When I Was a Wallflower (Leo and Amelie) novel Chapter 299

"The more the better," the man said greedily. "You forced us into hiding. We're practically homeless now, and we need money to restart our lives."

Amelie could tell that the voice belonged to Michael. They went that far just to get money? How desperate can they be?

"I want everything you have," said Michael avariciously. "Don't blame us. Leo came after us because of you. It's fair that we take your daughter. You need to pay to get her back. Leo will give you back everything you've lost."

"You have a deal!" said Amelie quickly.

Michael was surprised she agreed so readily, and then he sneered. "Good. I shall be waiting, then."

"That's too far, Michael!" Steven growled. "I took you two in, but you lied to me and even stole my money! Now, you're kidnapping us? You'll pay for this!"

"Shut it!" Michael roared furiously, and then Amelie heard dull thuds coming from the other end of the phone. Michael was kicking her father, cursing as he did so.

"Enough, Michael!" Amelie shouted. "Stop right now if you want your money!"

Michael chuckled again. "You're smarter than your father. Steven, if it were someone else, they would've killed you the moment you spoke. You're stingy." He then turned to Amelie. "Ready the money, and don't you dare call the cops. My patience is limited. If I don't see the money in three hours, your family dies. I'll do it, I swear."

"You'll get the money. I don't go back on my word, but I have quite a lot of money. You sure you can tow them away if I turn my money into cash?"

"How much do you have?" Michael gulped.

"Seven billion."

"Holy sh*t." Michael had never seen that much money his whole life, but he knew he could never tow it all away if Amelie gave it all in cash.

"Also, the SEC is going to come after me if I withdraw that much money."

"Right, right." Michael nodded. "I have my way around it, so keep it in the bank. Transfer it to my accounts in Swiss. I have ten of them. I'll let your family go once I see the money."

"You think the money will be safe just because you keep it in an offshore account?"

Michael sneered again. "Don't try to pry for information. I'm a professional launderer. Nobody will suspect the source of my money once it's in my account. Then, all I have to do is change my identity, and I can live happily ever after. You deal with Leo after that."



"Deal." Steven had a heart condition and Brianna was still young. She couldn't give them up, and she wanted to deal with this as soon as possible. "But how can I be sure you'll stay true to your word?"

"You're in no position to negotiate," hissed Michael.

"Fine." Amelie pursed her lips.

"I see we've reached an understanding." Michael loved that Amelie was working with him so well.

Amelie hung up.

Elyse handed her a piece of paper. "Here's the account numbers."

They came prepared. Amelie took the paper and transferred her money into the accounts. Elyse kept a close eye on the phone screen in case Amelie tried to call anyone for help. Fortunately, she did nothing of the sort. Elyse did tremble in envy when she saw the amount of money that was transferred. Even though she used to be an A-lister, she never made seven billion.

Amelie transferred all the money to all ten of Michael's accounts without batting an eye, then she wagged her phone. "Take me to them."

"Come with me." Surprisingly, Elyse kept her word and led her to the car.

However, before they got in the car, Elyse snatched Amelie's phone away and smashed it on the ground, then she tossed it into a trash can.

Amelie watched in silence, not even stopping her.

Elyse drove around and around before they finally reached a mountain forest in a secluded area. The air there was stale and cold. Amelie had to hug herself to stay warm. They made a short trek, and Amelie saw a silhouette on a boulder.

"We're here, Dad," said Elyse.

There was no response. The silhouette slid away. Michael hid in the darkness, fearing that Amelie had brought reinforcements with her.

"Where's Bria and my father?" asked Amelie coldly.

"Oh, calm down." Elyse stepped ahead. "I'm letting them go right now."

Amelie stared into Elyse's eyes. Her gaze was dark and venomous. She should be making a run for it after taking my money. So why is she taking me to Dad and Bria?
"Here's your lovely daughter." Elyse picked Brianna up from the patch of grass beside her.

Brianna's hands were tied behind her back, her mouth was taped up, and her face was covered in scratches. She looked pitiful. Elyse wasn't exactly gentle with her, and the girl flailed her legs around in pain.

Elyse felt her heart ache. "Bria!" She then ran to her daughter.

"Don't come any closer!" Elyse barked all of a sudden. Then, she held Brianna over the cliff behind her. "Or I'll toss her down."

Behind her was a cliff, and underneath it was a pile of branches. If Brianna was tossed down, she would be badly hurt. Amelie skidded to a halt, staring at Brianna in worry. She wanted to take away all the pain Brianna was feeling. She felt a pang in her heart again. Never did she feel this helpless before. Brianna was right in front of her, and yet she could do nothing.

"If you want her safe and sound, you're tying yourself up." Elyse tossed her a stretch of rope and some cuffs. Her eyes were filled with murder.

"What are you doing? This is the perfect chance to run!" Michael hopped out of his hiding spot and shouted, "I've hidden her father somewhere safe. We can make a run for it while she looks for her father!"

Michael was surprised when he saw Amelie at the mountain. He thought his daughter was pinned down, but now he realized Elyse was the one who led her here. She shouldn't have. More surprisingly, Elyse was planning to cause even more trouble after leading Amelie here. Panicked, he kept giving Elyse looks. "Put the girl down and let's go."

"No, Dad. Not after what she did to me. Not after all I had to suffer." Elyse looked at her father coldly.

Michael was so angry that he slapped his legs. "We got billions of dollars. Who cares about your past? You can buy anything you want once we leave this place!"

"But I don't want to buy anything. All I want is revenge." This is my only and perfect chance. I'm not letting it go.