Chapter 218
Alexander’s voice sliced through the tension like a blade.
“What are you waiting for? Move!” Despite the searing agony in his leg, Alexander lunged forward, delivering a sharp kick that sent the oil pot skidding across the floor.
The sudden shift caught Darren completely off guard.
“So you’ve been faking it all along?” Darren sneered, his fingers tightening around the knife in his grip, ready to strike back.
Before he could react, Ethan Blackwood barreled into him from behind, desperation fueling his attack.
But Ethan, pampered and untrained, was no match for Darren—especially with an injured leg.
Darren easily shrugged him off after a few brutal punches, one landing squarely on Ethan’s face, swelling his eye instantly.
Yet those precious seconds Ethan bought were enough.
Alexander reached the platform and severed the ropes binding the captives.
Sophia and Isabella tumbled to the ground with a hard thud.
“Oh God, help me!” Sophia’s shrill scream pierced the air, her wide eyes brimming with terror as she dissolved into panicked sobs.
Isabella, however, rolled with the impact and sprang up like a panther, poised and alert.
Chaos erupted—Sophia’s cries only amplifying the madness.
Darren’s fury ignited as the deception dawned on him. He gripped the knife and charged at Isabella, his voice a venomous snarl.
“You deceitful witch! You played me!” He had believed her broken, under his control. The realization burned his pride like acid.
Blinded by rage, Darren was determined to destroy her for outsmarting him. In his world, women like her didn’t get second chances.
Isabella, her wrists still bound, struggled to free herself—but Darren was faster. The knife glinted in the dim light as he lunged.
“Die, you viper!”
Ethan, closest to Isabella, was suddenly drowning in memories—quiet moments when she had cared for him, cooked his favorite meals, nursed him through sickness.
Somewhere along the way, he had lost that version of her. Now, she was a stranger. An enemy.
No! His mind screamed, but his body refused to move, legs heavy as lead.
Isabella dodged the first strike, but she knew it was only a matter of time before the blade found its mark. The realization chilled her—this could be the end.
But the fatal blow never came.
Instead, she heard the sickening thud of steel sinking into flesh.
When she looked up, she found herself cradled in Alexander’s steady arms. Even amidst the chaos, his grip was firm. Protective.
“Alexander!” Her voice trembled before she could stop it. “Why?”
Blood flooded her vision as the ropes finally slipped from her wrists. Her mind raced, struggling to process what had just happened.
Darren, still clutching the knife, let out a hollow, crazed laugh that sent shivers down her spine.
“Playing the hero, huh? Saving the damsel?” He spat, lunging again. “I’ll send you both to hell!”
But before he could reach them, Isabella—blood dripping from her palms—reacted.
With a strength she didn’t know she possessed, she wrenched the knife from Darren’s grasp.
He froze, stunned.
Then—pain exploded in his chest.
Isabella stood over him, the blade buried deep.
Darren’s hand shot up, clawing for her throat. “I’ll kill you—”
A single gunshot cut him off.
Bang.
His head snapped back, the sniper’s bullet finding its mark. His body crumpled, eyes wide in disbelief—death refusing to take him quietly.
In the next instant, police stormed in, paramedics rushing to the injured.
But Isabella heard none of it.
Her focus was solely on Alexander.
Blood soaked through his white shirt, spilling from his abdomen and leg.
“Alexander, have you lost your mind?” she whispered, panic clawing at her chest.
Why had he revealed the truth about his legs? Why had he thrown himself into danger for her?
Her hands shook as she clutched his, heart pounding wildly.
“If that knife had gone any deeper—” Her voice broke, the words too unbearable to finish.
For years, Isabella had mastered control. She kept people at arm’s length, maintained composure in the worst situations. She had no close friends—except Olivia.
As for Alexander, she had always believed he saw her only as a business partner. After all, his niece and grandmother still relied on her connections for medical treatment.
Now, it felt like he had shattered every boundary between them, exposing emotions she couldn’t contain.
“I just didn’t want to see you die here,” Alexander murmured, his voice hoarse, barely audible. His face was pale from blood loss, but he still tried to reassure her.
“It’s not… not life-threatening. I’ll be fine. So—”
Before he could finish, his body gave out, collapsing into her arms.
