Reclaimed By My Ex-husband-Chapter 283: Kelvin in danger

Chapter 283: Kelvin in danger
A sharp glint flashed in Liam’s eyes. "I already know what to do. You are going to enjoy this."
"I’m ending the call now," Nathaniel said. "Look after my family until I return."
"Wait—when are you coming back?"
"Soon."
Beep
.
The line went dead, leaving Liam staring at his phone. Slowly, a sly smile formed on his lips. "Not a bad day at all... actually, this is getting exciting."
Without wasting a second, he called his assistant.
"Listen carefully," he said the moment the call connected. "The police are finally going after Riya. They have begun digging into her, but Zachary might try to shut the investigation down. It’s time to leak everything we have collected on the two of them."
"Are you certain?" the voice on the other side asked anxiously. "What if Zachary targets us?"
Liam let out a dismissive snort. He wasn’t afraid of Zachary. When Nathaniel was already setting things in motion, why would he hold back?
"I’ve made up my mind," Liam said. "Release everything we have on them. I want both their faces buried in disgrace. Just make sure it’s done anonymously."
"Understood."
While Nathaniel and Liam were quietly coordinating their move against Zachary and Riya, Ian was still desperately searching for any sign of his boss. But disappointment followed him everywhere. He had already discovered who caused the accident and had sent men to track down Jaxon, yet he still had no clue where Nathaniel was.
Ian had scoured every big and small hospital in the city and surrounding areas, praying to find him in at least one of them. But every lead turned out to be a dead end. With each hour that passed, his suspicion hardened: ’Jaxon must have Nathaniel.’
Jaw tight, he drove toward Jaxon’s old hideouts. "I’ll find him myself, and I’ll end that bastard," he growled.
His phone rang. The caller ID showed Kelvin’s number.
Ian pulled over and answered, but instead of Kelvin’s voice, Zachary’s cold tone came through the speaker. His scalp prickled.
"You?" Ian barked. "Why do you have his phone?"
"What do you think?" Zachary said flatly. "Don’t waste my time. Meet me at the Royal Casino. Alone. Try anything clever, and you’ll never see your father again."
Beep.
The call ended. Ian’s face twisted in fury. "That bastard really has my father," he snarled, slamming a fist onto the steering wheel. "How did I not know?"
He had assumed Kelvin was finally making progress, that they were close to taking Zachary down and avenging his mother’s death. But with a single call, all his hopes collapsed. His father had been kidnapped by the very man they had hunted for years.
Rage flooded Ian’s veins. He wanted nothing more than to put a bullet in Zachary. But first, he had to ensure Kelvin’s safety. Swallowing the storm brewing inside him, he started the car and sped away.
After some time, Ian reached the Royal Casino. The place was buzzing, soft music humming in the background. Wealthy patrons drifted from table to table. Some crowded around poker games while others sipped drinks, enjoying the dance of the gorgeous dancers.
It was bright, loud, and vibrant, but Ian’s eyes searched for only one person—Zachary.
"Are you Ian?" A voice behind him made him turn.
A man dressed in a black suit approached with a blank expression.
"Follow me," he instructed.
Ian’s shoulders tensed as he walked after him into a dimly lit hallway. The moment the door shut behind them, all casino noise vanished. It felt like he had stepped out of one world and into another.
The man pointed toward a pair of double doors ahead. Ian hesitated, then pushed them open.
He froze.
Kelvin was tied to a large circular board mounted on the wall, arms and legs stretched wide, his mouth gagged. Purple bruises covered his face. Ian’s blood turned ice-cold.
"Dad..." he breathed, moving toward him.
But before he could take even one step, two strong men grabbed him from either side and forced him down onto his knees.
Helplessly, he lifted his eyes to his father.
"You finally showed up," Zachary’s voice cut through the room.
Ian jerked his head toward the sound and saw Zachary lounging on a sofa, one leg crossed over the other, a drink in hand.
"Bring him down," Ian demanded.
"Oh, I will," Zachary said lazily. "I don’t want him hanging there forever. It gets boring. But my men aren’t done having their fun yet, are you?"
