Ever since I was a child, I had always been poor. Every time I came home from school, I would be met with the sight of my father busying himself in the kitchen. From my earliest recollection, I would always remember my father wearing his old factory uniforms in the house. His hair was snow-white and he had very dark skin. He would usually smoke cheap cigarettes and the car he drove around was a Santana which was a real wreck. Despite all our hardships, my father threw himself into his work for 18 years and raised me to his best abilities, and I ended up not disappointing him as I managed to get into a very good university. Because I came from poverty, I had to work a part-time job in order to pay the high tuition fees. I knew my classmates must've looked down on me because I was so poor, but I did my best to not let that bother me. On the day of my 18th birthday, my father announced that he was going to give me a birthday present and that he would bring it to me in person. That day I saw my father in a new light. My father's coarse snow-white head had turned shiny black. He had replaced his tattered clothes with expensive Givenchy suits, and he even wore a Patek Philippe watch around his wrist. The old Santana was now a limited edition Rolls Royce. I stared at my father with bewildered eyes and asked him in an incredulous voice, "Dad, is our family really the richest in the world right now?" My father took out a Mayan Sicars cigar worth $500,000, lit it, and blew out a smoke ring. "Son, I know you've suffered a lot for the past 18 years, and I feel ashamed that I couldn't have provided more for you. I want you to take this ten million as pocket money first. You can ask me for more later if it's not enough!"
A raspy voice was heard all of a sudden. "Ahem... Who are you? And why did you kidnap me?"
This place was an old dilapidated factory that was covered in dust.
The air had an unpleasant and rotten smell that could make anyone sick.
A young man was getting trampled on the ground at this time.
With sweat all over his forehead, he clenched his fists and glared at the gangsters who were armed with machetes.
This young man's name was Garry Smith. He was an ordinary student at Orlando University.
Garry had just gotten off work after his shift at his part-time job an hour ago.
On his way back to the school dormitory, he calculated how much he would earn by the end of the month. He was lost in thought when a van suddenly pulled up in front of him.
A group of gangsters who were armed with sharp weapons bundled him into the van and brought him to this deserted area.
The gangster who seemed to be the leader was topless. He had a huge tattoo on his chest. As he smoked, he brandished the shining machete in his left hand.
The look on his face was deadly. His eyes shone with madness.
After staring at Garry fiercely, he suddenly threw his head back and let out a burst of evil laughter.
"Why else would we kidnap you if not for money? If you give us three hundred thousand dollars, we will set you free. Don't try anything stupid. If you don't pay in full, I'll chop off your fingers."
As he spoke, he brought the machete closer to Garry's arm. The sharp blade rubbed against it.
It was obvious that he was doing that to drive home his point.
A glint of fear leaped into Garry's eyes at this time. He muttered sadly, "I'm just a poor student. I don't have that kind of money. You have the wrong guy. My entire net worth isn't anywhere close to that amount."
As soon as he finished speaking, a slap landed on his right cheek.
"Son of a bitch! How dare you lie to me? Do you want to die? How can you say that I caught the wrong guy? I'm not new to this business!"
The leader then ruthlessly kicked Garry.
Thump!
A muffled sound was heard. The kick landed on Garry's face. It turned red and swollen immediately.
Despite the pain he was in, Garry still looked up at the man, stubbornly holding on to his last dignity.
"Oh, you are one of the stubborn ones, aren't you? I actually like people like you. It's always fun to break you little by little."
The leader laughed evilly when he saw Garry's stubborn expression.
"Let's see if you will still be so brave after I cut off your fingers!" he quipped devilishly.
"Kent! Stop threatening him!" one of the gangsters with blonde hair stood out and chimed in. "It's no use threatening him. He claims not to have money, but his family should have enough to pay for his release. Let's call them instead."
"You have a good point there!"
Nodding his head thoughtfully, the leader named Kent Torres whipped out Garry's phone and dialed the number of Garry's father. He then held out the phone to Garry and threatened him. "You know exactly what to say, don't you?"
"Yes, yes! I know," Garry blurted out, burying his anger and stubbornness.
The line soon connected.
Chapter 1 In Captivity
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Chapter 2 Saying Goodbye
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Chapter 3 Of Events
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Chapter 4 Big Secret
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Chapter 5 Payback Time
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Chapter 6 Dangerous Game
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Chapter 7 Unexpected Ransom
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Chapter 8 Perfect Punishment
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Chapter 9 Pocket Money
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Chapter 10 Preferential Treatment
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Chapter 11 Big Purchase
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Chapter 12 Tailing Shelly
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Chapter 13 Prompt Savior
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Chapter 14 Horny Girl
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Chapter 15 Fake Identity
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Chapter 16 Birthday Gift
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Chapter 17 Car Exhibition
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Chapter 18 Supposed Impostor
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Chapter 19 Shelly Again
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Chapter 20 Ambiguous Behavior
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Chapter 21 A Friend
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Chapter 22 Fragile Leyla
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Chapter 23 Unexpected Invitation
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Chapter 24 Sexual Tension
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Chapter 25 The Night
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Chapter 26 Another Move
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Chapter 27 Thoughtful Man
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Chapter 28 Shelly's Guess
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Chapter 29 Past Helper
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Chapter 30 Lonely Girl
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Chapter 31 Villains' Scheme
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Chapter 32 Game On
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Chapter 33 The Set-up
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Chapter 34 Big Lie
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Chapter 35 Friend's Disbelief
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Chapter 36 The Truth
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Chapter 37 Outrageous Requests
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Chapter 38 Real Break-up
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Chapter 39 Impromptu Shopping
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Chapter 40 Reciprocate Her Kindness
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