Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 1317

He couldn't risk leaving something so horrific at his estate. If Noah ever stumbled upon it, the trauma would be irreversible.

Driving back in tense silence, Sebastian shifted his focus to the next problem: finding Debbie.

Lester had successfully archived the dark web video before scrubbing it. There had to be visual or audio clues they could extract.

Whoever had the audacity to extort him would suffer unimaginable consequences. The $1.2 billion was gone, but he refused to be a passive victim, waiting for a severed leg or arm to be mailed to him next.

Sebastian drove straight to the Blake family's ancestral home to brief his parents.

Old Mr. Blake and Old Mrs. Blake watched the censored video in grim silence. Sebastian explained how he had disposed of the severed limb.

"I had Lester wire the money," Sebastian stated, his voice tight. "My original plan was to trace their livestream, send a strike team, and eradicate them. I didn't expect them to pre-record the amputation, scrub the metadata, and drop it on the dark web.

"To contain the fallout, they demanded an extra $200 million, and I paid it. But we cannot remain on the defensive.

"Dad, Mom, I know you have deep, entrenched networks in Northwyn. For a crisis of this magnitude, I need you to mobilize your contacts."

Sebastian was powerful, but he couldn't leave anything to chance.

What if the kidnappers realized how easily he folded? They could chop off her arm next and demand another billion. Or worse, they could engineer a public spectacle that would permanently ruin the Blake name.

Old Mr. Blake scoffed loudly. "So now you come crawling back for help? When I told you to hire professionals to handle that woman years ago, why didn't you consider the risks of a mess like this?"

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