The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 185

All hands were on deck. Every soul she could mobilize was on the move.

Draven arrived just in time. He joined forces with Eric to save Isolde.

Vivienne slid back into the car, and Matthew steered towards the coordinates displayed on her laptop.

But by the time they got there, there was no one to be found.

The same was the case for Isolde.

Several spots were checked, all with the same result.

Matthew knitted his brows. "Vivienne, they're playing us. These coordinates are a decoy."

Vivienne remained silent with her brows furrowed.

She had not only traced everyone's phones but also pinpointed their locations via satellite.

Her adversary was a master hacker too.

Moreover, they had the upper hand in numbers and were frequently changing locations, making it extremely difficult to track them down.

However, Isolde's location was consistent.

Suddenly, Matthew's phone rang. After a brief conversation, he hung up and quickly opened a live streaming app.

"Damn, Vivienne, look at this! They've started a live stream!" Matthew exclaimed.

Vivienne quickly snatched the phone. The man in the golden mask was back on screen, with all the students from Class Eighteen tied up. Each student had a gun pointed at them.

The man in the golden mask was sitting on a chair with his legs crossed, exuding nonchalance. "Hello there, my dear friends. Welcome to my live stream."

As the live stream began, only a handful of viewers were present.

"Is this a game of truth or dare? Why are they all tied up?" One commented.

"They look like students from Cloudcrest High School. I recognize their uniforms."

"This can't be a kidnapping, can it? Are those real guns or toy guns?"

The man in the golden mask seemed to be reading the comments. After a few moments of silence, a wicked grin spread across his face. "You're right, pal. This is a kidnapping. I have Class Eighteen from Cloudcrest High School. I'm playing a game with their teacher to see if she can save them from me."

He glanced at the time, then leaned into the camera, causing his face to fill the screen. "Vivienne, you have fifteen minutes left. To help you replace me, I've started this live stream. Let's see who you choose to save. Your fiancé's sister or your students?"

"Better hurry; I'm waiting." He lit a cigarette and sat back. He looked extremely comfortable and relaxed.

To prove the legitimacy of the live stream, the students' gags were removed.

Immediately, the students started crying and shouting. "Let me go! I don't want to die! Someone save me!"

Oberon Harper shouted, "I'm from the Harper family! You touch us, you're done for!"

The man in the golden mask tutted. "Such bravery. You're just like me when I was young. But in front of me, your bravery will be your downfall."

He commanded one of his men. "Add some spice to the situation. Let's get our friend here quickly."

The man walked up to Oberon and hit him on the head with a gun. Blood started pouring out from the wound, and Oberon passed out.

Viewers who initially thought this was a prank to gain popularity suddenly started panicking when they saw Oberon bleed out and lose consciousness. "Oh, my God! This is a real kidnapping! Call the police!"

"I've called the police, but where are they? Can the students wait till the police arrive?"

"Everyone, try to figure out where this is happening, so we can help the police."

The viewers in the live stream shot up to fifty thousand and were still increasing.

Vivienne watched the live stream with a stern expression.

She quickly booted up her laptop to trace the location of the live stream but found herself stumped for the first time ever.

"What's wrong? Can you trace the location?" Matthew asked, looking concerned.

"No, the IP is virtual. I can't locate it." Vivienne answered, her eyes cold.

Her adversary had anticipated this move and had used a virtual IP from the start.

She was good, but her adversary was not far behind.

This was a game of cat and mouse, so time was of the essence.

But she wasn't going to lose. A wicked grin spread across her face as she began to type furiously on her laptop.

Using an anti-virtual IP method, she broke through the adversary's firewall in a few swift moves and located the source of the live stream. "An abandoned factory in the south of the city!"

As soon as Vivienne mentioned the location, Matthew hit the gas pedal.

As Vivienne headed towards the south of the city, the elite of Havenwood were in an uproar.

All the students in Class Eighteen were from wealthy backgrounds.

The news of their kidnapping and the live stream spread like wildfire, and within a few minutes, everyone had received the news.

The Redwood family.

Mrs. Redwood watched the live stream and cried uncontrollably. "Charlotte! My Charlotte! Why did they have to take her?!"

Mrs. Redwood clutched Anthony Redwood's hand in desperation. "Dear, we need to save Charlotte. Negotiate with the kidnappers. Give them whatever they want!"

Anthony's face was grim. "I've tried contacting them, but they're not responding."

"What do we do now? If anything happens to Charlotte, I won't be able to live!" Mrs. Redwood was on the verge of fainting.

Anthony gripped her hand reassuringly.

"Don't worry, I've called the police as well." He said, trying to soothe her frantic fears. "The teenagers taken are from the elite class of Havenwood. Their families are influential here, so the police won't dally." "But..." Mrs. Redwood was interrupted by Clara before she could voice her concerns.

"Let's worry about Vivienne first." She suggested.

Mrs. Redwood blinked in surprise. "What about Vivienne? She's safe, isn't she?"

"Didn't you hear the kidnapper? He was aiming for Vivienne. And judging by his tone, they've also taken Percival's sister. They're trying to force Vivienne into a catch. But I think she'll try to save those students alone. How is she supposed to free them from those kidnappers?"

Mrs. Redwood froze. The gravity of the situation was finally dawning on her. "We need to call Vivienne. She can't go there. It's too dangerous. The police will handle it."

Clara sighed. "Knowing Vivienne, she won't sit idle."

"What can we do then?" Mrs. Redwood asked, her concern palpable. Vivienne had saved her mother and completely transformed Charlotte. She genuinely didn't want anything bad to happen to her.

Anthony, who had been in deep thought, chimed in. "You guys stay at home. We're running out of time. The kidnapper said we only have fifteen minutes. I'll gather my security team, and we'll head out to the location he mentioned. Every little bit helps."

In this situation, time was of the essence.