Soon, a group of bloodied and battered operatives descended from the ridge, carrying with them a bunch of men whose hands and feet were bound with iron leashes. The latter were none other than Damien and his contacts."Cap, will they be fine?" someone asked in concern."They will be," another replied firmly, though his words sounded as if they were said in an effort to reassure oneself.It was an accident, one that they could never have anticipated. They, too, were praying that an ill-fate did not await them.Nicole and Jared soon received the news, causing the air in the office to become even gloomier and more suffocating."You can relax a little now that we've captured them. You guys should leave and get on with your day," Nicole said to the others."Okay, but you should check on them in the hospital." The others nodded, knowing that there was much to be done without them getting in the way."I'm coming with you," Lulu said, standing up.Nicole turned to Lulu and nodded. Afte
After gaining a complete grasp of the dynamic between the two operatives, Nicole raised her brows and asked, "So you've decided to let Patricia go because of Charlie?"Looking at Nicole, Jared said meaningfully, "Charlie was the one who relieved Patricia of her duties, but he didn't do it because of Ellar."Nicole bit her lips and tilted her head. "So Charlie doesn't approve of Ellar?""That's a possibility," Jared said, indifferent to the personal lives of others as always.Whatever the case was, Charlie was not the sort of person who would approve of anyone dating his sister.Looking at the door to the operating theater, Nicole mumbled, "I hope Charlie will get through this."If Charlie ended up crippled or worse, dead, it would be a double whammy for Patricia. Even after a long wait, during which Patricia was done treating her wounds, Charlie's rescue was still ongoing."Is he not out yet?" Lulu asked, after which she turned to look at Patricia, who was pale and disheveled. "
"Thank you," Patricia nodded.She knew Nicole was now privy to their relationship, while Lulu was not. In fact, Lulu had promised her that she would take care of Charlie because she wanted Patricia to rest easy."Oh, don't mention it. Now, go ahead and get some rest," Lulu urged.Once Patricia had walked off and disappeared into her ward, Lulu sighed. "She's pretty damn stubborn, isn't she?""Lulu, are you sure you can stay back? We still have a few loose ends to tie up," Nicole asked."Oh, yeah, sure." Lulu promised. "Go ahead. I'll be here. You don't need to worry about me."Nicole and Jared nodded and left the building, not in the least worried about Lulu being there with Charlie and Patricia. She was more than capable of taking care of herself anyway.After the couple had stepped out of the foyer, they noticed that Max had already arrived, so they got into the car right away."Mr. and Mrs. Johnston?" Max called out. "Things turned out exactly like what Zane had discovered.
Max paused for a moment before hazarding a guess. "By that, you mean they might continue contacting Lawrence?""Even if they are not doing so, we must still keep an eye on Lawrence," Nicole said, though her attention was more focused on the Water Crest itself rather than Lawrence."Yes, I will." Max nodded in acknowledgment.Time passed, and in a blink of an eye, dusk arrived. The good news of the day had finally arrived too: Charlie had finally regained his consciousness in the hospital.Lulu proceeded to call Patricia, who rushed over and knelt before Charlie, her eyes wet with tears. "You shouldn't have saved me! What should I do if something happens to you?""Oh you silly girl," Charlie forced a smile, not regretting what he had done, for he was ready to give his life to ensure her safety."Erm, I-I'll go buy you guys dinner," Lulu informed and left the room in a hurry, as she could not stomach the awkwardness there.Once outside, Lulu began to frown in confusion. She could
It was Ellar, who had witnessed everything that had happened in the ward.With his heart crumbling in his chest, he asked himself. 'Why is Patricia so hard up about taking care of Charlie? Are they just colleagues? Or...?'A maelstrom of emotions began engulfing Ellar's heart, but he could not bear to leave. He had gotten wind of Patricia's injuries, which she had sustained while she was out on her mission, and that was he had come over.With that, Ellar continued to stay there, waiting for her until she got up to leave the ward Charlie was in.The moment she stepped out of the ward, her eyes widened in shock. "Why are you here?""I heard you got injured, so I'm here to pay you a visit," Ellar said, trying to maintain his composure.He did not want to talk to her about what he had just witnessed, no matter how strong and intrusive his impulses were. In fact, he was trying to hold it all in as his heart was withering from within.Biting her lips, Patricia barked, "I'm fine. You s
Patricia frowned, having a hunch that Ellar was not being truthful about what he had really said moments ago. However, she did not push it as she did not want to talk about it."Go home now, will you!? I'm going to sleep. The doctor told me I needed my rest," she said in a bid to shoo him away."Oh yes. You shall rest. I'll just be here to accompany you. If anything happens, I'll take care of you," Ellar said.He then sat down, hinting at Patricia to go to sleep while he watched her.Patricia's lips began to twitch in irritation. There was no way she could fall asleep with him here watching her like a prison warden. Patricia figured that Ellar must have stuck around on purpose, as she really did not need anyone to look after her while she was sleeping.Meanwhile, Ellar continued sitting by the bedside, frowning as he noticed that Patricia was still awake. "You said you needed rest, but why aren't you sleeping?"Those words made Patricia fume. 'Don't play dumb, Captain Obvious. Go
"Stay down and don't move around," Nicole sternly said, stopping Charlie before he could get up..Dismayed by the fact that Charlie was trying to move around, Patricia reprimanded, "Don't simply move around. Have you forgotten the stab wound in your abdomen?"Nicole and Jared could not blame him, however. If he had torn the stitch in his wound and ruptured the incision, it would just cause them to break out in a panic over his condition."I'm fine, it's just..." Charlie paused and hesitated after noticing Ellar was there too."You're going to ask us about Damien and Scorpio, aren't you?" Nicole said, having called Charlie's intentions right from the start.Knowing that he need not conceal the details of this subject from Ellar anymore, he raised his head and replied, "Yes. Has everything been settled?""Max has settled it. Just take care of yourself now. Don't worry about anything," Nicole said.At present, Charlie's recovery was priority number one."Understood," Charlie nodde
The lingering variable was that Scorpio might not place his complete trust in their operative, so now was not a good time for them to liaise with their men. Currently, all they had was a bead on Scorpio's movements and current whereabouts. There were many preparations that were yet to be made in advance.Nicole nodded in agreement to their analysis. "Scorpio knows Charlie is in the hospital. There's a huge possibility that he'll send someone over to finish the job. We should keep our wits about us.""I will arrange it. Don't worry," Max said.They had to do this not just for Charlie's safety, but for Patricia's as well."Okay," Nicole replied in acknowledgment before turning to Jared. "Zane has already taken care of Valo, and Scorpio has just escaped. There should be no further activity for the next few days."Jared then turned to Max and ordered, "Get someone to track him.""Yes," Max responded.Raising an eyebrow, Nicole smiled. "That's not a bad idea."At this point, Scorpio