Chapter 177
177
Julianne couldn’t let this go on any longer. If she didn’t stop this now, she’d have suffered all that pain and humiliation for nothing.
She couldn’t let that happen. There was no way she’d let him abandon her now especially not to save me .
With that thought in mind, Julianne desperately threw herself at Irvin. But unlike before, when he’d drop everything at the slightest sign of her discomfort, he didn’t even flinch now. Instead of catching her in his arms, he simply stepped aside, letting her stumble..
Then , he turned sharply and hurried out.
From the moment he’d stormed in and found Julianne alone, he knew something was seriously wrong. If nobody else was there, it meant they’d all gone after Emilia.
He needed to get to her–fast.
As soon as he stepped outside, he immediately demanded answers from the security chief, Brody Silas, who stood beside him. “How’s Emilia doing?”
When Brody told him Ms. Plume’s car had never actually stopped where the GPS tracker indicated–that the place had been completely deserted–Irvin’s eyes widened. A wave of panic rushed through him , so intense he nearly Most his footing.
He wasn’t naive enough to miss the obvious–something was definitely off with Ms. Plume.
Aside from the GPS tracker, he had also given her a panic button, instructing her to press it at the first sign of trouble. With Ms. Plume’s skills, no matter what happened, she would have had time to use it. There was no reason she couldn’t.
But she never used the panic button.
Suddenly, he remembered what I had said in the car.
I had told him that Ms. Plume had always been close to Travis. If Travis insisted that she come along, there had to be something amiss. She couldn’t be brought along.
But Irvin insisted that there was nothing wrong with Ms. Plume and that she was loyal. She would never betray
him.
Not only did he insist on bringing her along, but he also handed me over to her without a second thought.
The realization hit him like a truck, leaving him breathless.
No wonder I never believed a word he said. No wonder I never trusted his judgment. He’d made the wrong call and put me in harm’s way.
Irvin’s eyes darkened as the truth sank in, becoming almost deranged.
“Send more drones out! Double security! Lock down the entire area–right now!” he ordered.
The only reason he hadn’t completely snapped yet was because he still clung to the hope of rescuing me.
Just as Irvin moved toward his vehicle to check the drone surveillance, Julianne tore free and sprinted over, a small kitchen knife shaking in her hand.
“Irvin, please don’t leave me here with them! If you hand me over to another man, I swear I’ll kill myself,” she cried. “I’m terrified, Irvin! Don’t abandon me—I’ll die if you leave me now.‘
1/2
177
+25 BONUS
Her voice cracked as she pressed the blade against her throat. She stood there, fragile and broken , trembling in the cold wind. After all the hell he’d just endured, death didn’t seem so bad.
The desperation etched into her face told Irvin loud and clear–if he walked away now, she really would end her life.
Meanwhile, Travis and his men were already racing up the mountain, hot on my heels.
I pressed a blade to my own neck, too.
Jumping off the cliff would be agony. Getting caught and tortured would be even worse. Given those options, I’d rather put myself out first.
178