Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Fear gripped Jamie as she realized the gravity of her situation. Who would have thought she’d escape one peril only to stumble into a worse one?
Shaking, she murmured, “Mr. Bates, I apologize. I didn’t mean to come here. Just let me go…”
In her panic, Jamie fumbled with the car door, trying to jump out even though they were on an elevated road.
Suddenly, the idea of the bodyguards she had fled from seemed almost comforting compared to this man.
He was the most intimidating person she had ever encountered. She had narrowly escaped death at his hands before.
As Jamie reached for the door handle, she realized it was locked. In desperation, she clasped her hands together, pleading, “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Mr. Bates. Please, let me go. I’ll leave and never return.”
Confined to the tight space of the car seat, Jamie couldn’t kneel, so she continued wringing her hands, hoping for even a hint of mercy.
Meanwhile, the man, clearly skilled, dodged the cars chasing them while simultaneously questioning Jamie. “So tell me, what brought you here so recklessly?”
Tears and snot mixed on her face, making Jamie look utterly miserable as she sobbed, “I… I just wanted to see if I could… if I could kill that woman…”
The man arched an eyebrow, his interest piqued. “You want to kill Nicole? Why?”
At the mention of Nicole, Jamie’s fear momentarily subsided, replaced by a surge of jealousy and hatred.
“Because I despise her. Why does she always win Jarrod’s love so effortlessly? I love Jarrod more than she ever could.
If I can’t have him, then no one will… I might as well let Jarrod endure the agony of losing his true love too. Hahaha!”
Jamie’s expression twisted into one of deranged fury, but the man remained calm, a peculiar smile playing on his lips.
“You hate her that much? Shouldn’t you feel the same about Jarrod? Maybe you should kill them both.”
Hearing Jarrod’s name made Jamie’s expression darken with loathing. “You think I don’t want him dead? But he’s always protected by those elite bodyguards. There’s no way I can get close. Naturally, I’d target someone easier.”
The saying “bully the weak, fear the strong” perfectly captured Jamie’s approach.
Moreover, Jamie had plans to move overseas and start fresh, hoping to live a tranquil life with the money she’d received. She wasn’t willing to risk everything in a confrontation with Jarrod.
The man’s expression grew more intriguing. “What if I told you I could give you that chance?”
“What kind of chance?” Jamie asked, her tone betraying the caution she felt toward the man beside her.
His eyes gleamed with a dangerous allure as he proposed, “I can give you the opportunity to eliminate Jarrod. If you succeed, I’ll drop all pursuit. You’ll be free to leave the country. How does that sound?”
“Really?” Jamie’s voice was tinged with disbelief. Dealing with this man, she considered eliminating Jarrod might indeed be the lesser of two evils.
Faced with two daunting challenges, one inevitably seemed more surmountable than the other.
Certainly, to Jamie, the enigmatic man beside her was far more terrifying, mostly due to his unknown origins.
This mystery made him an imposing adversary, beyond the reach of any strategy. Yet Jarrod was more exposed, with clear vulnerabilities: Nicole, Nicole’s unborn child, and that boy, Austin…
Dark schemes started forming in Jamie’s mind, intent on exploiting these weaknesses. Her determination to act was palpable.
The man nodded affirmatively. “I mean what I say. If you succeed, I’ll let bygones be bygones. My word is my bond.”
While speaking, the man deftly evaded the three cars in pursuit.
Jamie wasn’t surprised. To her, the man possessed exceptional skills. There was no hiding from his vigilant gaze. His near-omnipotent abilities only added to his menacing aura.
Facing him, Jamie said solemnly, “Mr. Bates, rest assured, I’ll complete the mission. Just spare my life.”
“I’m eager to see what you’re capable of.”
Jamie nodded.
Meanwhile, the three chasing cars lost track of the SUV and reported back to the VIP lounge at the hospital.
To ensure Austin’s peace, Jarrod had Conor join him in a lounge away from Austin’s sleeping area.
Jarrod’s face was etched with severity. He scrutinized the video footage sent by the bodyguards, his eyes finally resting on the SUV’s front windshield.
The Schultz Group had recently taken control of Nicole’s residential area, but the surveillance technology hadn’t been upgraded yet. The footage was grainy, obscuring the driver’s identity.
Jarrod’s hands balled into fists as he gave a firm command to Conor. “Pull up all the surveillance footage. I need to identify the person in the SUV.”
Although the footage wasn’t clear, it was evident that the woman who had fallen was Jamie. However, she wasn’t their primary concern.
The priority was uncovering the identity of the figure orchestrating Jamie’s actions. She was merely a pawn in the hands of someone far more dangerous—the SUV driver.
