With her lips pursed, Samantha put down the photo and said, “I’m very touched that you’ve kept my photo with you for so long, but can you answer my question please?”She still wanted to hear Adrian saying those three magical words to her.But instead, he said, “I’d like to tell you a story before I answer your question.”Samantha nodded.At that moment, Adrian took off his shirt, revealing his ripped and toned muscles.Samantha immediately covered her mouth. However, she did not cover them because of his muscles. It was because of the scars made by blades and bullets that she saw.There were even some scars that were really close to his heart.At that moment, Samantha’s tears rolled down her cheeks.“Adrian, what happened…”She felt pain-stricken at the sight of the scars, unable to imagine just how much pain and hurt Adrian had suffered. After all, this man was her husband.“Seven years ago, Harold sent me to become a part of the border patrol, hoping I’d die there. All of t
The husband and wife chatted for a long while on the drive.They got home at midnight, and Rue was already asleep.Samantha grabbed her nightgown and headed for the shower.***Meanwhile, Cedric, who had his ribs broken, was lying in one of the wards of Southrive Hospital. His breathing sounded extremely weak due to his recent surgery.The rest of the Xanders were standing around in the room with furious expressions on their faces, especially Leonard. He was filled with boundless anger.Leonard paced back and forth in the room and roared, “Adrian is a f*cking b*stard! I’m going to kill him! I will kill him! I will not let him get away! Never!”Leonard was extremely shocked and furious that his son had been severely injured. He wished he could commission a few people to kill Adrian right there and then.“Calm down and cool your head, Leonard,” Wilfred said upon seeing Leonard’s angered state.“My son was beaten to this extent and even has a few broken ribs. He’ll need a year or
Leonard’s brows furrowed when he saw Riley.Wilfred said in a sarcastic tone, “Riley, you’re on Adrian’s side now. Why do you still care if your brother survives or not?”“Riley, look at how badly Adrian beat up your brother. Aren’t you angry?” said Cecelia in tears upon seeing her daughter.“Get out of here! I don’t have a disappointing daughter like you!” Leonard roared and pointed at the door.Riley pursed her lips. In truth, she was here to try to persuade her family again.She said, “Father, Uncle Wilfred, Grandfather, I have something to tell you, and I hope that you will think it over carefully. The truth is that Adrian isn’t the person you imagine him to be. He didn’t come back to seize Paraiso either.But all you’ve done is humiliate him over and over since his return. Nobody in his shoes would be able to put up with that.“I think all of you should reach out to him to apologize and treat him better in the future. After all, he’s family too. Is it wrong to live together
The next day, Leonard and Wilfred met up with Jaden.They wanted to get him to mobilize the Rivers’ resources to deal with Adrian and Samantha.Jaden pondered for a bit upon finding out Leonard and Wilfred’s intentions.He asked, “Mr. Leonard, are you incapable of dealing with someone as lowly as Samantha?”Leonard and Wilfred sighed upon hearing that.“Mr. Jaden, it’s not that we’re incapable of dealing with her but our family is affiliated with Adrian to a certain extent. I’m afraid that the others will gossip about us if we were to deal with her,” said Leonard in frustration.Jaden chuckled. “I understand, Mr. Leonard. So you’re trying to get someone else to take out Samantha, right?“The thing is, I can’t find it within myself to kill her because she’s so beautiful.”Leonard said, “Mr. Jaden, Samantha is by no means a great beauty. Swallowston may not have much but there are plenty of beautiful girls here. One less Samantha will be nothing.“Mr. Jaden, you’re investing in
Leonard and Wilfred returned to Xander Manor after meeting Jaden.They told Harold how the meeting went.Harold pondered for a long while upon learning about the situation before saying, “Since Adrian is so charmed by that she-devil that he’s under her spell, we shall follow Jaden’s proposal.“I’d like to see if Adrian will still have the courage to go against me when Samantha is dead.”Harold’s expression was cold and filled with anger.***Over the next few days, Samantha was extremely busy with the company, working till late every day.She had many matters to attend to now including, managing the operations, handling employee recruitment, as well as attending business negotiations.Adrian, other than his occasional stroll outside, spent most of his time keeping Samantha company.This morning, Samantha had breakfast and was packing up to head to the company when she received a text message. She glanced at the screen and discovered that the message was from Leonard.It read,
Upon receiving the call, Adrian bolted up from the bed.He hastily put on his shoes and went to the bathroom to wash up.Adrian asked, “How many people are inside the hotel at the moment?”Daniel answered, “There are more than two hundred people currently. I’ve already instructed my subordinates to put together a name list of all the people there. The Luposians have yet to make a move for now.“However, I believe that it’ll take less than ten minutes for them to seize control of the hotel after the hotel’s management is fully subdued.“Their goal is to force Lucas to appear using the hostages and have him killed.”The Luposians and Lucas were bound by a blood feud.Lucas had annihilated more than a hundred thousand Luposian soldiers on the battlefield in the past.On the other hand, what Adrian was more concerned over was how the Luposians managed to overcome all sorts of obstacles and enter Swallowston fully armed.He asked, “Are the Luposians led by Beowulf Jabbar?”“Yes, s
Adrian should not be involved in this matter yet he had no choice because Lucas was not currently in Swallowston.At this point, he asked, “Beowulf has gone too far this time. I wonder how he’ll react when he finds out I’m in Swallowston.“Prepare to receive orders!”Everyone stood to attention as soon as Adrian’s voice died away.He instructed, “Mya, Magus. Lead a troop to surround the hotel and negotiate with Beowulf to the best of your abilities. Agree to everything he proposed to buy me some time.”“Yes, sir!” Mya answered.“Daniel, Thor, Zagan, Serpent. Take a few men with each of you and wait for my order to descend on the hotel’s rooftop for an encirclement.”“Yes, sir!” the four answered.Mya asked, “Sir, what about the hostages?”Adrian grabbed a military uniform that was passed to him and put it on. He covered his entire body with the uniform, revealing only his eyes.As he put on the uniform, he said, “Wait for my orders. I’ll sneak into the hotel and disarm Beowul
Rat-tat-tat!Sounds of gunshots, people roaring, and people's screams echoed through the hotel.Fully-armed men showed up from all directions. They barricaded the windows and locked the main entrance. All of them were carrying full-loaded weapons.Samantha’s entire body was shaking because she had never experienced a situation like this.Yet, she realized that she and everyone else here had been taken prisoner.They would be regarded as hostages and would be put in imminent danger.***“Everyone, gather in the first-floor lobby, get on your f*cking knees, and put your hands behind your heads!”The roaring voices continued.The sound of messy footsteps was constantly heard.Samantha, some hotel staff, and other guests were forced to go to the first-floor lobby. More than two hundred people were already gathered there. They were on their knees with their hands behind their heads, trembling in fear.Samantha was placed among these people and she got on her knees, not daring to