Entangled with My Cousin's Fiancé
Chapter 344: Is Your Husband Very Rich?

Chapter 344: Chapter 344: Is Your Husband Very Rich?

Yolanda Greenwood took one look at the situation and had no choice but to give up, planning to check another house.

"It’s alright, ma’am. We were just passing by and hoped to find a place to stay for the night. But since you’re home alone, we’ll just check elsewhere," she said.

When the elderly woman heard this, she immediately thought Yolanda was a good girl, and she spoke again, "Wait a moment. There are others at home, just wait here."

She trembled as she walked back inside.

Yolanda waited at the gate for a little while until a middle-aged man came out, seemingly the elderly woman’s son.

The man looked at Yolanda—a single woman—and wasn’t particularly afraid. He approached the large iron gate and asked through it, "What’s the matter? Are you looking to stay? Is it just you?"

"Brother, I’m not alone. There’s another woman and a small baby with me," Yolanda answered truthfully.

The man was visibly cautious. "How did you end up here in the middle of nowhere?"

"Brother, it’s like this," Yolanda glanced behind her to make sure Melissa Greenwood hadn’t followed, then lowered her voice and said, "The child and I were taken hostage by another woman. She’s trying to escape, so..."

The man looked utterly astonished.

"It’s true, brother, I’m not lying to you," Yolanda pleaded, "Brother, could you help my child and me? My baby is only a few months old—please, I’m begging you."

"No way. If you’re being held hostage, how do I know if that woman has a gun or a knife?" the man quickly decided. "I have elderly and children at home too. I can’t help you. Try another house."

He turned to leave after speaking.

"Brother, wait!" Yolanda begged again. "If you won’t let us stay, could you at least lend me your phone? I need to make a call."

Her phone had been thrown away by Melissa earlier, back in the car.

The man hesitated visibly.

"Brother, just open the gate and let me stand here to make the call," Yolanda pleaded with a face full of desperation. "Please, I’m begging you."

At that moment, the elderly woman came over and quietly said to the man, "Help her. This girl doesn’t look like bad news."

"Alright," the man grudgingly agreed. He shooed away the dogs and opened the gate.

After sizing Yolanda up, he could tell she wasn’t from a poor household, which made him a bit more at ease. He handed her his phone. "Go ahead."

"Thank you, brother." Yolanda took the phone but suddenly realized she didn’t remember Noah’s number, only Cooper’s. Should she call Cooper instead?

"What’s wrong?" The man noticed she wasn’t dialing and grew wary again. "Are you calling or not?"

"I’ll call—right now!" Yolanda had no choice but to call Cooper and ask him to relay a message to Noah.

At that moment, Noah’s car turned onto the village road. He didn’t dare use the headlights; instead, he had Cooper shine his phone light out front, using its dim glow to drive cautiously. Otherwise, the village road would be too dangerous.

Suddenly, Cooper’s phone rang, startling both of them.

Seeing the unfamiliar number, Cooper instinctively declined the call.

When Yolanda realized her call was rejected, she was so furious she wanted to curse.

"What’s the deal?" The man across from her grew impatient.

"Sorry, sorry. It was an unfamiliar number, and he didn’t answer. Let me try again, please," Yolanda apologized. When the man nodded, she immediately redialed, silently praying: Pick up, Cooper, pick up!

The phone rang again. Cooper’s expression turned sour.

"Answer it," Noah urged, familiar with situations like this. He suspected it might be Yolanda calling. "Hurry and answer!"

Cooper quickly answered the call. "Hello?"

"Cooper, it’s me, Yolanda Greenwood!" Yolanda finally exhaled in relief. "Melissa and I are at a village trying to find somewhere to stay for the night. Can you help me pass a message to..."

The phone was abruptly snatched away by Noah. "Yolanda, it’s Noah Coldson. I’m here with Cooper. Our car is trailing yours—are you stopped in the village?"

"Yes. Melissa and An-An are still in the car; she made me go out to find a place to stay."

Realizing the gravity, Noah quickly parked the car. It was a blessing the village road was tough to navigate, and since the headlights weren’t on, they’d driven very slowly. They were still some distance away, hopefully unnoticed by Melissa.

"Have you found a place yet?" Noah asked urgently.

Yolanda glanced at the man next to her. "Not yet. I told them the truth, and they’re too scared to let us stay."

"Give the phone to the person next to you," Noah instructed.

"Huh?" Yolanda hesitated but handed the phone over to the man beside her. "Brother, the person on the line is a police officer. Don’t worry and take the call—he might need to ask you something."

The man frowned but reluctantly accepted the call. "Hello?"

When Noah heard a man’s voice, he immediately felt encouraged. "Sir, hello. We’re in the middle of dealing with a hostage crisis. If you can assist us, there will be a generous reward afterward."

Cooper chimed from the side, raising his voice so the man could hear, "Tell him—I’ll personally give him five million if he helps rescue them."

Noah shot Cooper a glare, signaling him to stop talking. The man on the other end remained silent, clearly grappling with what he’d just heard. He’d obviously heard Cooper’s offer and was tempted.

"Rest assured, the suspect is just a woman. She likely only has a fruit knife. There’s no real danger to you," Noah quickly added, sensing there was hope.

"But I have elderly and kids at home. Even if I’m not at risk..." The man was still hesitant.

"Here’s the plan: have the elderly and kids leave immediately. Let them stay elsewhere for the night, and tell them it’s just you at home," Noah devised quickly.

The man grew increasingly tempted, hesitantly asking, "Who mentioned the five million earlier?"

Noah sighed, visibly frustrated. "That five million is the personal promise of this child’s father. I can only officially offer you ten thousand on behalf of law enforcement. You decide what to do."

Cooper grabbed the phone, cutting in, "You have my word. I always keep my promises. Five million—every penny of it."

"Alright." The man quickly agreed. Even if the five million didn’t come through, ten thousand was still significant. He decided to help.

Noah immediately briefed the two men on a few key points before hanging up, worried about raising Melissa’s suspicions the longer the call dragged on.

The man’s household consisted of six people. He stayed behind while the others quietly left through the backyard.

Once everything was prepared, he asked Yolanda, "Your... ex-husband—is he really rich?"

"..." Yolanda smirked faintly. "Actually, he’s my ex-husband. But don’t worry, that man’s only wealthier than you can imagine. He’ll absolutely keep his word."

She took a deep breath. "I’ll go fetch them now. Remember what we discussed. Don’t let anything slip through the cracks."

The man nodded firmly. "Don’t worry."

Yolanda hurried back, jogging. She opened the car door and said, "Let’s go. I’ve found a place for us to stay."