Chapter 289
Nicolas let out a long breath. “So. I guess you can’t catch bullets with your bare hands after all”
Stanley’s face twitched. “What do you think this is, a sci–fi movie?”
Nicolas, visibly frustrated, snapped, “Alright, alright. I get it. You’re useless. You can stop talking now?
Stanley muttered to himself, ‘If Brandon doesn’t kill this guy, I just might”
Then Bennett suddenly added, “Technically, Noelle should be able to.
That caught Nicolas’s attention. He turned to Bennen. You mean she can catch bullets too?”
Bennett nodded. “I ran some tests before. Her reflexes and strength are well beyond human limits. Under normal conditions, yeah–she could do it.”
Stanley nearly choked. “We’re all supposed to be transformers: So why is the gap between us so damn big?
But to Nicolas, this was a glimmer of hope.
Brandon’s overwhelming power tonight had left Nicolas feeling helpless. He was used to planning and manipulation–but only against humans. Brandon was a different breed entirely.
But if Noelle had the strength to rival him, maybe—just maybe they still had a chance.
Nicolas turned back to Bennett. “How’s your family?”
Bennett sighed. “After the guests were gone, Stanley locked us all in the villa. He didn’t let anyone out Mom and Dad were freaking out.”
Stanley defended himself instantly. “What else was I supposed to do? If I hadn’t stopped you all, the whole Anderson family would’ve rushed into the chaos. I basically saved your lives.”
Bennett gave him a half–hearted smile. “Yeah, thanks, I guess.
Not much gratitude in that tone.
Ignoring their exchange, Nicolas refocused. “So what now? Noelle’s gone. Damon’s badly injured. How are you going to explain all this to your family!”
Bennett shrugged. “What’s there to explain? 111 just tell them the truth.
“You sure about that?” Nicolas frowned. He was worried. What if the Andersons couldn’t handle the truth? Would they reject Noelle again?
But Bennett seemed to know exactly what Nicolas was thinking. He scoffed. “Noelle became a ‘transformer‘ because of our failure. She’s suffered for years because of it. You think we’d be heartless enough to blame her? Especially now, after she risked everything for us? If anything, we should be tearing Brandon apart to get her back. So don’t worry about us turning our backs on her.”
Nicolas let out a quiet laugh. “Good. At least now you’re finally acting like people worthy of Noelle’s sacrifice.
Bennett didn’t respond. Today was supposed to be Noelle’s 19th birthday–and it had turned into a nightmare. Who knew what chaos tomorrow might bring?
He turned to Nicolas. “So, what’s the plan for getting her back?”
Nicolas’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the aftermath of the night’s chaos. “If Brandon dared to strike today, then the lab has to pay. First, I’ll stir up public outrage–force the higher–ups to accelerate their investigation. Once the pressure builds, we’ll expose the lab completely. Shut it down. Burn it to the ground. Let’s see where he runs then.”
Bennett nodded. “Makes sense. But you better move fast. Who knows what kind of tech that lab still has! No telling what H do to her.
I’m not going to waste time explaining anything to Vincent and the others then?
“Good. III handle things here
Brandon might
And so, Nicolas and Bennett split up–Bennett staying behind to calm the still–panicked Anderson family, while Nicolas launched into action to plan Noelle’s rescue.
Chapter 289
By morning, Vincent, Kimberly, and the rest of the Andersons had finally come to terms with the truth: Noelle was a product of a secret laboratory–she was a transformer.
Kimberly’s eyes were swollen from crying. She wiped her tears with trembling hands, sobbing. “How did it come to this? My poor Noelle… She suffered so much, and we never knew…..
“Enough. Don’t blame yourself, Vincent said, steadying her.
Kimberly had cried so hard, the skin around her eyes was raw and red. But Eli couldn’t sit still. He stormed up to Bennett and grabbed him by the collar. “So you just let Brandon take her? You let our sister walk into the lion’s den?! Some brother you are!”
Bennett gave him a look and said calmly, “What would you have done? Go check the tree near the pavilion. It’s as thick as a grown man’s waist. Brandon kicked it clean in half. If you can do the same, I’ll admit I was wrong.”
Eli had already been to the scene. There was blood. Clear signs of a struggle. And yes, a massive tree–snapped in half like a twig.
He couldn’t even cut through it with a chainsaw, let alone kick it down.
What kind of monster is that guy?” Eli muttered, horrified.
Bennett replied grimly. “That’s what you get when science is taken too far. Those labs did everything imaginable to create these monsters–drugs, surgeries, genetic splicing. The human rights group reported how many kids died just from failed experiments. Noelle only survived because she was lucky. But living meant more pain”
Vincent’s face darkened. “No wonder she’s so skilled… She paid for it in blood”
He used to be proud of how extraordinary his daughter was. Now he wished she’d never had to be.
Kimberly began crying again. “My Noelle… What do we do? Vincent, what if Brandon hurts her!”
Vincent had no answer.
He turned to Bennett. “What do you think?”
Bennett exhaled. “For now, I don’t think he’ll hurt her. Brandon is obsessed–dangerously so. But he won’t lay a hand on her. Not yet.”
“That doesn’t mean we let her stay with him! Kimberly cried. She had felt something off about Brandon from the start. There was something cold, dangerous in his aura. And the way he looked at Noelle–it had never sat right with her.
“Kimberly, calm down, Vincent tried to soothe her. “Shouting won’t help. Nicolas is already planning the rescue. Let’s think about how to support him, not break down now.”
Charlie finally spoke up, “Mom, at least we know Noelle’s not in immediate danger. That’s something. We’ll deal with everything else once she’s back.”
Kimberly nodded slowly, regaining some composure–but tears still streamed down her face. “I just… I can’t stop thinking about the reports. All those children who died in the experiments. And Noelle… She almost became one of them. She’s always smiling, never blames us… But we–when she first came home, we treated her like a stranger…
Vincent fell silent. If Kimberly felt unworthy, what did that make him?
She had at least welcomed Noelle with a smile.
He, on the other hand, had coldly used her as a pawn in a political marriage–all while fearing his real daughter might be harmed.
It didn’t matter that Nicolas turned out to be a good match. At the time, he didn’t care. He had thrown Noelle away.
Now, she was gone–taken by a monster. And they were helpless
Vincent bent over, burying his face in his hands, wracked with guilt and fear.
Bennett watched them both, helpless to lift the weight that had settled over the room.
Then he noticed something. He turned to Eli. “Where’s Adriel?”
El blinked. “He’s upstairs with Elsie. She’s been acting strange since last night.”
