Ken! Donald thought and shuddered at the sound of his name. He had naturally heard of Ken before and that he was a reputable person. He also knew that no matter how rich or powerful a person was, they had to be respectful toward Ken. They would not dare to offend him.
Donald had always wanted the opportunity to meet Ken, but he was never able to because of his limited status. He never expected that his first communication with Ken would be in this way.
Donald was stunned. He swallowed hard.
Although it was just a simple sentence, and he couldn't be sure that it was Ken who was on the phone, how many people could directly call a hotel's internal line through an external phone? Donald was also a veteran businessman. How could he not know from the sound of the man's voice whether the other party was playing dumb or not?
"What is it? Are my words useless?" Ken asked in a deep voice. This sentence put Donald on alert. He now completely believed that the other party was Ken.
"Yes, I will listen to your orders and stop," Donald said in fear. He gave Luciel a look, and he reluctantly let go of Rose. Rose bent over and started to vomit. She felt disgusted by his kiss.
Luciel didn't understand his father. Now that their family had decided to move, he did not need to be afraid, not even of the president of the Merchant Union. How could his father give in at the most crucial moment?
"Did you do anything to them?" Ken asked. Sitting beside him, Alex was also paying close attention to what Donald was about to say.
Donald was terrified. He glanced at Rose, who was bent over vomiting, and then at his hand, which was shaking while he held the phone.
"Uh… my son… after kissing Rose a few times… another girl… we didn't touch them," Donald said fearfully. He did not dare to lie to Ken at all.
Hearing Donald's words, Ken looked at Alex. A trace of sadness flashed across Alex's face. He signalled Ken to do as he was told.
"Fine… so long as Miss Suzan is fine. I don't care about the other one. You can solve your problem if you want. The car that I sent to the hotel is almost there, so Miss Suzan should leave now. If anything happens to her, I'll settle the score with you," Ken said lightly.
Rose had said before that even if something happened to her, it would be none of Alex's business. He guessed that her treatment of Luciel was the main reason behind their abduction. Rose had been so cocky when she beat him up in front of everybody at the Angel bar. She was too arrogant. Alex wanted to take this opportunity to teach her a lesson.
"Yes, yes… I'll release her now," Donald hurriedly promised. After he said that, he hung up the phone. His forehead was covered in sweat.
"Dad, who called? Why did you agree to release her?" Luciel asked his father with disappointment. He really couldn't think of anyone who could make his father so cowardly.
"He's someone we can't afford to offend. Listen to me… hurry up and let her go." He might not be afraid of President Chase, but Ken was much more powerful. William could, at most, make it difficult for Donald in New York. But with Ken's power, it was still possible for him to not have anywhere to go in the entire country.
What Donald couldn't imagine was the extent of the harm that Ken could cause him. Whether he would see the sunrise the next day was unknown.
"People we can't afford to offend? Dad, who exactly was it on the phone?" Luciel couldn't think of anyone that could make his father so scared.
"Ken Stokes… you might not know him, but even the wealthiest person would be polite to him. William Chase is nothing compared to him." Donald's mood was now very troubled.
Luciel had never heard of Ken before, so it was hard for him to believe that. Yet, he had no choice but to believe that Ken was someone his family could not afford to offend no matter what.
He looked at Rose with eyes filled with hatred. This time, she was going to suffer endless humiliation, and no one was coming to save her.
"What are you looking at!" Rose straightened her body and glared at Luciel. When she thought about how he had forcefully kissed her just then, her fury surged. She raised her hand and slapped him in the face. "Who the hell do you think you are? You even dared to kiss me."
"You—" Luciel's face was stinging, but he didn't dare to challenge her. If Ken got angry, his family would not be able to bear the consequences of his reaction.
"What about you? You… shameless father and son should be sent to jail!" Rose looked at Luciel's face in anger. She frowned and kicked him in the crotch. She did not hold back.
"Ouch!" Luciel screamed as he clutched his crotch and fell to the ground in pain.
"Hmph… you deserved it. I'll do it again!" she said proudly as she looked at him rolling on the floor.
"Rose, let's go!" Suzan felt that what Rose did was too dangerous. What if they became anxious and started to beat them? Suzan only wanted to get out of the room.
"Suzan don't be afraid. Don't you see how scared Donald is? Even if they had twice the courage, they wouldn't dare do anything to us." Rose had seen Donald's attitude change to fear on the phone. This time, they were saved by someone more important than William Chase. She wasn't afraid at all.
