Filed to story: The CEO’s Wife Is a Secret Boss Novel (Allison & Jeremy) Free Online
“How about this? I’ll take her place as the hostage. You’ll set her free.”
Lauren watched Cyrus approach Denver through tears, crushed by feelings of guilt. She thought, “How could I have been so dumb? I should’ve waited for Angie in the classroom. If only I had run faster!” Alas, it was too late to regret.
Denver growled when he saw Cyrus approaching, “Don’t come any closer, or I’ll slit her throat and jump off this rooftop. We’ll meet our end together!”
“You think I have no idea what’s up your sleeve? You asked to take her place so that you could fight me. I can’t possibly overpower a policeman.
“I’ve killed two kids, so I’m doomed. It doesn’t matter if I kill one more.”
Cyrus put on a serious face. His heart raced. “I understand your grief. I might not have a daughter, but I would not have it if my sister was abused this badly. I’d avenge my family, too.”
Denver’s eyes wavered. His hand that held the cold blade trembled, causing Lauren to feel pain in her neck.
“I heard that your daughter, Joanna, was a student of this academy. The five students had bullied Joanna. In other words, it was a school bullying incident.”
Upon hearing that, Lauren widened her teary eyes as her mind went blank, and her ears rang. Memories from her tattered past flashed across her eyes.
She heard the taunts from the past. “You idiot, retard! Why are you even in school? Do you even understand what we’re saying?”
“She shouldn’t be attending school like the rest of us. She should be put in a mental institution!”
“Stay away from her. She’s a moron. Who knows if it’s contagious? Haha!”
The harsh and cruel mockery gnawed at her like howling ghouls. Shutting her eyes in pain, she looked pallid. Her legs were shaking so badly that she might collapse at any time.
Cyrus picked up her unusual reaction, which agonized him. He said to Denver in a hoarse voice, “I really wanted to help. You’ve made a mistake. You should stop now when there is still time. Joanna is still in critical condition at the hospital.
“What you should do is stay by her side and help her through the tough times instead of resorting to the extreme. It will only lead to your ruin.
“How would your daughter feel if she woke up to her father branded a murderer? She’d suffer from the trauma of school bullying and the guilt from your actions.
“How’s a young girl, scarred from trauma, able to face the challenges? She’s attempted to take her life once. Do you want her to try again?”
Cyrus’ colleagues cast looks of admiration at their chief. Despite Cyrus’ young age, he was as skilled as a veteran in hostage negotiations. His words were simple yet impactful.
Most importantly, he carried himself with sincerity, a crucial technique in negotiations. He not only aimed to rescue the hostage, but he also strived to understand the criminal’s pain and perspective, thereby dismantling their defenses.
As expected, Denver seemed swayed by Cyrus’ earnest speech. However, the thought of his badly injured and unconscious daughter filled him with irrational resentment.
He hissed, “Stop lying! All the police know is to make hollow promises when you can’t do anything about it. Joanna and I met the school administration and the police a few times, begging them to take action against those five scoundrels. But those five bullies always walked away scot-free because they were rich. How can I trust your words?”
Cyrus seethed upon learning the truth. The Solana City Arts Academy fell beyond their jurisdiction. They were dispatched solely due to the criminal nature of the incident.
Such corruption would not have been allowed in the district under Cyrus’ jurisdiction.
“Sir, I… I know your… pain…” Lauren opened her swollen eyes slowly. Her soft voice was devoid of the fear when she was first held hostage. Instead, she sounded heartbreakingly resilient. “I have. had similar experience. as your daughter.”
Looking shocked, Denver gasped, “What did you say?”
“Please. trust that I will. stay by Joanna’s side. until she puts behind her trauma. I will avenge her.” Lauren struggled to speak due to the debilitating fear that suffocated her.
“What can you do, you weak woman?”
“I’m. the daughter of Javier Walsh. You can. search me up. on your phone.” Covered in sweat, she added, “Jeremy Walsh, the president of the Walsh Group. is my brother. My sister-in-law is Alyssa Taylor of the KS Group. Don’t you think they are powerful enough to. avenge Joanna?”
Cyrus had a newfound respect for Lauren. Anyone else would have been crippled by fear, but Lauren held onto what remained of her sanity and persuaded Denver to release her.
“Is Alyssa Taylor. your sister-in-law?” Denver did not think that Lauren was bold enough to lie to him. After all, anyone could perform a fact-check on their phones to ascertain her claim.
This time, he was utterly swayed by Lauren. Alyssa Taylor, despite being born into wealth, had the guts to seek justice for ordinary female victims like Nina Carle and Maggie Madison. For that, she made enemies with the Walsh’s and the Schmidts. However, her brave acts had spread far and wide.
Denver thought, “Oh, if only Alyssa Taylor could help my poor daughter.” Still, he doubted Alyssa Taylor’s capability to deal with every injustice in the world, even though she might be morally upright. Besides, she had no good reason to help his daughter.
