Keith growled with rising indignation then, "He probably wasn't working alone, no—he must be working with the Cranstons. Lucas would never have infiltrated the study if Sean did not lure us out of the manor. And who else could dare set fire to our home, let alone have the balls to do it?!""We fell for their ploy?! We were this close to greatness… but they turned the tables on us?!" Jean cried, her body shaking with rage right then."Mom, it's not the time for regrets. We have to go—the fire is getting worse.""If we do, we'd be letting the Cranstons in to get the document and destroy us!" Jean snapped viciously.Though Keith was speechless, anyone could tell that the fire was to cause confusion while the Cranstons sneaked in to take the document."No, I'll stay," Jean growled resolutely. "I shall see who would have the spine to barge into my house!""But it's really dangerous, Mom. If we can't stop the fire—""Go!" Jean said, making up her mind right there and then. "I've lived
Meanwhile, Keith had rallied every member of the Lynd family at the manor grounds as they prepared to evacuate through a secret passage.All important families had one in case of emergencies, but just as they were about to head in, Marge Jenkins—Keith's wife—was suddenly crying out, "Nana's not here!"Kyle finally noticed that Nana was not in the crowd as well, and Marge kept asking worriedly, "Where did she go? Has anyone seen her?"She would be burned alive if they did not leave now!Moreover, only Jean and Keith knew the secret passage. If they left, Nana would never find it in time if she returned."I don't see her," someone answered."Where is she?!" Marge cried out in panic and started toward the manor again.Keith quickly caught her. "Where are you going?!""I have to find Nana!""No, you don't." Keith glowered."She's our daughter, Keith!" Marge cried furiously."And she definitely went to Lucas Lynch," Keith said, as if he knew that for a fact.Marge was left doing
Sacrifice was not enough to earn one's love, and John had already told Nana before that he did not love her at all.He was simply incapable of falling in love with a woman other than Cordy."Just go," he told her. "I don't want to owe you again."All Nana found was irony. "You'd rather die than owe me, so that I can't sully your relationship with Cordy?! You're really obsessed, John!""I am," John replied bluntly.Most importantly, Nana was never going to get him out given this situation, nor did he want Nana to die with him.Nana's eyes were red even as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Don't you regret anything at all, John?""I don't." "Fine." Nana turned to leave right then—if he did not care, she had no reason to humiliate herself.She could let him die as he wished!However, even as she broke into a frantic dash out of the basement, she found the manor already engulfed in flames, and there was no exit in sight.Worst of all, the rest of her family was gone…-The s
Cordy's outburst left Sean stunned for seconds, but before he could speak, Cordy said, "Please."Sean's heart skipped a beat, and he saw Cordy's eyes moist with tears even as she watched him. "Don't stop me if you consider me family."He really must not, because she did not want to trivialize Sean's sacrifice for her. "You're not really protecting me like this," Cordy added. "Did you think I'd feel comfortable living on if you died today? There are times when living is no better than dying—I know exactly how that feels because I've been depressed before.""Just say yes," Patrick suddenly said.Sean turned toward him in surprise—was he really still siding with Cordy now? Was he not supposed to be head over heels for her?!Nonetheless, Patrick held Sean's gaze and said, "Cordy's right. She would feel guilty for the rest of her life if you died for her sake. Just say yes."Patrick knew all too well that Cordy would suffer if she did not try to save John Levine for the rest of her
Even though their bodies were covered from head to toe with the best fireproof overalls, they could still feel the searing heat and the suffocating air around them.Sean's objective was clear, so he left immediately when it was time for them to split up. On the other hand, Cordy and Patrick were supposed to look for John—they had to do it separately since Lynd Manor was huge.Patrick in turn stared at Cordy for a while, but she gave him a determined nod. She would project herself.With that, Patrick stopped hesitating—there was all kinds of danger waiting in there, and the only way to be safe was to achieve their objective quickly and get out.Cordy and Patrick each had a bodyguard escorting them as they parted ways.If her hunch was right, John would be treated harshly once he was caught in the act, and they would have held him somewhere secure.Rumor had it that there was a basement in the old building of Cranston Hall, where the members of the family would be kept and forc
John forced himself to look up then. "I told you you don't have to save me, didn't I? I don't want to drag you down with me…"His bloodshot eyes paused, as he thought for an instant that he was hallucinating.After all, people tend to think about the ones they wanted to see most when death approached.As such, he stared at Cordy for a long while, as if to confirm if it was her.It was a difficult task too, since Cordy was wearing fireproof overalls, covering her from head to toe—no one might be able to recognize her unless they were familiar with her.Cordy wondered for a second if he recognized her too, and she did not come here to do that—right now, rescuing him was more important.She turned away from John and watched worriedly as the bodyguard bludgeoned the chains as hard as he could.However, the chains were too sturdy to break easily.Minutes later, Patrick's voice rang over Cordy's walkie-talkie, and he sounded urgent. "How's it going over there? I can't find John anywh
Bright flames and thick smoke were everywhere around him when Patrick suddenly stopped in his tracks.He thought he saw Sean with two of his bodyguards and clearly holding a document.However, he was not moving—because he could not.Patrick gulped, but kept his distance… because Sean was staring at the rifle in Jean's hand, aimed squarely at them.He had taken off his helmet as well, probably because Jean forced him."So it really was you, Sean Cranston!" She laughed darkly and asked calmly, "When did you find out it was me?"Patrick's heart skipped a beat.The fire was getting everywhere, and it could kill anyone in an instant. And yet, Jean remained so calm and unaffected… In other words, she never expected to survive!The possibility was certainly there when one thought about it—Lynd Manor was basically empty when they rushed in, meaning that the rest of the family had already evacuated.There was no telling where they left, but they were gone… and yet, Jean stayed behi
Jean was definitely over agitated. However, with the fire around them burning so violently, breathable air was scarce, leaving her hacking violently after her outburst."Ma'am?" Doug asked in concern.Jean did her best to keep herself together. "I'm fine.""It has to be a misunderstanding," Sean said loudly then. "My grandfather would never hurt you or your family!""There's no misunderstanding!" Jean snapped viciously. "My husband died because of your grandfather's schemes! Why else would they leave home together only for my husband to die from the accident while Jesse stayed fine?!""Have you actually investigated the incident?" Sean asked, staying calm. "Everyone knows that the survivor in such a case would be suspected, and no one would have done it so brazenly. And you know better than anyone how careful Jesse was—even if he wanted to kill, he would not have done it so obviously!""That's what makes Jesse smart. Everyone was convinced he would not do something so stupid an