Twisted Ties of Love (Izabella Salotti and Brett) novel Chapter 148

Even though Ryker said he wasn't hungry, Izabella still ordered takeout for him and urged him to eat.

Halfway through their meal, Izabella got a phone call. At this time, the call could only be from a colleague or Brett. When she took out her phone and saw that it was neither, but a stranger's number.

Izabella picked up the phone and asked, "Hello, who's this?"

"Ms. Salotti," came a man's hoarse voice from the phone. "Your brother owes ten million at the casino, and now you need to bring the money over."

Ten million! Izabella had less than five million total, even with the two million Brett had given her before. Where the hell was she going to get ten million?

Izabella pursed her lips, trying to remain calm. "I don't have the money. You go find the person who owes you money. Why are you calling me?"

The other party was obviously on speakerphone, and as soon as Izabella stopped talking, she heard Lucas's voice coming from inside.

"Sis, help me! It's just ten million. Ask Brett for it! If I don't pay them, they'll cut off my hand!"

Lucas would only call her "sis" when he was begging her for help. Izabella's face remained unchanged, her eyes even colder than usual as she listened to Lucas's pleading over the phone.

The man threatened ominously, "Did you hear that, Ms. Salotti? If you don't come over, I'll cut off your brother's hand."

"I really don't have that much money. Even if you let me come over, it won't help. How about giving me a few days to gather the money?" Izabella suggested while thinking of a plan. She glanced at Ryker's worried eyes and walked towards the window, trying to lower her voice so they wouldn't hear her conversation.

"How can the wife of the Windham Group's president not have a measly ten million?"

Izabella's heart skipped a beat. "Then go ask Brett for it."

The man erupted in anger, "I'm not joking with you."

Izabella's tone was filled with cold mockery, "Neither am I. My relationship with Brett is not as good as what the internet says. He won't give me the money. Like I've said before, either give me a few days of leniency or cut off Lucas's hands. I can't control whether he lives or dies. But you'd better weigh carefully whether his life is worth ten million."

It suddenly went quiet on the phone, and if it weren't for the screen still showing the call was connected, Izabella would have thought they hung up.

The other party seemed to be discussing their options, and after nearly thirty seconds, the man's voice came through again. "Fine, I'll give you a week. But come over at 5 p.m. today to sign the IOU. If you're even a minute late, I'll cut off one of your brother's fingers."

The man warned, "Come alone and don't call the police!"

Ryker stood up to follow her, "I'll walk you out."

Izabella's steps faltered, feeling irritable. "Stop following me, Ryker. I've made it clear last time. If you really care about me, stay away from me. You're an idiot, and there's no chance for us!"

Ryker's face turned pale, rooted to the spot. It was the first time Izabella had shown impatience towards him.

He was indeed an idiot, he was called an idiot every day for 14 years in the orphanage, he thought he was used to it, but Izabella's "idiot" almost killed him, his heart still hurt that much, it was like a million arrows piercing his heart.

Izabella's heart twinged, and she tightened her grip on her bag. She averted her gaze and left.

Ryker cautiously followed her, watching as she rushed into the elevator. Suddenly, he sprinted towards the staircase as if he had gone mad, taking only a moment to reach the ground floor.

But he was still one step too slow. When he reached the hospital entrance, all he could do was watch Izabella get in her car.

Ryker stood like a block of wood between the hospital walk-up stairs, watching the direction where the car disappeared. Then, he looked up at the bright sunlight overhead, sweating and feeling his heart about to jump out of his throat.