Chapter 87: The Hunt Begins

A suffocating silence loomed over the mansion.

Emma lay unconscious, her body still and fragile against the pristine white sheets. The only movement in the room was the trembling fingers of her husband, brushing strands of hair away from her pale face. His heart, heavy with grief and rage, thundered in his chest, but he kept his expression firm for the sake of his daughters, who stood behind him, their faces streaked with silent tears.

Their mother had collapsed from the unbearable pain of losing Noah. Their baby brother—gone. Stolen from them while they were away, while they were laughing at his video, oblivious to the nightmare that had already begun.

Noah's father clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. This should have never happened. He should have stayed behind, should have held his son in his arms longer, should have protected him from this cruelty. But he hadn't. And now his wife lay unconscious, his daughters shattered, and his son—

His son was out there. Alone. Scared.

He forced himself to stand, turning to his daughters, his voice low but sharp. "We are not waiting. We are going to find him. Now."

Sophia, the eldest, wiped her tears and nodded. "I've already locked down every financial transaction in the city. No one is moving a single cent without me knowing. If they try to collect a ransom, we'll know."

Olivia's hands shook with fury. "I'll use my media contacts. I want Noah's face everywhere. The entire world will know he's missing. They won't be able to hide."

Isabella's jaw tightened. "My teams are already moving. Every high-security division I command is on standby. If they're in this city, I'll find them."

Emily's eyes burned with frustration. "I'm hacking into every surveillance system—traffic cameras, satellites, anything that will give us a clue. Whoever took him is not going to remain a ghost for long."

Charlotte, Mia, and Lily nodded in unison. "We'll reach out to every underground contact we have," Mia whispered, her voice barely containing her rage. "If there's a whisper about our Noah, we'll hear it."

Noah's father listened, pride and pain battling within him. His daughters weren't just crying in despair; they were fighting back with everything they had.

Suddenly, the butler rushed in, his face pale. "Sir, a message arrived."

A tense silence filled the air as everyone turned toward him.

He hesitated before handing over a tablet. A single message flashed across the screen:

"Ten billion dollars. 24 hours. Or your son dies."

The mansion erupted in chaos. Olivia gasped, covering her mouth in horror. Emily's fingers trembled as she re-read the words, disbelief clouding her usually sharp mind. Isabella smashed a glass against the wall, fury radiating off her in waves.

Then, from the bed, a faint murmur. "Where… is my baby?"

Emma's eyes fluttered open, confusion morphing into terror as she scanned the room. She struggled to sit up, her body weak, but the second she saw the devastated expressions of her family, she knew.

"No…" Her voice cracked. "Noah?"

Her husband knelt beside her, gripping her hand tightly. "Emma—"

But she ripped her hand away, eyes wild. "Where is he?!"

No one could answer her. The weight of their silence crashed over her like a tidal wave. And then, she saw the tablet, the message glowing on the screen.

Her breathing turned ragged. "They took him… my baby… they took my baby."

Her fingers clenched the sheets, her body shaking violently. Then, suddenly—

A scream ripped from her throat.

It wasn't just a cry of anguish—it was a mother's cry, a sound so raw and broken that it sent chills through the entire room. The woman who had built an empire, who had risen above everyone, was now crumbling under the weight of her worst nightmare.

The sisters clung to each other, unable to hold back their sobs. Their mother was breaking, and they didn't know how to stop it.

But then—

Emma's cries stopped. Her breath still hitched, her body still trembled, but her expression had changed.

Her tear-streaked face turned cold. Her grief hardened into something sharper, something lethal.

Her voice, when she finally spoke, was emotionless. "They think they can put a price on my son?" Her fingers curled into fists. "No." Her eyes glowed with something deadly. "They will pay for this."

A cold silence followed. Even her daughters, so strong, so determined, felt the shift in the air.

Their mother wasn't just angry.

She was ready for war.

Noah's father met her gaze. "We will find him."

She nodded. "And when we do… we will make them regret ever laying a hand on him."

Isabella's voice was like steel. "No matter what it takes."

Sophia lifted her chin. "No matter how far we have to go."

Emily turned back to her screens. "Then let's start hunting."

The mansion no longer felt like a home. It was now the headquarters of a family that was about to tear the world apart.

Somewhere out there, Noah was waiting for them. Waiting for his family to come for him.

And God help anyone who stood in their way.