Lu Wei strived to asses the situation. He tried convincing Andrea that it may not be as bad as it seemed. Nonetheless, he had his private plane ready to leave in case her suspicion was correct.
If it was another assassination attempt, Andrea wondered why she was not alerted. Even though she had tendered her resignation from their organization, the government still valued the Lus and would absolutely provide protection, should their lives be in any danger.
Alfred called back with bad news. He just found out that his pilot had received a large sum of money and had his family moved to where they could not be traced.
Andrea's heart was in pain. She felt like being stabbed with a knife, worried sick for Lu Fang. "Dad, I've decided to go to France. I can't waste any more time knowing my husband is missing somewhere on that island."
"I understand, Andy. Please stay strong for my grandchildren. I will fly out to France myself as soon as I inform Gabe. I'll meet you there."
Andrea turned to Lu Wei who now realized the gravity of the situation. Feeling uneasy, he too decided to come with Andrea.
Now, they were left with the worry of finding a solution for the twins. Lu Jie was old and had not been well. He could not possibly look after the babies. Li Wen and her family were in Hongkong. Thus, she asked Arti and Bolin to look after them. Aunt Rosa, Karen and Xing Mi would still be around to aid the two assistants.
As a back-up plan, however, Andrea informed Gao Rou, General Lei, and Chunhua, being the twin's godparents. She thought to give them a little responsibility.
Hearing the plight of the Lus, Lei Dong and Chunhua promised to be in Beijing the next day and check on the twins.
Chevre and Brie received warm hugs and kisses from their mommy before heading out. Andrea was completely heartbroken having to leave the babies behind. Still, she had an inkling about the whole situation. She needed to find Lu Fang and Christina.
Naturally, Han-joon and Hanxi would come along with Andrea, especially since they presumed their trip would be a dangerous one.
Andrea was on the phone with her sister as they drove to the airport. Li Wen was looking through the satellites. Since she was more akin to the use of such technology, Andrea sought her help. Despite being out of the country to celebrate Xia Mei's upcoming birthday, she took the time to locate her brother-in-law.
"Andy, the signal is coming from an abandoned building at the northernmost part of Ushant, Brittany. There is absolutely no reason for Lu Fang to be there. Unless there was an emergency," reported Li Wen.
"Wen can you find out if there was a record of the dad's plane landing on the island?"
"No, Andy. I already tried that. Strangely, there were no records from five to seven in the morning… but it's also possible that they did not have any aircraft landing or leaving these times as well. It's just a small island. I reckon they don't have regular flights coming in and out."
"Thanks, sis. We are already at the airport. We'll be leaving soon, can you please help us get a landing clearance?" Andrea pleaded as she stepped out of the car carrying her laptop and rushing to get on the plane.
"Already working on it."
She turned to Han-joon and Hanxi who were taking out their luggage and two other briefcases. She gestured for them to hurry while Lu Wei was already walking alongside her. As soon as everyone was on board, they left immediately.
While Andrea was already headed for France, Alfred was still getting his men ready to leave with him when he received a picture message. It was a photo of Christina being tied on a chair, blindfolded, her mouth completely taped.
His whole body trembled in anger and it did not take long for him to receive an anonymous call. "Mr. Davies, we have your sister - "
"What do you want? Who are you? Why do you have Christina? What about Lu Fang?"
"I'm afraid, I won't be answering any questions, Mr. Davies. I only have one request from you - "
"What do you want?! Please… Please don't hurt them!" Alfred responded in rage. His hands continued to shake as he held his phone up to his ears.
The person on the other line had his voice altered. He could not decipher who it was.
"No one is going to get hurt if you follow my instructions accordingly."
"Do you have any idea who I am? I can have you hunted down as soon as I find out - "
"Shut up! Shut up! You do not have the luxury of questioning me! You may be a powerful man, Mr. Davies, but right now. I have the power over you!" Alfred heard the man howling on the other line, clearly mocking him in his current state.
When the man was done laughing, he switched back to his serious tone and announced his terms, " 60 Billion Dollars. We want 60 Billing Dollars wired to an account that we will give you momentarily."
"We want the money transferred in one week! Is that clear?"
Alfred felt his entire world fell apart. He might be able to come up with the money, but it would take him time to dispose of all his assets. One week may not at all be enough.
After making the phone call, a man gave an evil grin. He turned his attention to a woman who came to inspect the whole operation.
The woman was pleased to see Christina in a pitiful state. She asked the man, "Did he agree?"
"He still needs to source out the funds, but still, he agreed," the unknown man replied. "Promise me, we will finally be together after this."
"I promise. We just need to get what I deserve from the Davies and we will finally be together."
The woman studied Christina carefully. She had a bandage on her arm and her clothes were worn out. It was clear that they had attempted to escape and went through a struggle.
"Where is Lu Fang?" The woman asked.
"We locked him up and injected him with sedatives. He easily killed ten of our men. He only stopped when I captured his mother and stabbed her in the arm... You failed to mention he was a skilled fighter."
The woman frowned, hearing the news. She then approached Christina and slapped her in the face forcefully. "This is all your fault! Remember this before you die."