Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 163

Daniel didn’t go to the office that morning. Instead, he drove straight to the hospital.

Inside the hospital room, Ian sat by his son’s bedside, fuming as he looked at Samuel’s bruised and swollen face, his arms wrapped tightly in bandages. “You’ve got a lot of nerve complaining—it serves you right! I hope it hurts!” Ian snapped, his disappointment plain.

Samuel, thoroughly chastened, didn’t dare talk back. Ian only grew angrier, his voice rising. “What’s wrong with you? Of all people, why did you have to go after Daniel? Do you even know who you’re dealing with? That man’s ruthless. Cross him, and you’ll be lucky if you’re just lying here. If he really wants payback, you’ll be crying for help and no one will come.”

It had been years since Samuel had been scolded like this. Every time he tried to speak, the gash at the corner of his mouth throbbed, so he kept his words brief, careful not to pull at his stitches. “Alright, I get it. You’ve said enough. I didn’t even lay a finger on Amelia. I got the beating for nothing, broke my hand too. So how am I not the real victim here? I don’t see what Daniel’s problem is.”

Ian just shook his head, unable to believe how naïve his son could be. He looked ready to start yelling again, but Samuel, fed up, changed the subject. “Where’s Mom? She said she’d be back last night. What, did her plane get lost over the Atlantic or something?”

Mrs. Yolanda Wilson had been on a trip out of town. The night before, after getting an urgent call, she’d rushed to catch a flight back to Silkwood. Samuel had been hoping she’d show up soon—maybe then she could shield him from Ian’s tirade.

Ian hadn’t even realized she hadn’t checked in. Now that Samuel mentioned it, he frowned and reached for his phone. He tried calling her, but the call went straight to voicemail. He was about to try again when Samuel’s phone, which was lying on the bed, suddenly rang—its shrill tone slicing through the tense silence like a bad omen.

The moment he answered, Mrs. Yolanda Wilson’s panicked sobs hit him like a physical blow. Samuel froze, his whole body going tense. He shouted into the phone, demanding to know what had happened, but all he got was his mother’s hoarse voice calling him by his childhood nickname before the line went dead.

Before either man could recover from the shock, Ian’s phone started ringing too. This time, it was his seventy-something mother on the other end, her voice trembling with fear.

Both men’s hands shook as they listened.

Seconds later, a video appeared on Samuel’s phone. On screen was a man in a clown mask, his voice distorted by a filter, sending chills down their spines.

“Mr. Wilson,” the masked man said, voice cold and haunting, “your mother and grandmother are both with me. You have ten minutes to choose which one you want to save. The other will be left to me. I’ll call back in ten minutes for your answer.”

Samuel’s grip tightened around his phone, his voice breaking with rage. “You son of a bitch, if you dare touch Mrs. Wilson—hello? Hello!”

He had the nerve to show up.

Samuel’s eyes blazed with fury. He tried to leap out of bed, but his injured leg nearly gave out and he only just managed to steady himself with the bedrail, gasping from the pain.

Daniel stepped back, feigning politeness, though his tone was as mocking as ever. “Such a warm welcome, Mr. Wilson. I’m honestly touched.”

When it came to getting under someone’s skin, Daniel was a master.

Samuel’s face twisted with rage. Still winded from pain, he jabbed a finger at Daniel and yelled to Ian, “Dad, it’s him! Tie him up—we can use him to get them back!”

Daniel looked genuinely bewildered. “What are you talking about? Tie me up? Why?”