Chapter 348
Nathaniel did not drive away. He stopped by the road as he watched the woman sprinting back toward Ocean Avenue with an increasingly unreadable expression through his rearview mirror.
Meanwhile, as Sheena left Ocean Avenue, Lionel made his way through the gate.
Ford, John, and Sawyer emerged from the shadows upon his arrival.
Sawyer, rubbing his hands with excitement, said, “Lionel, you won my entire month’s salary last time, but today, I’m taking back everything with interest!”
Lionel remained silent, his expression serious and stern. “I’m not here for cards today.”
The three men exchanged puzzled glances, utterly confused. Then, they felt a gush of wind and a sharp pain in the back of their necks. Instantly, their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed on the spot.
Observing the three, Lionel thought it was indeed much better to drug them directly than slowly approach them.
On the other hand, Lance retrieved the tranquilizer gun, stepped out from the shadows, and asked, “Lionel, we can’t leave them lying here. Where should we hide them?”
Glancing at the fallen trio, Lionel put his hand to his lips and whistled a bird call. After a minute of eerie silence from the mansion, with no sign of Elijah coming to open the door, he sensed something amiss.
“Forget it. Let’s check on Mr. Freeman first.”
Concerned about Sheena’s return and reluctant to break in, Lionel and Lance climbed the mansion’s rear pipes to reach the second floor. Upon opening the door to Elijah’s room, they found him on the recliner by the window and a pool of dark red blood on the floor.
“Mr. Freeman!”
They practically ran to him, their faces drained of color.
Lionel quickly retrieved the suppressant from a small cooler box. Then, he stabbed it into the vein on Elijah’s neck with precision.
Witnessing the blood–stained hands, tears started to well up in Lance’s eyes.
Two minutes after injecting the suppressant, Elijah showed no signs of response. His body was ice–cold, devoid of any trace of life. Lionel checked his pulse with trembling hands, only to realize there was no heartbeat!
“Wake up! Stop sleeping!” Lionel roared, gently patting Elijah’s pale face. Tears streamed down uncontrollably as he knelt at Elijah’s feet, unable to hold back his sobs.
Had they arrived too late?
Overwhelmed with regret, Lance had lost control of his emotions, sitting on the floor and crying loudly.
Lionel’s eyes reddened, his emotions intensifying. “I beg you! Please wake up! If you sleep
now, you won’t wake up again!”
Elijah lay on the reclining chair, looking peaceful.
Lionel was on the verge of breaking down, grabbing Elijah’s arms and shaking desperately. I’m begging you! Open your eyes, look at me. Lance brought the suppressant; you’ll be fine! You can’t die yet! Wake up!”
“Ms. Sheena hasn’t returned yet. Are you really leaving like this? Aren’t you afraid she might marry Nathaniel and suffer at his hands? What about Colin and Skye? There are so many influential men in Froania, with so many men competing for Sheena’s love! You can’t die just yet!”
“She doesn’t even know you contracted the S404 virus for her sake. Are you truly content with this? I beg you, wake up!”
Lionel cried until he choked, attempting to rouse Elijah.
However, the man on the chair remained motionless, his body cold.
Drained of strength, Lionel slid to the ground, leaning against Elijah’s hand, losing all hope.
“I was ten when you picked me up on the Froania border. My name, my skills, my everything is thanks to you. Wherever you went for a mission, I followed…”
Then, he pulled a small knife from his pocket. With a fierce gaze, he said determinedly. “My life belongs to you, and if you die, I’ll die with you!”
As he spoke, he aimed the knife at his own heart, ready to plunge it in.
“Lionel! No!” Lance shouted in despair.
However, there was no bloody mess as expected.
The sharp tip of the knife stopped just two millimeters from piercing his skin.
Chapter 349
