Forbidden Passion
Chapter 588 Phoebe, I'm Coming To Save You

Theodore picked up the call in a heartbeat, and a weird, robotic voice came through, like it was using some high-tech voice changer.

"Mr. Reynolds, I hear you've been on the hunt for Mrs. Reynolds. Sorry for the lack of a heads-up. We kinda borrowed Mrs. Reynolds and your side piece for a bit." Theodore froze, eyes narrowing with a cold glint. "What do you want?"

"Mr. Reynolds, you're sharp. No need for small talk. Five hundred million bucks each, and if you're short by even a penny, I'll start chopping fingers."

"Don't hurt them. I'll get the cash together right now," Theodore said, keeping his cool. He should've known something was off last night when he felt that gut feeling about Phoebe.

The kidnapper's smug voice continued, "Mr. Reynolds, you sure know how to look after your ladies. Now, hustle and get the money. No cops, or you'll be picking up bodies. I'll call you back." And with that, the kidnapper hung up, no hesitation.

"Hello? Hello?!" Theodore shouted into the dead line. He almost smashed the phone against the wall but stopped, remembering the kidnapper would call again.

Swallowing his rage, he dialed the company's finance department.

"This is Theodore. I need ten billion dollars, ASAP," he ordered.

The finance guy was stunned, "Mr. Reynolds, the bank has limits; we can't pull ten billion in a day. What's the emergency?"

"I said get it done, so do it! If you can't, find someone who can," Theodore snapped.

The finance guy had never seen Theodore this pissed and didn't dare argue. "Okay, I'll get on it right away."

Theodore hung up and kicked the coffee table, sending it crashing. Ollie, his cat, darted into its house, eyeing Theodore warily.

Meanwhile, in a city apartment, Phoebe slowly came to. She tried to move but realized she was tied up and hanging in the air.

A blindfold covered her eyes, and something gagged her mouth. She knew she was kidnapped. Struggling, she felt the ropes bite into her wrists.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and footsteps approached. Phoebe tensed; it was the kidnapper. Her heart sank.

The footsteps got closer, and then a whip cracked through the air, slashing her back. She gasped in pain, cold sweat breaking out.

Before she could recover, the whip struck again and again, each lash cutting deep, the pain unbearable.

Phoebe's face went pale, and she whimpered in agony. It hurt so bad. Who would save her?

The whipping continued until Phoebe passed out. The kidnapper left her there, unconscious.

Time dragged on. After the kidnapper's call, Theodore sent out search teams. But hours passed with no news.

In a fit of rage, Theodore swept everything off his desk, shouting, "Find them! Turn Kedora upside down if you have to!"

Still no news. Why was there still no news?

Lawton burst in, "Mr. Reynolds, I found out Mrs. Reynolds was last seen at the coffee shop near the office. She stayed there till eleven, then hit up the convenience store next door for almost an hour. When she left and headed towards Imperial Apartment, two guys in black knocked her out and dragged her into a car. Then they vanished."

Theodore's fists tightened, "Get to the traffic police and check the license plate. Find out where they went."

"We did. It was a car with fake plates. After leaving the city, they ditched it by the roadside. They must've switched cars to throw us off," Lawton said, looking grim.

The kidnappers were taking great pains to avoid being found, and every second wasted meant more danger for Phoebe and Vanessa.

"Damn it!" Theodore's fists were shaking, his mind racing with anxiety. But he had to keep it together. If he lost it, who would save Phoebe?

So much time had passed. Was Phoebe being tortured? Was she hurt? Scared? Was she even still alive?

Theodore couldn't stop these thoughts from flooding his mind. Just imagining what Phoebe might be going through felt like a vice squeezing his heart.

It was all his fault.

If he had figured out sooner that Phoebe was kidnapped, instead of sulking and staying away, he could've found her earlier.

It was all on him.

The thought of losing Phoebe filled Theodore with a fear he'd never known.

He never realized how much he loved her. He hadn't even told her yet. How could he lose her now?

"Mr. Reynolds, we've hit up all the banks in Kedora. We could only pull together five billion dollars today. What now?" The finance officer rushed in, looking frazzled. Withdrawing that much cash needed a heads-up. Today, they had almost drained the banks' reserves.

To get ten billion, they'd have to wait till tomorrow.

Theodore's phone rang, and he tensed up, ready to answer.

But he couldn't let the kidnappers sense his desperation, or they'd get cockier and put Phoebe in more danger.

Theodore took a deep breath and answered on the third ring, "This is Theodore."

"Mr. Reynolds, got the money?" The kidnapper cut straight to the chase.

Theodore tried to keep his voice steady. "The bank's cash flow is limited. We could only gather five billion today."

"Well then, five billion can only save one person. Mr. Reynolds, do you want to save your wife or your lover? Think it over." Lawton stood by, watching as the usually unbreakable Theodore seemed to crumble, swallowed by despair.

"I want to talk to Phoebe," Theodore said after a long pause.

Surprisingly, the kidnapper agreed. He held the phone to Phoebe and slapped her awake.

Theodore heard her groan in pain, and his heart felt like it was being ripped apart. "Phoebe, hang in there. I'm coming to save you." "Theodore, it hurts so much," Phoebe said weakly. Her head was heavy, and her back felt like it was on fire. She thought she had a fever.

Theodore took a deep breath. "Hold on. I'm coming. Just wait for me."

"Okay." Phoebe murmured, drifting in and out of consciousness. She felt her life slipping away, but there were so many things she hadn't told Theodore. She was scared that if she didn't say them now, she'd never get the chance.