Ethan turned his eyes to Abel and saw the man nod firmly. He felt as though he could finally breathe again at that moment.

Ethan heaved a sigh of relief. “Hah… That’s good news. That means Emma is still alive. Thank God…”

“You two should wait outside for a while.” Abel said, “Mr. Benjamin and I will discuss the details of our next action, and we will let you know in a bit.”

Ethan wiped the tear off the corners of his eyes. “I’m counting on both of you to save Emma!”

Eventually, Janie and Ethan exited Benjamin’s office.

“Were you guys scolded by the boss and his guest?” Ms. Plummer asked as soon as she saw them walking out of the room with gloomy expressions on their faces.

“Can’t you just keep your mouth shut?!” Janie snapped at her. “Have you forgotten that I am your superior? Or do you not want to keep your job here anymore?”

Ms. Plummer fell silent immediately.

Janie and Ethan took a seat on the sofa placed just outside the CEO’s office. They decided to wait there until Abel and Benjamin called for them again.

“Mr. Ethan.” Janie leaned toward the man and asked in a muted voice, “Is it possible that Emmeline is actually a very very extremely important person who’s disguised herself as a normal person? See, the CEO of Ryker Group was her gardener. Apart from that, even our boss, Mr. Benjamin listens to her all the time!”

“You don’t say.” Ethan’s brows drew together in a slight frown. “Still, I’ve known Emma all my life, and she’s just a normal, playful lady. How could she be someone as extraordinary as those two in the office?”

“That’s strange…”

Despite Ethan’s words, Janie still had the feeling that her hunch was right.

Emmeline must be someone special and extraordinary! I should remember that and try to earn her favor more!

Putting those things aside, I just hope that Benjamin and Mr. Abel would be able to find Emmeline soon.

Inside the office, both Abel and Benjamin were looking at the photo again.

At closer inspection, the photo was actually an advertisement. At the top center part of the photo, the words “The Imperial Palace’s Canary No. 9” were printed in small fonts above Emmeline’s face. Below that line, Canary No. 9’s height, weight, and bust measurements were also included in the photo.

The Imperial Palace?! Canary No. 9?!

Both Abel and Benjamin did not expect things to turn out like this.

Emmeline has fallen into the hands of someone from the Imperial Palace?!

On the surface, the Imperial Palace is an establishment that provides entertainment and recreation activities. However, there is more than that to it.

Rumor has it that the Imperial Palace’s owner has expanded their influence beyond Struyria to multiple foreign countries. What’s more, no one knows who the owner of the Imperial Palace is even until this day.

As for the Canaries from the Imperial Palace, almost all of the richest and most powerful men in the world know about them. They are the exclusive “products” put out by the Imperial Palace during their annual underground auction. The Imperial Palace is the only place where you can find the Canaries.

“So, it was these guys who had abducted Emma…” Abel said with a pensive look in his eyes.

“That explains why we haven’t been able to find any clues about Emma’s whereabouts.” A deep frown creased Benjamin’s forehead.

Abel lifted his eyes and met Benjamin’s gaze.

“What should we do next?”

“I’m thinking…”

“The Imperial Palace is a huge criminal organization.” Abel had gotten up and started pacing slowly around his seat. “If we were to do this the violent way, we would have to be equipped with firearms.”

“You’re saying that we go up against those people and take them down with guns and bullets?” Benjamin asked.

“Alternatively, we could do it the civilized way by joining the underground auction,” Abel replied.

“That’s also why they’ve sent us Emma’s photo that’s used for advertisement. They are trying to lure us into making an appearance at the auction.”

“I’m sure we’ll be receiving the invitation to join their auction soon. Moreover, they would most likely invite some of the richest people in our country and even from abroad to take part in the event,” Abel concluded.

“We can’t let Emmeline fall into the hands of those people!” Benjamin said in a steely voice.

Abel’s expression hardened. “Both of us might have to use all the financial resources we have.”

Benjamin nodded. “I’m ready to use all our available assets in the Adelmar Group to save Emma.”

“The same goes for me!” Abel’s eyes burned with fierce determination. “I’ll use every means necessary to get Emma out of that place.”

A faint smile played across Benjamin’s face at that instant. “Mr. Abel, I bet you can also tell what the abductor’s true intentions are by now.”