This Time, I'll Be the Villain's Favorite Daughter novel Chapter 169

Chapter 169 Five Billion on the Line

“Thank you, Uncle Ned. I understand. Toby said in a gentle, almost sweet voice, though his face stayed blank.

How he would explain this to the adults later could wait. For now, all that mattered was getting his sister back.

The kidnappers were growing impatient.

They thought they’d landed a huge payday, but things had turned out far more complicated than expected.

George kept the girl close in his arms, and that alone tied their hands.

Could they cut her hands? No.

Cut her legs? They didn’t dare.

Abusing her and taking photos to threaten her family? Not an option. Not with George standing nearby, watching them with cold, unsettling eyes.

Horus tapped the table, his frustration clear. Everything had been going perfectly.

Five billion dollars. That money was enough for all of them to retire and never look back.

But now things had changed.

There was an extra problem, a crazy guy who was fiercely protective of his own.

They couldn’t mess with George.

But just let the little girl go?

That was five billion dollars.

୮

Thomas was sending the money in batches. There was no way he could pull together that much cash all at once. The process itself took time.

Still, worried the kidnappers might snap, he didn’t dare slow down. He raised funds as fast as he could. Every transfer was huge, never less than 100 million dollars.

Luna stared at the numbers in the account, her eyes shining.

But Horus understood what was really going on. Thomas knew that if he handed over all the money, the hostages would almost certainly be killed.

So he was stalling, trying to buy time and hoping the police could find a way to slip into the school and

carry out a rescue.

ve omon on the Line

They had no idea. The entire school had already been rigged with explosives.

They were placed all along the outer walls of the field, covering every major entrance.

45 Pearls

If anything suspicious showed up–especially something that looked like police—they would catch it immediately.

And if the police tried to force their way in, the kidnappers wouldn’t hesitate to blow up a building.

So even if the police arrived, the rescue wouldn’t make much progress.

When Maya heard about the bombs, she went numb.

“Are we going to make it out alive?” she murmured.

George smiled at her. “It’s not impossible.” He nodded toward the cameras overhead. “See those? If we take down the electronics–hack the system or smash the cameras–it’ll blind them. Once they can’t see clearly, it’s much easier for someone to sneak in and help us.”

“And the bombs aren’t manual,” he added. “They’re triggered by remote or phone signals. If we cut the signal, they won’t be able to set them off.”

He pointed at a camera on the ceiling and lowered his voice.

“The woman in charge of all the tech is named Luna. She controls the network, the signals, and every camera in the school.”

Maya paused, then said quietly, “So, if we take her out…”

“Yes.” George nodded. “If we take her device, we can cut off their detonation signal.”

He went on, calm and clear. “They planted a lot of bombs, but only a few people can set them off. It looks scary, but they won’t just blow them up. It’s a threat. A bargaining chip. They want to scare the police so no one makes a move, and they can get away safely.”

He paused, then added, “That kind of threat only works on cops who care about lives.

“If a third party shows up, someone who doesn’t care about the outcome, then…”

Maya’s eyes lit up. “Then we have a chance!”

C

“Exactly.” He smiled and ruffled her hair. “That’s why I like you. I won’t let you die here. I’m a good brother, remember? In a minute, I’ll open the door. When I do, run. Run fast. I’ll try to stir things up and buy you

time.”

The kidnappers would never let Maya go.

Her background was too tempting.

Even the richest, most powerful people couldn’t match a fraction of what her father owned.

George knew that if Toby came in with people to rescue them, the kidnappers would panic. And the first thing they’d do was grab Maya..

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