My kid had been snatched. The kidnappers had shoved him into some kind of ice cellar, livestreaming his torture for the world to see. My heart hammered in my chest, so I immediately called my billionaire husband. He brushed me off, all nonchalant. “Last time it was Little League tryouts, this time you’re staging a kidnapping to get my attention? Give it a rest, babe.” His sweet thing, Brittany, chimed in, her voice dripping with sugar. “Honey, Steven’s got a million things on his plate every day. Why are you being so childish? Even my five-year-old, Liam, is more mature than you.” They hung up on me before I could even get the words out: “The kid being kidnapped is your son, Liam.” … The moment I heard my son was missing, I tore off to the police station. On the way, the kidnappers sent me a video. The kid was hooded, his hands and feet tied tight to a metal chair. He was wearing his school uniform, but I spotted the Bradford family crest on his blazer right away, and those limited-edition sneakers he always wore. The wall behind him was made of thick ice blocks, radiating this bone-chilling cold. He was shivering so hard, his thin clothes offering no protection. His voice was hoarse as he cried, "Mommy! Daddy! Where are you? I’m so scared!" The kidnapper cackled, all menacing. "I want to see ten million bucks in two hours, or the kid gets it!" My blood ran cold. I was about to pass out when the daycare director grabbed me. "Mrs. Bradford, he was taken on his way to school. The police are already checking the security footage. You gotta stay strong for him." I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. I wired over the five million I had available, no questions asked. Just then, someone shouted. "They’re livestreaming it!" Even though all the kidnapper was showing was his eyes, the cold-blooded cruelty in them sent shivers down everyone’s spine. He kept tapping a hunting knife on the metal chair. Each tap felt like a stab in my own chest. "Mrs. Bradford, you trying to play me? Five million won’t even buy you half your kid." Before I could respond, he slashed the knife across Liam’s arm. Liam screamed, a gut-wrenching sound, and passed out. I begged the cops to help me negotiate, pleading, “Please, don’t hurt him. I'll figure out how to get the rest of the money.” To prove I was serious, I called Steven again. It rang forever, and then Brittany answered. She said, all snarky, “You guys are getting divorced, why are you bothering Steven?” I didn’t have time for her crap. “Liam’s been kidnapped! Get Steven to wire over five million to get him back!” I heard giggling on the other end of the line. Steven's voice dripped with mockery. “Seriously? Pulling this stunt again? Last time you had Liam fake being sick to get attention, now this. Give it a rest. ” I insisted, "I'm not lying! Liam is in real danger! I sent you the video!" Steven was silent for a moment. But Brittany started laying into me. "You are unbelievable. Seriously? Trying to fool us with some deepfake video." “Steven’s busy, you know? You’re acting like a five year old, just like my Liam!” Steven let out a short laugh. “The five million for the divorce is already yours. You trying to get more money, huh?” I lowered my voice, begging, “You won’t even miss the money. Please, just lend me five million, okay?” Steven acted like I was a piece of gum stuck to his shoe. He spat out the words, his voice filled with annoyance. “No way, lady!” I felt tears welling up. “You gonna just let Liam die?” All I heard was the dial tone. The kidnapper, who’d been watching everything, lost it. He kicked over the metal chair and stomped on Liam’s stomach. “Worthless trash doesn’t deserve to live!” Just as I was losing all hope, the security guard at the station came running in. “The kid’s back! He’s right outside! Everyone, come quick!” 2 Liam looked dazed as he came running over. He threw himself into my arms, sobbing. I checked him for injuries, relief washing over me. He was barefoot, but otherwise seemed unharmed. The director sighed, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Thank God, the kid's safe!" The police officer next to me was holding his phone, a grim expression on his face. "But the livestream is still going. So who is the kid who got kidnapped?" The kidnappers had only said they snatched Steven Bradford's son. The teachers hadn't paid attention, and when they did a headcount, they found out that Brittany's son, Liam, was missing. The director's heart sank. “What the hell is going on?” Liam was already asleep, resting his head on my shoulder. Seeing the obvious signs of struggle, I started to put the pieces together. The livestream was blowing up. People recognized the Bradford crest on the kid’s blazer. [This kidnapper is out of his mind! Kidnapping the Bradford heir!] The kidnapper laughed, all cocky. "If the Bradfords don't come up with the cash, I'm gonna slice this kid up and make sashimi out of him." The cops told me to play along, to avoid spooking the kidnapper. They also told Brittany what was happening with Liam. She started sobbing, all dramatic. “You’re