Chapter 3

I panicked and instantly texted Julian back.

[That's Mary! Amelia’s mother! Get her to a hospital right now, or you’re going to prison for the rest of your life!]

But Julian didn't believe a single word.

He sent back a laughing emoji, followed by a wall of text.

[You got lucky marrying Amelia, and now you’re actually delusional enough to think you’re the CEO's real son?]

[You’re just a glorified house husband. Know your place.]

[You think you’re important to the company, but to the Donald family, you’re just a dog they keep on a leash.]

[They don’t view you as real family!]

If Julian knew anything about the Donald family, he would never have said that.

Amelia was a wild child. Whenever she had free time, she was out partying, barely spending any time with her parents.

I was the exact opposite. In my spare time, I loved sitting down with Marcus and Mary, talking about business strategies and management.

My own parents lived abroad, so I gave all my free time to them.

They genuinely loved me and called me their son.

And because Mary had called me "son" to her captors, Julian thought she was my biological mother!

I immediately hit the FaceTime button on Julian.

"Julian, I swear to God, that is Mary! If anything happens to her, Amelia will destroy you!"

On the screen, Julian smirked. "Oh, please, Liam. You’re just saying she’s Mary because you’re terrified I’ll beat your actual mother to death."

"Relax, I'm not a monster. Look, she’s perfectly fine."

He flipped the camera to show Mary.

My heart stopped. Mary’s lips were turning blue, and her body was twitching. She was struggling to breathe.

She had severe asthma. Under my care over the past few years, she hadn't had a single attack.

But now, she was on the verge of suffocating!

Marcus had a weak heart, and his blood pressure had been dangerously high lately. I couldn't tell him yet, or he might have a stroke.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to calm down. "Mary has asthma! She’s having an attack right now!"

"Julian, call an ambulance! She is going to die!"

Julian burst out laughing.

"Didn't you just say she wasn't your mom? Now you’re begging me to save her?"

"Liam, you’re so bad at lying. You broke so easily."

"If you want me to save her, get down on your knees and beg me. Do it, and I might consider it."

I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. Rage boiled in my veins.

I knew this piece of trash was just trying to humiliate me. But if I delayed any longer, Mary would die!

When I first joined the company, many senior executives refused to respect me. They tried to sabotage a massive deal to ruin my reputation.

It was Mary who showed up at the client dinner, turned the tide, and secured the contract.

Afterward, she fired every single executive who had bullied me.

When Amelia complained about me, Mary told her that I needed time to grow.

She mentored me, hand-in-hand, teaching me how to run the business.

Without Mary, I wouldn't be where I was today.

On the screen, Mary’s face was turning purple. Julian sneered, "What’s the hold-up? Is her life not worth your pride?"

"Guess you don't care about your mommy that much after all."

I gritted my teeth. "I’ll kneel! Just promise you’ll save her!"

He nodded, grinning.

I got down on my knees right in front of the camera. "Please, save her."

Julian’s hysterical laughter echoed through the phone.

I glared at him, my eyes bloodshot. "Now call 911!"

Julian sneered coldheartedly. "If the ambulance comes here, it’ll cause a scene and ruin the company’s reputation. We can’t have that."

"But I’ll give you the address."

"370 Spring Road. Come and get her yourself."

"Don't worry, your mom isn't that fragile. This was just a warning. I don't actually want her dead."

With that, he hung up.

I rushed out of the office, speeding toward 370 Spring Road. On the way, I dialed 911, explaining Mary’s medical history to the dispatcher.

Then, I spam-called Amelia.

This was her mother. She had to know. But after ten consecutive calls, she didn't answer.

My car screeched to a halt in front of a private villa. The ambulance and I arrived at the exact same time.

But Julian was standing at the gate, blocking the paramedics.

He glared at me. "Liam, are you deaf? I said no ambulances! Do you want to ruin the company's stock price?!"