—
Juliane, confused and with her hands tied, shed tears in fear. She recalled the moment she got out of the Golden Mansion, a closed mysterious automobile drove off in front of her, and two men with covered faces knocked her out. When she woke up, she found herself in a dim room.
The damp, tiled floor and the pungent smell of fish in the air somehow made Juliane realize she was somewhere in the inner part of the marketplace. As a merchant, Juliane became familiar around that place since she needed to know the best spots to sell her potatoes. Juliane had only been to the seafood section about three times and it was only whenever she had extra potatoes sold, so she could cook her sister a deliciously fried sea bass.
As she reminisced about home, Juliane saw that after the long phone call, the irritable kidnapper seemed pleased that Amon agreed to his demand. A hundred thousand gold bars? For Juliane, her lifetime's worth of potatoes wouldn't be enough to meet that price!
Before sunset, an automobile arrived. Bringing with him his banknotes, Amon hurriedly went inside the dim building.
But before Amon could see Juliane, the man he spoke with on the telephone blocked his way.
"Where are my gold bars?" he said in a rusty voice.
Amon quickly gave him 10 pcs of banknotes, with each paper having the words "10,000 gold bars" in red pen.
"Go to the bank and exchange this for the gold bars."
The man then called his comrade and handed over the banknotes, "Confirm if these are legitimate."
"Yes, boss," the comrade answered. He walked out of the dim room, and afterwards returned with a wide grin. "These are real."
"Great…! Call everyone and let's go to the bank!"
With that, they all fled the marketplace in their automobile. When Amon turned on the lights, he saw Juliane, with her dress stained with mud, and her hands and feet tied. As the young master saw her in that state, he felt a pang in his chest, definitely regretting not following his gut feeling.
"Mister, thank you!" Juliane called out as she burst into tears.
But Amon, disappointed in himself, couldn't look Juliane in the eye. In silence, he untied the rope from her hands and feet.
And as he did, Juliane could not help but stare at his handsome face. He had just become her knight in shining armor. It made her rethink her opinion of him. Was Amon Midas actually a kind person?
"Let's get out of here before they come back," Amon said, still avoiding Juliane's eyes.
"Why would they come back?" she inquired.
"I asked the bank not to let anyone take any of my gold bars, unless I am personally present."
The two of them swiftly left the room and got into the automobile. Amon drove as fast as he could, making Juliane hold on tightly to the open window.
The Grythwill City Police Headquarters is located in front of the train station, northwest of the city. As soon as the police officers saw the expensive automobile of the Midas family rushing down the road, they were puzzled as it was unusual for someone like Amon to personally appear in a chaotic place like the police headquarters.
"Stay here, I'll explain everything," Amon told Juliane, then got out of the vehicle.
Anxious, Juliane's sight followed Amon, wondering if the police could catch the kidnappers. If they couldn't, she didn't think she'd be able to sleep well for a few days, as the shock still lingered inside of her. The lady hugged herself, feeling a bit cold as the night breeze blew through the windows. Looking for something to cover herself, she found Amon's coat and used it.
Meanwhile, Amon spoke with the head of the Grythwill City Police. He explained everything - from the kidnapping and the demand for a hundred thousand gold bars as ransom.
"I want them in jail… or maybe, out of the city," Amon said, his tone full of anger, "If they can be punished with the death sentence, that's even better."
"Well, we do not have that much against kidnapping as per our laws. I don't think we can give them the death sentence, because that's only applicable if the offense is murder."
"My business partner is traumatized, and you can't punish them appropriately?!" the young master's voice echoed in the office, which startled the police chief and the other police officers present in the room. "Should I go directly to the mayor?"
If Amon decided to do that, it would appear that the police were useless. Worried about his and his team's reputation, the police chief then said, "Ahm, do not worry, sire! They will surely be punished in another way… I know! We'll request the prosecutor to push for life sentence."
Amon finally agreed. As soon as the discussion was over, the assigned police officers left the headquarters to look for the kidnappers. When the young master got out of the building, he saw Juliane sleeping in his automobile, using Amon's coat as her blanket.
"She must be tired," one of the police officers, who stood at the side, told Amon, "I've handled a kidnapping case before, and I know it's very stressful for the victims."
The unfriendly Amon only nodded at the officer as a response, then rode his vehicle. The first thing he did was to slightly recline the back of Juliane's seat in order for her to sleep comforatably.
The young master felt responsible for letting Juliane go on her own. He's actually not a compassionate person, but he's not such a bad person to let his previous guest's life be in danger.
Well, Juliane Johara wouldn't be in danger if someone from inside the Golden Mansion did not spill out the suspicion that she's his woman. The rumor was very strong that even his grandfather Schulton believed such a ridiculous story.
Amon had to look for the spy that the kidnappers planted on his home. With that in mind, he drove towards the Golden Mansion.
Carrying Juliane in her dirty dress, Amon walked towards the second floor with heavy steps, catching the attention of the maids and butlers. At that moment, new rumors spread, and old rumors got confirmed right away. It was the first time in history that the infamous trader Amon Midas was seen carrying a lady in his arms.