The Ex and Her Riches novel (Gwendolyn and Maverick)

Channing said to Gwendolyn, “Fine. I’ll listen to you, Mrs. Jenson.”

Gwendolyn nodded in satisfaction. She smirked and drawled, “A wise choice, Mr. Kron.”

The man shrugged and left, dejection written all over his face. Dealing with this couple is proving to be more

difficult than imagined. I’m taking on a huge risk to work with Cedrick from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Still,

no pain, no gain.

Channing collected himself and left the basement.

Meanwhile, a frowning Jasper looked as though he was about to dole out more advice, only to be silenced by

Gwendolyn’s displeased gaze.

His gaze swept across the dim, dusty basement, and he sighed before leaving.

Outside the villa, several black cars were concealed in a dense forest some distance away.

Jasper secretly called Cedrick, who was camped out in one of the vehicles. “Mr. Jenson, the person who came

earlier is Quintrell Olsen. He’s Mr. Wendell’s bodyguard, and he came to confirm with his own eyes that Channing

had kidnapped Mrs. Jenson. And another thing…”

He trailed off before adding, “To convince Mr. Wendell, Channing tied Mrs. Jenson up and locked her in the

basement.”

As a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Team Nine, years of training had conditioned him to be

truthful with his superiors at all times. Habit spurred him to tell Cedrick the truth about Gwendolyn’s situation.

Everyone in the car froze and waited for Cedrick’s response with bated breath.

Cedrick’s expression darkened. He clenched his fists so tightly that his veins bulged, and his eyes reddened with

fury. He was barely reining in his temper.

The man’s prolonged silence told Jasper volumes about his rage. Hastily, Jasper explained, “Mr. Jenson, that was

Mrs. Jenson’s request. She wanted to make things more believable to dispel Mr. Wendell’s suspicion, so she asked to

be held in the basement.”

The explanation only worsened Cedrick’s mood.

He kept imagining Gwendolyn’s chafed wrists from being tied up and how lonely she would feel in the dark and dirty

basement.

Channing! You id*ot!

The car remained in pin-drop silence. Everyone dared not make a peep as Cedrick’s sharp gaze landed on the villa

which held Gwendolyn.

Eventually, his breathing appeared to calm.

He knew Gwendolyn’s obstinate character all too well.

Now that she had committed to the plan, she naturally had to take certain risks to ensure their success. Cedrick

was worried about her well-being but could not pull the brakes on their plan now. All he could do was to cooperate.

“Mr. Jenson?” prompted Jasper cautiously.

He was even taking special care to breathe as quietly as possible.

A long moment passed before Cedrick sighed almost inaudibly and said, “Ensure her safety, and inform me

promptly of any updates.”

“Understood.”

Jasper ended the call. Cedrick’s intense gaze gradually transformed into a determined one as he instructed his men

in the vehicle, “Dispatch three teams to camp near the villa.”

The motive behind his orders was obvious.

In order to further solidify the act, he needed to demonstrate to Hamish that he was not only aware of Gwendolyn’s

abduction but also deeply troubled by it.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The only thing that changed was the increase in manpower that was utilized. He had dispatched sufficient personnel

to create a human network around the premises.

As dawn broke over the third day of Gwendolyn’s captivity, streaks of sunlight peeped through the cover of the

forest.

Channing sprawled across a wooden chair in the hall of the villa’s second floor. He smoked leisurely on a cigarette

and appeared to be drifting into sleep.

The chance to work with Cedrick had given him a sense of security, though he still felt uneasy about Gwendolyn’s

insistence on living in the basement.

“Mr. Kron!”

The sudden cry surprised Channing into dropping his cigarette.

He whirled around and saw his subordinate rushing over. With a fierce glare, Channing roared, “Can’t you see that

I’m resting?”

The man lowered his head and reported, “Mr. Wendell sent some men here, Mr. Kron.”

Channing froze in the middle of rising from his seat and frowned. “He didn’t show up? Again? It’ll be tough to get

the man here if he’s still sending his subordinates now.”

He smirked and scoffed.

Mr. Wendell’s really playing up his mysterious persona. He still refuses to show up at this juncture. Don’t tell me it’s

because he’s a hideous ogre.

Meanwhile, three expressionless, suit-clad men stood in the villa’s living room.

When Channing arrived, one of them said, “Mr. Wendell sent us to negotiate with you, Mr. Kron.”

Channing sank into the couch and replied sneeringly, “Negotiate? Please! I gave him proof of that woman’s

kidnapping, but he refuses to show up. He clearly has no intention to cooperate with me.”

