My son was kidnapped, but I watched the show leisurely
Chapter 1
My husband called, frantic.
“Get here quick, our son’s been kidnapped! They’re going to kill him!”
I just said, “Oh,” and didn’t elaborate.
There was a long silence on the other end before Mark spat out, “‘Oh’? This is our son, Olivia! Your son!”
“How can you be so cold-blooded? Don’t you care?”
I was silent.
I did care. Once.
Last time this happened, I raced to the scene, running red lights, not even stopping to put on my shoes.
By the time I got there, the kidnapper’s knife had already grazed Ethan’s throat.
I begged him to let my son go.
The kidnapper laughed, giving me a choice: my son’s life or mine.
Hearing Ethan’s cries, I grabbed a knife from the ground and stabbed myself in the heart.
It all happened so fast.
But now, looking back, it all seemed…off.
I didn’t know this kidnapper.
Why would he want me, a stranger, dead?
If he had a grudge against our family, why target Ethan, why was Mark the first on the scene, and why did I have to die?
I rubbed my aching head, trying to recall every detail from the last time.
One thing I was sure of: the kidnapper was ruthless. He would have killed Ethan if I hadn’t died.
He knew who I was, knew I was wealthy.
Why not demand a ransom? Why our lives?
It made no sense.
Mark’s phone rang again. “Where are you? They’re going to kill him if you don’t get here!”
“I don’t care what you’re doing, just get here!”
I asked a question I hadn’t asked before.
“Mark, have you called the police?”
He exploded. “Are you crazy? What if they hurt him?”
So, no police.
He wanted me there, not the police.
Was I supposed to be more effective than trained officers?
Mark was usually level-headed.
This…
Something was wrong. I stopped putting on my shoes and called my assistant.
“Has Mark been to the office lately? Anything unusual?”
“And, I need you to look into something for me.”
Chapter 2
I arrived over an hour later than last time.
Ethan was still unharmed.
The kidnapper snarled, “Even tigers don’t eat their cubs! You’re a monster!”
Mark glared at me. “Olivia, what could be more important than our son’s life?”
“You’re stalling. Do you want to see him die?”
I shook my head. “No. I called the police. I was waiting for them to set up.”
Mark’s eyes narrowed. “You called the police? Are you trying to get him killed?”
Ethan started crying. “Mommy, you’re a bad mommy! You don’t love me!”
My heart ached.
Of course, I loved him. He was my miracle baby, born after countless rounds of IVF and a difficult pregnancy.
I gained seventy pounds, spent most of the nine months in bed, and almost died giving birth.
I cherished him.
But now, my mind was racing, filled with suspicion.
I frowned at Mark’s accusations, remaining silent.
The kidnapper pressed the knife harder against Ethan’s throat, drawing blood.
Ethan screamed, “Mommy, help me! I don’t want to die!”
The kidnapper smirked. “Olivia, I hate rich people like you.”
“You die, or he dies. Choose.”
The wind picked up, rustling the trees.
I sighed. “The police are surrounding us. You can’t escape. Surrender.”
“Neither of us is going to die today. Only the guilty will.”
The kidnapper’s face twisted in rage, and he pressed the knife harder, causing Ethan to bleed profusely.
“Mom! You’re going to kill me! Please, just save me!”
The kidnapper pulled another knife from behind him and tossed it at my feet.
“I’ll count to three. Let’s see what you choose.”
Mark collapsed, grabbing my leg. “Olivia, please! He’s just a boy! He hasn’t even lived yet!”
“Please don’t let him die!”
I looked at the kidnapper, his cruel smile, the knife at Ethan’s throat.
“Three!”
Ethan struggled, but it was futile.
“Two!”
Mark, pale and desperate, crawled forward, picking up the knife and trying to put it in my hand.
“Olivia, please! He’s our son! I’ll raise him right. Just… please…”
I didn’t take the knife. Instead, I addressed the kidnapper.
“If you’re doing this because you hate the rich, why target me specifically?”
“The knife is in my husband’s hand now. He grew up poor. You should hate him more. Let him die instead.”
The kidnapper looked surprised. Mark yelled, “Olivia! You stalled, called the police, and now you want me to die? You’re a monster!”
“If you don’t sacrifice yourself, our son will die!”
The kidnapper’s gaze shifted to the knife in Mark’s hand, then back to me, his eyes icy.
“This is your last chance!”
“One!”
He raised the knife.
Bang!
A police sniper’s bullet hit the kidnapper square in the forehead.
He tumbled backward over the cliff, taking Ethan with him.
Mark’s eyes bulged, bloodshot.
He lunged at me with the knife.
“You killed our son!”
“You monster! I’ll kill you!”
Chapter 3
I didn’t move.
Police tackled Mark, but he still struggled, screaming, “Olivia, you’re an animal! You have no heart! You killed our son!”
“Let me go! I need to call the police! Arrest this woman!”
His grief seemed genuine.
I had thought maybe Ethan wasn’t our son, that Mark had set me up.
But now…
I reached for him, but he shoved me away, yelling towards the trees.
“Did you see that? This CEO, this monster, watched her own son die without shedding a tear!”
Reporters emerged from behind trees and from the hilltop, cameras clicking.
“Ms. Perry, why wouldn’t you trade your life for your son’s?”
“Do you value your own life more than his?”
“Is this how a CEO behaves? If you don’t love your own child, how can you care for your employees?”
I stared at Mark, still grieving.
My phone buzzed. My assistant.
He’d found what I’d asked for.
I read the message, my blood running cold. I began to laugh, a chilling, hollow sound.
Mark kicked me. “You’re laughing? Our son is dead!”
“You evil woman! You murderer! You don’t deserve to live!”
I felt the pain, but I kept laughing, tears streaming down my face.
Mark, you want me dead? You want to destroy me with public opinion?
Game on.
I stood, facing the cameras.
“As you saw, I watched my son die.”
“But I’m not wrong, and you have no right to judge me!”
The reporters erupted.
“Ms. Perry, you’re a disgrace! You don’t deserve to be a mother, let alone a CEO!”
“You show no remorse! You say we can’t judge you? We’ll make sure the whole world judges you!”
“You’ll get what’s coming to you!”
I smiled coldly.
The cameras recorded the recovery of Ethan and the kidnapper’s bodies.
Mark sobbed over Ethan’s mangled remains. “Son! Open your eyes! Daddy’s sorry!”
“I would have died for you! Why? Why did this happen?”
He wailed, attracting all the cameras.
Soon, Mark and I were all over the news.
#PerryCEOHeartlessMonster #VPGrievesDeadSon #OliviaPerryUnfitMother
Perry Corp’s stock plummeted. My staff looked grim.
As I worked, Mark stormed in with reporters, confronting me in front of the shareholders.
“Olivia, you bitch! Where is our son’s body?”
“Give him back! Let him rest in peace!”
The shareholders were already on edge. Now, fueled by Mark’s accusations, they exploded.
“Olivia, we know what you did! How can you sit here and act like nothing happened?”
“I’m deeply disappointed. We’ll be discussing your leadership at the next shareholder meeting.”
I calmly observed them, memorizing their faces.
Then, I smiled at the cameras.
“I hid his body. What are you going to do about it?”