playing games with my sister-in-law, and you're putting a curse on my kid?!” The police officer was still trying to explain when Steven cut him off. “Who gave you the right to joke about my sweet thing’s kid? I want your badge number. I’m reporting you for incompetence!” The officer, serious, said, "We are not joking about a child’s life. If you don’t cooperate, you might miss the best opportunity to save him.” Steven scoffed. “Yeah, I’ll wait for the coroner to pick up the body.” Silence fell over the station. Everyone stared at me with a mix of sympathy and pity. Getting Steven’s help was out of the question. Liam wasn't my kid, but as a mother, I couldn’t stand the thought of him being tortured. I scraped together every penny I could, plus the donations from the daycare staff. It barely reached four and a half million. The kidnappers gave us no time to breathe. They started the torture right in front of everyone online. Liam’s arm was a bloody mess. The floor was covered in blood, almost like a stream. The pain was so intense, he was screaming until his throat was raw, his legs jerking around without control. Viewers were tearing down the parents. [Are the parents dead? How can the richest family in this town leave their kid to suffer like this!] Some sympathetic viewers started donating. Gifts poured in. In the flood of comments, a discordant voice rang out. [This is a scam! Don't believe it! Bradford already said it's fake!] I quickly snapped a photo of Liam, showing he was safe. I sent it to Steven. [Liam is right here with me. The kid being kidnapped is really Liam. Stop messing this up!] Then Brittany called in the kidnappers during the livestream. In contrast to the bloody horror, the camera focused on a British shorthair cat. It was curled up on a velvet carpet, fast asleep. Steven petted the cat gently, his eyes filled with love. Then, serious, he said, "I already confirmed with the school. Little Liam is fine. I advise you to stop this livestream now, or I will sue you." A wave of sadness washed over me. Steven didn’t trust me at all. He even made up facts without checking them. Brittany, all innocent, asked, “Steven, won’t this ruin his sister-in-law's plans? I think she really wants more followers.” Steven’s face turned hard, the tenderness vanished. “Using a kid for a cheap publicity stunt. I should have kicked her out of the family a long time ago.” Egged on by them, the kidnapper stabbed Liam again. Liam didn’t have the strength to cry anymore. He just shivered, trying to fight the pain. Brittany gasped. “Kidnapper, your acting is too good. Since you’re working so hard, why don’t we play a game.” 3 “Let’s see who gets the most donations. If you win, I’ll give you all the money I get. If I win, you don’t have to pay me anything, just double the ransom. What do you say?” The kidnapper, who wanted money, agreed right away. Brittany signaled the cat to do two backflips. Steven laughed. He took out his phone and tapped the screen. Gifts poured in. Steven said with a deep look of love, “A million bucks a flip. Thanks for making me happy.” People began to see that it was me trying to pull a fast one. They started asking for money back. [Bradford doesn't need the money. He doesn't want to play games with you.] [You are scum, using children to play on my heart. Give me my money back!] [Sister, Bradford's honey is sweeter than you.] We needed more money to save the kid, but no one would help. The kidnapper looked greedy. “The ransom is twenty million now. I want the money in 30 minutes. Or the kid loses a finger.” I asked Brittany, "What do you think you are doing?!" Brittany played innocent. “Sister, I know you are planning this livestream. Just stop! I'm playing a game to teach you that this will not work. Liam is too young to be in such a violent livestream. What if it gives him problems for his whole life?" Steven was angry. “Shelly, this is your last chance. Apologize and admit what you did. I'll give you fifty million divorce settlement.” Brittany chimed in, “Yeah, you are Bradford's wife, act like it. Apologize!” The detective was angry. "They are crazy. We cannot deal with them now. We need to rescue the hostage now." Viewers commented angry things. The kidnapper was done. He grabbed a old blade and tried to cut off Liam's little finger. Liam screamed in pain. Even the cops were angry and sad. Brittany yawned. “I’m going to eat with Steven.” A comment came. [I think I hear a child crying around the old factory near the school!] We went to save the hostage. Twenty minutes later, we found the kid. Liam was hurt. His white jacket was covered in blood. I went to the hospital. The doctor was worried. “The child lost a lot of blood. He needs a blood transfusion.” I rolled up my sleeve. “I have his blood type!” Just as the doctor tried to inject me, a fast car crashed in front of us. Steven got out. “Shelly, are you trying to fool everyone?! Go home!” Brittany smirked. “Sister, this is not funny! Take Liam home!” I showed them Liam. “See for yourself who was kidnapped!”
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