Married To My Ex's Brother, Reborn Miraculously

Chapter 348: The kidnappers had Anne

Turning to Denis, Gustave said with a clipped tone, "You should also leave. Don’t worry about the chaos at the construction site. I’m looking into this. We’ll soon have a solution."

Denis was relieved that he had Augustine by his side. He believed the problem would be resolved soon, but Nathan’s words nagged in the back of his mind. He had no idea of the accident that had taken Anne’s bodyguard’s life. Such a tragedy, followed by Augustine and Anne vanishing without explanation...It couldn’t be a coincidence.

’Something is wrong,’ he thought.

He had a feeling that Gustave wasn’t honest.

"You should leave now," Gustave pressed. "I’ll keep you informed of any changes. And please, stay away from the construction site. If anyone contacts you and demands something, reach out to me instantly."

Denis gave a stiff nod, his expression turning serious. On the surface, he looked composed, but his mind was anything but calm.

’Could it be those gangsters abducted Anne?’ His doubts intensified.

A cold sweat broke across his skin as dread settled deep in his bones. He wanted to press Gustave, to demand the truth, but he said nothing. He didn’t let Gustave know what he had on his mind.

Denis thought he would look into it on his own and find out what was going on before confronting Gustave.

"I’ll leave then." He stepped into the car and took the wheel. In a minute, the car was on the road.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the long flight, the jet finally touched the ground. Augustine checked his wristwatch – thirty-six hours left. He quickly got out of the jet and dialed Lucien’s number.

"Hey, busy man. When are you coming?" Lucien asked with a chuckle. He sounded happy.

"I am already in town."

"What? You are back."

"Yup. Let’s meet."

"Perfect timing, brother. Tonight, my guys are throwing me a bachelorette party. You can’t miss it."

Augustine muttered a curse under his breath. He had planned to meet him in private, but at a party, with so many people around, the risk would be higher than he had anticipated. But he couldn’t turn him down and raise alarms.

"Fine. I’ll be there."

"Bring Anne home. Audrey will be thrilled."

Augustine’s face fell at the mention of Anne. "Sorry, she couldn’t come. Some complications came up, and the doctors prohibited her from a long journey."

He lied, and with each word he spoke to deceive his friend, he felt a knife twisting deeper into his heart.

"That’s bad. But her and the baby’s safety come first."

"Yes. Let’s meet at the party."

Augustine’s expression turned grim as he ended the call. The earlier plan wouldn’t work. He had to change the strategy. As he headed out of the terminal, his phone buzzed.

When he saw the unknown number on the screen, his heart took a leap.

"Hello?" Augustine answered. His voice faltered slightly, even his attempt to keep himself steady.

"You reached. Not bad. Time is slipping away. Be quick. I don’t know how long your wife can endure."

From the background, Augustine heard Anne crying. He panicked. "What is going on? What did you do to her?" His voice broke with desperation and fear. "You promised you wouldn’t hurt her. If you back off your words, you will regret it."

"Still have the nerve to threaten me," the man scoffed mockingly. But the next moment, his tone turned threatening. "Augustine, don’t dare talk to me in that tone. Or else, I won’t protect your wife."

Augustine felt a chill on his back. "Don’t hurt her," he said in a pleading tone. "Please." But he gritted his teeth in resolve. He would make that man bleed for every drop of tear Anne shed.

The man chuckled. "Now you are talking. I like it. Don’t worry. She is fine. She is just missing you a lot, begging us to let her go."

Augustine’s insides clenched at the thought of Anne’s sufferings. He felt useless. He couldn’t even protect his wife properly. What was the use of all the money and forces he had?

"I hear that Lucien is having a bachelorette party tonight," the man drawled. "It’s the perfect time to bring him without alerting anyone. His men will be too busy with alcohol, drugs, and women. They won’t notice you. But my men will be watching you. So don’t even think of betraying me. You got it?"

Augustine could only swallow the anger. "I’ll keep my promise. And you will keep your words."

"Done."

Beep

Augustine’s features twisted in fury. ’You are a dead man already,’ he muttered under his breath before storming out of the airport.

At Denis’s office...

Haris burst through the door, his face tight with alarm. "You won’t believe what I found," he said with urgency lacing in his tone. "I just got an update from the informer. He sent some photographs from the construction site."

He put his phone on the table in front of Denis. "Check it."

