The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne) novel Chapter 1091

In the woods.

Juliette woke up to find herself lying not far from Isaiah, both of them tied up so tightly they couldn't move, even their mouths were gagged.

Only their eyes were visible, darting around in panic.

They locked eyes, and Juliette's gaze screamed a silent plea for a plan.

Before they were knocked out, they had caught a glimpse of their captors, but before they could even scream for help, they were down.

Uncle Joe had been injured in the process, and now his condition was unknown.

Desperate to come up with a plan, Juliette looked towards Isaiah.

They communicated solely through glances, Juliette subtly nodding towards the outside, suggesting Isaiah should try to gather intel on their situation.

The captors were babbling incoherently, their words foreign to her ears.

It was risky to make any sudden moves.

Isaiah signaled for her to keep quiet, and slowly shifted to eavesdrop on the conversation outside.

The captors seemed to be on a call, discussing some transaction, awaiting further instructions from the person on the other end.

As long as the "goods" were secured, they were safe for the time being.

Isaiah relayed this info back to Juliette with a nod.

Juliette eyed the ground, signaling Isaiah to cooperate with her soon, as she planned to tackle their captors head-on.

Their electronic gadgets were gone, but Juliette still had a trick up her sleeve.

She attempted to shout for help, only to remember her mouth was sealed shut.

Instead, she started banging on the walls and fake-crying to attract attention.

Footsteps approached rapidly. As one of the men tore the tape off her mouth, Juliette blurted out, "My brother has asthma, the air is bad here, he's going to have an attack..."

To ensure they understood her, she frantically gestured towards Isaiah, pretending to be unconscious.

The leader glanced suspiciously at Juliette and then at the motionless boy beside her but remained unmoved.

Seeing this, Juliette threw herself onto Isaiah, crying and subtly loosening his ropes, "Brother, you can't let anything happen to you..."

Isaiah pinched a pressure point on his wrist, causing his face to pale rapidly while coughing convincingly.

Their act fooled the captors.

To avoid any mishap before the transaction, the captors carried them towards the entrance of the cave, passing by a group of heavily armed individuals.

Isaiah noted their professional gear, indicating they were well-prepared for either ransom or murder.

The best course of action was to ensure their own safety until their mother arrived.

However, Juliette had a different idea in mind.

If these people thought they could use her and Isaiah to blackmail their mother, they were sorely mistaken.

As soon as they were put down, before the captors could gag them again, Juliette demanded, "I need to use the bathroom."

Ignoring her request, one of the captors pointed indifferently towards a corner.

Juliette, putting on her best haughty demeanor, protested, "No, it's filthy here."

When persuasion failed, she resorted to provocation, "What, are you all afraid you can't keep an eye on one little girl? My brother is right here, and I'm not afraid of what you might do to him. Are you worried I might escape on my own?"

Isaiah could only marvel at her audacity.