Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex’s "Uncle" - Chapter 578

Chapter 578: The Call Exposed

After fifteen minutes, the people present were growing restless.

They had been invited by the Reid Group as reporters, but now the press conference couldn’t continue, they weren’t allowed to leave, and they weren’t even allowed to call the police. Instead, they were being held here against their will.

They were journalists, not criminals. What was the Reid Family thinking?

Some had already voiced objections. Daniel was sweating profusely. He knew he couldn’t let the reporters leave, and even more so, he couldn’t let the events here leak out.

“You all signed confidentiality agreements. The Reid Family Group may not be what it once was, but dealing with a few reporters is more than easy enough!”

The reporters rolled their eyes, muttering under their breath.

“So Reid Family Group doesn’t let us report freely, and yet they still invite us? Do they just want us to write puff pieces for them?”

“Today Reid Chairman and Amelia tried both soft and hard tactics, clearly wanting Mr. Reid to give in and agree to a business marriage with Miss Paula. But instead of sealing the deal, they exposed half the Reid Family’s dirty laundry. If this goes public, people will start doubting whether Mr. Reid is even Amelia’s biological son. Of course the Reids don’t want that.”

“Still, they can’t just lock us in here. Owen getting kidnapped has nothing to do with us.”

The reporters all felt their trip today was wasted, their time squandered.

Just as the complaints grew louder, the giant screen in the hall flickered. Suddenly, a new image appeared.

“What’s going on? Technical failure? Where is this camera feed coming from?”

Sure enough, the screen was now showing the inside of a lounge. The lounge cameras were tied into the central system, so perhaps the signals had crossed, accidentally displaying another room’s feed.

The assistant was about to call the control room when someone exclaimed—

“Wait, look! Doesn’t that person look familiar?”

“They kind of do… wait, isn’t that Amelia?”

Amelia? What was she doing in the lounge?

Daniel immediately realized this was bad and ordered the control room to cut the feed. But before the call even went through, Amelia’s voice blasted through the speakers in the hall—

“What do you want? Let Owen go!”

It really was Amelia!

Every word, every gesture Amelia made in the lounge was broadcast live onto the giant screen, plain for everyone to see.

Daniel’s heart sank. Some things absolutely couldn’t be exposed. He rushed to shut down the feed—

But it was impossible.

Panic washed over him. Someone was targeting them, he could feel it in his bones. He quickly moved to head toward the lounge to stop Amelia from saying anything further.

But from the side, two bodyguards slipped out of the shadows, gripping Daniel’s shoulders where the others couldn’t see.

“Chairman Reid, where are you going?”

“The show’s just begun. You’re the main character—how could you leave?”

“Who are you? Who the hell are you?!”

“Chairman Reid, no need to panic. Sit down and behave.”

…

Ten minutes earlier, inside the lounge.

Amelia had dialed the “kidnapper’s” number. Seeing Owen tied up hand and foot, she screamed until her throat was raw.

“What do you want! Owen has no feud with you, why would you kidnap him? You’re a monster, a damn bastard!”

“What do I want?” The kidnapper looked amused. “Who told you Owen has no grudges? Hearing that from your mouth is almost laughable.”

“And besides…”

The kidnapper gave a mocking smile. “Owen is in my hands. Yet the great Mrs. Reid insults me to my face. What, are you hoping I’ll make him die faster?”

“You…” Amelia’s throat closed up, words choking.

“Mmmph! Mmmphhh!” In the abandoned warehouse, Owen squirmed in terror. His mouth was taped shut, and all he could manage were muffled grunts.

“Owen!” Amelia cried, her heart twisting.

She glared at the kidnapper, her voice trembling with fury. “You—you, what do you want?”

The kidnapper gave a cold, bitter laugh. “Years ago, Owen set his sights on my daughter. Because of him, my entire family was ruined. What do I want? Revenge, of course!”

“You’re lying, you’re lying!”

“Lying?!” The kidnapper yanked Owen’s chin up. “My daughter was only seventeen. Owen forced himself on her, and he brought a gang along to humiliate her. She couldn’t bear the shame… And what did your Reid Family do afterward? You used power and influence to block every lawsuit, cornering us until there was nothing left. What do you think I came here for? I came to settle the score!”

“No, no!” Amelia was nearly hysterical. “If your daughter caught Owen’s eye, that was her blessing! Who knows if she wasn’t the one seducing him, playing coy while pretending to resist—how is that Owen’s fault… Ahhh, careful!”

The man stabbed a knife straight into Owen’s arm.

Gasps rippled through the hall. Everyone turned to Daniel with eyes full of contempt.

Owen had destroyed that girl’s life, driven her family into ruin—and now they dared shift the blame onto the dead girl herself?

Daniel squirmed in his seat, face blazing red, humiliation searing him down to his bones. “No, that’s not—it’s not…”

Meanwhile, Amelia had no idea her every move was being broadcast to the crowd. She screamed and wailed, refusing even a shred of remorse.

“Put the knife down, put it down! So what if a couple of lowborns die? My Owen is heaven’s favored son—dying for him is your daughter’s honor! Put it down!”

The kidnapper sneered and plunged the blade into Owen’s other arm. “Still unrepentant. Then he might as well die.”

“No!” Amelia shrieked, her eyes bloodshot.

“You just want money, don’t you? Don’t feed me that crap about avenging your daughter—you want money! Tell me how much, I’ll give it to you!”

The kidnapper gave a low, mocking laugh. “Money? Sure, I want money—but can you really make the call, Mrs. Reid? If you want Owen alive, then go fetch Grandma Perry to negotiate with me.”

The crowd buzzed in confusion. Grandma Perry? Why her?

Amelia herself was stunned. Staring at Owen’s bleeding form, panic crushed her chest. She blurted without thinking, “Why drag that old hag into this?!”

The kidnapper looked utterly justified. “The Reid Family and Perry Family both claim Owen is Anna’s son. Then naturally this falls to Grandma Perry. Anna was her only daughter. As long as Grandma Perry is willing to pay a hundred million in ransom, I’ll let him go.”

Amelia’s eyes burned red with rage.

In the hall, everyone heard Amelia call her foster mother an “old hag” and knew instantly the rumors were true.

Amelia had stolen Anna’s rightful place as the eldest daughter, and the Perry Family had sided with her, ignoring their real daughter’s life and death.

“Grandma Perry moved out long ago—she has nothing to do with the Perry Family anymore…”

“She said not to call her Grandma Perry anymore. She wants to be addressed as Lady Green. Her name is Daisy.”

“That’s right. Lady Green already declared she would never involve herself in Perry Family matters again. And sure, a hundred million may not be much to her—but no one even knows where she is now. How could she possibly deliver the ransom?”