139With a swift move, Darien retaliated against Titania's attack, delivering a powerful blow to her abdomen, sending her crashing onto a nearby vehicle. Camila, her heart pounding with fear, rushed to Titania's side, her eyes wide with concern. "Titania, are you alright?" she gasped, her voice trembling with worry.Titania groaned in pain, clutching her stomach as she struggled to catch her breath. "I'm fine," she spat, her voice strained with defiance. "Just get him!"But Darien, his expression hardened with determination, ignored Titania's orders as he turned his attention to Camila. "Miss Fairchild, what are you doing here?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern.Camila shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "I couldn't stand by and watch you two fight," she confessed, her voice choked with emotion. "She's family, sir French."Darien's eyes softened as he reached out to comfort Camila, his hand gently resting on her shoulder. "I know," he murmured, his voice filled with u
140Darien's eyes narrowed as he faced Tegan, his jaw set in determination. "We'll find someone else to fill her role," he retorted, his voice tinged with arrogance. "We don't need her."Tegan shook his head in disbelief, his fists clenched at his sides. "You're blind to the consequences of your actions, Darien," he warned, his voice tinged with desperation. "This will only lead to more bloodshed and chaos."Amelia, her heart heavy with sorrow, stepped forward, her eyes pleading with Darien. "Sir French, please," she implored, her voice trembling with emotion. "Think about what you've done. Think about the lives you've destroyed."Darien's gaze softened slightly as he looked at Amelia, a flicker of doubt crossing his features. But it was quickly replaced by steely resolve as he shook his head. "There's no turning back now," he declared, his voice firm and unwavering. "We must move forward, no matter the cost."Camila, her grief turning to anger, glared at Darien with contempt. "You're
141As the tension in the room continued to escalate, Camila couldn't contain her frustration any longer. She turned to Amelia with a scowl, her voice laced with disbelief. "Amelia, how could you support him after what he's done?" Her fists clenched at her sides, and her eyes bore into Amelia's with accusation.Amelia met Camila's gaze with a mixture of sadness and determination. "Camila, you know I don't condone violence," she began, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. "But I also know Darien. He's not a cold-blooded killer. There must have been extenuating circumstances."Camila shook her head in frustration, her brow furrowing in disbelief. "But Amelia, he took a life," she countered, her voice rising with indignation. "How can you defend him?"Amelia's heart ached at Camila's words, knowing the pain and confusion that tore at her friend's soul. "I'm not defending his actions, Camila," she explained, her voice soft but resolute. "I'm trying to understand them. And perhaps, i
142Tegan's gaze hardened as he met Darien's eyes, a sense of grim determination settling over him. "We stay vigilant," he declared, his voice firm with resolve. "We can't afford to let our guard down again."Darien nodded in agreement, his jaw set with determination. "We'll root out any trace of betrayal," he vowed, his voice steely with conviction. "And we'll make sure justice is served.""We need to tell Father," Amelia said to camila, her voice steady despite the turmoil churning within her. "He needs to know what's happened and help us find any other potential threats."Camila echoed her sister's determination, her jaw clenched with resolve. "We can't let this betrayal go unpunished," she declared, her eyes flashing with determination. "We have to make sure this never happens again."Darien, with his sharp instincts, suspected more traitors lurking in their midst. He scanned the room, his gaze flickering over each guard, searching for any sign of deception."There may be others,"
143With lightning speed, Darien intercepted one of the black objects hurtling towards them, revealing it to be a venomous snake. "Look out!" he shouted, his heart pounding with adrenaline as he deflected the serpent away from Amelia.But before anyone could react, the second snake sank its fangs into Amelia's leg, injecting its deadly venom. She screamed in pain, her body convulsing as the poison coursed through her veins."Miss Fairchild!" Darien's voice cracked with anguish as he rushed to her side, his hands trembling as he tried to pry the snake off her.Amelia's screams echoed through the room, her face contorted in agony. "Get it off me!" she pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks as she writhed in pain.With swift action, Amelia crushed the snake beneath her boot, her breaths coming in ragged gasps as she fought to regain her composure. "I'm okay," she gasped, her voice strained with pain. "Just get that traitorous bastard!"Her men sprang into action, surrounding the traito
144The site where the snake had bitten her was a gruesome sight. The skin around the wound was swollen and discolored, with dark veins snaking out from the puncture marks like sinister tendrils. The flesh was hot to the touch, radiating with the feverish heat of the venom coursing through her veins.As Darien looked closer, he could see tiny droplets of blood oozing from the bite marks, mingling with the sweat on Amelia's skin. The area was mottled with bruising, a grim reminder of the deadly potency of the snake's venom.Gosh! The snake had such a strong venom!Fear gripped Darien's heart as he realized the severity of Amelia's condition. He could feel panic rising within him, threatening to overwhelm his senses. But he forced himself to push past the fear, focusing instead on the task at hand.Darien gently laid Amelia down on the ground, his hands shaking with urgency and fear. He turned to the bald guard, his eyes blazing with fury. "Give us the antidote now!" he demanded, his vo
145The guard's screams were cut short as his body went limp, his lifeless eyes staring up at Darien in silent accusation. Darien stood there for a moment, his chest heaving with adrenaline, before turning away from the gruesome scene.Camila's horrified gasp broke the tense silence, her hands flying to her mouth in shock."Sir French, what have you done?" she whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief.The other guards watched in stunned silence, their expressions ranging from shock to horror. "He... he killed him," one of them muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.But Darien paid them no mind, his thoughts consumed by the weight of his actions. As they tended to Amelia's wound, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling of doubt that gnawed at the edges of his mind.Had he gone too far? Had he sacrificed his integrity for the sake of revenge? But as he looked down at Amelia's pale face, her life hanging in the balance, he knew that he would do whatever it took to save her, even
146After departing the scene, a fleet of vehicles descended upon the mountain, converging on the area recently vacated by a convoy. Among them was Marco DeSilva, whose shock was palpable upon discovering the lifeless bodies of Titania and her men. His disbelief was evident as he struggled to comprehend the situation before him.Marco's heart raced as he took in the grim scene before him. The lifeless bodies of Titania and her men lay scattered on the ground, a stark reminder of the brutality of their demise. His mind raced, trying to make sense of the chaos that had unfolded in his absence."What... what happened here?" Marco's voice trembled as he addressed his men, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.One of his subordinates stepped forward, his expression grave. "It looks like they were ambushed, sir. There's no sign of who could have done this."Marco's brow furrowed in frustration as he surveyed the scene. Titania, planted within the Fairchild family to serve as a crucial