Chapter 74 - Kidnapped [1]

3 days later, 

As usual Shi Lian is busy and with the launch of the new collection the schedule is tight. The past days went quickly and there is no news of her uncle's notorious acts. Somehow since the morning, she is feeling uneasy. She cannot reciprocate why but she gets the feeling that something coming. She thinks that it must due to her over usage of coffee and less sleeps so she brushed the thought from her mind. The staff is busy with the upcoming launch of the Nova collection. Some of the staff aren't in favor of Shi Lian being the Chairman yet and that's fine, it may take time for them to understand but if they don't then who cares. 

It is almost time for the closing. Typing on the keyboard at lightning speed of her laptop she finishes the memo before she leaves the company. Today, the atmosphere appears calm, with no chaos, no frustration. It's as if the calm before the storm. The empty coffee cup lays on the desk, an inch from her elbow that rests on the desk. She smiles thinking that the staff must be annoyed by bringing too much coffee, jogging from the halls and foyers. 

"I'll be going then" Ruxi informs, gripping her purse bag on her shoulder. Her heels clank on the floor as she makes her exit. She left some files and gave her the instruction a while ago. Shi Lian sometimes wonders how can be Ruxi be still single? Not that she doubts anything about her, no, she is a beautiful, strong, mature, and kind woman, and it's hard to see a woman like her with no boyfriend. She never asked her about her private life because she may think she is being too nosy. She is way older than she is and she is almost is like a sister to her which she is grateful. 

"Good day," Shi Lian calls as Ruxi exits the door. Ruxi waves her hand signaling she heard her without stopping. The door closes and the room suddenly feels too isolated for her. maybe because everyone has cleared out and she is the one left in the company and the only one on the upper floors. Glancing at the small digital clock places on the desk, she notes the time and decides to end it here.

Closing the files and shutting down her laptop she put them all in a handbag, bigger than the normal one, and lock the zip. Checking once more if she left anything, she hangs the bag on her shoulder and turns on her heels ready to leave. 

As she expected, there is no one on the upper floors. But the town hall is still lively. The receptionist is still there and the securities of course.

"Have a good day, Chairman!" the receptionist says, bowing slightly as she stands behind the sleek modern dark chocolate brown desk. She Lian nods, giving her a smile she heads outside and exits through the glass doors.

Stepping out of the company, the life outside it is something else. Car, buses, trucks honk, shimmering lights glowing throughout the city. The city is always bustling with people, traffics, and enormous noise. 

Walking up to her car, she smiles at the driver who is standing near the passenger door. "Hello, Gui." Gui is the family driver, he has been working in the family for over eleven years and he is extremely loyal to his father. Even though he is nearly forty, he is never tired. He is always present with a smile on his face and his driving skills are better than the adults who are too busy with showcasing themselves. 

"Hello Ma'am" he smiles back and pulls out the door for her. Ushering her inside, he closes the door with a thud and goes to his seat in the front. Closing the door, he clutches his seatbelt and starts the car. Inserting the key inside the hole, the engine comes to life and with applying acceleration the car starts moving swiftly. 

Shi Lian is scrolling through her phone, checking out what is trending on the hot search. She keeps scrolling reading bits of headlines, which do not interest her.

Suddenly a loud thud coom from the back of the car, making Shi Lian lunge forward and her phone fell. Fortunately, she is wearing a seatbelt which keeps her rooted on the seat. She reaches down to grab her phone that is lying somewhere near her legs. She found the phone and bend up. But she realizes the car has stopped. "What happened?" she asks the driver who is unlocking the door to get out and have a look behind. 

"I am unaware of the situation Miss. I'll go and check what's the matter," he tells her, jumping out of the car and going to the back of the car from where the thud came before. 

Uneasy, Shi Lian too hops out of the car to take notice. The uneasiness she was feeling earlier swam back in her mind and she cannot keep being worried. Leaving her bag inside the car, she goes to see the situation but the moment she reaches, her eyes go wide as fear creeps inside her.

"Oh my god! Gui!" she bends down and starts shaking him lightly. The man is lying down and he appears to be drugged. What is happening? Who did this? "Gui! Wake up!" she keeps on trying but there is no response from the man. He just lay there with his eyes close and his slow and shallow breathing. She has no idea who did this or why and she does not even know what should she do right now. The uneasiness was a sign that something bad is going to happen and it did. Her hands are shaking as she brings her phone and starts dialing, probably her family. 

But then a voice came and her muscle tenses. "You better not do that." The voice is unfamiliar to her, she never heared this voice and she probably does not even know him. Her heart is beating so hard that her chest hurts. Bile rises in her throat and she cannot gulp it down. She is too scared. Turning slowly, she sees two men standing there, their faces half covered but she can guess that they are sneering at her with their nasty eyes. 

She gulps down but her throat feels heavy all of a sudden as if there's a rock. Her breathing becomes hard and her hands are still shaking. "Who are you?" her voice calm yet scared.

"You don't know us so why bother to tell?" the one in the left, with a big body, says. The other with his red hair, nods, sneering. 

"What do you want?" she barks, feeling angry more than frighten. She knows how to fight and she can take those down, the red one for sure but she does not know if they have other members with as well or not. Even if she somehow manages to kick their asses and run, she wouldn't make it very far. The sun has set and the road they are in is isolated with no other car than theirs and she cannot leave Gui alone in here. 

"You" he replies, with his eyes inspecting her from top to down and she feels the chills down her spine. Assholes. 

"You want to kidnap me?" she crosses her arms before her chest trying to calm her shaking body and looking straight at them. They must be here to kidnap or why else they would come out from nowhere and knock Gui down? He looks around from the corner of her eyes to find any living soul walking or anything to scream for help but nothing. The road is isolated with lights joining them. "Who sent you here?" she inches forward. She only needs to reach closer to them and knock them. in the meantime, she can call someone, and then they will be saved. That's what she has planned. "Why would you want to kidnap me?" another step, "Is it, someone, I know who ordered you to do this?" another step, "Tell me, who the heck sent you here?" just there and in one step, she will knock one of them down. The men stare at her as she approaches and she can feel her stomach churning and her heart pounding like a hammer. She can do this. She can do this. She mentally prepares herself as she takes one last step. 

As she rises her hands, the bigger man catches and spins her, her wrist twisted on her back, and without any moment to catch, the man swift in her neck knocking her up. She falls in her arms, completely senseless as the man carries her in his arms and throws her inside their car, opening the door. Gui lay there on the ground and God knows when he will wake up. They start the car and they drove off with Shi Lian lying on the passenger seat, unconscious.