Chapter 36 Sabotage Finished Whitney had no idea what to say , frozen silently beside him . Nathaniel gave a cold snort . " Useless as always . Get out . I'll handle it myself ." He sat alone in his office , brooding for a long while before finally coming up with a plan to force Estella to leave the orchestra . He made a call . " Dan , it's me . I've got a job for you ... " The Symphony Band's second performance was scheduled for Saturday . Estella had been practicing day and night with the team . When Mr. Chase finally let them off early , she was eager to head home and catch up on some sleep . Jonathan messaged her , inviting her to dinner . It had been a while since they'd eaten together , so she happily agreed . But just as she stepped out of the concert hall , a van screeched to a halt in front of her . A tall man grabbed her and shoved her inside . She tried to scream , but he covered her mouth and nose with a chloroform - soaked cloth . Within seconds , she passed out . When she woke up , she was tied hand and foot in a deserted warehouse . Four burly men sat at a table nearby , shirtless and playing cards . Estella's mind raced . The concert was tomorrow . If she didn't show up , she could be penalized - or even kicked out of the Symphony Band . This was her hard - won chance . She couldn't lose it like this . Staying calm , she tried to negotiate with the kidnappers . " Who sent you ? How much did they pay ? I'll double it . " One of the men , with dyed yellow hair , glanced back at her . Seeing no fear on her face , he couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration . " Relax . We're not gonna hurt you . The guy who hired us just wants you to stay here for a day and a night . Tomorrow night at ten , you're free to go . We don't want your money . We're greedy , yeah - but we keep to the rules . " Estella froze . Ten o'clock tomorrow night - exactly when the performance would be ending . They'd kidnapped her just to make her miss the show . Only one person came to mind - Isabelle . If she couldn't talk her way out , she had to rely on herself . She wouldn't just sit here and wait . Estella felt around in her pocket and found a hairpin . Quietly , she began working it into the ropes . Her wrists were rubbed raw , pain biting into her with every movement . But she didn't give up . Bit by bit , the rope began to loosen , and finally , she freed her hands . She kept still , not letting the men know . She waited . Late at night , the four men shut the door and headed into the back room to sleep . This was her chance .. 1/2 Chapter 36 Sabotage Estella slipped off the rest of the ropes and crept toward the exit . Just as she reached the door , one of the men came out and caught her . They dragged her back . This time , they tied her up with thicker , rougher rope . Finished The man glared , " No more tricks . Just sit tight and let us finish the job . We're not gonna hurt you - unless you try to run again . Then we might break your legs . " Estella broke into a cold sweat . Seeing her frightened expression , the man scoffed and slumped into a lounge chair to sleep . She realized there was no escaping now . All she could do was pray someone would notice she was missing - and come find her . Time crawled by . By the next evening , she was still stuck in the warehouse . They gave her nothing but bottled water . No food . She was weak , exhausted , and despairing as the hour of the concert drew near . One of the kidnappers finally came over . " We'll take you back now . Just keep your mouth shut . If you report us , we'll come after you . Trust me - you won't have peace ." Estella didn't say a word . Her chest felt like it was about to cave in . Just then , one of the men got a call - and everything changed . " The guy says he'll pay fifty grand more to film her naked . Hurry up . Get her clothes off ! " Seeing them approach , Estella screamed in terror . " No ! I'll give you a hundred thousand ! Don't record anything ! " They didn't care . " Don't struggle . It'll be over quick . We're just doing our job . But if you keep fighting - who knows what else we might do ? " Estella's beauty had already stirred their desires . And now , they weren't holding back .