The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan) novel Chapter 616

Janice was strolling down Main Street with little Callum in tow, heading to the farmers' market for some fresh produce. Out of nowhere, a figure darted out and snatched Callum right out of her grasp. Janice's heart leapt to her throat, but before she could even scream for help, Adrian emerged from the crowd like a guardian angel and sent the kidnapper packing with a few well-placed punches. He scooped up Callum and soothed him with a calm, "Don't be scared, buddy. Uncle's here."

Seeing Adrian, Janice finally exhaled a sigh of relief. After all, Adrian was Cordelia's brother, and without overthinking the situation, she trusted him.

"Janice, why don't you go ahead and pick up the groceries? I'll hang back and watch the kid. Otherwise, you might get distracted. I'll drop Callum off at your place in a bit," Adrian offered.

Still shaken, Janice didn't push back. It made sense, and Adrian seemed to have everything under control.

She headed into the bustling market.

Samantha soon rolled up in a shiny SUV, urging Adrian to hurry and get Callum into the vehicle.

Once Callum was inside, a nagging feeling of unease began to settle in, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why he felt like a kid lost in a maze.

"Callum, how about Uncle and Auntie take you to the amusement park? Would you like that?" Adrian proposed with a smile.

"Yeah!"

Samantha drove towards the amusement park while Callum had the time of his life, his earlier fears forgotten amidst the whirl of rides and games.

Samantha even captured a photo of Callum and Adrian having a blast, sending it off to Cordelia.

Cordelia had just received a frantic call from Janice, saying Adrian had taken Callum somewhere unknown.

Her phone buzzed with a call from Samantha.

"Samantha, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Cordelia's voice was charged with a mix of panic and fury.

Samantha's laughter crackled through the phone, "Relax, we're just having fun with your son. Adrian and I are his family too, you know. We won't harm him. Just give us the password, and we'll bring Callum home safe. Even if you call the cops, we're still his relatives."

Having informed Ronan, Cordelia felt a bit more grounded.

She just hoped Samantha wouldn't harm her boy.

But as time dragged on without a word from Samantha, and the police unable to pinpoint their location, Cordelia's hope dwindled.

Meanwhile, Samantha had taken Callum to a dilapidated barn on the outskirts of town. Adrian had prepared well, stocking up on food, and was now squatting on the floor, slurping down a bowl of instant noodles.

Samantha tossed her phone on the table carelessly and flopped onto a makeshift bed, ready to catch some Z's.

Callum's eyes caught a glimpse of Harold's photo on Samantha's phone screen.

"Auntie, you got a crush on big bro?" Callum asked, his innocence cutting through the tension like a knife.