Chapter 276 Anonymous Ransom
Chapter 276 Anonymous Ransom
Back inside, Quinn powered up her laptop and reread the message, her brows knitting tight.
Who on earth had sent such a demand?
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One hundred million–a sum the sender had to know she could never raise on her own. If they still named that figure, they must believe she could persuade Julius to pay.
Yet that same person forbade her to breathe a word of it to Julius.
That means…it is almost certainly someone who knows the two of us.
She ran the account number through a quick search and discovered it was offshore. Once the money landed there, anyone with the password could empty it from anywhere in the world.
More unsettling, the sender knew she was hunting for Rowan–and claimed to hold a real lead.
At the thought of her brother, even drawing breath scraped like a fresh bruise across her lungs.
She fired back an email: Give me one good reason to believe you actually have information on Rowan.
To her surprise, an answer arrived almost at once–no words, only a short surveillance clip.
Three seconds of grainy footage, yet the silhouette on–screen was unmistakable. She knew her brother the instant she saw him.
His clothes hung in tatters, every shred smeared with dark, drying blood.
The image was too blurred to identify the buildings behind him.
When she sent another message asking for a clearer video, the other party’s temporary email address had already vanished.
The implication was clear. If she wanted more, she had to wire the money first.
About one hundred million–if that would truly buy a clue to Rowan, she would pay it.
She could borrow from Julius or a bank. She had taken Grafton Technologies public in three years; she could repay a loan.
Even if the price climbed higher, she would still agree.
However, she would uncover the sender’s identity, whatever it took.
Marley closed her laptop and began counting the days until the money arrived.
Had Moldred not ordered an audit–and had her father not stolen company funds–she would never have rushed to squeeze money from Quinn.
In any case, Quinn owed her this.
If not for Quinn, Julius would still be Marley’s shield. One call from her, and the family would have
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Chapter 276 Anonymous Ransom
hushed up her father’s embezzlement.
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Now everything had changed. Julius had severed ties with her, and those fair–weather relatives who once fawned over her could not wait to kick her while she was down.
She lacked the courage to negotiate directly with Julius, so she would use Quinn to collect the cash.
Five years ago, she and Julius had run into Rowan in Doria. Someone stole her jewelry, the police pulled the nearby surveillance footage, and that was how she got the recording.
Even so, prying the footage from the Doria authorities had cost her no small effort.
If Quinn was smart, she would trace the clip back and learn that Julius had once met her brother.
If Quinn and Julius had a falling out over this, it was good news to Marley.
She savored the thought, unaware that at this very moment, Quinn was tracing the anonymous email back to her.
Ordinary people found such sleuthing impossible; Quinn was anything but ordinary.
Quinn had repaired the drone footage of the fire on a computer owned by a tech company under the Whitethorn family. With that same clearance, she could tap into the family’s tracking network. Julius had quietly granted her full investigative access, free to draw on any resource the Whitethorn name controlled.
That night, Julius asked, “What are you investigating? Need my help?”
“Not for now,” Quinn answered, aware that tapping the Whitethorn network would never escape his notice. “If I need you, I’ll say so.”
Julius frowned. “Does it have to do with the message you received this afternoon?”
“Mm–hmm, but I can’t talk about it yet,” Quinn said.
The email had warned her not to tell anyone and had even singled Julius out by name, so she kept the secret for now.
Because the issue concerned Rowan, she could not afford a single mistake.
Perhaps when she found more leads, she could let Julius know.
“But I do need to borrow some money,” she added, “and if it comes to it, let your bodyguards take their orders from me.“.
Julius chuckled softly. “Quinnie, I told you before. Whatever I have is yours, whether cash or people.”
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