Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Audrey’s phone was designed for such critical situations. It could be tracked via satellite and was resistant to signal jammers, enabling calls through satellite connection.
Audrey’s phone emitted a long series of monotonous beeps. No one picked up.
In her room, Audrey was crouched in the corner by her bed and the wall, hands clasped over her ears. The blast just now had almost burst her eardrums.
Thankfully, the blankets had muffled the sound while she slept, or the shock might have knocked her out, putting her life at risk.
After the initial shock faded, the air was heavy with the scent of gunpowder. Audrey knew this wasn’t an earthquake.
This afternoon, she had been watching TV in her room when Henley suddenly appeared on the screen, only for it to abruptly cut out.
Audrey was aware that Cornell’s wedding was taking place in the hotel but lacked the courage to attend. Moreover, Cornell had explicitly barred her from returning to the country. Given it was an enforced stopover, she chose not to cause any trouble, deciding instead to stay in her room and sleep.
She had slept until nearly evening when the explosion jolted her awake. Disoriented, she initially thought it was an earthquake and dashed from her bed to the corner for safety.
Once the noise diminished, Audrey stood up and noticed her phone vibrating on the bed. She answered just as the last buzz ended.
“Hello?”
Matteo’s strained voice came through. “Miss Foster, you finally picked up…”
Puzzled, Audrey recognized the voice. “Matteo?”
Matteo went straight to the point. “Mr. Clement, he… Something happened to him.”
Audrey was confused. Wasn’t Cornell supposed to be amid of a wedding?
How could something has happened to him?
After Matteo quickly explained the situation, Audrey blinked, still processing the revelation silently.
She didn’t expect Cornell to be suffering from a severe illness nor did she expect the cause of his illness stemmed from the syringe Cecilia had injected into him, the injection originally meant for her. All these things went beyond her wildest dream.
Then, Audrey’s mind shifted to Cornell. Had he been suffering all alone this whole time?
In an instant, she felt completely overwhelmed, panic consuming her.
Cap?tulo 949:
It turned out that when she had seen Cornell looking bent and frail, it wasn’t just her imagination. It was real pain, too much for him to bear anymore.
“Matteo, are you saying Cornell married Katie just to draw Lorenzo’s people in and trap them all at once?” Audrey asked.
“That’s my assumption,” Matteo said honestly.
After all, Cornell hadn’t shared his plan with Matteo. He was left in the dark. Now, however, Cornell’s actions today and his plans for evacuating the guests made things clear. From the beginning, Cornell wasn’t really hosting a wedding. He was setting a trap.
“Miss Foster, you may not be aware, but you’re on Lorenzo’s hit list. I think Mr. Clement orchestrated all this for you.”
Audrey was stunned. Her heart sank. She had been entertaining suspicion about Cornell’s icy demeanor toward her. Her worst fears were now confirmed.
Matteo said, “Mr. Clement went to these lengths to neutralize any threats to you, worried that you might be in danger if he were no longer around.”
Having served as Cornell’s assistant for years, Matteo felt a deep empathy. Cornell had taken such great risks alone for Audrey’s sake but kept her in the dark, which was simply heartbreaking. Matteo was deeply upset on Cornell’s behalf.
Despite Cornell’s instructions of keeping Audrey unaware of his efforts and his weakened condition, Matteo still revealed everything to Audrey.
If Cornell could make it safe and sound, Matteo was willing to accept any punishment from Cornell for his disobedience. In his view, an excellent man like Cornell didn’t deserve to face such a grim end.
Audrey gripped her phone tightly. Matteo’s words made sense. No wonder Cornell had turned this icy toward her, despite his previous actions to sacrifice himself to save her.
Her mind was in turmoil, yet a voice inside her said firmly that that was the real Cornell. This was the precisely Cornell she knew.
Audrey stayed silent for a while. She was so shocked that her mind went blank. It was as though her ears and mouth were sealed shut.
So this was the truth, the truth she had almost grasped, yet had pulled back from due to his indifference. Cornell’s love for her was profound. He hadn’t just protected her from that lethal injection, but he had also managed to ripe out any threats posed to her to keep her safe.
Shock and distress surged, making it hard for Audrey to breathe.
