The phone rang again.
The same unknown number. The same suffocating tension in the room.
Senator Manuel Ford swallowed hard before answering. He put the call on speaker, his fingers trembling slightly as he held the phone.
“You have what we want, Senator?” The kidnapper’s voice was as calm as ever, but there was an unmistakable edge beneath the smoothness.
“I do,” Manuel said, his voice steady despite the pressure. “But I need proof my daughter is still alive.”
A beat of silence. Then—
A rustling sound. A choked sob.
“Dad—” Olivia’s voice cracked through the speaker, raw with fear.
Manuel’s grip on the phone tightened. His jaw clenched.
“Enough,” the kidnapper said. “Now, listen carefully. You will bring the money and the files to the location we tell you. Alone. No security. No p
