me come back alive! Weston, believe me just this once. They’re after my life… and the child in my stomach…” “She’ll be fine even if you choose to take me away, I swear! If you let them take me instead, I’ll die, I’ll really die…” Her words successfully pinned Weston to the spot as a look of struggle flashed across his eyes. Stella clenched her fists and stared right at him with her heart in her throat. Thump thump… The blood in her body froze as she waited for his answer. A little further away, Guinevere wore an indescribable expression as she looked at the man with tears gleaming in her eyes. “Weston, do you believe her?” She lowered her voice to a mumbler as if she was talking to herself, sounding exasperated, “ Do you believe that I would do something so absurd?” “Guinevere, how long are you going to keep this act up?” Stella gritted her teeth and shouted angrily, interrupting her. “Just for the sake of testing a man’s sincerity, you’re willing to harm two lives! Don’t you fear retribution?” Her eyes were filled with fury and she began struggling violently. But the kidnapper tightened his grip and subdued her. He barked, “Shut up! If you don’t stay still, I’ll push you down from here!” “Mr. Ford, aren’t you going to make a decision? Time waits for no man. You’d better not be trying to buy time or they’ll both die!” Having said that, two of the kidnappers pressed the two women against the railings at the same time in an act to throw them over, forcing Weston to make a decision. Stella didn’t move. Even if the pain felt like her bones were being crushed, her gaze never shifted from the man. She stared at him with bloodshot eyes, waiting for his answer. But Weston wasn’t looking at her. Shortly after, he slowly forced out the words, “I choose Gwen.” Stella abruptly lifted her head, still staring at him. As if the atmosphere froze over, there was a dead silence that lasted a few seconds… Then, she slowly closed her eyes. She had said all that she could, and no more words could change the results. Her heart went numb with pain and she couldn’t even feel her blood flowing anymore. As if sharp claws had taken a swipe at her chest, leaving a huge bloodied hole, she felt cold and was in pain. Before she could recover from this excruciating pain, she heard Weston’s low and bitter voice say, “I choose Gwen… She’s afraid of heights.”