Chapter 928

They didn't own the corporation. Hawthorne had controlled the Everhart Group for years, and Mr. Everhart was essentially semi-retired. They lived off annual dividends, which gave them less than ten million a year for living expenses.

Factoring in the massive overhead of their lifestyle and paying the estate staff, they didn't have anywhere near that amount of liquid cash lying around.

Desperate, Mrs. Everhart ran to her room and emptied her safe. She gathered all her heirloom jewelry, gold bars, corporate stocks, and bonds.

Even combined, her assets only added up to about $80 million. The remaining $70 million was entirely up to Mr. Everhart.

He sat in silence, his brow furrowed in deep anxiety.

"Hurry up and figure it out!" Mrs. Everhart urged. "Call Layne! Hawthorne left him in charge of the company. Layne can easily pull $70 million from the corporate accounts."

Mr. Everhart groaned in frustration.

"Layne just took over the helm a few days ago. If he immediately embezzles tens of millions, what will Hawthorne think when he finds out?"

Mrs. Everhart had completely lost her mind. She started pounding her fists against her husband's chest in a state of utter panic.

"Are you kidding me right now? Your daughter's life is on the line, and you're worried about the damn company?! What good is Layne's corporate standing if his sister is dead?! The company belongs to Hawthorne, but it's still Everhart money. We're only borrowing the $70 million to save her life. We can pay it back later!

"They're going to kill her if we don't get the money! Do you actually want your daughter to die?"

Mr. Everhart tried to stay calm, but her hysteria was breaking his resolve. Panicking, he quickly dialed Layne and ordered him to come home immediately.

When Layne walked through the door, the mansion was in chaos. His mother was sobbing uncontrollably, and his father—who had quit smoking twenty years ago— was chain-smoking cigarettes.

Layne looked at them, bewildered.

"What happened?"

"Haven't you noticed Leonie has been gone?" Mrs. Everhart cried. "She's been kidnapped! They want $150 million to let her go!"

Layne's expression instantly darkened.

"Who has the balls to kidnap an Everhart?"

Mr. Everhart took a long drag of his cigarette.

"These are desperate, ruthless people. They just want the money. They don't care who they offend."

Mrs. Everhart grabbed Layne's arm, tears streaming down her face.

"You have to get $70 million from the company to save your sister, or they'll kill her!"

Layne looked at his devastated parents. He tried to soothe his mother before suggesting, "We need to involve the police."

Mrs. Everhart hauled off and slapped Layne hard across the face.

"Leonie is your sister! Do you have no conscience?! If you call the cops, she's dead!

If she doesn't come home, I don't want to live anymore!

"If you have the money, go get it! If not, get the hell out of my house! I knew you never cared about her! You just want the company Now that Hawthorne put you in charge, you won't even spare a dime to save her life? Layne, what kind of monster are you?"

She beat her fists against his chest in absolute despair. Layne was completely overwhelmed. He looked to his father for support.

But Mr. Everhart just smoked in silence. He couldn't force his son to commit corporate fraud, but he desperately wanted to save his daughter.

With his wife threatening suicide over the police, he was paralyzed by indecision.

Mrs. Everhart violently shoved Layne away.

"Fine! If neither of you will help me, I will beg every relative we have to save my daughter!"

She turned to storm out the door, but Mr. Everhart and Layne quickly pulled her back.

"Don't do anything stupid," Layne

said firmly. "No one outside this room knows she's been taken. If knows

word gets out and spooks the

Stay here go to the office

kidnappers, she's as good as dead. and

figure it out."

Blood was thicker than water. Layne couldn't just abandon his sister to die.

Mrs. Everhart finally stopped fighting, though she continued to sob as Mr. Everhart held her.

Layne drained his own personal accounts. With Hawthorne out of the country, he didn't dare breathe a word of this to his uncle.

Instead, he quietly liquidated his personal shares. It took three

grueling hours, but he finally secured

the $70 million and rush secured

the estate.

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