He leisurely poured himself some coffee and added provocatively, “You should know that the person in my

basement now is none other than Cedrick Jenson’s precious wife!”

Quintrell, the head of Hamish’s representatives, sat opposite Channing uninvited and declared, “Let’s not grumble

over such small matters, Mr. Kron. Mr. Wendell is already being extremely sincere by sending us here.”

As he spoke, he placed his hands on the coffee table and slowly leaned toward Channing, caging the latter in. “The

Federal Bureau of Investigation has this villa surrounded for the past three days. Even a bird couldn’t fly out of this

place unscathed, Mr. Kron. It can’t feel great to be a captive here yourself, can it?”

Quintrell even smirked arrogantly for good measure.

His sunglasses concealed his sharp, calculating gaze.

Little did he know that the villa was completely under Cedrick’s control, inside and out.

Channing replied calmly, “You seem to know my situation very well.”

Arching a brow, Quintrell retorted, “Everyone knows about your dilemma. No one will dare to set foot here. Only

Mr. Wendell is helping you. Aren’t you interested in his proposal?”

“Let’s hear it.”

Quintrell puffed up conceitedly and ordered his bodyguard to pour him some coffee. He slowly took a sip before

saying, “You kidnapped Cedrick’s woman for a small ransom, but alas, he doesn’t seem bothered even though so

much time has passed. He even has this place surrounded now. Don’t you see how stupid your plan is?”

His lips curled into a contemptuous smile. Upon noticing Channing’s darkening expression, he continued,

“Gwendolyn’s not an easy opponent. Cedrick isn’t worried about her safety at all. So, to seize his Achilles heel, you

need his son. Once you have the boy under your grip, wouldn’t you naturally have Cedrick wrapped around your

finger, Mr. Kron?”

Quintrell sounded incredibly pleased with his suggestion.

Channing stared at the man while fiddling with the ceramic coffee cup in his hand.

Suddenly, he scoffed and said, “I may look like a small-time crook eyeing Cedrick’s wealth, but I’m no fool. Mr.

Wendell has always been a proud man and never reveals his face to anyone. Now, he’s offering to work with

someone beneath his league like me and ordering me to kidnap Cedrick’s son. Isn’t he just trying to use my hands

for some shady business?”

Here, he paused for several seconds before probing, “Why don’t you let me in on his true intention?”

Quintrell’s expression instantly darkened as he spat, “That’s not something you’re privy to. We each have our own

goals in this deal while sharing the risk. Isn’t that satisfactory enough for you, Mr. Kron?”

Instead of replying, Channing waved his hand, summoning Jasper toward him.

Jasper, disguised as a bodyguard, had stood close by during the exchange. Now, he dutifully approached Channing

for his instructions.

“What do you think of his plan?” asked Channing.

Jasper pretended to mull over the proposal. In truth, half his attention was on the earpiece in his right ear.

Cedrick’s voice drifted through the earpiece, “Agree with him.”

Hamish had accidentally shown his hand by suggesting Channing kidnap Benedict. It was nothing as simple as

skimming some benefits off of Cedrick. He must have something to do with the milk powder contamination case.

“Boss, I don’t think we can outlast Cedrick’s men anyway. It’s time to change our strategy,” replied Jasper with a

nod.

Channing agreed, “Sure.”

Approving claps came from Quintrell, who commented, “This isn’t the nicest thing to say, but Mr. Kron, your

subordinates seem to have a clearer view of your situation than you do.”

Channing glanced at Jasper and pondered a suitable reply. He surmised Cedrick’s reason for agreeing to Hamish’s

request and said, “It was thanks to my subordinates that we managed to kidnap Mrs. Jenson. He’s a capable fellow,

and I merely knew talent when I saw it. You can discuss the other details of your plan with him directly.”

A hundred meters away from the villa, Cedrick listened to the men’s plans, conveniently masterminded by Jasper,

to kidnap Benedict under the cover of the dense forest.

Night fell over Grand Valley Hospital in Salinsburgh.

Few people were milling about the hospital grounds at that hour.

Charles was one of them. He sighed as he kept watch over Benedict, who was sleeping soundly in a crib.

I wonder how Gwendolyn’s doing after literally throwing herself to the wolves.

His phone on the bedside table vibrated with an incoming call, and he answered the call, which came from Cedrick.

“How’s Benny?” Cedrick’s exhaustion was palpable through his tone.

Charles replied, “Everything’s okay. I’m with him, so don’t worry.”

“Okay. Someone’s going to the hospital to kidnap Benny tonight. I need you to make some preparations and get in

on the act…”

“Kidnap Benny?” Charles narrowed his gaze in surprise.