“Can Ms. Taylor. really help Joanna?”
“Yes. I’m sure.” Overwhelmed by emotions, Lauren shed tears despite having already calmed down. Tears flowed uncontrollably down her pale cheeks. “I was once a school bullying victim too.”
Cyrus widened his eyes in disbelief. He was shocked by what he had heard.
“But I chose to endure and avoid the bullying. Until now. my bullies haven’t been held responsible and punished. I’ll take this as a way of avenging myself to fulfill one of my wishes. I certainly hope I can help Joanna.
“Sir, please do not. walk down the wrong path. You won’t be able to see justice served if you die here today.”
Lauren’s earnest persuasion finally broke Denver. He slowly let go of her arm and moved the blade away from her neck.
“Cyrus!” Lauren, upon realizing that she could be saved, sprinted toward Cyrus with tears in her eyes.
“Lauren, don’t be scared!” Cyrus opened his arms to greet her.
At that moment, the snipers on the rooftop across from them adjusted the angle of their scopes, accidentally reflecting the sunlight onto Denver’s face.
Denver felt cheated, and he immediately snapped. He once again raised his knife and aimed it toward the defenseless Lauren. “You motherfuckers! How dare you work together against me? Die!”
Lauren felt a chilling sensation on her back, but it was too late to dodge Denver’s attack.
However, Cyrus would not allow Denver a second opportunity to hurt Lauren. He instantly grabbed the gun from his waist and held Lauren by the waist, pulling her into a protective embrace. The next second, he pulled the trigger, shooting Denver in the right arm and the left leg.
Cyrus moved as fast as lightning. A criminal should not have given him any chance to attack, for he could turn the tables in no time.
The aggrieved Denver yelped and grimaced as he felt limply onto his knees. Upon seeing that, the police swarmed him and put handcuffs on him. They finally managed to arrest Denver Whitman, the poor father who had committed crimes to avenge his beloved daughter.
After Denver collapsed, the snipers left their positions because they lost sight of their target, who was blocked by the rooftop railing. That was the reason Cyrus needed to shoot Denver in the leg.
The gunshot induced fear in Lauren. She covered both ears while trembling in Cyrus’ arms. She panted heavily and was drenched in cold sweat.
“Hey, don’t be afraid. Everything’s fine now.” Cyrus did not immediately lead her away from the rooftop. Instead, he hugged her tightly while seated on a concrete block. He gently and patiently comforted her, “Have you not played firecrackers before? Just take the gunshots as my way of celebrating your rescue!
“Do you feel better if we put it that way?”
She buried her tear-stained face in his shirt as she continued sobbing. Feeling sorry for her, he sighed and tightened his grip on her shoulders.
“I thought… I’d die…” A long pause later, she finally spoke in a muffled voice.
“That won’t happen. Lauren, you’re smart and brave. In fact, you’re better than me!” Cyrus felt a rush of adrenaline whenever he recalled the way Lauren negotiated with Denver. With a smile, he drew closer to her face.
He added, “Besides, I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you because it’s my duty as a policeman. I need to answer to Jeremy and Lyse as well.”
Moreover, he wanted to be responsible for her. However, he did not say that final thought aloud.
“It wasn’t empty talk. I really wanted to help that man,” she mumbled between sobs and sniffles.
“Lauren.” Cyrus put on a serious expression. “You said you were a school bullying victim. Is that true?”
Lauren widened her eyes, still disoriented from the shocking incident. She trembled endlessly in his arms, denying, “No. I was never bullied in school. That was nonsense. I have never been bullied.”
Cyrus was full of questions for Lauren, but he held back as he didn’t want to pressure her. Instead, he quietly clenched his fist, thinking, “Landon Harper, you rascal! Have you been taking proper care of Lauren?”
Putting aside her autism, Cyrus clearly spotted signs of PTSD in Lauren. He wondered if Landon, who lived under the same roof as Lauren, failed to notice her condition.
He seethed. “A player should keep living that way. Landon Harper shouldn’t ever attempt to be a faithful partner, being the idiot he is!”
To avoid causing a commotion amid the media, Cyrus draped some clothes over Lauren when he carried her out of the academic building. Covered well, she was placed in the ambulance. The media did not have any chance to take a snap of her.
The medical staff tended to the wound on Lauren’s neck in the ambulance. She would be taken to the hospital for more checkups just to be safe.
Lauren, awash with feelings of relief, soon drifted to sleep.
Cyrus stared into Angelina’s eyes with the sleeping Lauren between them. The air was tense.
He began, “You may call Landon Harper to pick up Lauren from the hospital.”
“I have called him.” Angelina clutched Lauren’s teddy bear in one hand and Lauren’s hand in another.
“Shall I go through the situation with you?” Cyrus offered in good faith.
He had personally witnessed how much Landon cared for Lauren. As Lauren’s bodyguard, Angelina might be facing Landon’s wrath after what Lauren had gone through.