The Tycoon's Secret Wife's Escape

ROXIE 3: Poisoned Heart

Meanwhile, outside Gideon's cabin...

Panic spread as people scrambled, unsure what to do after the ship's horn blared. A moment later, the red emergency sirens blared, the familiar signal to abandon ship.

Earlier, Gideon was beyond furious when he saw Roxie attempting to kill Zara. Roxie had also tried to take her own life. His fists clenched, rage bubbling inside him.

He had been with Roxie for three years, enduring his own pain while grieving for the death of his friend, Isolde. She had stood by him for three years, bearing the weight of his sorrow.

He had never visited Thomas in the hospital-he feared that if he did, he might kill the man himself. He was certain he would rip out the medical equipment keeping Thomas alive.

"Sir, we need to move!" His bodyguard urgently reminded him to get going. "This isn't safe!"

Gideon blinked, snapping back to the present. "What happened? What caused the explosion?"

"I heard there was a leak on the ship," the bodyguard replied. "Some crew member discovered it but failed to report it properly. Then some idiot was smoking in their cabin and flicked a cigarette butt... causing an explosion. I'm unsure about the details, but we must leave now."

Gideon had only joined the trip for a business partner's birthday party, bringing Roxie along because being away from her had become too hard to deal with. Zara had come too, saying she was feeling down, thinking about her sister, Isolde. Through the crowd, Gideon spotted Roxie's personal guard rushing toward the deck, his face ashen.

"Boss!"

"Wait. Where's Roxie?" Gideon demanded.

"Didn't you bring her with you?" The guard's expression fell. “I took Miss Zara to the clinic."

Gideon's heart dropped. Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted back down the corridor toward his cabin. "Gideon!" Zara called out, rushing toward him with a bandaged arm. She immediately threw her arms around him. "Gideon, we need to go! The fire's spreading to the lower decks!" Her eyes were wide with panic.

"Have you seen Roxie?" he asked urgently.

Zara paused for a moment. Something flashed in her eyes; she was thinking, deciding. She began constructing a lie that might keep Gideon from returning for Roxie.

"I think-"

But she didn't finish her sentence. Gideon wasn't waiting around for answers. "Gideon!" Zara stomped her foot, exasperated.

He bolted down the hallway. Smoke was already thickening the air, blocking his path to the cabin.

"Roxie!" Gideon's voice broke as he pushed forward through the rising heat.

He had locked the cabin earlier to keep her from running off or doing anything crazy-now, that choice was eating him alive. "Roxie!" He screamed her name again, lungs burning from the thickening smoke. The corridor ahead glowed orange with approaching flames, but he pressed on. In his mind, no inferno was too dangerous if it meant reaching her.

A bodyguard shoved him back from the searing blaze.

"We have to move, boss!" he shouted, urgency thick in his voice, as if he wanted to add: 'Are you trying to kill yourself?'

Two more security personnel appeared through the smoke and grabbed Gideon by the arms, dragging him back toward the evacuation path.

"Let me go! Roxie!"

Tears streaked down his face. Images of her flashed in his mind-how he first saw her that night, how she came back later, and he shamelessly offered that wild arrangement, fully aware she wanted him.

For years, all Gideon ever wanted was for Roxie to be happy. Even when it hurt like hell, he made sure her brother T' stayed alive in that hospital. But somehow, she was also the one person who could push all his buttons.

He gave her everything-every brand she ever dr Successfully unlocked! ace was everywhere: magazines, billboards,

digital screens.

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He wanted to hate her for everything, yet he hated himself even more for loving her. How could someone simultaneously hate and love the same person? He chose the hat because it was easy!

"Roxie!" His final cry echoed through the burning corridor as they dragged him around the corner.

ROXIE 3: Poisoned Heart

The evacuation had reached a breaking point, with other passengers delayed and

at risk because of his resistance. With no time to waste, a senior guard struck Gideon's pressure point, knocking him unconscious.

When consciousness returned, it wasn't to hope-it was to heartbreak.

"I'm sorry, boss..." The head bodyguard's voice sounded empty, full of regret. "The fire had already taken over the entire cabin block by the time we got you out. We couldn't get to Miss Roxie."

Another guard stepped in. "We went through the full list of survivors. She's not on it."

"According to Mr. Russo's staff," a third added, referencing their host, "Miss Roxie never came out of the cabin, even after they gave several evacuation warnings."

"The crew reported that they thought no one was inside the cabin when they did their search."

Of course. Roxie had likely remained motionless; she must've just sat there, waiting for the end.

"Our condolences, boss..." the guard said, his voice heavy with regret.noveldrama

Gideon screamed and hurled the nearest object he could find.

"One of you was supposed to watch her!" he bellowed, his voice breaking.

The grief overwhelmed him, and tears streamed down his face as the full weight

of his loss crashed down on him.

He had never cried when Isolde died, but now, his heart was gripped by an overwhelming pain.

As he cried and mourned the wounds of his heart, memories of his time with her flooded his mind.

It was never his intention to hurt Roxie, but Isolde's mother had begged him to avenge her daughter's death. The hatred she had for Roxie and Thomas Sanders was intense.

At first, when Gideon offers Roxie a spot as his woman, it is just part of his revenge plot. But somewhere along the way, things got complicated, something real grew between them.

Roxie brought light into his life, her happiness infectious whenever they were together. Even the smallest moments, Roxie shared them with him.

But their second year together marked the beginning of their nightmare. Roxie uncovered his plans-how he'd slowly taken over every part of the Sanders' business, one move at a time. The trust between them was shattered in an instant. Mrs. Montclaire, driven by her own agenda, had been the one to expose his schemes.

Gideon despised Thomas, but something unexpected stirred in him for Roxie. He started to feel things for her, feelings he couldn't admit.

What began beautifully slowly turned toxic, like poison that crept in, affecting them both.

He never realized how closely love and hate were connected. He knew his story with Roxie would end once Thomas died, and he wasn't wrong.

He had tormented her, believing that it would make her stay. Gideon wasn't prepared to admit how much he needed her, and his anger only led him deeper into the destruction of what remained.

His plan to hate Thomas was over, but it felt empty. He had hurt not only Roxie but himself.

***

[Roxie]

When I finally regained consciousness, I found Dominic, my friend from medical school, by my side. I couldn't hold it in anymore-I cried as I hugged him tightly.

It was then that I learned the shocking truth: people thought I had died on that sinking ship.

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