"There's also this old man," Rose said. She walked toward Donald aggressively and went to kick him in the crotch, but he grabbed her leg.
"You! Let go, old man!" Rose said angrily.
"Let go? You wish!" Donald sneered. Ken had said on the phone that he only cared about Suzan's safety. He didn't care about the other girl at all. So, if they did what they wanted with Rose, Ken wouldn't vent his anger on them.
"Let go! Aren't you afraid that you'll get into trouble with Mr. Stokes?" Rose said shyly as Donald grabbed her foot.
"Heh, Mr. Stokes only told us to let Miss Suzan go. He doesn't care about you," Donald said. Hearing those words, Rose's face turned green.
"Really?" Luciel got up from the ground and looked at his father in surprise. He walked to Rose's side and grabbed her wrist with one hand while sneering, "Stinky bitch, you were pretty cocky just now. Show me your arrogance one more time."
Rose was frightened half to death when she saw the father and son pair. She looked at Suzan and said, "Suzan, save me! Save me!"
"Please let her go! Please don't hurt her!" Suzan pleaded with them.
"Don't meddle in our business. You should leave now… quickly," Donald said politely to Suzan, but she looked terrified.
She was afraid that if she continued to stay, Donald and Luciel would change their minds and grab her too. She wanted to save Rose, but she could not do anything. So, she ran out of the room in fear to go asking the police for help.
She rushed out of the hotel in a fluster. It was at that moment that the Maserati Levante that had picked up Alex stopped in front of her.
"Ahh!" Suzan jumped when the Maserati stopped. She calmed down when a young man stepped out of the car and told her that Ken had sent them to pick her up.
"I'm begging you… please save my friend. She's in there right now, and she might get beaten up. I'm begging you… please save her!" Suzan urgently pleaded to the young man.
"Uh… we were ordered to only ensure your safety." The young man appeared to be in a difficult position.
"I'm begging you... just help her!" Suzan fell to her knees with tears flowing from her eyes.
"Please get up. I can't take it!" The young man bent down to help Suzan get up, but she refused. He had no choice but to agree to her request.
"All right, let's go save her," he said to another man in the car.
"Thank you, thank you!" While Suzan thanked him, another young man stepped out of the car, and they ran toward the hotel.
**
Donald and Luciel had Rose pinned down onto the bed. Donald was holding her arms while Luciel was grabbing the collar of her top with an evil glint in his eyes. He pulled it down forcefully, exposing her shoulder.
Rose struggled in despair. How can I defend myself from two grown men? she thought as she closed her eyes and burst into tears.
The two strong young men broke into the room, kicked Donald and Luciel onto the ground, and pulled Rose up from the bed.
It was as though she had been given a new chance at life. She didn't dare to brainlessly insult the father and son now. The two young men supported her by the arms and whisked her out of the room.
**
"Rose, are you all right?" Seeing that Rose had been saved, Suzan rushed over to comfort her. The two girls held each other until Rose gradually calmed down and stopped shaking.
"Ladies, please get into the car now. We'll take you back," a young man said respectfully.
"Oh, sorry to keep you waiting." Suzan and Rose climbed into the car, and their attention gradually shifted to the expensive Maserati they were sitting in. This was the first time they had ridden in such a luxurious car.
"May I ask why Mr. Stokes wants to save me?" Suzan asked the young man sitting across from her. She was curious. As she had never seen Ken before, why would he protect her?
"Oh, Mr. Stokes is involved because of our boss." The man sitting opposite them was about to say more, but the man sitting in the front passenger seat coughed, turned his head to the side, and said with a frown, "That's all you need to know."
"Boss?" Suzan and Rose were both curious.
They continued to ask, "Who is your boss? Do you know who we are? What's his name?"
"You don't need to ask these questions. Our task was to ensure that the two of you return safely. As for the rest, we don't know anything." The young man gritted his teeth and did not dare to reveal any more information.
Suzan and Rose exchanged a glance. They both had a strange feeling.
"What's this" Suzan's hand had carelessly brushed past the seat. She felt something. When she picked up the objects, she saw that it was a pair of woven bracelets. She looked at Rose in surprise and whispered, "Rose, aren't these the bands that the old lady gave you and Alex at the night market?"