When they regained consciousness, they found themselves ensnared within the confines of a desolate warehouse, their hands and feet securely bound.

Ariana attempted to shift her hands, but the restraints held her captive. Drawing from her past ordeals with kidnapping, she remained composed. Scanning their surroundings, she spotted a towering man bearing a scar across his face, seated nearby, casually dining from a takeout box.

Ariana, with determination in her eyes, sat upright and wriggled her bound hands. She fixed her gaze on the man and calmly inquired, “Who ordered you to kidnap us?"

The man, his glare unwavering, replied menacingly between bites of his meal, "Behave yourselves. You'll be set free when the time is right."

Ariana, undaunted, pondered for a moment before asking, “By ‘when the time is right,' do you mean in two days?"

A derisive sneer crossed the man's face as he retorted, "You're quite the astute one, aren't you?"

Ariana couldn't help but chuckle sarcastically. She'd been through her fair share of kidnappings, and this situation didn't seem to be motivated by monetary gain or violence. It appeared the orchestrators wished to avoid escalating matters.

Cutting to the chase, she pressed on, “Was it Carl Manny who sent you? The little prince from the Rollingrock Media?"

Their next performance was just two days away, and it seemed Carl resorted to kidnapping to force their withdrawal.

The man chuckled coldly, confirming her suspicions.

"You have sharp instincts. Indeed, it was Mr. Manny who sent me." With an air of superiority, he continued, "You, a woman striving in this industry with a small company and no influential connections, should have maintained a lower profile. Your current predicament is well-deserved."

“Aren't you afraid we'll report this to the authorities upon our release and expose the truth?" Ariana looked at him fearlessly.

“Report this to the authorities?" The man laughed coldly, his arrogance undisguised. He then gestured toward Tom, saying, "This kid has a sister in a music college, doesn't he? Oh, and you have a son, adorable and bright."

At the mention of her beloved Melon, Ariana's face darkened, and her anger boiled over. She snapped, “If you even think about touching my family, you'll live to regret it!"

Tom, equally incensed, chimed in, “What's Carl's issue? If he has a problem, he should confront me directly! Threatening our families merely exposes his cowardice!"

As Tom raged against their captor, the man's tone shifted, adopting a more negotiable approach.

"How about this? You voluntarily withdraw from the competition, and Mr. Manny can forgive and forget everything that transpired before."

"Ha! Impossible!"

Ariana couldn't help but chuckle in disbelief. After regaining her composure, she adopted a steely demeanor, issuing a warning as solid as a mountain: “Don't you think for a second that I'm powerless or without influence, especially after coming this far. Let me make one thing crystal clear — if Carl even dares to cast a shadow over my family, he'll find himself in the storm's eye of his life!"

The man seemed to hit a temporary pause, his retort dripping with casual nonchalance.