The blows finally stopped raining down on me.

"Boss, what is it?" one of the men asked.

Jasper shot me a contemptuous look. "Quit wasting time on this pretty boy. Ms. Cook says Mr. Jones is missing. His last known location was our casino. Round up everyone and start searching."

My head was spinning from the beating, and his words stunned me.

So, Helena had still been checking on my whereabouts after I left, and she'd noticed I'd gone missing?

I pushed myself up on shaking arms. A muffled sound slipped out of my mouth.

One of the thugs kicked me. "Shut up!"

"Boss, what do we do with him?" someone asked.

Jasper's expression tightened as if he were weighing something. "Ms. Cook is already on the plane. She's coming here herself to find Mr. Jones. And this brat just claimed he was Mr. Jones, so…"

A spark of hope shot through me. Yes! Helena was coming! She would save me and put these idiots in their place.

However, Jasper continued in a different tone, "No way Ms. Cook can see him. She's already anxious about losing track of Mr. Jones. If this crazy pretty boy appears claiming he's Mr. Jones and Ms. Cook takes it the wrong way, we're done for."

"Boss, you're right. So, should we throw him out?"

Jasper grabbed my chin and tilted my face from side to side. With a click of his tongue, he said, "Not bad-looking. Lock him in the isolation room. Once Ms. Cook finds Mr. Jones and leaves, we'll break him in and make him work off the debt as a debt runner for the casino."

I shook my head hard. If they kept me here, I would never get off this island again!

No one cared what I thought, and two of the thugs dragged me off toward the isolation room.

No! Helena was almost here. I had to find a way to reach her. This was my last chance. Once they shut me in, I was done for.

When they tossed me into the isolation room and reached for the lock, I staggered to my feet and threw myself into the door before it could close.

I then grabbed a steel pipe off the floor and swung it at one man's head. He dropped instantly, clutching his skull in agony.

Before the other one could subdue me, I struck her across the face with the pipe as hard as I could.

Once both of them were down, adrenaline surged through me. I bolted forward with everything I had.

Suddenly, a helicopter roared overhead.

It was Helena. She had arrived!

I ran like a maniac toward where the helicopter was landing. The cabin door opened, and Helena stepped down the stairs slowly. My heart slammed in my chest, but before I could call out, a hand clamped down over my mouth.

Then, my hair was yanked violently.

"You little punk! How dare you hit me? You've got a death wish!"

It was the man I had just struck in the head. He had chased me down.

Jasper, who had been waiting respectfully to welcome Helena, noticed the commotion. He frowned and glanced over, shaking his head at the man silently.

The man immediately dragged me behind a wall.

Not far away, Helena had reached the ground. She looked exhausted, worry written plainly across her face.

Jasper hurried forward, reporting, "Ms. Cook, we've pulled all the surveillance as you instructed. We'll find a lead on Mr. Jones."

"Let's go to the surveillance room."

Helena strode forward, with only a wall between us. Then, she stopped and clenched her fists.

"Zachary, you have to be alright."

When she said those words, it was as if she were speaking to me—and also to herself.

Tears and blood smeared my face. She was so close, but I couldn't make a sound.

In the end, I was locked in the isolation room again.

To keep me from escaping, they restrained my arms, bound my legs, and stuffed my mouth with a cloth once more.

For days, Helena didn't appear.

The underground casino was dark. On top of that, in the days I spent here with Sabrina, she had left me in the hotel, never letting me out. The surveillance cameras likely never caught my face.

I was starting to lose hope.

Then, one morning, I heard hurried footsteps and Helena's voice.

"Ms. Cook, how can you be sure that's Mr. Jones just from a silhouette? Are you certain you're not mistaken? He's just a pawn left here to pay off a debt," someone said.

"Stop asking nonsense. Where is he locked up?"

Helena's voice was tinged with panic.

"I-In the isolation room ahead."

She recognized me!

Hope surged within me once more, and I tried to let out a muffled cry to get her attention.

But the footsteps halted ten steps from where I was.

"Ms. Cook, I just confirmed with Mr. Jones' fiancee. She says he's already returned to the country. He isn't missing."

It was Helena's assistant speaking.

"Where is his signal location?" Helena asked.

"Also in the country. The record shows he returned three days ago. It only syncs now because of signal issues."

Helena had set up tracking on my phone, and Sabrina took it when she left with Charlie. Now, she was trying to use the signal to mislead Helena.

Jasper then said respectfully, "Ms. Cook, I think you must be mistaken. How could the man in there be Mr. Jones?"

Helena quickly instructed her assistant, "Contact the pilot immediately. Prepare to return. I must see Zachary with my own eyes."

"Understood, Ms. Cook."

The moment I heard Helena start to leave, I unhesitatingly slammed my head hard into the iron door of the isolation room.

A loud bang rang out.

Helena froze in her tracks. Her voice turned cold. "Who's locked in there?"