A Replacement Bride

While Carmine spoke, she gradually felt like something wasn't right. "How could they learn the Vermillion Alliance's moves so
quickly? Although they hadn't mastered those moves, they'd learned at least seventy to eighty percent. It means they are
competent, so they must have deliberately chosen to fight with us this way!"
"You're right." Katherine nodded. "These people are deliberately disrupting the Vermillion Alliance's rhythm. That is why you guys
were at a disadvantage initially and kept getting beaten up. Once you find their flaw, it's easy to defeat them. So, the question is,
why would they do such a thing? Why would they take us head-on?"
After the conversation, Carmine fell into deep thought, and a sudden insight came. "Miss, perhaps... There's a possibility that
they never intended to take us head-on?"
There is a possibility that they never intended to take us head-on, but what could be the reason for their actions? With so many
thoughts running around in her head, Katherine forced herself to remain calm and carefully think about it. Suddenly, she turned
ghastly and immediately looked up at the second floor. Her gaze landed on the window of the room Noah was in!
Carmine followed her gaze and looked up as well. She seemed to have understood something and instantly turned pale too.
"Miss, are you suspecting—" Before she could finish, she saw Katherine dashing into the villa. Her heart sank, and she quickly
followed behind Katherine.
The two ran upstairs one after another and made a beeline for Noah's bedroom. When they saw the wide open door, their hearts
sank. No one was inside the room, and the little girl was nowhere to be seen!
"Miss Noah—" Carmine tensed up immediately and looked through every nook and cranny inside the room. Finally, she gulped
and said, "Miss Noah might have been taken away—"
That possibility was now a reality, and Katherine's expression soon became as icy as her bottomless eyes. She finally
understood why those people suddenly attacked them. It wasn't to take them head-on but rather to buy time! Perhaps, their initial
target was her, but once they saw she wasn't easily caught, they decided to stall for time and turn their attention to Noah! They
took her daughter!
Clearing her mind, she felt like she had fallen into an ice cave. She closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down, trying to
remain clear-minded. In her mind was the scene when Emmanuel looked at Noah before he left that day. Then, she opened her
eyes and took out her phone to make a call.

It wasn't long before someone answered the call. "Oh, my. Isn't this Miss Cornell? This is the first time you've called me. What's
the matter? Is there something you want to ask from me?"
It was Emmanuel's voice, and he was as arrogant as ever. Katherine could even imagine how he was behaving by listening to
his voice.
However, she didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point. She spoke in such a cold, icy voice. "Where did you take
my daughter?"
Nonetheless, he was unfazed and began leisurely avoiding the subject. "What do you mean took her? Miss Cornell, you accused
me of something straight away. It caught me off-guard. What's the matter? Has your daughter gone missing? That's not good.
You must be very anxious, but I'm unsure why you called me. Could it be that you suspect me of kidnapping your daughter?
That's simply nonsense." Emmanuel's voice was obviously laced with gloat as if he was deliberately provoking Katherine. "Miss
Cornell, don't you forget that Gray Corporation has just dealt with a crisis, so where would I find the time to find trouble with you,
let alone kidnap your cute little daughter? So, you should look for someone else. As for me, I have something to do."
After saying that, he was prepared to hang up, but she suddenly spoke up. "That bunch of people aren't yours, am I right? Who
dispatched them to help you?"
When Emmanuel heard that question, he rolled his eyes before speaking again. "Oh, you're talking about those people. Are you
sure they are the ones who took your daughter? I want to clarify that those people have nothing to do with me. I merely rehired
the same people, so our relationship is purely transactional, and I have not contacted them since then. So, if you're looking for
them, you've come to the wrong person because I don't have any news about them."
This time, he didn't wait for Katherine's response and hung up immediately.
On the other hand, he sat on his office chair, happily sipping his tea and feeling joyous. When he reflected on the difficult days
that he endured due to that woman, he felt furious. This time, he naturally wouldn't give up such a good opportunity. He had to
make that woman feel as anxious as he was. It would be best if she would frantically run around like a headless chicken because
that would make things more interesting!
At that moment, his assistant knocked on the door and walked in after receiving permission. "Mr. Gray, we've got her. She's
currently at the abandoned building in the northern suburbs."
"Very good." Emmanuel sipped his tea again and asked slowly, "Where are those people?"

"They are still guarding the building, saying they're waiting for you to report to Mr. Hall."
The word "report" made Emmanuel feel exceptionally uncomfortable, as it sounded like he was inferior to Jayden. Nonetheless,
given his current circumstances, he was clearly beneath Jayden. He had no choice but to put up with this disparity. "I
understand. You may leave."
The assistant left shortly after that, and Emmanuel remained seated for a while longer before he grudgingly called Jayden.
"Is it done?" Jayden asked directly in his lazy voice on the other end of the call.
"Yes, it's done. Katherine's daughter has been brought to an abandoned building in the northern suburbs," Emmanuel reported
the results.
In the meantime, Jayden was satisfied with what he heard. "Katherine isn't someone easy to deal with and capturing her alive is
not easy. Fortunately, she brought her daughter here, which gives us an easy target." Then, he changed the topic and ordered,
"You can call Katherine now. Tell her she must go to the abandoned building alone if she wants to save her daughter."
Hearing that, Emmanuel fell silent and hesitated. "Are we going to inform her so soon? Shouldn't we let her worry for a while
longer?"
However, Jayden had a different idea and immediately warned Emmanuel, "Do as I say and don't cause any unnecessary
trouble." With his understanding of Katherine's character, she could turn Kyoland on its head. There was no telling what might
happen if they gave her some time and an opportunity. Moreover, he would not allow any mishaps in this matter, and since there
was a huge opportunity, he must seize it! He had to get that woman under his control as soon as possible!