When Love is a Question Mark -
Chapter 275: A Risky Plan
Chapter 275: A Risky Plan
Downstairs, Timmy and Lily entered the house, sensing the tension in the air. Timmy glanced around before calling out, "Sir Samuel? Did you find her?"
Samuel’s voice came from upstairs, sharp and filled with worry. "No. She’s not here."
Lily frowned, pulling out her phone. "I’ll call my men again and have them search the area. If Zinnia went somewhere, they might have seen her."
Samuel descended the stairs quickly, his face grim. "Do it. And make it fast. I can’t just stand here and wait."
Lily nodded, stepping aside to make the call, while Timmy stayed near Samuel, his expression equally concerned. "She’ll be fine," Timmy said softly, though his voice wavered slightly. "Miss Zinnia is strong. Wherever she is, she’ll be okay."
Samuel didn’t respond, his jaw tightening as he stared at the door, willing himself to stay calm. But deep down, he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something was terribly wrong.
Lily walked to the corner of the room, phone pressed to her ear, as Samuel paced near the door. His hands were clenched into fists, and his jaw was tight. Timmy watched him with concern but wisely stayed quiet.
A few moments later, Lily returned, her expression calm but focused. "I just spoke with my men," she said, her voice steady.
Samuel immediately stopped pacing and turned to her. "What did they say? Did they find her?"
Lily nodded. "They told me Zinnia left the house last night. They’ve been keeping watch on her in secret, so they couldn’t follow her inside the building she went to." She paused, looking directly at Samuel. "She’s currently at Lopez Digital Studios."
Samuel let out a deep breath, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. "So she’s safe."
Lily crossed her arms, her expression softening just a bit. "It seems that way. But why would she be there? That’s not like her to stay out all night."
Timmy interjected, trying to lighten the mood. "Maybe she’s working on something? You know how creative people can be."
Samuel frowned, his mind still racing. "Maybe. But I won’t relax until I see her myself."
---
Flashback: The Night Before
Bart and Billy sat in a dimly lit room, both looking uneasy. Bart held the phone in his trembling hand, while Billy paced back and forth.
"We can’t do this, Bart," Billy said, his voice breaking. "I can’t... I can’t go through with it. Frank’s gone too far this time."
"I know," Bart replied, running a hand through his hair. "But what choice do we have? He’ll come after our families if we don’t."
Billy stopped pacing and looked at his friend, desperation in his eyes. "There’s got to be another way. We can’t just kidnap her. She hasn’t done anything wrong."
Bart took a deep breath and nodded. "You’re right." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Maybe... maybe she can help us."
Billy frowned. "Help us? How?"
Without another word, Bart dialed Zinnia’s number, his hands shaking as the call connected.
"Hello?" Zinnia’s voice was calm but cautious on the other end.
"Miss Zinnia," Bart began, his voice trembling. "It’s Bart... from Lucas Realty Group. Please, don’t hang up."
There was a pause before Zinnia responded, her tone sharp. "Why are you calling me, especially this late?"
She remembered what had happened to Lucas Realty Group and began to worry.
Bart swallowed hard. "We’re in trouble. Frank... he told us to kidnap you. But we don’t want to do it. We can’t do it. He’s been threatening our families, and we don’t know what to do."
Zinnia’s tone softened slightly. "Threatening your families? What’s going on?"
Billy took the phone and spoke quickly. "It’s about Lucas Realty Group. Frank has been running things behind the scenes. He’s the reason behind the turmoil in the company, and now, we don’t know why, but he sounds desperate. He wants us to bring you to him."
Zinnia was silent for a moment before replying. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because we can’t go through with it," Bart said. "We’re not like him. We can’t kidnap someone just because he orders us to. But if we don’t, he’ll kill our families."
Zinnia’s voice was steady and calm, though her heart was pounding. "Okay. Here’s what we’re going to do. I’ll help you—but you need to trust me."
Bart and Billy exchanged nervous glances. "What do you mean?" Bart asked cautiously.
"Go to Lopez Digital Studios tonight," Zinnia said. "We’ll make it look like you kidnapped me. I’ll call someone I trust to help us stage the whole thing. We’ll send proof to Frank, so he believes you followed his orders."
Billy hesitated. "But... won’t he know it’s fake?"
"He won’t," Zinnia assured him. "If he’s desperate and not around, he’ll believe what he sees on video. But you need to follow my instructions exactly. Understand?" She paused, then asked worriedly, "Wait, he isn’t around, right?"
Bart nodded, even though she couldn’t see it. "Yeah, he isn’t around, but I’m not sure about his men. But we’ll do it according to your instructions. Thank you, Miss Zinnia. We owe you everything."
---
At Lopez Digital Studios
Later that night, Zinnia stood in one of the empty studios, her arms tied loosely with a rope, as Marcos adjusted the camera angle.
"Are you sure about this?" Marcos asked, his brow furrowed.
"I’m sure," Zinnia replied firmly. "We need Frank to believe this if we’re going to stop him."
Bart and Billy stood nearby, looking uncomfortable but cooperative. "What do we do?" Bart asked nervously.
"Just stand behind me and look menacing," Zinnia instructed. "And don’t speak. I’ll handle the rest."
Marcos hit record, and Zinnia began to act. She twisted her hands slightly against the ropes, her expression a mix of fear and defiance.
With her eyes blindfolded, she asked, her voice trembling just enough to seem genuine, "Who are you? Please let me go. I beg of you!"
Marcos stopped recording and nodded. "That’ll do."
Bart and Billy exchanged a glance, clearly impressed. "You’re really good at this," Billy muttered.
Zinnia allowed a small smile but did not say a word. She handed the video file to Marcos. "Edit it and send this to Frank. Let him think he’s won for now."
After Marcos edited the video and Bart sent it, Zinnia turned to Bart and Billy. "Does he have any other instructions?"
"He just wanted us to bring you to him," Billy answered.
Zinnia thought for a moment. "Okay, let’s act out the scene as if you’re about to send me to him. We’ll send that video to him in case he asks for any updates."
She then tried calling Samuel to inform him about this matter, but her call couldn’t go through. Unknown to her, at that very moment, Samuel was busy with their raid at Frank’s mansion.
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