"I already told you he's not the one I love!" Sophia yelled at him. This man was truly despicable; after his tender moments, he always spoke coldly, like a knife.
Capone glanced at her, then stepped forward to knock on the door, calling out softly a few times. The dog quieted down.
"Come in!" He gestured for Sophia to enter.
Only when the dog was distracted by Capone did Sophia dare to cross the iron gate.
Once inside, she realized it was quite similar to the layout on Meisha Island. Although it lacked the luxurious modern feel, the overall style was simple, just the kind Capone and his friends would like.
In the living room, a few people were sitting or standing, and Sophia immediately recognized them. "Mandy? Dr. Cronus? You're all here! That's great!"
She ran over and grabbed both of them. Diana adjusted her glasses, while Cronus smiled slightly and said, "What's with the dramatic reunion? It's only been a few days, and you're missing us already?"
Sophia's eyes reddened; God knows how anxious she had been over the past few days. With so many of them suddenly gone, she had no idea what Capone was up to or whether he would harm them.
"Um… what about Mandy? Is he okay?"
Cronus glanced at Capone, who was smoking nearby, and understood. He lowered his voice deliberately and said to Sophia, "Not too good!"
"What? What happened to him? Where is he?"
"Don't panic, Sophia. He's fine; I'll take you to see him!"
Diana pulled Sophia into another room, while Cronus walked up to Capone and asked, "When are we leaving?"
"Noon." Capone exhaled a puff of smoke, unwilling to divulge any details.
"Are you really sure about letting her go? No regrets?"
Capone looked at him as if he had heard something amusing. "Why would I regret it? I never intended to keep her for a lifetime when I kidnapped her. The Diaz family has agreed to all my conditions. Next, it's a direct confrontation with Lucas, and I have to deal with those stubborn board members. I can't afford to keep an eye on her anymore. There's no reason to keep her!"
"Aren't you still seeking revenge?"
"The Diaz family's most cherished daughter has been kidnapped for over half a year; it's a tremendous disgrace. If she dies, it'll be over and done with. But if she's saved by chance, she might just be a wilted flower, traumatized in body and mind. Can you understand the ugliness of human nature? Especially those hypocrites from wealthy families, all waiting to take advantage of the situation and laugh at the Diaz family. They'll never hold their heads high again; their daughter won't be able to marry, after all, who would want a used shoe discarded by me?"
"Capone!"
As soon as Capone finished speaking, he heard Diana call him from behind. Sophia stood beside her, her face pale, except for her red-rimmed eyes, tears overflowing like water from a cup, rolling down her cheeks like broken pearls.
His chest tightened, but he felt no surprise; his expression was calm, like a perfect mask, showing no cracks.
"You're despicable!"
Finally, he heard Sophia speak, trembling, so full of hatred and determination in her judgment.
"I won't deny it!"
"How can you… how can you…"
Sophia was at a loss for words through her tears.
She saw Mandy, who had just finished his rehabilitation exercises, standing there in good health. He had a cut on his mouth, which Diana said was from the day he had a conflict with Capone and was hit by him without fighting back.
He was perfectly fine; he was neither dead nor seriously injured, yet Capone had made her worry for several days. She felt a mix of annoyance and joy, wanting to ask Capone what was going on and why he had brought her here today.
But then she heard him say those words, and it made sense why he had felt such satisfaction in his revenge since kidnapping her. It explained why he had once said that even if she returned home someday, her life might not be any better!
He had such malicious intentions all along; he had planned to make her and her family live a life worse than death!
What were the complex emotions she felt for him during these days? When they were close, what did her pain and his loneliness signify? And what about that subtle, hazy feeling when he had carried her across the beach?
Capone just stood there indifferently, as if nothing she said or did mattered to him anymore.
"Why did you bring me here? Why did you bring me here? Tell me!"
"This noon, your brother will send someone to take you back!" After all these days, he was truly tired. If he hadn't rehearsed those words in his heart more than once, he wouldn't have known where he found the strength to say them.
There were dozens of islands of various sizes near the port, and Meisha was the largest inhabited island, the area where they usually operated. Even when dealing with the Diaz family, he didn't want to expose his position, not to mention that Lucas was watching him closely.
The saddest part was that he couldn't be sure who the mole was; there was no one he could fully trust by his side.
For the past three days, he had kept everyone away from the port area. This remote place, the Great Salt Field, was only where he brought Cronus and the others after finalizing the time and place with the Diaz family.
Bringing Sophia to the Great Salt Field was just to wait for the Diaz family's people to send a boat to take her away.
However, Sophia seemed incredulous, shaking her head while stepping back, her voice hoarse. "No... you're lying to me! You wouldn't be so kind as to let me go! Where do you want to send me? Don't think you can fool me under the pretense of my brother!"
Capone's gaze fell on the void outside the window. Hearing her words, he looked back, took out his phone from his pocket, dialed a number, and held it in front of her. "If you don't believe me, ask for yourself!"
The call was a video call, and Sophia widened her eyes, blinking away the thick layer of tears, seeing Matthew Diaz on the screen.
"Matthew, is that you…" Her hand holding the phone trembled. It had been so long since she had seen a close relative that this moment felt unreal!
"Sophia, it's me, it's Matthew! Don't be afraid; you'll see me at noon. Boss is here too, and we'll go home together! Don't be scared!"
Matthew Diaz's voice was filled with deep concern. Their entire family had been on edge for over half a year, fearing that their youngest sister might face misfortune. Not a single day passed without them worrying about whether she was doing well. Now, seeing her pale face and red eyes from crying naturally made him think of how she had suffered at the hands of the Franklin family.
But no matter how much he ached for her, they could only wait for the agreed time to bring her home.
"Matthew… I want to go home, boo hoo…" Upon seeing her most beloved brother, the accumulated grievances within Sophia burst forth, and she cried sorrowfully.
Matthew Diaz didn't know how to comfort her; he could only angrily shout from the other end, "Capone, you bastard! You've tormented her for so long; don't make it harder for her at this time!"
Capone smiled, pulling the phone away from Sophia's hand. "You remind me. After all, I've had my fun with her for so long; what's one more time? There's still plenty of time before she leaves, and I'll review that feeling of ecstasy with her so she doesn't forget it when she goes back!"
"Capone!" Sophia was furious. How could he say such despicable things in front of her family?
She suddenly stood up, reaching for the phone in his hand. Capone waved her off, raising his hand high so she couldn't reach it. Frustrated and powerless, Sophia desperately tried to hit him and, in a moment of panic, bit down hard on his other hand.
Capone raised an eyebrow, not even grunting, allowing her to bite him fiercely until blood began to seep out.
He coldly looked at the camera, addressing the agitated Matthew Diaz, "It seems you're still at the airport. Can you confirm you'll be able to arrive by noon to pick her up? Just to be clear, I'm not accustomed to waiting for people. This opportunity is only given once; if you miss this time, you may never see her again!"
"It's snowing heavily in Hokkaido, and all airport runways are closed. But don't worry, we've already arranged for personnel. At exactly noon, we will pick her up as agreed! The ts boat, four people, and the leader's surname is Norton.. They know Sophia; you can hand her over to them. I, along with my boss, will meet them at the port later!"
Capone hung up the phone. His other hand bore a blood-red bite mark, a small, neat circle with blood steadily oozing out. He believed that if Sophia had been any more ruthless, she could have bitten a chunk of flesh off.
He walked over to the sobbing Sophia, who shrank back, remembering the night he had kidnapped her. She had bitten him hard the moment she got off the plane, and he had slapped her so hard her ears rang.
A terrifying memory that had not been recalled for a long time was inexplicably awakened at this moment!