William was a workaholic who had begun to neglect his wife and ailing child. Everything changes after he logs into a business meeting to see his daughter on the screen tied to a chair.
"William, you promised you'd be here for her... For me! We need you. I can't do this alone."
Alice said over the phone as her husband, William, sat in his palatial office. He fixed his spectacles in frustration as he and his wife had the same fight for the millionth time.
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"I know, Alice. But I can't make it now. Sally and I are so close to getting this contract. It'll decide the fate of our company, Alice. I can't just drop it and leave," William explained.
"Oh! But you can leave me to travel with our sick 7-year-old daughter alone?!" Alice snapped.
"You know it's not that simple. If I don't work, I can't support my family. I love Kim with all my heart, you know that," William exclaimed.
"Your first question is insignificant, William. But the second is detrimental to your child's safety. Do you understand?
"Money isn't the only form of support. You say you love her?! Then start acting like it, William!" Alice concluded, cutting the call.
William dejectedly looked at the photo of his daughter on his desk. He knew his wife was right. He had barely been home, working tirelessly with his business partner, Sally, to secure this contract for his company. However, this meant his wife was left to watch over their daughter alone.
"The wife again?" asked Sally, walking into William's office with his laptop in hand. Sally was a confident, charming man with a cool exterior. His persuasiveness was unmatched, and he could easily sell ice to an Eskimo.
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"Yeah... We are supposed to move my daughter to a new place outside the city. The doctors said it would be best for her recovery. But with the workload with this new contract... I simply can't make it," a stressed-out William confessed.
"I hear you, man. Sounds like you've got a lot on your plate. But it'll all be good. You just focus on this contract, and by the time we're done, you'll be able to get your daughter the best treatment the world has to offer," Sally said, reassuringly grabbing William's shoulder.
"I keep telling myself the same thing. But what if I'm wrong, and medical or financial support is not everything she needs right now? I don't want to lose my family, Sally," William exclaimed.
"Nonsense! You just focus on the contract. Your family loves you. They'll understand that all the work you've been putting in is for them," Sally insisted.
"I really hope you're right."
"Of course I am. You can trust me. When have I ever let you down, partner?" Sally said with a sly smirk, grabbing a seat beside William. "Now, let's work on this pitch."
William's marriage to Alice was already on the rocks as a result of his decisions. She had started threatening to divorce him, and with everything happening with Kim's health, that was the last thing their family needed.
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Several weeks later, William was working as usual. He was scheduled for a virtual meeting on a video call with his business partner, Sally. However, when he logged into the meeting, his heart sunk to his stomach at the site before him.
"KIM?! Oh, no! What's happening? KIM, sweetie!" William yelled, trembling.
On his laptop screen, he saw his daughter gagged and tied to a chair with a blindfold in an indiscernible background. She appeared to be in a warehouse of sorts. Her muffled cries threw William into a state of panic.
"Kim?! What's happening? Who's there?! What do you want with my daughter?!" William yelled on the brink of tears.
"Calm down, William. All you have to do is follow my orders precisely, and you'll be back with your daughter in no time," a voice said from behind the camera.
"Who are you? What do you want?" William cried.
"Your first question is insignificant, William. But the second is detrimental to your child's safety. Do you understand?" the voice said calmly.
"Please, just don't hurt her. I beg you!" William cried.
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"Your secretary brought you a brown envelope this morning. You're a very busy man, so you probably haven't read it yet. I would like you to kindly open it," the voice demanded.