Conor responded, “Understood!” He prepared to leave to execute the task.
Jarrod added sternly, “Increase the security at Nicole’s place. And make sure the personnel are competent this time!”
Conor’s face mirrored Jarrod’s seriousness as he nodded earnestly. He had underestimated the situation, assuming third-level bodyguards would suffice for the area’s security.
The failure of these guards to apprehend even Jamie and her accomplice had been a glaring misjudgment. A more skilled team was clearly needed.
Just as Conor was about to leave, he paused and turned back to ask, “Mr. Schultz, should we also deploy a team to pursue Jamie?”
When Conor mentioned Jamie’s name, Jarrod’s expression remained eerily calm, and he replied in a slow, measured tone, “There’s no need. She’s unlikely to make it.”
Conor was surprised. What made Jarrod so certain that Jamie wouldn’t survive?
Conor assumed that the mysterious person who had rescued Jamie still saw her as an ally, despite her condition. However, Jarrod’s thoughts were far different from Conor’s.
Jarrod idly manipulated the video feed from the neighborhood entrance, freezing the footage just as the SUV was about to strike Jamie.
The move was ruthless and calculated, intended to kill without mercy. Perhaps the risk of Jamie’s death at the neighborhood gate seemed too great, so the plan had been revised.
Still, it was clear the mysterious figure had no intention of sparing Jamie’s life.
Conor spotted the SUV’s fake license plates, but he knew that wouldn’t prevent them from tracing the vehicle. As long as it remained in Ambrosia, the surveillance system would eventually leave a trail.
Meanwhile, in the SUV, Jamie’s expression shifted as she took in her surroundings. She asked, “Mr. Bates, why have we stopped in the middle of nowhere? It’s going to be difficult for me to get a taxi back from here.”
“You want to be picky now?” the man replied, displeased.
Jamie fell silent, her lips pressed together in a tense gesture of restraint.
“Can I leave now?” Jamie asked cautiously.
The man finished his cigarette before turning to Jamie with a deliberate, unhurried gaze. “Yes,” he finally said, his voice low and measured.
Jamie’s face lit up with relief as she quickly opened the car door, which swung open smoothly this time. She breathed a sigh of gratitude, thinking she had narrowly avoided a dangerous situation.
But the moment she stepped out, a brutal kick struck her in the back, sending her crashing to the ground.
“Ugh!” Jamie’s body flew through the air, her mouth filling with blood as she spat it out. Her bones felt shattered from the force of the kick, leaving her crumpled and broken on the ground.
The man got out of the car and walked over to Jamie, stopping in front of her.
Jamie looked up at him, puzzled, and asked, “Why did you kick me?”
The man unwrapped the bandana from his face and wrapped it around his hand. “It’s easier to deal with you when you’re down,” he said, his voice cold and menacing.
Jamie, weak and in pain from the kick, thought he wanted her body. She had survived by selling herself for years. “Do you want to sleep with me? You can do whatever you want, Mr. Bates. Just have fun.”
To her surprise, the man let out a cold, mocking laugh.
“Sleep with you?” The man loomed over her, his voice dripping with contempt. “You think you’re worthy? I don’t degrade myself with filthy women like you.”
Jamie was about to ask what he intended to do when her eyes widened in sudden recognition. Her mind reeled with the shocking realization. “I know you! Oh my God, it’s you!” she exclaimed.
Jamie pointed at the man, her eyes filled with recognition and disgust. “You’re that lawyer, aren’t you?”
Her memory flashed back to seeing him before—this was the lawyer who had represented Nicole. She had spotted Rhett on TV and recalled seeing him when she had tailed Nicole.
Jamie was shocked to discover that the seemingly refined Mr. Bates had been hiding in plain sight, disguised as a normal person.
She had always perceived Rhett as an intellectual, not someone capable of violence or physical confrontation. But now, as her eyes widened with shock, she realized how utterly wrong she had been.
She gazed at Rhett, pleading. “Please, I’ll do anything. Just…”
“Shh!” Rhett abruptly silenced her, pressing his finger to his lips in a sharp, menacing gesture.
That single “shh” sent a chill down Jamie’s spine. She went rigid with fear, her skin slick with cold sweat, the beads of perspiration trickling down her face like tears. Her voice caught in her throat.
Rhett’s lips curled into a faint, sinister smile. Then, with a swift, deadly motion, a gleam of steel flashed in his hand, followed by a dull thud as he struck.
“Hello, my name is Rhett.”
“Ah!” Jamie let out a blood-curdling scream that pierced the sky.