The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 419

When Ethan got home, he could barely contain his excitement. He hurriedly called a bodyguard to haul the suitcase straight into his room.

Closing the door behind him, Ethan knelt down and carefully opened the case. The stacks of crisp hundred-dollar bills inside made his heart soar—he was practically giddy.

“Wow! If nobody’s claiming it, then it’s all mine,” he said to himself with a grin.

In Ethan’s mind, if no one asked, it meant no one cared.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out two large, glittering diamonds. Just looking at them, Ethan could tell they were worth a fortune. He needed to keep them safe.

He found a hidden spot in the room and tucked the diamonds away, then strolled out as if nothing had happened.

***

Meanwhile, George’s phone rang. It was Steven on the other end.

Steven sounded apologetic, his voice tinged with remorse. “Mr. Thomson, I’m sorry. We couldn’t catch those kidnappers, and the diamonds are gone…”

George could let the money go, but those diamonds—those were his real treasure.

After Steven’s awkward explanation, George racked his brain, but never guessed that the diamonds had ended up in Ethan’s hands.

He let out a sigh, furrowing his brow. “If they can’t be found, there’s nothing more to be done.”

What was done was done—no point dwelling on it.

Besides, George was too level-headed to let a little loss get under his skin.

He hung up the phone.

Mrs. Thomson looked at him with concern. “Is everything alright?”

“It’s nothing,” George replied calmly. “The kidnappers got away, that’s all.” He didn’t want her to worry.

Cedric kept going, “We could’ve gotten two billion in ransom. Even if the Thomson family made trouble, we could’ve blamed it all on Crystal’s debt—nobody would have batted an eye. But now, we don’t even have a million left.”

Darcy’s voice was cold. “And what about that million?”

Cedric looked down, ashamed. “The Thomson family’s men showed up—we panicked and ran…”

Suddenly Borg remembered something. “Actually, the Thomson family sent over two diamonds. Not worth much, but at least we could have sold them for something. It’s not like the kidnapping was a total bust.”

Darcy pressed, “So where are the diamonds?”

“Diam—diamonds…” Borg stammered, head down. “We didn’t take them.”

With a furious kick, Darcy sent both men sprawling. “Idiots! How could you leave something so valuable behind?”

Borg and Cedric lay on the floor, blood trickling from their noses. All they could do was curse silently: Wasn’t it you, Darcy, who told us not to take them?