The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus) novel Chapter 514

Johanson was livid, his veins throbbing with the kind of rage only a man unaccustomed to defeat could know. He was a titan in his own right, a man used to getting his way, but this time, he met his match in a young upstart. The fact that he nearly lost the fight was bad enough, but to be the laughingstock of his estate was unbearable.

Bound and subdued, Jonas was thrown into the dank cellar below Johanson’s sprawling estate, his dark eyes blazing with defiance as he locked gazes with Johanson’s steely grey ones.

*

Meanwhile.

Accompanied by Magnus, Natalia arrived in the States in a flurry of concern.

Richard had been awaiting their arrival at the headquarters for quite a while. Upon seeing their anxious faces, he quickly ushered them into his office.

“Richard! What in the world has happened to my boy? I entrusted him to you, not for him to disappear like this!” Magnus hadn’t even fully stepped into the office before he glared angrily at Richard.

Natalia gently squeezed Magnus’ arm, whispering softly, “Honey, please don’t talk like that.”

Richard looked down, his face etched with guilt. “Magnus, I’m terribly sorry about this mishap. Jonas went missing while on the trail of a fugitive drug lord. The Coast Guard has deployed planes to search the area where contact was lost, but so far, there’s been no news.”

“A drug lord on the run? What on earth is going on? You let him get involved in something this dangerous?” Magnus’ face turned several shades darker with anger.

Natalia, standing beside him, was also consumed with worry. Her son was just eleven years old. How could he be involved in something so perilous?

Richard stood up and played back the surveillance footage on his desk monitor for Magnus and Natalia. “He was leading the team tasked with tracking down the escaped kingpin. But the dealers were cunning. They injured a K-9 unit in the brush and managed to evade capture, then took to the sea on a boat. Jonas dove in after the yacht alone, and before he left, he issued a strict order — if the boat reached international waters, it was to be destroyed on sight, no chances taken with the criminals escaping.”

The video replayed the moment the missile struck the yacht. The vessel shattered instantly, its fragments thrown skyward before crashing into the sea amid a deafening roar and scorching sparks. It was a terrifying scene.

Natalia watched, and her heart was pounding. Her face turned ashen. She was barely able to stand. She slumped weakly into Magnus’ arms, tears streaming down her face. “Honey, Jonas, he…”

“Don’t worry, he’ll be okay,” Magnus soothed, patting her shoulder, though his own heart was in turmoil. The video showed the yacht being obliterated and people being thrown into the air. Their silhouettes plummeted into the water, causing huge splashes.

Magnus felt as if his heart had sunk to the ocean floor. Such a disaster would challenge even the most capable adult. Jonas was only 11 years old!

God willing, Jonas would somehow have made it out alive!