Then, Matteo’s anxious voice came through the phone. “Hello? Miss Foster? Are you there? Hello?”
Audrey jerked back to reality, her voice raspy. “Matteo, yes, I’m listening. Please continue.”
“Mr. Clement is still in the building. We’re clueless about his situation, including what kind of explosives are planted, and we can’t see a thing to make a move.”
“So, what do you want me to do?” Audrey asked quickly. “And by the way, could you do me a favor?” Can you check Judd’s whereabouts?”
Audrey recalled that Judd was in the neighboring room, and it was unusual for him not to have come to see her yet, so she asked Matteo first just to be sure.
“Don’t worry. Judd was evacuated when he was rebooking the flight. I’ve already reassured him and told him to wait for you to come out.”
It was because Matteo had run into Judd that he learned about the satellite phone set up on Audrey’s phone by Erick. Without this, reaching Audrey would have been impossible.
Cornell’s phone was also satellite-enabled, but Lorenzo’s signal jammer was so sophisticated that it blocked even satellite calls.
Luckily, the jammer’s range was limited, which allowed them to connect with Audrey.
Feeling reassured about Judd’s safety, Audrey then heard a new voice on the phone, introducing himself, “Miss Foster, hello, I’m the commander here. You can call me Cary.”
Cap?tulo 950:
“Cary, what should I do?”
Cary, impressed by Audrey’s alertness, responded, “We need to determine how many people are inside and the kind of explosives involved. This area is part of Global Harbor, which is crowded with residents and workers. It’s not feasible to evacuate everyone swiftly. So, we need to identify the type of homemade explosives being used to assess the possible impact and scope, helping us manage evacuations more effectively.”
Audrey went quiet, and Cary realized he was asking a lot from her.
If there wasn’t a concern about Lorenzo’s men launching an early attack, they wouldn’t have asked her to take on such a role.
Yet, Cary believed Audrey deserved the option to decide. “If you don’t want to do this, you can say no and head to the spot we tell you about. We’ll make sure you get out safely…”
Cary was still talking when Audrey cut him off with firm resolve.
“I’m in!”
She was aware that Global Harbor was a bustling financial center, heavily populated, which would make any evacuation efforts tough. Not knowing how many explosives were involved meant there was a real risk to the public.
“I’ll get the job done.”
“Thank you,” Cary responded. “Lorenzo has been dodging the law for years, a notorious criminal on the global stage. We need to catch him this time.”
Audrey nodded. “I have faith in the special forces of Ambrosia.”
“I’m sending you a security map now. Look for the spots marked in fluorescent. Those are where the bombs are.”
“Got it.” Once the call ended, Audrey tossed aside her purse for a smaller pouch that fit her phone, which she slung around her neck.
Reaching the door, she reached out to open it, only to find it locked from the outside. Who would lock her in? She tried the handle again, but it wouldn’t move.
Searching for something to help her escape, she headed into the bathroom and noticed the pipes, sparking a plan.
She lay down and tapped on the pipe, four long taps, followed by three short ones.
Cornell had taught Audrey a unique version of Morse code. This was asking, “Is anyone there?”
This code was theirs alone, so Audrey wasn’t concerned about anyone else deciphering it. Even if someone else heard, they wouldn’t understand the message. Only Cornell would.
But there was no reply from the pipes.
Unfazed, Audrey repeated the signal with four long and three short taps.
Time passed with no answer.
Feeling disheartened, she was about to stand up when suddenly, she heard two dull, brief knocks. She quickly crouched down, paused for a few seconds, and then heard two more brief knocks. The message was clear. “I am here.”
Audrey’s eyes welled up with tears as she quickly tapped back her response. Audrey asked, “How many people are there?”
Cornell replied, “Three.”
Cap?tulo 951:
Before she could inquire further, the pipe signaled again with five long, six short taps. It meant, “Don’t take any risks.”
Audrey responded, “Okay.”
Cornell advised, “Take care of yourself.”
As Audrey listened to his final words, her eyes filled with tears once more. She berated herself for almost grasping the truth earlier yet pulling back. Why didn’t she just keep going a bit longer?
Perhaps then she would have comprehended the depth of Cornell’s pain.