Chapter 52 A Bargaining Chip
This definitely wasn’t in the original plot.
Finished
But then again, she’d already veered so far off the host’s original path that it made sense everything was spiraling out of
control.
Still–random kidnappings? Really?
How much more ridiculous can this get?
Jean wasn’t scared, not really. Fear wouldn’t help her right now. What she needed was a clear head.
Whoever had taken her didn’t kill her while she was unconscious. That meant–for now–they didn’t want her dead.
Maybe she was still useful somehow.
In any case, she was still alive, which meant she still had a chance.
She didn’t think this was personal.
It wasn’t like Jean was some major player in Blairford. Hardly anyone even knew who she was, and even fewer had a reason to come after her. Maybe some students who hated her guts, but to go through the trouble of ambushing her! No way.
That left only one possibility.
They were after the Ginger family.
She’d shown up at the Vienna Hotel today–a well–known hotspot for Blairford’s upper crust.
If that’s where the elites gathered, it was only natural that their spies were crawling all over the place too.
She’d gone in without hiding her identity. She’d revealed to everyone she was a Ginger.
Chances were, plenty of eyes had already taken note.
So of course someone had targeted her.
She just hadn’t expected them to move this fast. They’d taken out her driver and set an ambush in the car.
Her head still throbbed. Even though she’d managed to piece all this together, her body was weak, like it had been drained of all strength,
And then-
Click
That was the sound of a light switch.
A lamp turned on–but not in the space she was lying in
Jean was almost certain she’d been thrown into some kind of basement.
The space was sealed tight, surrounded by solid walls. The only opening was a small window on one wall, about the size of a shoebox.
The light was coming from the other side of that window.
A warm yellow beam streamed through the opening and landed across the floor in front of her.
It was eerie, almost.
Chapter 52 A Bargaining Chip
Someone was out there.
The switch had been flipped by hand. Someone was watching her..
Jean felt her skin crawl.
“Scared?” said a man’s voice, low and smooth, coming from just beyond the small window. “Ms. Ginger.”
Figures
He knew who she was. Called her by name.
Not Jean–but “Ginger.” That meant he wasn’t after her. He was after what her family name represented.
Finished
The Ginger family had plenty of enemies in the original novel. They were wealthy, powerful, and they’d made more than a few people angry along the way.
“There’s no need to be frightened, the man continued, his voice deep and unhurried, like a cello in a dark room. “I simply invited you over as a guest
Jean clenched her fists.
Guest! Seriously!
He really had the gall to call this an invitation?
She snorted.
“How do you feel?” the man drawled. “The air’s nice down there, isn’t it?”
Jean exploded.
“Can you shut up already?”
What, you think I’m gonna sit here and take this?
She wasn’t in the mood to play along with whatever villain script this guy had written for himself.
“Wow, look at you. Real tough guy, aren’t you?” she snapped. “All this just to mess with a kid. You think that makes impressive!”
Her voice was sharp, biting, but she knew exactly what she was doing.
If she really was being held as leverage against the Ginger family, then she wouldn’t be killed. Not yet.
And that meant she could afford to push a little.
you
“Honestly, this treatment sucks,” she continued. “You wanna keep me alive, you’d better provide a bed. Meals three times a day. Wi–Fi wouldn’t hurt either.”
“My mom and brothers adore me. If they find out I’m being kept like this, do you have any idea how mad they’ll be?”
She was rambling now, throwing out as much nonsense as she could–anything to drive home her point:
She was important. Precious.
A valuable bargaining chip.
So you’d better treat me like one
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Chapter 52 A Bargaining nip
Finished
Then-
The light outside the window shut off.
The beam vanished. Darkness rushed back in. swallowing everything
Seriously? That’s it? You’re just gonna leave?
The next two days passed with no sign of him.
Jean thought they’d at least give her food.
Nope.
All she got were cups of water.
No real meals. No conversation.
They didn’t want her to die, but they definitely wanted her to suffer.
www.
These people are pure evil.
She had no choice but to drink the water they gave her. If she wanted to survive, she couldn’t afford to get any weaker.
Diy Deep breath. Calm down
Renge is a dish best served cold.
Stay alive. Stay clearheaded
ger out of here eventually. And when I do, I swear I’ll bury these bastards.
But she had to admit-
Living on just water was getting rough.
Her stomach had long since gone from empty to cramping. Pain throbbed through her core like something was gnawing at
her insides
She curled into the dormer, face pale, breath shallow.
Her strength was draining away, bit by bit.
Food really is essential There’s no replacing it.
Her jaw clenched in frustration. fingers digging into the carpet.
na mare to death in here
But that didn’t make sense. If she was supposed to be a hostage, wouldn’t they want to keep her alive?
She closed her eyes trying to focus trying to stay awake.
Does the Ginger family run ko Ive been taken?
Have they d
im I just rotting down here al
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