Madeline was not surprised to find that Ryan had an ulterior motive and faced it calmly. “What are my options?” Ryan smiled and replied. Madeline’s grip on her phone tightened when she heard the two options Ryan gave. He was not giving her an option at all. Hanging up the phone, Madeline slowly lowered her hand and stared in the direction where Jeremy was currently rushing toward her. The light in her eyes dimmed as she looked down. “Why did you suddenly run out? You haven’t finished your food yet.” Eloise suddenly ran up to Madeline and stared at her seriously. Eloise may not recognize Madeline, but it was evident that she still cared for this daughter of hers. Madeline felt something pinch her heart. She took Eloise’s hand and smiled. “Let’s go eat.” “Yeah.” Eloise beamed and held Madeline’s hand. Madeline stared longingly into the distance before she finally turned around…Jeremy was driving as fast as possible as he closed the distance between him and the villa.
She smiled and looked back out the window. What she saw drained her complexion. “Jeremy?” Madeline snapped her head around to look at the figure leaning against a tree by the road a distance away. Moonlight was dim that night, but Jeremy’s silhouette had long been engraved into the deepest part of her heart. She was even more certain that the expression on his face was one of agony. Madeline could not keep her cool. “Stop the car!” She ordered, but the driver did not react. Both Eloise and Sean were confused to see Madeline so upset. “What’s wrong, Eveline?” Sean looked out the window as well but could not see anything. “Stop the car! I said, stop the car!” Madeline was losing control over her emotions. No matter how Ryan’s demand rang in her mind, she could not find it in herself to ignore Jeremy when he was in pain. “Madam, Mr. Jones said…” “Don’t give me that crap. I said stop the car!” Madeline demanded again as she watched the car drive farther away from J
Jeremy felt his heart stop. Thanks to momentum, Madeline fell forward and into Jeremy’s arms. She had no idea what burning entity pierced through her body, but warmth and content settled over her the moment she fell into Jeremy’s embrace. “Jeremy.” She raised her hand to hug the dazed man. “You finally found me, Jeremy.” Madeline panted, her breaths coming out short. With a pale face, Jeremy pulled Madeline into his arms. He had no idea where the wound on her body was, but he felt the stickiness of fresh blood. “Don’t sleep, Linnie. I’ll send you to the hospital!” Carrying Madeline up and running frantically forward, Jeremy seemed to have completely forgotten that he too was a patient tormented by the poison inside him. Leaning heavily against Jeremy’s chest, Madeline felt content. “I knew you’d find me. I knew, so I was waiting for you all this while. I missed you so much, Jeremy…” She talked about her yearning weakly. Jeremy’s vision slowly blurred under the bre
“Ryan Jones.” “Stop wasting time, unless you want your beloved woman to die in your arms.” Ryan extended both his arms confidently. “Give her to me.” Jeremy clenched his fists and stared at the unconscious woman in his arms. He hardened his heart before handing Madeline to Ryan.He knew that with his physical condition now, he was not strong enough to bring Madeline to the hospital. He could only pass her to Ryan. That was his only option now. Taking Madeline from Jeremy’s arms, Ryan left a word before he turned around. “You’ve seen it yourself that there are no limits to what I can do. If you approach her or try to bring her away again, I’ll end her life.” An evil and a proud smile graced his lips. “Don’t try to catch me either because that’s impossible. You might as well take the time to rid your body of the poison, or you won’t even have the strength to fight me.” Ryan glanced at Jeremy who was in too much pain to even stand, then turned around with a smile and Ma
Madeline wondered if she was missing Jeremy so much that she was hallucinating him, but the silhouette before her grew clear in her eyes. She reached out to touch the approaching man, but the mere act of raising her arm tugged the wound on her shoulder. “Mmph.” She made a muffled sound at the pain. Jeremy strode over to sit by the bed and pull her into his arms. “Linnie.” Feeling the solid warmth against her, the corners of Madeline’s eyes burned. She raised her haggard and small face, her expression filled with heartache. “Does it still hurt? Did the poison torment you again? You still have six doses. Promise me you’ll remember to take them on time.” She reminded in all seriousness, her clear eyes filled with worry and care for the man. Jeremy held Madeline’s hand. “Don’t worry about me, silly. I’m okay.” “How am I supposed to not worry about you?” Madeline met the man’s passionate gaze with a concerned one of her own. With difficulty, she raised her hand to caress his
Ryan’s expression shifted drastically as he reached out to grip Madeline’s delicate chin. He hovered his darkened expression in front of her eyes. Madeline may not be in the best physical condition, but that did not soften her aura or the sharp glint in her eyes. “Do you not fear death?” Ryan tightened his hold on Madeline’s chin as his gaze grew cold. “I fear the prospect of never seeing him again more.” Madeline asserted her will. Ryan’s brows knitted tightly as if he had suffered an attack of sorts. His desire to win and possess would not allow the woman in his eyes to yearn for another man. “Are you telling me that you don’t care about your parents, Eveline Montgomery?” His words hit the sore spot. He knew that she would not leave her parents to fend for themselves. “Should you dare think of Jeremy Whitman or hope that the man will save you from my grasp, then you might as well prepare yourself for the pain of losing both your parents for good!”He warned sternly
Despite knowing that it could be a trap Ryan was setting to lure him in, Jeremy stepped on the gas and followed without hesitation. Ryan drove quickly as if he was trying to lose Jeremy, but Jeremy’s driving skills and sharp eyes did not give Ryan the chance. In less than 20 minutes, Ryan’s car came to a stop at a warehouse. Jeremy followed him inside without a thought. The moment he entered, he was met with a bullet fired right at him. Jeremy swiftly stepped out of its path and felt the bullet miss his ear by a few inches before it pierced through the wooden plank behind him. He looked up and saw Ryan standing not too far in front of him. Ryan had his gun pointed at him, his elegant and gentlemanly features oozed with a brutal aura that was further amplified by his suit.“I knew that you wouldn’t just bring me to see Linnie that easily, Ryan. So talk, what do you want?” Jeremy asked, not having the patience to beat around the bush with Ryan. Ryan smiled and lowered hi
Ryan left it at that and turned to leave. He had lured Jeremy out so that he could warn and take his frustration out on him. He had just taken two steps when Jeremy’s voice rang out from behind him. “Where’s my wife, Ryan?” Ryan halted and turned to look at Jeremy’s color-drained expression. His smile deepened at the sight. “She’s my legal wife. Where else would she stay but at my home? Relax, with my parents-in-law watching over her, she’ll be alright.” Parents-in-law? Jeremy knew that Ryan was referring to Eloise and Sean. However, why would they be his parents-in-law? Linnie would always be his wife only. Ryan’s mood brightened even more as he read the anger in Jeremy’s eyes. “I’ve got to thank you for that, Jeremy. Thank you for handing over your parents-in-law to me.” Jeremy clenched his fists and knitted his brows in anger. “Ryan Jones—” “How about you save that breath to call an ambulance, hmm? Before you die of blood loss here with how much of your st