?Chapter 2835:


    “Please, calm down,” Ellis said, trying to soothe her.


    “Calm down?” Hadley’s voice rose, cracking with hysteria.


    “They’re not your children! No wonder you don’t care the same way!”


    Ellis froze, his face turning pale.


    “Eric!” Hadley clung to his arm as if it were the only thing keeping her upright.


    “How could this happen? They asked for money, didn’t they? So why was no one there? What are they nning to do to Joy and Locke?”


    Her strength gave out, her body crumbling under the crushing weight of despair.


    “Hadley!” Eric dropped the suitcases at once and caught her before she fell, holding her steady.


    “Stay with me. I’ll take you back to the car.”


    A few steps away, Ellis stood rooted in ce, his jaw clenched. Anger surged through him, and with nowhere to put it, he spun around and drove his boot into the car tire.


    Inside the vehicle, Hadley leaned back against the seat, wordless. The storm of emotion had passed, leaving her hollowed out and sinking deeper into despair.


    Eric stayed close, his silence heavy but steady—a quiet presence at her side.


    Right now, nothing mattered except finding the children. Every thought circled back to that.


    When they returned to Flynn Mansion, Ellis joined Eric and Ernest to go over every detail of what had happened that night.


    Hadley couldn’t bring herself to join them. Instead, she stood by the window, staring into the garden with vacant eyes.


    Then her phone vibrated in her hand.


    “Ernest! Eric!” she cried, clutching the device tightly before thrusting it toward Ernest.


    “Look at this!”


    Ernest took the phone, and he and Eric read the message together.


    ???????????????? ???????????????? ???????? g???????ν?????????????


    An unknown sender demanded that the ransom be wired into a specific bank ount.


    “That’s offshore,” Ernest said quickly, his business instincts sharpening.


    After a pause, he handed the phone to Ellis. Ellis lifted his own phone and took a photo of the message.


    “We’ll dig into this ount immediately,” Ellis said, his voice steady.


    Eric gave a firm nod.


    “That helps. Thank you.”


    “I’ll handle it now. Keep your phones close,” Ellis replied.


    His gaze flicked toward Hadley, but she seemed far away—unseeing, trapped in her own despair. With a crease between his brows, he turned and walked off.


    Only after he left did Hadley whisper, “Ernest, Eric… what happens now?”


    “We follow the instructions,” Eric answered evenly.


    “We transfer the money.”


    Ernest nodded in agreement, without hesitation.


    Whatever scheme their enemies had devised, there was no room for defiance. The ransom was their only chance to keep Locke and Joy alive.


    Sleep never came to Flynn Mansion that night.


    .


    .


    .