The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 413

Steven couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at him as he thought about the two diamonds. He edged over to George, lowering his voice. “Mr. Thomson, there’s something I need to tell you…”

His nerves were plain to see—Steven was well aware that these diamonds weren’t a trivial matter. He had to let George know as soon as possible.

Sensing that Steven wanted to share something confidential, George immediately caught on and turned to the others. “Why don’t you take the kids upstairs first?”

With that, George followed Steven off to the side.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Thomson hurried over, tears glimmering in her eyes. “You four gave your grandma such a fright! Thank goodness you’re all safe.”

She pulled her four grandchildren into another tight embrace, still reeling from the ordeal but overwhelmed with relief.

The children hugged her back, doing their best to comfort her.

Rebecca stepped in at just the right moment. “Let’s all board the plane now.”

Mrs. Thomson nodded in agreement.

Just then, Ethan remembered the large suitcase. “Wait, I still have something to grab.”

Everyone looked at him in surprise as he ran back to retrieve the heavy leather trunk—only to find he couldn’t lift it.

A nearby bodyguard stepped forward. “Young sir, let me help you with that.”

Ethan nodded eagerly. “Yes, please! Bring it up for me—I want to take it home. And be careful with it, okay?”

The bodyguard hefted the suitcase, surprised by its weight. He was about to ask what was inside, but Ethan shot him a warning look, and he wisely kept his mouth shut.

Ethan then marched up to Mrs. Thomson. “Grandma, I really like this suitcase. Will you give it to me?”

Realizing his voice had risen, George glanced at Mrs. Thomson, then lowered it. “Those were supposed to be my gift to her. How could you hand them over to the kidnappers?”

“I’m so sorry, sir,” Steven apologized at once. “I really had no choice. If we hadn’t come up with two billion, the children’s lives would’ve been in danger. I couldn’t risk that, not for anything…”

George took a deep breath. The loss of the diamonds stung, but the relief of having his four grandchildren safe far outweighed his disappointment.

After all, Steven had only done what was necessary to protect the children.

“Forget it. Your intentions were good. The fact that you managed to get all four of my grandchildren back with just a hundred million makes you a hero in my book.”

Steven’s gratitude was obvious. “Thank you, Mr. Thomson, for your understanding!”

George let out a long sigh, still a little reluctant. “Take some people and keep tracking down those kidnappers. If you can, get those diamonds back—quietly. If you really can’t…”