I froze, staring at my phone like it had suddenly transformed into a bomb. My thumb was over the screen, shaking, as I read the message again. My eyes widened, so violently that I thought it would burst right out of my chest.
“I know where your son is. If you want him back alive… You will have to take over my company.”
The words blurred on the screen as tears threatened to spill over. My legs gave out, and I sank into the office chair, gripping the phone so tightly that I thought I might crush it. My mind screamed, refused to process it.
No. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.
My breathing grew restless. Panic clawed at my throat. Jayden… my baby… my little boy… how could anyone dare touch him? I had failed him. I should have been the one picking him up from school, making sure he g
