The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus)

Chapter 383

Watching Magnus’ figure quickly vanish into the night, James burst through the door in hot pursuit. No

way could he let Magnus walk into danger alone; he had to find Natalia, and fast!

In a frenzy, James stormed out, searching the streets for any sign of Natalia, but though the town was

small, Natalia was like a needle in a haystack. Sweat poured down James’ forehead, but there was no

trace of her.

Just as despair was about to take hold, James’ sharp eyes caught sight of Natalia at the crossroads

ahead. “Natalia! Natalia!” He shouted at the top of his lungs.

Natalia was frantic, questioning the crowd about Jonas’ whereabouts, oblivious to James’ calls. James

bolted toward her, quickly reaching her side and grabbing her hand. “Natalia, we’ve got to move, now!”

Confusion clouded Natalia’s eyes. “What’s going on, James? Where are you taking me?”

With no time for explanations, James rushed her along. "Just come with me. It's Lucius—he's taken

Jonas!"

"What?" Natalia gasped. The words were like ice water down her spine. "Lucius? What is he

planning?!"

"I don't know, but he's demanding a ransom of a hundred million bucks from Magnus. He wants him to

go to the docks alone—no cops, no backup," James rattled off. "Magnus is headed there right now, but

Lucius is a desperate man. It's not safe for Magnus to go alone."

Panic-stricken, Natalia stammered, "What do we do? Where do we even start looking?"

"Harbor Bay docks, let's go to my car!" James pointed to his vehicle. "We'll follow them there. We can't

let Magnus walk into a trap, and we've got to save Jonas."

"All right, let's go," Natalia said, turning to Hector, who had joined her in the search. "Hector, maybe you

should head back. James and I will handle it."

"Why should I?" Hector protested. "I want to help find Jonas as much as you do, Natalia. Don't you

consider me family?"

Sensing the resolve in Hector's eyes, Natalia relented, "Fine, but you must be careful. You know Lucius

is unpredictable and capable of anything."

"I'm not afraid." Hector said, his gaze fierce. "I care about Jonas. I'd give anything to save him,

including my life."

Natalia was touched by Hector's sincerity, feeling the weight of her past neglect. "Hector, I..."

"Don't," Hector stopped her. "Your battles are mine, Natalia. Whatever it takes, I'm in."

"Enough chit-chat, let's go, or we're really going to be too late," James interjected impatiently, annoyed

by Hector's sweet talk at such a dire time.

The trio sped off in James' car towards Harbor Bay docks.

Meanwhile, Magnus had arrived at the docks alone, as Lucius had instructed. It was a desolate spot,

once bustling but now littered with derelict fishing boats. As Magnus approached, a figure leaped from

the shadows and knocked him to the ground.

"Ha, you are here, Magnus," Lucius gloated, his face twisted with vengeance. "Look at you now! I'm the

king here, and you're nothing but a groveling dog at my feet!"

Magnus spat out blood, glaring at Lucius. "Cut the crap. Where's my son?"Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

Lucius pointed to a towering fishing boat, where a frail figure was tied to the mast, swaying precariously

in the wind. "There's your precious son, dangling like bait."

Magnus' blood ran cold at the sight of Jonas teetering over the ocean. His voice was laced with fury,

"You monster! How could you do that to Jonas. He's your nephew!"

"Shut up!" Lucius charged, his fists flying. "The day you sent me to jail, I no longer cared for our family.

Who are you to lecture me?"

Magnus dodged Lucius' blow, shouting back, "You brought this on yourself! You nearly bankrupted the

company and are the reason Grandpa is gone! Jail was a mercy!"

Lucius, reminded of his prison torment, grew more agitated. "Mercy? You should've been the one

behind bars, not me!"

He lunged at Magnus again. "Give me the money or prepare to bury your son—with the bombs I've

strapped to him!"

"I want cash! Cash!" Lucius refused to even glance at the phone. The veins in his neck bulged as he

shrieked.

Lucius furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, and realized Magnus made sense. He snatched the

phone from Magnus' hand. "Fine, this also saves me a lot of trouble."

He bowed his head and checked the account seriously. Indeed, there was a hundred million dollars.