A sudden gust swept through the room as Eddy squared his shoulders, fists clenched and ready. In a flash, he launched a punch straight at Fernando’s face.
But Fernando didn’t even flinch. He made no move to defend himself, his c steely eyes locked onto Eddy’s.
Outside the window, the onlookers gasped in unison.
Eddy’s fist stopped a hair’s breadth from Fernando’s cheek.
dark,
One of the investigators outside raised his hand. “Mr. Simmons, we’ve found something!”
Eddy’s icy gaze flickered over Fernando’s face as he brushed past him.
But the memory of how Laney had been taken–how intimately the man had held her–flared up in Eddy’s mind, igniting his anger all over again. He spun in a blur, lashing out with a powerful kick toward Fernando.
Fernando’s reflexes were sharp, his training obvious. He dodged back, raising both arms to block, but still took the brunt of the blow and stumbled two steps before regaining his footing.
His eyes grew cold. “Mr. Simmons, your wife didn’t look like someone being abducted. She looked more like a woman desperate to get away from you.”
The room erupted at his words.
“That’s right! I was there when the helicopter took off,” someone called out. “Mrs. Simmons walked right past her husband. She could’ve reached out to him for help. but she looked like she wanted nothing to do with him!”
People began pulling out their phones, replaying the footage of Blanche being taken
away.
Though the night made it hard to see their faces, every gesture was clear.
The murmurs of suspicion built into a chorus of doubt.
Eddy’s brow furrowed, his voice glacial. “Who gave you the right to meddle in my marriage?”
Fernando gave a cold, mocking smile.
Just then, an investigator hurried in, laptop in hand. “Mr. Simmons, the route data for this car has been wiped. Just two minutes ago–deliberately erased.”
Eddy’s gaze hardened. He was certain Fernando had taken Blanche. “Tear the lab. apart!”
Suddenly, every communication screen went black.
A shadowy silhouette flickered onto the monitors, a crackle of static echoing through the speakers, chilling everyone to the bone.
A mechanical voice rang out.
“Good evening, everyone. I’m responsible for Mrs. Simmons’s disappearance.”
“She’s gone exactly where she’s meant to be.”
Fear rippled through the crowd.
Eddy shoved Fernando aside, storming toward the big–screen display, his voice thunderous. “Tell me where Laney is!”
The screen changed abruptly. A helicopter slammed into a mountainside, sparks exploding as it plummeted into a ravine.
Then, just as suddenly, the feed returned to normal.
“No-!”
Eddy’s eyes were bloodshot, pain etched deep on his face. He tore out of the research facility, jumped into his Rolls–Royce, and sped off into the night.
The crash site was at the edge of a dense forest, right above a sheer cliff.
Determined to lead the rescue himself, Eddy ignored the dangers. The night was black as ink; the terrain below the cliff was treacherous. Even the geological experts on site were at a loss.
“Mr. Simmons, that cliff is a thousand meters high,” one of the geologists warned. “The helicopter exploded on impact. After falling into the ravine, there wouldn’t be anything left of your wife. The terrain is deadly, the ravine is shrouded in toxic mist, and the temperature is freezing. Even with protective gear, you wouldn’t last two minutes.”
“Mr. Simmons, you’ll die down there!”
Eddy’s face was set like stone. He pushed past everyone, pulled on a protective suit, and clipped himself to the rescue line. “I want her back, dead or alive. Nothing can keep us apart.”
From a distance, Blanche stood in the shadows, watching him, her heart pounding
21:42
Chapter 127 er 127
in terror at his resolve.
She thought of the only way to leave him for good: sacrificing herself so he could.
live.
Yet here he was, ready to follow her, no matter the cost.
She remembered their Western–style wedding, his vow echoing in her mind: “Together in life, together in death.”
She had teased him then, saying it was morbid.
But now, Blanche was truly afraid.
She watched as he rappelled over the cliff’s edge, disappearing into the abyss. Panicked, she broke into a run through the woods, desperate to reach him, her cries echoing into the night: “Eddy, don’t!”
