Chapter 3 The kidnap 1

**

In the evening, Richard finally arrived at his family's villa where everyone was dressed up for the elaborate party. His parents, Rosella and Roberto, heard the car horn and were certain it belonged to Richard.

They hurried outside to see and to their joy, it was indeed Richard! Excitement overwhelmed them, as if their hearts wanted to burst out of their bodies. They ran towards him with overflowing love and happiness.

Coincidentally, Gabriella also heard the horn, and her face turned red as she blushed uncontrollably. She was filled with immense happiness because the love of her life had finally arrived. She started heading towards him, only for her to receive a call from her boss at the office which made her feel compelled to answer it.

Rosella and Roberto warmly embraced their only child and showered him with unconditional love. "Come, let's go inside," Rosella said.

"Mom, Dad!" Richard exclaimed happily. "I have missed you both so much. It's good to see you again, guys," he said excitedly as he hugged his parents.

"It's really great to see you too, my son," Roberto responded. He had just been worried for no reason. His son didn't seem to have any grudge against him.

"How was your journey?" Roberto asked. "I trust it was not stressful?"

"It was not, Dad. Mom made sure it was the best," he answered and laughed.

"You look so lean, my darling," Rosella commented as she assessed her son from head to toe.

"Mom, it's just stress," Richard responded and shook his mother off of him.

"Come, let's return back to the party. The guests must be waiting already," Roberto urged.

With that, Richard nodded and so they walked their way there.

Reaching where the celebration was happening, the guests welcomed Richard home with a toast and immediately bombarded him with different questions, "Oh, are you ready to fully take over the company?"

"Are you ready for marriage now?" The guest continued to ask questions repeatedly, which irritated Richard. However, he felt obligated to stay and didn't want to appear rude.

He sighed in resignation, muttering to himself, "This is going to be a long night." He had opposed his mother's decision to throw a party, but she insisted, and now he found himself trapped in a location he didn't want to be.

Gabriella continued to assist her mother in the kitchen as her phone rang once again, checking her phone screen she saw it was still her boss calling, this time she refused to pick up the call.

Elena noticed how frustrated her daughter looked but refused to say anything to her.

Some moments later the call still persisted so she walked outside to responded to it the time,

At the same time, Richard received a message on his own phone, causing his initial smile to vanish and be replaced by a frown. He excused himself and departed from the party as he headed to his room.

Back outside, Gabriella became increasingly annoyed while speaking on the phone. Despite repeatedly informing him that she wasn't available for a shift that night, he was stubbornly persistent in asking her to make a delivery. If it weren't for his advanced age, she would have hung up on him long ago and wouldn't mind the cost of her job.

"Sir, I have informed you numerous times that I am not a..." Gabriella was suddenly interrupted as someone swiftly covered her mouth and nose with a white handkerchief.

"Hmmm," she managed to murmur before her voice became muffled, causing her to drop her phone.

She desperately tried to break free from her assailant's grasp, but her efforts grew weaker as she gradually lost consciousness. But within seconds, she slipped into unconsciousness. The thug proceeded to drag her away from the party and out of the villa.

**

Gabriella remained unconscious, still lying with the kidnappers in the vehicle as they transported her from the villa.

One of the kidnappers grabbed his phone and dialed the person who had organized the abduction. "We already have the girl and we're en route to the hotel," he informed them.

"You can send the room number to the hotel where we're supposed to deliver her. Make sure to use the back entrance and avoid being seen," the person instructed before ending the call. Within moments, the goon's phone vibrated, indicating a new message.

He retrieved his phone and discovered the room number where they were supposed to leave Gabriella. The group arrived at the back of the hotel, where a staff member was already waiting for them.

Hastily, he guided them into the hotel and to the designated room where Gabriella was to be left. The kidnappers quickly placed her on the bed and proceeded to undress her.

"Boss, how about we have some fun with the girl?" someone asked the leader. "I had the same idea, but not now. We'll do it later, once everything settles down," the leader of the goons replied.

With that, they exited the room. Then shortly after, they texted the person who hired them to inform them that the job was completed. They also sent a message to Richard on his phone: "Your childhood lover is now promiscuous and available for anything. Come to room 4012 at the Empire Hotel and see it for yourself."

Meanwhile, Richard had just finished delivering his speech after his parents had officially announced to the whole world that he was taking over the company.

While everyone was busy congratulating him for the big news, his phone suddenly beeped. Thinking it was the previous caller, he decided to ignore it. But however, his mother approached him as she saw him from a distance when he began ignoring the call and she said, "Answer your phone, dear. It might be something important."

With a slight smile of reluctance in his expression he decided to respond to the call not wanting to refuse or disrespect his mother, and so he brought his phone out of his pocket and he proceeded to open the message only for him to see an unbelievable revelation.

Disappointment flushed through his expression and resulted in a change in his countenance as he was not expecting to see what he had just read.

As Rosella saw the change in Richard's expression she gave a smirk of satisfaction, knowing that her plan had worked. And there was no way Gabriella would ever be able to put Richard under her control now.