Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
As Cornell skillfully untied the knot, his fingers sometimes brushed Audrey’s neck, making her shiver slightly.
The way she stood facing the wall while he stood behind her gave off a daring vibe.
Audrey started breathing fast.
“Why are your ears so red?” Cornell asked with a soft chuckle.
His lazy laughter echoed Like the deep notes of a cello, filling every corner and sinking into Audrey’s skin. It wasn’t just her ears.
Her neck was also blushing. “Are you finished?” she asked.
“Yes.” Cornell removed the apron and casually placed it on the kitchen counter.
Audrey found herself at a loss for words.
Cornell’s intense stare, reminiscent of a night creature’s, made Audrey’s cheeks warm. “You should leave after checking on Janey.”
After seeing Janey, Cornell hesitated at the door, not quite ready to go. “When might I spend the night here?”
Audrey felt her cheeks burn. “Only in your dreams.”
With that, she forcefully closed the door.
Outside, Cornell gazed at the door, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction. He began to feel a hint of hope.
On the way back.
Matteo reported, “Mr. Clement, the security team just called in.
They’ve got a lead on the blood-sampling suspect who got away.”
“Did they get any information from him?” Cornell asked.
“No, by the time they located him, he had already been dead in his car for several days.”
“Dead?” Cornell’s expression turned serious.
“Yes, after turning the case over to the police and consulting with a known forensic doctor, they determined the cause of death was a cardiac explosive device,” Matteo revealed.
Cornell’s expression grew concerned.
Matteo added, “Seems like the implant was done manually, a method we haven’t seen around here before. The suspect probably came in disguised and sent from abroad, maybe from the Aurora’s Maxwell family. Rumor has it that the Maxwell family have a top-notch squad spread across different countries for secret missions.”
Cornell was puzzled about why those people targeted Audrey. He felt the need to consult Erick to find out if the Foster family had any enemies abroad. With the ability to implant cardiac explosive devices, those people were quite something. If it really was the Maxwell family behind this, then the future troubles could be significant. He could still keep Audrey safe at home, but it would be difficult going overseas.
The more Cornell pondered, the more his worry deepened, his face weighed down by concern.
“Find out why Audrey is their target!” Cornell’s tone turned cold and serious as he directed, “Arrange two elite guards for Audrey and Janey, and make sure the guards appear only when necessary.”
“Got it,” Matteo acknowledged.
Over the next few days, Audrey was swamped with work.
Whenever Cornell had a spare moment, he’d drop by her studio himself to bring her meals.
It wasn’t long before everyone in Audrey’s studio started making a guess about their relationship, causing Audrey a bit of stress. It appeared Cornell was making a point to be noticed.
Another thing that caught Audrey’s attention was Katie hosting a press conference, making it clear that she and Cornell were only colleagues and nothing more.
But Katie’s behavior during the announcement didn’t quite convince.
She seemed anything but happy.
The press conference hit the headlines, sparking gossip that Katie had been kicked out by the Clement family, resulting in a big hit to the Clement Group’s reputation.
only winner of holding this press conference.
However, Audrey didn’t give it much thought. Recently, she’d been fully immersed in a “Charity Drive” project. Her mother had always been keen on helping others and was often involved in charity work.
So, representing Crescent and in partnership with the Children’s Care Foundation, Audrey Launched a charity project. She took this project to heart, mot just providing financial support and supplies to children in need but also spending time with them personally.
Today marked the second day of the three-day outreach program.
Audrey planned to head back to Ardlens tomorrow.
Being apart from Janey for three days filled Audrey with longing.
Luckily, Cornell was in Ardlens, dropping by to see Janey after work and even taking Janey for some fun.
Audrey felt thankful for Cornell. She was comforted knowing Janey wasn’t alone during her absence.
During their video call at night, right after Janey finished chatting with Audrey, Cornell appeared on the screen, his good-looking face sharp and distinct. “Shall I come to pick you up tomorrow?” he asked.
Cornell was ready to, yet he would like to know what Audrey preferred.
“There’s no need. I’ll head to the airport with the group on the volunteer bus,” Audrey responded, choosing not to draw too much attention to their charitable efforts.
Cornell nodded, his tone warm and gentle. “I miss you. Do you feel the same?”
Caught in Cornell’s intense, hopeful stare, Audrey felt her cheeks heated up. She shifted the conversation and said, “I should get some rest now..
With a touch of sadness in Cornell’s eyes, he said, “Sleep well.”
“Goodnight.”
After the call ended, Audrey couldn’t shake off Cornell’s disappointed expression, making it difficult for her to fall asleep.
She tried to force herself to sleep, aware of the busy day ahead.
But just as sleep began to take over, a sudden loud “boom” startled Audrey awake.
Suddenly, the ground started shaking violently.
Audrey, still feeling confused, heard things crashing to the ground.
From outside, a voice cried out, “Run! It’s an earthquake!”
Audrey snapped out of her drowsiness completely.
She abruptly sat up and saw everything on the cabinet falling down, along with a thunderous noise.
With no time to think, Audrey grabbed the door handle and attempted to rush outside.
But at this critical moment, the door seemed stuck, refusing to open no matter how much she pulled.
The area, being mountainous, lacked any hotels. Some volunteers were staying with the villagers, and others at the school.
Most of the school buildings were in poor condition, yet their metal doors were solid and didn’t wear out easily. The problem was that the locks were old and sometimes needed someone from outside to open them if they got stuck. Trying to kick it open from the inside was useless. It had to be done from the outside.
Trapped, Audrey started banging on the metal door and yelling for help, “Hello? Can anyone hear me? I need help with this door!”
But outside, the sound of people running in panic drowned out her voice.
Then, an announcement came through the village’s loudspeakers.
“Attention, everyone! Due to an imminent landslide threat in the mountains, please evacuate to the village’s central safe area immediately!”
Audrey realized it was a landslide causing the chaos, not an earthquake.
However, the school was right at the base of the mountain, placing it in the direct path of potential danger.
Audrey refused to give up and kept looking for something to pry the door open with.
But there were no crowbars or anything like that inside, and even when she tried using bench legs, they just broke, leaving her empty-handed.
In a rush, Audrey grabbed her phone to call the team leader.
“Bang!” Then, suddenly, a loud noise filled the room, followed by the sound of a boot slamming against the metal door.
A voice from outside yelled, “Miss Foster, are you in there?”
Audrey yelled back, “Yes, I’m here! I’m right here!”
“Move back from the door,” the voice instructed.
Audrey quickly moved away.
After two more loud bangs, the door flew open, and a man dressed in black burst in.
Audrey didn’t recognize him. This man wasn’t with the volunteers.