Denis snatched the phone up and scrolled down the screen, checking the images. Debris was scattered everywhere. Hiding behind the pilled concrete wrecks were several masked, armed men. Those men looked serious, keeping their eyes around as if they had been guarding something precious.

"Can you see that?" Haris asked with urgency. "Those people are everywhere, seizing the whole place. And the cops aren’t doing anything. They said they inspected the place and had not found anything suspicious. I don’t know what they are doing."

Denis’s features tensed with each photograph he checked. "They won’t do anything," he muttered. "They have taken money."

When he swiped to the next photo, he froze. There was a shadowy figure tied to a chair. He pinched the screen to zoom in. Since the photo was taken from a distance, the pixels broke, and he couldn’t tell who it was. But one detail was clear: it was a woman.

His heart stopped when he caught sight of the woman’s protruding belly. ’She is pregnant,’ his mind screamed.

Only one name crossed his mind – Anne.

Cold dread washed over him, stiffening his nerves. "It’s Anne," he exclaimed.

"I also suspected that," Haris said. "The informant said the woman he saw was pregnant. Those people had Madam Anne with them."

Denis jumped to his feet. "I need to find Augustine."

He hurried out of the office.

"But, sir..." Before Haris could stop him or say anything further, Denis was already out of reach, disappearing into the elevator.

Denis soon reached the parking area and got into his car. He dialed Gustave’s number. When the line clicked in, he said urgently, "I need to see you. I have something..."

There was a pause on the other end. "Come to my place," Gustave said, cutting him short.

Ending the call, Denis started the engine. "You liar," he muttered, scrunching up his nose in fury. "You have to answer me."

In just a few minutes, he was standing outside Gustave’s apartment. He jabbed the doorbell impatiently.

The door flew open. As soon as Gustave’s figure came into view, Denis swung a fist at him. Gustave reacted instinctively and blocked the attack. He stepped back.

"What’s wrong with you?" Gustave barked, caught off guard.

"Still pretending," Denis hissed, baring his teeth. "You lied to me. You said Anne and Augustine went abroad. But in reality, she is in trouble. Those goons kidnapped her."

Gustave blinked, momentarily speechless. He licked his lips, nervous, not anticipating that Denis to find it out so quickly.

"Where is Augustine?" Denis demanded. "Is he in danger too?"

Gustave ran a hand over his face, his hesitation clear. But at this point, he couldn’t keep it a secret any longer. He nodded, his expression grim. "Yes, madam is kidnapped."

Denis’s heart sank, his legs moving backward. He felt as though the revelation landed on him as a punch to his gut.

"Those people are dangerous. Their demand is deadly."

"What is their demand?"

Gustave looked up at him. "Please stay out of this matter. Your involvement will only add to the risk."

"What do they want?" Denis pressed, this time even more firmly. "Tell me clearly. I can help..."

"No one can help," Gustave barked, silencing him. "Do you think I don’t want to act. You have no idea how helpless and frustrated I feel. I know everything. But I could do nothing..."

His voice shook. "Please, I am requesting you."

Denis ground his teeth, anger simmering beneath his skin. He knew Augustine was out there, alone, risking everything to rescue Anne. There was no chance he would abandon his brother in such a fight. He would help—but on his own terms, without Gustave’s knowledge. He had the capability and resources.

"Fine, I’ll stay out of this matter," said Denis before storming out of the house.

~~~~~~~~~

Augustine arrived at the underground casino, where the party was in full swing. The heavy bass thumped through the walls, mixing with the laughter of the guests. The smell of alcohol and tobacco hung in the air.

Under the pulsing neon lights, Augustine’s eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on a familiar figure—Lucien, standing in a corner deep in conversation. His expression hardened as he began to move toward him.

"Hey, Augustine...You have arrived." A tall, broad-shouldered man approached, blocking his way. His grin spread from ear to ear. "I thought you would be coming next week. But you showed up early."

It was Remi, Lucien’s ever-watchful right-hand, sharp and deadly. No one can escape his eyes.

Augustine couldn’t afford to raise doubt in his mind. He mustered a smile, but that was not a smile. "Plans change," he said.

"Good that you are back early. Come, have a drink with us." He took him to the other side of the hall.

Augustine didn’t have time to enjoy the party. He needed to carry out his plan quickly and get Lucien out of there. His gaze moved to Lucien, who was still busy with the guests.

"I should greet Lucien first," Augustine urged.