Chapter 353 The Edge of the Fifth Floor
Ryan didn’t care what Trevor was thinking.
Right now, there was only one thing that mattered.
Finding Rose and Ariel.
He pointed toward the faint trail of frosting on the floor.
“It came from Rose.”
Trevor’s expression tightened.
“She had cake frosting on her clothes. If it left a mark here, something happened that caused her to be dragged.”
The hotel’s cleanliness standards were among the best in the city.
There was no reason something like this should appear on the floor.
The only people who had touched the cake were Rose, Ariel, and the children.
The children were still gathered in the ballroom.
No one had come this way.
Ryan’s eyes narrowed.
Trevor immediately understood.
“The person who took them wasn’t carrying them.”
“If they were strong enough to move Rose without leaving any trace, there wouldn’t be a trail.”
“But this...”
His gaze followed the cream marks.
“They acted alone.”
“And they’re not physically strong.”
Ryan’s expression darkened.
The answer appeared almost instantly.
“Samantha.”
Trevor’s eyes sharpened.
“She got inside?”
Ryan didn’t answer.
There was no time to investigate how she had entered.
The Robinson family event had been announced publicly.
The date.
The location.
The guest list.
Everything had been impossible to keep completely secret.
That was why he had already arranged security around the entire resort.
But clearly...
Something had gone wrong.
Ryan lifted his eyes toward the upper floors.
“I had people stationed outside every exit.”
“If Samantha is trying to escape, she won’t be able to leave.”
His voice turned colder.
“So she must still be inside.”
Trevor immediately called the hotel manager.
“Pull up all surveillance footage.”
“Find her location.”
“Also, increase security immediately. Keep the guests calm. No one leaves, and no information gets out.”
Before he could finish—
Both men’s phones rang at the exact same time.
They looked down.
A message.
From Samantha.
******
Meanwhile...
After retrieving her phone from the car, Victoria walked back toward the ballroom.
She glanced down while typing a message.
A few seconds later...
She realized something was wrong.
This wasn’t the way back.
She had taken a wrong turn.
Victoria frowned and prepared to turn around.
Then—
She froze.
Someone was lying ahead.
A familiar figure.
Her heart dropped.
"Rose?"
Rose was collapsed against the wall.
Unconscious.
Her face was pale.
Nearby...
Ariel was on the floor.
Her hands and feet were tied.
Her mouth covered with tape.
Tears filled her eyes as she struggled toward her mother.
The sight made Victoria’s blood run cold.
She opened her mouth.
But before she could say anything—
A shadow appeared in front of her.
Samantha.
Victoria barely had time to react.
A thin needle pierced the side of her neck.
Pain shot through her body.
"What did you..."
Samantha smiled coldly.
"You studied pharmacology, didn’t you?"
"So you should understand."
"I can easily make something that paralyzes the nerves."
Victoria’s expression changed.
Samantha leaned closer.
"If you want the antidote..."
"Help me get Rose to the top floor."
"Right now."
Victoria’s face went pale.
She didn’t know what drug had entered her system.
But she knew Samantha.
She knew what had happened with Daisy.
She knew Samantha had already reached a point where she had nothing left to lose.
There was no reasoning with someone like that.
Victoria had no choice.
Together, they moved Rose.
Ariel was pulled up by Samantha.
The three were forced into the private service elevator.
*****
Back in the ballroom...
Alicia covered her mouth and nose.
The roses decorating the hall were beautiful.
But they were also overwhelming.
"I’m allergic to pollen."
She leaned toward James.
"Brother, I’ll leave first."
James didn’t even look at her.
His phone had just vibrated.
He immediately picked it up.
Alicia wasn’t surprised.
James had never treated her warmly.
She was used to it.
She simply turned around.
Before leaving, she glanced once more at the crowd.
She didn’t see Rose.
But she didn’t think too much about it.
Then she walked away.
*****
At the same moment...
Ryan and Trevor opened the message.
Their expressions changed.
[Samantha]
[Rose and Ariel are with me.]
[I’m on the fifth-floor rooftop garden.]
[If you want them alive:
Arrange a helicopter.]
[Transfer my seventy million dollars.]
]Have Rose withdraw the charges.]
]Tell the police the accident years ago was only a misunderstanding.]
[Release my mother.]
*****
James and Derick received another message.
Their faces turned grim.
Because Samantha had sent them different demands.
[Samantha]
[You already suspect Rose is your daughter.]
[If you want the truth...
Make sure she survives.
Victoria is also in my hands.
Two lives.
Fifty million.
Come to the fifth floor if you want to watch.]
"That lunatic!"
James immediately turned and ran.
Derick followed without hesitation.
Victoria was involved.
His daughter was involved.
Nothing else mattered.
*****
The hotel wasn’t a skyscraper.
It was designed as a luxury resort.
The highest point was only the fifth-floor rooftop garden.
But that was enough.
A fall from there would be fatal.
By the time they reached the rooftop...
Ryan and Trevor were already there.
Oliver followed behind them.
The moment they stepped outside...
Everyone stopped.
The garden had a beautiful viewing area at the front.
But behind it was a maintenance pathway used by landscaping workers.
There was no protective railing.
Nothing.
And right at the edge...
Rose sat in a chair.
Still unconscious.
Her arms hung weakly.
Her body was completely limp.
The chair was positioned dangerously close to the edge.
One push.
One wrong movement.
And she would fall.
On the other side...
Victoria sat in another chair.
Her hands and feet were bound.
The drop behind her was more than ten meters.
The moment she saw Derick...
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Derick..."
His expression changed instantly.
Then everyone looked toward the center.
Samantha stood there.
Her face was twisted with desperation.
Her arms locked tightly around Ariel.
The little girl trembled.
Samantha looked at Ryan.
A mixture of hatred and pain filled her eyes.
"You got here quickly."
Her voice shook.
"Why are you so anxious?"
"Ryan..."
"Do you even care about her?"
Ryan’s gaze remained fixed on Rose.
His voice was calm.
"Tell me what you want."
That answer seemed to break something inside Samantha.
She stared at him in disbelief.
"That’s it?"
"That’s all you have to say?"
"Why won’t you say something nice to me?"
"Why won’t you comfort me?"
Her voice rose.
"Why won’t you tell me you cared about me?"
Her emotions were spiraling.
She suddenly dragged Ariel closer to Rose.
Her hand grabbed the back of Rose’s chair.
Everyone’s heart stopped.
Because if Samantha pushed...
Rose would fall.
"Samantha!"
"Calm down!"
Trevor and James shouted at the same time.
Their faces turned pale.
But Ryan...
Ryan remained still.
His eyes were dark.
Cold.
Unmoving.
"State your terms."
Those three words.
Nothing more.
No emotion.
No hesitation.
Samantha’s expression collapsed.
She laughed bitterly.
James stepped forward, grabbing Ryan’s collar.
"Ryan!"
"It’s just one sentence!"
"Do you really not know what she wants to hear?"
"Tell her you care."
"Tell her you loved her."
"Is that really so difficult?"
Ryan slowly looked down at James’s hand.
Then removed it.
His expression remained unchanged.
"You want money."
"You want to leave the country."
"You want a way out."
His eyes turned colder.
"Right now, the people whose lives are in danger aren’t the only ones trapped."
"You are too."
"You have no bargaining power."
"Unless the exchange is equal..."
He looked directly at Samantha.
"What right do you have to negotiate with me?"