He glanced toward the group of men dressed in black, each holding a dart.
"No, we want to keep playing," they chimed in eagerly.
"Good." With a flick of his wrist, Zachary gave permission.
One of the men stepped forward and spun the circular board.
Kelvin let out a muffled cry from behind the gag as the board began to rotate.
The darts started flying, one after another, aimed straight at him.
"No," Ian roared, his heart twisting in terror. "Stop! You’ll kill him."
But no one listened. Their laughter echoed through the room as they continued to throw darts at Kelvin’s body.
Ian tried to rise, but the two men holding him shoved him back down, forcing him to remain on his knees.
When the board finally stopped spinning, Ian’s breath caught. Kelvin’s body was drenched in blood, darts embedded in his arms, legs, shoulders, chest, and even his abdomen. His chest rose and fell in weak, shallow breaths.
"Stop... please," Ian pleaded. "He is going to die."
"Stop?" Zachary mocked. "He had the audacity to spy on me. For that alone, I should kill both of you. But I left him alive. Do you know why?"
He leaned forward slightly, eyes glinting. "Because he is still important to me."
Ian’s glare was sharp. He knew why Zachary had kept them alive. "What do you want?"
Zachary smirked. "You already know. Bring Nathaniel to me, and I’ll let both of you live."
Ian clenched his jaw. "I don’t know where Nathaniel is. Why don’t you go after Jaxon instead? He caused the accident. He is the one who might have taken him."
"Jaxon?" Zachary’s brows furrowed. He turned sharply toward the man beside him. "Why am I hearing this only now? When did he get out of prison?"
The man shifted nervously. "He... escaped a few days ago."
"And no one informed me?" Zachary snapped, irritation flaring.
"We didn’t think he was someone worth monitoring."
"Useless," Zachary growled, slamming his fist onto the armrest. "And look what happened. He ruined everything."
The man lowered his head, ashamed.
"Now you know who has Nathaniel," Ian said quickly. "So please let us go."
"You can leave," Zachary said coldly, "but your father stays. You’ll go back and keep me updated on everything happening inside the company. You’ll help me take it over. Understand? And if you dare betray me, you’ll never see your father alive again. Now, get him out of my sight."
He flicked his hand dismissively.
The guards yanked Ian up and dragged him out, shoving him through the casino doors.
Ian stumbled outside, collapsing to the ground. His heart pounded with humiliation, fury, and sheer dread for his father’s life. The image of Kelvin being used like a toy for their cruel game burned in his mind.
"Zachary," he muttered through clenched teeth, fists digging into the ground. "I’ll never forget this. One day, you’ll be the one tied to that board. I swear it."
Inside the casino...
"Bring Jaxon to me," Zachary snapped. "I want him here now."
Just then, one of his men rushed over and whispered something in his ear.
Zachary froze. "What?" he burst out. "They got the antidote? How is that even possible? Without knowing the drug’s name, how could they secure the antidote?"
"They eventually discovered what Gracie was drugged with," the man explained.
Zachary’s fury flared. His entire plan of using Gracie’s life to force Nathaniel into surrender had collapsed. Now Nathaniel had no reason to bend to him.
"How did they find out?" he growled. "Only a handful of people were aware of the drug. Who told the doctors?"
"It was... Miss Riya," the man revealed after a brief hesitation. "She was cornered and ended up revealing it."
He quickly recounted everything he had heard.
With each detail, Zachary’s irritation deepened. "That woman just keeps creating problems," he muttered. "Who even told her to go after Zara in the first place?"
"But she is lucky to be alive," the man added.
"Fire?" Zachary’s eyes widened.
The man nodded. "Yes. Zara’s office went up in flames. The entire building burned down. Miss Riya got out before things worsened, but Zara was injured and taken to the hospital. She is still undergoing treatment. The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined yet. But Bree, Zara’s friend, filed a complaint against Miss Riya, so this might get messy for her."
Zachary’s expression hardened. He had had enough of Riya’s chaos and wanted to put an end to her interference.
"Forget that for now. Bring me Jaxon."
He rose abruptly and strode away. He had to find Riya and confront her.