"Who are you people?" Aware that escaping was impossible, Ailin began to calm down.
The two men remained silent.
"Hey, I'm asking you! Why did you capture us?" Ailin shouted.
The two men still ignored her.
Never before had she been treated with such disdain. If her hands hadn't been locked in handcuffs, she would have slapped them.
Seeing the pale face of Amy sitting beside her, Ailin could only gently hold her.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine." She forced a smile at the little girl.
Amy said nothing, staring blankly at her.
The taxi continued driving silently. Watching the ever-changing scenery outside, Ailin felt a sense of gloom.
After nearly an hour of driving, the taxi finally stopped in front of a warehouse at a dock.
It was an abandoned, rundown warehouse, with two luxury sedans parked at the entrance.
The area was very quiet, with only the occasional faint sound of ship horns in the distance, and no other human sounds.
Ailin and Amy were escorted out of the car by the two men and led into the old warehouse.
The driver of the taxi also got out and walked to one of the luxury cars, where he opened the driver's door and got in.
Inside the dimly lit warehouse, only a single incandescent bulb cast a faint glow. Four men sat quietly in the room. Sitting in the center were a young blonde man in a high-end suit and a middle-aged man in a gray suit.
"Nico, so it was you, you bastard." The moment she saw the blonde young man, Ailin started cursing.
"Ailin, that's no way for a lady to behave." Nico stood up, smiling.
Ailin suddenly lunged forward, using her shoulder to strike him hard.
As she charged at him, the two men started to hold her back, but Nico waved them off.
After a few strikes, Nico reached out and lifted her chin.
"Ailin, you're still as beautiful as ever. What a shame—why did you treat me like that back then? We were almost at the point of getting married."
"Who would marry a dog that only knows how to wag its tail at Adams?" Ailin spat in his face.
Nico, his face expressionless, wiped the spit off, then suddenly slapped her hard, sending her sprawling to the ground.
"You wretch. Do you think you're so high and mighty? Aren't you just chasing after Montreux for his money? If I'm a dog, you're just a female dog." Nico grabbed her hair, pulling her face close as he yelled.
"A piece of trash like you isn't worthy to be compared to Mr. Defoe. How laughable." Ailin sneered.
Furious, Nico slapped her again, splitting her lip.
Just as he was about to strike again, the middle-aged man beside him intervened, "Nico, don't forget Mr. Adams' instructions."
"Don't worry, Kiro, I haven't forgotten. I'm just having a little moment with my former fiancée." Nico released Ailin and stood up.
Watching this, Amy started to cry silently, though she didn't dare make a sound. Once Nico left, she quickly ran to Ailin's side to help her up, though she struggled to support her.
"What do you want?" Ailin asked as she looked at the middle-aged man and Nico while slowly getting up.
Kiro, in a gentlemanly manner, smiled and said, "Miss Ailin, we don't intend to harm you. For the time being, you and Miss Amy need to stay with us, including when we return to Switzerland. These are Mr. Adams' orders."
"What exactly do you want?" Ailin couldn't believe they went through so much trouble just to catch up with her.
"That's not for you to worry about. When the time comes, Mr. Adams will handle everything. As long as you don't do anything reckless, we will treat you politely. I hope you don't make things difficult for us."
Though she didn't know their full intentions, Ailin was somewhat reassured by his words.
Kiro checked his watch and said, "Miss Ailin, it's time to go."
"Go where?" She tensed up again.
"Where else? Back to Switzerland, of course. The journey may be long; I hope you don't mind." Kiro smiled.
"But my luggage and passport are still at the hotel."
"I've already arranged for someone to retrieve them. After you." Kiro gestured politely.
Ailin had no choice but to take Amy's hand and follow him.
As they exited the warehouse, Kiro instructed Nico, "Go with Miss Ailin. And remember, don't let anything like what just happened repeat itself."
Nico shrugged in agreement.
Kiro and three of his men got into one of the luxury sedans, while Nico and another man escorted Ailin and Amy into a separate car.
"Ailin, I hope you enjoy the trip." Nico sneered at her angry face as they settled into the backseat.
Suddenly, the man in the front exclaimed, "You're not—" before being knocked out by a punch from the driver.
Although Nico didn't fully understand what was happening, he reflexively reached for the gun at his waist.
But as he raised it, his wrist was suddenly gripped tightly by an iron-like hand.
He looked up and saw an unfamiliar face smiling at him, just before a fist filled his vision. Then, everything went black...
"Who… who are you?" Ailin stammered, shocked and terrified, as she looked at the mysterious figure in a hat. Everything had happened so quickly that before she could react, Nico and his subordinate had already been taken down.
Ignoring her, the man swiftly grabbed the gun from Nico's hand and fired two shots at the tires of Kiro's car and the taxi nearby, deflating them both.
As Kiro's men jumped out, prepared to shoot back, the mysterious man immediately reversed the car and drove away.
"Get down!" he shouted while driving.
Realizing the urgency, Ailin pushed Amy's head down without hesitation.
Barely two seconds after they ducked, the right side mirror shattered from a gunshot.
"Terrible aim," Ailin heard the mysterious man mutter.
"Who are you?" After about five minutes of driving down the road, Ailin, still stunned, asked the man from behind.
"Just a regular tourist. Hey, kid, are you alright?" The man turned around with a grin, taking off his hat.
"It's you!" Ailin covered her mouth in disbelief.
"Lei… Lei…" The little girl burst into tears upon seeing him and threw herself toward him.
"Hey, kid, don't move around—I'm still driving!" He struggled to keep control of the car as she clung to him.