[97] b
“Darren!” Chloe cried out in relief. She had heard the sounds of a fight and complete chaos but couldn’t see what was happening. Chloe was sure that the servant woman had deliberately locked the door from the outside. Despite feeling sincerity in her gaze, she couldn’t blame the woman for imprisoning her. There must have been orders that needed to be followed.
But now, her hope soared.
“You step back, Sa. I’ll break down this door!”
Chloe immediately obeyed Darren’s command. It didn’t take long for the door to open with two kicks. Darren’s face showed immense relief as he saw that Chloe was safe and sound. Although there was fear in her eyes, at least Chloe wasn’t injured. Without hesitation, Darren pulled Chloe into a tight embrace.
He was genuinely relieved.
Meanwhile, Chloe cried tears of joy and happiness. Her fear slowly faded away. She returned Darren’s embrace with strength. She inhaled his scent to assure herself that what was happening now was real. Darren had come to save her.
“Are you okay?”
Chloe quickly shook her head.
“I was so worried, Chloe.” He briefly let go of the tight hug. Darren gazed at Chloe intently, carefully scanning for any wounds she might have suffered during this horrific ordeal. Fortunately, he didn’t find any. There was only a lingering sense of immense fear, but it was slowly fading from Chloe.
Regardless of whether Chloe would be angry later, irrespective of the wounds on his face from the punches he received, and even if it might not be appropriate to kiss Chloe while his lips were injured, he didn’t care. Darren leaned in and planted a long kiss on Chloe’s pale lips.
***
“ARGH!!!”
Josh’s screams filled the meeting room as the black-clad men stormed in, brandishing their weapons, including pistols. Some even had long Esters and didn’t hesitate to point them at Josh. He grimaced in pain as a bullet hit his leg, causing him to collapse to the floor. As a result, the weapon in his hand slipped and fell slightly away from him.
One of the uniformed men approached and took Josh’s weapon, swiftly securing it to prevent him from using it in the spacious room. He also tried to get Josh to stand up from his position.
“Let go!” Josh said with a displeased look. “You’re taking liberties!”
“You are being charged with multiple offenses, including using illegal weapons, attempted murder in two different cases, and defamation directed at Leonel Grisham.”
Josh laughed. His foot couldn’t firmly touch the floor beneath him. He didn’t feel the searing heat coursing through parts of his body. He could still win this fight, especially since he knew Leonel’s weakness. Even if he ended up in prison for a long time, he didn’t care as long as he achieved his goal.
One of those goals was to hurt the woman he loved. Despite meticulously planning and executing everything with great care, it was all for her. To make her realize that marriage didn’t bring her happiness. Only with him Chloe Delilah would find true happiness.
Josh was confident about that.
But the woman had no gratitude at all. Instead, she became more antagonistic and distant. Josh had gone through all this trouble for Chloe, but what did he get in return? Couldn’t Chloe feel the burning love in his heart? Or did Chloe love Leonel too much? Josh still remembered when Chloe talked about Mountain and Leonel. On her lips, she refused to admit that her love for Leonel still existed.
But Josh knew that love was still there. So what he would do was to sever that love. He wouldn’t allow them to live happily, especially Leonel.
Although he felt pain standing up, he immediately reached for his phone, roughly pushing away the uniformed man’s hand. “I’m not done yet!”
“What else do you need to do? Talk at the police station. Many things can be discussed there.”
Damn it! But Josh didn’t give up. Once he contacted the person he trusted, there was no response. Twice, still waiting for an answer. It wasn’t until the third time that Josh’s attention was diverted to Leonel because the man was speaking.
“Are you waiting for news from your people in Cross Building?”
Josh fell silent.
Meanwhile, Leonel took out his phone, making a video call that the recipient immediately answered.
“Mr. Leonel,” the person on the other end said.
“How is Chloe?”
“Thank God, she’s fine. Miss Chloe is a little scared, but worrying too much is unnecessary.”
The video call was intentionally put on speaker so everyone could hear clearly, especially the man whose face had lost all color.
“May I speak?” Leonel asked.
“Of course, sir. Go ahead.”
Then the screen displayed Chloe’s slightly pale face. Leonel wanted to punch Josh until he was beaten to a pulp. How dare he frighten Chloe and use her as a hostage to carry out his plans? Leonel clenched his fist tightly, but his eyes were relieved when he saw and heard Chloe’s voice. “Chloe,” he called softly.
“Yes, Leonel. I’m fine.” There was a tremor in her voice. Robby and Chris also felt immense relief hearing Chloe’s voice. Robby immediately embraced his daughter to release the tension that had surrounded him.
If the guards and the police had been slightly late, the bullet might have injured Robby. Despite wearing expensive shirts and suits, he wore a bulletproof vest. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t tense and fearful, right?
He honestly didn’t expect Josh to go to such extremes.
“We’ll meet at home, dear,” Robby said, filled with emotion.
“Yes, Dad. And please … don’t scare me.”
“We’re all fine, Chloe. I want to talk to Darren.”
Chloe’s face switched to Darren’s. “Yes, sir.”
“I’m truly grateful for Dr. Darren’s help. I don’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t been there.”
“No need to hesitate, sir. Chloe and I have a close relationship. I made sure Chloe was safe with me.”
Robby nodded in understanding, returning the phone, which had now returned to the porch, to Leonel. Meanwhile, Leonel only said a little about Darren’s words. He had plenty of time to find out the extent of their relationship. What mattered now was dealing with Josh; he wouldn’t let the man breathe free air anytime soon.NôvelDrama.Org owns all content.
“Let’s go!” the man beside Josh said somewhat forcefully.
Josh’s face grew pale upon hearing Chloe’s voice and the voice of the other man who saved him. It meant that his plan to abduct Chloe had failed, and the people around Chloe could…
“Let’s go!” The uniformed man pulled Josh, who had remained silent since being shot in the leg. “You’ll be held accountable for all your actions in court.”
“You bastard!” Josh yelled in disbelief.
“There’s one more thing that will worsen your situation in court, Josh. I’m sure Chloe won’t stay silent knowing about all the manipulation directed at her and the kidnapping she experienced. I will take action even if Chloe doesn’t want to press charges. I guarantee that she will file many claims as a victim.”
Josh stared at Leonel with resentment.
“Enjoy your day in prison, Josh William.”