Chapter 379
After several hours, the plane finally touched down in Pruycia. It was morning, and Jonathan headed straight to Vincent’s hotel upon landing. Liam, Cynthia, and Hallen were already there, waiting for him. With a few hours to spare before the time Arvin had specified, they gathered to strategize their next steps. Jonathan directed his men to keep a close watch on Yolanda before joining the others upstairs for the planning session.
These are some suspicious vehicles spotted in the area, Cynthia said, opening her laptop to display several video clips captured from surveillance footage. “I tracked them, but none belonged to Arvin.” She had stayed up all night monitoring the footage. Normally, she would have uncovered something by now, but this time she had no leads whatsoever.
“Are we just supposed to wait for Arvin’s call now? Vincent asked, worried about Queena’s safety due to Arvin’s unpredictability.
“We do not have any other options right now. We have to wait for him to call again. Then we might be able to trace the call, Cynthia replied honestly, then turned to Liam. “Any news from the police?”
“No solid leads yet, Liam said grimly, his expression mirroring the worry on everyone else’s faces, Vincent, anxious and frustrated, attempted to call the number back, but it was invalid, a clear indication that Arvin had anticipated this move. Defeated, Vincent sank into the couch, closing his eyes in an effort to stay calm. Mila, feeling helpless, sat quietly beside him while Cynthia asked Liam and the others to review the video again. After all, she wasn’t familiar with Arvin and might not recognize him if he was in disguise
A few minutes later, Jonathan pointed urgently at the screen. “Pause it there,” he instructed. Cynthia complied and enlarged the image. The footage showed an elderly man in the driver’s seat, who bore no resemblance to Arvin. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, leaving Cynthia puzzled. Liam quickly noticed something amiss and exchanged a glance with Jonathan. He then covered the lower half of the elderly man’s face on the screen. revealing only a pair of cold, determined eyes. Those eyes were too intense for an elderly man.
Cynthia immediately grasped the situation. “That old man is Arvin in disguise,” she exclaimed. Liam nodded in agreement.
As she examined the image more closely, Cynthia noticed the resemblance. The eyes were unmistakably Arvin’s. It was clear why she hadn’t noticed anything unusual before–his disguise was exceptional. However, he had overlooked the detail of his eyes. Had he disguised those as well, even Liam and Jonathan might not have recognized him. Following that. Cynthia traced the car’s movements and finally pinpointed an area. At that moment. Arvin called again, Vincent put the call on speaker, and everyone fell silent, bracing themselves for what was to come.
“Vincent, the time is almost up. Has Jonathan brought Yolanda over!” Arvin asked.
Vincent took a deep breath, trying to contain his anger. “We are here with her. Where are you! Let’s find a place to make the exchange
“Don’t worry, I’ll send you the address when the time comes,” Arvin replied coldly. He then added a stern warning. “If you don’t want anything to happen to Queena, don’t call the police, and don’t let Cynthia, that bitch, know. And don’t try any tricks. You won’t find me. With that, he hung up.
Vincent was so angry that he nearly crushed his newly bought phone. He couldn’t believe his childhood friend had turned out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Liam quickly contacted the police, providing them with the location they had identified, and instructed them to begin a search. The team then hurried into their cars and set off
On the way. Arvin sent another address, this one opposite to the location where they had just pinned down the vehicle. Everyone’s expressions darkened as they looked at the new address. The vehicle from the surveillance hadn’t moved, yet Arvin was directing them somewhere else.
There were only two possibilities either Arvin had grown suspicious and escaped using another vehicle, or he remained at the original spot and the new address was a ruse. Regardless, they had to proceed to the specified location. With Arvin’s strict instructions against police involvement and keeping Cynthia and Liam unaware, they split into two groups, each taking a car. Vincent and Jonathan drove with Yolanda in one vehicle, while Liam, Cynthia, and Hallet rode together in the other
When they arrived, Vincent and Jonathan stepped out of the car and waited anxiously. Soon after, Arvin called again. “Now, take Yolanda and get into the white car in front of you. Once inside, hand over all your communication devices to the driver”
Vincent trembled with anger upon hearing Arvin’s voice. “Arvin, is this really necessary? After all our years as friends, do you have to take things this
fart”
There was a chilling silence before a cold laugh crackled through the phone. “Now you call me a friend? Where was that when you severed my
Tendon?
“But this has nothing to do with Queena. Don’t tell me you didn’t know she had a crush on your back then. Are you really living up to her admiration and affection from back then with what you are doing now?” Vincent pressed.
“So as long as you follow the rules and the exchange goes smoothly, I won’t larm her,” Arvin replied coolly, his tone devoid of any emotion
With no other choice, they got into the white car parked by the roadside. Before getting in, Jonathan purposely walked to the driver’s side and
handed his phone to the driver where Cynthia could see. Understanding his signal, Cynthia said. “I knew it. It’s just a decoy” She then ordered the driver to get out and took the wheel herself. All they could do now was to follow the white car as closely as possible.
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Chapter 379
As soon as Vincent got into the white car, he pulled out a key and held it against the driver’s throat, threatening. “Tell me! W
me! Where is Arvin‘”
To his surprise, the driver flinched in fear, nearly losing grip of the steering wheel. His voice trembled as he replied, “Sir, I don’t know who you’re talking about. Someone paid me to drive you to a specific location”
Vincent narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the driver’s every move. After a tense moment, he let him go in disappointment. The driver Arvin selected was a local with over ten years of experience, instructed to navigate a labyrinth of narrow streets known only to locals. These routes were notoriously disorienting for outsiders. Fortunately, Cynthia’s driving skills were exceptional. Despite the heavy traffic and unfamiliar roads, she adeptly maneuvered through the maze, managing to keep the white car in sight.
As they neared the end of the route, the white car’s driver seemed to realize it was being followed. It suddenly sped up, weaving through the narrow streets and using the winding roads and traffic lights to shake off Cynthia’s pursuit.
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