Chapter 5
Fiona
Early the next morning, I was still shaken by last night's events. Maxwell's wounded expression when he left kept replaying in my mind, keeping me awake all night.
I was watering flowers in the garden, trying to calm myself, but I couldn't shake this ominous feeling. Mother Margaret had said she was going out on business early this morning, looking rushed—which was very unusual for her.
Less than half an hour later, Maxwell appeared in the garden. He looked terrible, his eyes still carrying that pain from last night.
"Fiona, we need to talk." His voice was hoarse.
"There's nothing to talk about." I avoided his gaze, continuing to tend to the flowers. "You should be with Helen."
"Is this about Nathan?" Maxwell suddenly moved closer, his voice trembling slightly. "Are you two... really together?"
I forced myself to look at him, each word cutting through my heart like a knife: "Yes, we're very happy."
Just then, Helen walked over, her face somewhat excited.
"Maxwell, let's go to Napa Valley today!" Helen linked her arm through his. "I want to check out that new winery that just opened."
"Okay... sure." Maxwell glanced at me, then turned to Helen. "Let's leave now."
I watched them go, my emotions in turmoil.
At two in the afternoon, a shrill phone ring shattered the estate's tranquility.
"Hello?" I answered.
"If you want to save Helen Crawford, make Maxwell Reed agree to marry you!" An unfamiliar man's voice came through, laced with threat.
My blood turned to ice: "What? Helen's been kidnapped?"
"That's right! She's in our hands now!" the voice continued. "If you want her to come back alive, convince Maxwell to marry you instead of her! You have 24 hours!"
"Wait! Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
Suddenly, a voice I knew all too well came through the phone:
"Without Helen, Maxwell will have no choice but you! This is the best outcome!"
It was Mother's voice! She was at the kidnapping scene!
"Mom?" I cried out in shock. "Mom! Have you lost your mind? This is a crime!"
Maniacal laughter came through the phone: "Yes, I've lost my mind! I'm crazy enough to want to protect your father's estate! Crazy enough to want you to get everything you deserve!"
"How could you do this? Helen is innocent!"
"Innocent? Her very existence is a threat to our family! As long as she's around, Maxwell will never choose you!" Mother's voice became shrill and unhinged.
The line went dead.
I stood there in shock, gripping the receiver, my mind completely blank. My mother... had actually orchestrated Helen's kidnapping?
I immediately tried calling Maxwell, but it went straight to voicemail. My hands began to shake—I had to find evidence.
I rushed upstairs to Mother's room. Her desk drawers were usually locked, but in her hurry this morning, she'd forgotten to lock them.
I rifled through the documents and finally found a stack of papers at the bottom: correspondence with some private security company, along with large money transfer receipts dated today!
My hands were trembling. The evidence was clear—Mother had actually hired people to kidnap Helen.
Just then, urgent footsteps echoed from downstairs.
"Fiona! Fiona!" Maxwell's voice was filled with anxiety and panic.
I grabbed the evidence and rushed downstairs. Maxwell stood in the living room, pale as a sheet, clutching his phone.
"Helen's missing!" His voice was shaking. "We split up for a while at the winery in Napa Valley, and when I came back, she was gone! Her phone's going straight to voicemail!"
I took a deep breath, knowing I had to tell him the truth: "Maxwell, I found evidence."
"What evidence?" He looked at me in confusion.
I handed him the stack of documents: "My mom orchestrated the kidnapping."
"What?" Maxwell's eyes widened as he trembled while looking through the files. "This can't be possible! How could Margaret..."
"The kidnappers just called me." My voice was almost shaking. "They said Helen can only come back safely if you marry me. And... I heard Mom's voice—she was at the kidnapping scene."
Maxwell's face immediately turned ashen: "Damn it! How could she... This is a felony! We have to save Helen! And for Margaret's own sake, we have to stop her before she makes this worse."
I looked at his pained and angry expression, nodding firmly: "Yes, let's go save them both."
"Do you know the location?" Maxwell gripped the evidence tightly.
I thought quickly: "The contract has the address of that security company—we should be able to find clues there. And the kidnappers said it's near Napa Valley, so the area can't be too large."
Maxwell looked at me deeply, his eyes filled with pain, anger, and some emotion I couldn't read: "Fiona, I'm so sorry... because of my existence, you and your mother..."
"Now's not the time for apologies." I cut him off. "Helen's life is more important than anything else."
In that moment, facing life-and-death danger and family madness, Maxwell and I truly stood on the same side for the first time.
No matter the cost, we had to save Helen and stop Mother from falling completely into the abyss.
And I knew this might be the last time we'd fight side by side.
