Chapter 501

“What? We got the wrong person?”

With a screech and a violent jolt, the car came to a stop.

Nina, who was tied up hand and foot and pretending to be unconscious, listened to the conversation up front.

Timothy’s rough voice sounded. “How could that be? We grabbed the one that matched the photo our client sent.”

“There were two women… it was two at the beginning… So what now?”

“Alright, alright. We’re already out of the city. Stick to the original plan? Sure, we’ll go with whatever you say.”

“What’s going on?” the woman in the passenger seat asked impatiently.

“The client…”

Timothy licked his lips nervously. “The client says we got the wrong person. Go check if that woman in the back has a tracker on her. The client said she might be carrying one.”

Upon hearing the word tracker, Marina Obrien’s face darkened. Cursing under her breath, she got out of the car. “You little wench, still playing tricks on us?”

Nina was startled but kept up her act perfectly. When Marina searched her, she didn’t suspect Nina was conscious.

The tracker was hidden in her necklace. These two were clearly experienced criminals. After a thorough search and finding nothing on her, they removed anything detachable from her body.

Marina asked, “What now?”

Timothy replied, “The client says this woman might be important. We can’t afford to get caught. Wait for their next move.”

Marina spat again. “It’s all your fault, dumbass! Can’t even grab the right person! Now we’ve got a hot potato we can’t even ditch!”

Timothy didn’t dare talk back. He restarted the car. “Whatever, let’s just lock her up first. As long as she’s not found, nothing will happen.”

Client… that word had come up several times.

Pretending to be unconscious, Nina quietly counted the minutes. Once the car started moving again, she “woke up.”

She pretended to be panicked. “Where am I? Why did you kidnap me? Who sent you?”

Timothy looked into the rearview mirror. “Oh, you’re awake fast, huh? Just bad luck, girl. Be good, and maybe you’ll be sent home soon. But if you start acting up, we can’t promise you won’t lose an arm or a leg.”

A sinister grin crept onto his face as his eyes leered over Nina’s chest and legs. Nina looked like she had a great body. The client only said to keep her alive. Once they reached their hideout, she’d be all his.

Nina pretended to be frightened. “Was it the Wilson family that sent you?”

These two were tied to Aubree’s kidnapping when she was five. Thinking along those lines, Nina recalled Alice visiting the orphanage where Aubree had grown up.

No one would suspect biological parents of hiring traffickers to kidnap their own child. She was just testing the water.

Ronald might not be capable of this, but Alice might be.

Marina suddenly turned and glared fiercely. “One more word, and I’ll rip your tongue out! Stop asking questions you shouldn’t ask.”

Nina lowered her eyes. Her suspicions leaned even more toward the Wilson family.

Once Bowen arrived, she would definitely report her theory.

If Alice really was behind this from the start, she would pay the price.

Meanwhile, Aubree and the others had traced the signal out to the outskirts of the city.

“These are Nina’s things.” Bowen picked up the necklace. “Looks like they found the tracker.”

“What now?” Mark frowned, clearly worried.

He continued, “I’ll have people begin a search with this location as the center. The outskirts are huge. By the time we actually find her, it could be too late.”

Bowen tightened his grip on the necklace and shook his head. “Nina’s skills are solid. If she were captured, it’s likely she allowed it. She probably made some discovery.”

He added, “Whoever did this clearly intended to target Aubree. Since they got the wrong person and want to avoid unnecessary trouble, they probably won’t hurt her. That much, at least, you can relax about.”

Mark clenched his fists. He understood the logic. But emotionally, he couldn’t stay calm.

“This is partly my fault. I underestimated the enemy. I should’ve sent more people.” Bowen offered Mark an apology.

Mark replied, “That’s not important. What matters is how we find her now.”

Aubree furrowed her brow. “I have an idea. Check if anyone from the Wilson family or closely associated with them owns property out here. Places that are private and hidden.”

She was sure this was linked to the Wilson family. The kidnappers were clearly their people, and they were most likely hiding her in one of their secluded properties.

She added, “Also, check any abandoned factories nearby. All border checkpoints are locked down. They’re definitely still somewhere on the outskirts.”

“Got it, I’ll arrange it now.” Mark was dead serious this time. He even mobilized armed personnel.

At the same time, back at the Wilson family’s place, Bryan and the others rushed home. On the road, they had already told Alice and Ronald to get back quickly.

He said, “We already know. Timothy and the others grabbed the wrong person. They took a woman named Nina. She’s Mark’s girlfriend. Mark’s now pulled strings in the King family and mobilized armed forces to find her.”

Ronald, rarely so flustered, was visibly anxious. He was worried Timothy would be caught and spill everything. If that happened, the Wilson family would definitely be implicated.

“Contact them immediately. Release her!” Ronald barked at Alice.

Alice hadn’t expected their “foolproof” plan to be ruined by two idiots mistaking their target.

She was even more nervous. Timothy also held a secret of hers, one she couldn’t afford to let out.

But now that things had gone this far and there were no results, and with their people at risk, she was also unwilling to let it all go to waste.

Alice stayed silent, not immediately responding.

Bryan stepped up. “Dad, I have an idea. Even though we got the wrong person, we still grabbed someone related to Aubree.”

Ronald frowned. “You’re not thinking of using Nina to threaten Aubree, are you?”

“That would be way too stupid.” Bryan smiled coldly. “That’d be like handing her leverage on a silver platter. Instead, we lean into the mistake. Stick to the original plan.”

All eyes turned to Bryan as he smiled slightly. “We can leak word that someone was kidnapped during the Walton family banquet. Don’t specify who, but subtly lead people to believe it was Aubree. Reporters will swarm Darius for confirmation.”

“But Aubree can just clarify it. Doesn’t that ruin the plan?” Carmen didn’t see the point. Aubree’s public statement could clear things up.

Bryan replied, “This is just setup for the next step. Whether she clarifies it or not doesn’t matter.”