Chapter 169

Chapter 169
Elena's POV

When we finally reached the location, many houses stood empty, some already partially demolished. As we pulled up to Mason and Cinda's small home, my heart sank at the sight of the glaring "BG ACQUISITION" sign posted prominently on their front wall.

I rushed through the small yard, and before I could reach the door, Cinda's sharp voice carried through an open window.

"Are you out of your mind, Mason? Why would you tell her to come back now of all times?"

I froze, instinctively moving closer to the window.

"Did you want her to watch her ex-husband's grand wedding ceremony on the news?" Cinda continued, her voice bitter and cutting.

"She has a right to know what's happening," Mason's voice was much calmer. "And she needs to see the children."

"And what good will that do? If she tries anything impulsive, it will only make things worse," Cinda said.

Their words faded into background noise as a fierce protective instinct surged through me. Wedding be damned—I didn't care about Richard marrying some woman. What mattered was my children's safety.

If they were being mistreated, I needed to act immediately. With the wedding happening today, where would the children be? Left alone? Forced to attend? The thought of my babies in that woman's clutches while everyone celebrated made me physically ill.

I backed away from the window, knowing exactly where I needed to go.

---


Kathy's POV

I stood perfectly still as Anna adjusted my dress one final time. The pale blue fabric felt strange against my skin—I never wore colors this bright.

"You look beautiful, Kathy," Anna said, but her smile didn't reach her eyes.

Beside me, Lily fidgeted in her matching dress, her eyes constantly darting to the door.

"When is Mommy coming?" she asked for the third time. "She promised she'd be here."

"She'll come," I assured her, though I wasn't certain myself. "Don't worry."

We were escorted to Blackwood Tower, where Father's wedding would take place on top of the building. The building buzzed with activity—florists, caterers, and security personnel rushing everywhere.

Hours passed, and Emma arrived in her wedding gown, looking like something from a magazine. She barely glanced at us before disappearing into the crowd.

Still no sign of our mother.

"Mommy wouldn't..." I whispered, my eyes widening with realization. "She wouldn't go to our house looking for us, would she?"



Elena's POV

When I arrived at Richard's villa, everything was eerily quiet. I pulled my baseball cap lower, scanning the area for security. Finding none, I quickly scaled the surrounding wall and dropped silently into the garden.

My heart raced as I moved toward the house. If the children were here, they'd likely be upstairs in their rooms. I needed to find them before anyone noticed my presence.

As I crept through the kitchen, I overheard two servants discussing arrangements.

"Should we start moving things to Sunnyvale Estate?" one asked.

"No need," the other replied. "Mr. Blackwood hasn't given any instructions. Besides, they've furnished the place with all new things—nothing from here is going there."

I felt the blood drain from my face. A new home. Richard was creating an entirely new life with Emma, one that would likely have no place for my children. Given Emma's apparent dislike for them, would she push to send them away? To boarding school, perhaps?

Making my way upstairs, I checked room after room, finding no trace of the children. Just as I was about to head to the rooftop terrace, I heard it—footsteps approaching the house.

"Sir, Ms. Wells is already at the venue," a staff member's voice drifted up. "You should hurry."

"I know. I'll be right there," Richard responded, his deep voice sending an involuntary shiver down my spine.

Panic seized me. Richard was here! Why wasn't he at his wedding?

I ducked into the nearest room, closing the door. Pressing my back against it, I held my breath, desperately trying to control my racing heart and rapid breathing. If he caught me here...

What was even more concerning was the scent. The house no longer carried just the sterile smell of cleaning products, but also the scent of my perfume. His sensitivity to smells would likely expose me.

He moved silently through the hallway. Hearing that the house had fallen quiet, I breathed a sigh of relief.

I carefully opened the door, preparing to make my escape.

That's when I saw him—standing directly in front of me.

"Ah—" My scream echoed through the empty house.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop suddenly. Richard stood there, motionless, his face transforming from initial shock to something far more terrifying—pure, undisguised fury. His usually well-controlled features contorted, eyes flashing with dangerous gold.

"You..." his voice was barely a whisper, yet it cut through the silence like a blade.

I instinctively stepped back. "Richard, I—"

"You're actually alive?" he growled, each word increasing in volume.

My thoughts raced, confused by his reaction. Of course I was alive. Why was he acting as though he'd seen a ghost?

"You have some nerve showing up here," Richard snarled, advancing toward me with predatory grace. The look in his eyes went beyond anger—it was murderous.

Before I could comprehend what was happening, he lunged forward, grabbing my collar and slamming me hard against the door. Pain radiated from my back, and the air was knocked from my lungs.

"Richard!" I gasped, struggling against his iron grip. "Let me go!"

"Let you go?" His laugh was cold, devoid of humor. "Elena, you've got some serious nerve faking your death and running away. Today I'll make it a reality."

What was he talking about? The fake death happened long ago.

His hand moved to my throat, fingers tightening with inhuman strength. I clawed desperately at his wrist as panic flooded my entire body when my airway constricted.

"Richard..." I wheezed, my vision beginning to blur. "Stop..."

Black dots danced at the edges of my vision. My lungs burned from lack of oxygen.

"Sir! What are you doing? Stop right now!"

Anna's voice cut through the room like a lifeline. Richard's hand loosened slightly, but he didn't release me.

"Stay out of this, Anna," he growled, his gaze never leaving my face.

"Sir, please! You'll kill her!"

With obvious reluctance, Richard finally released me. I collapsed to the floor, gasping and coughing violently, my throat burning. My trembling fingers touched the skin of my neck.

I looked up at Richard through tear-blurred vision, still trying to understand his reaction. His chest heaved with each breath, his eyes still flashing that dangerous gold.

Anna knelt beside me, her voice dropping to a whisper in my ear: "Ms. Winter, Richard doesn't remember you. His memories of you—they've been erased through Ms. Wells' hypnosis."

My heart stopped. "What?" I rasped, certain I'd misheard.

"The memories between you two—Mr. Blackwood had Ms. Wells erase them. He believes you died six years ago."

The floor seemed to disappear beneath me. Richard had erased me from his memory?

"Stop whispering in her ear," Richard snapped, his voice venomous. "Whatever you're telling her won't change anything."

Anna continued anyway, her voice hardening. "This wasn't Ms. Wells' idea. He begged her to do it after you left. He came back severely ill, and once he recovered, he went straight to Ms. Wells."

Each word stabbed into my heart like a dagger.

"Call security," Richard commanded coldly. "Lock her up."

"Sir," Anna pleaded, "please don't do this. Think of the children."

Richard's laugh was bitter and harsh. "The children? What does she have to do with them? She's nothing to them."

These words hurt more than his physical attack. As a mother, being told I was nothing to my children was the most devastating blow.

"Richard, please," I finally spoke, my voice still hoarse from his attack.

"Shut up," he snarled. "Take her away!"

Heavy footsteps thundered up the stairs, and within seconds, security personnel filled the room. I was too numb to resist as they roughly pulled me to my feet.

"Where are you taking her, sir?" Anna asked desperately.

"The dog kennel," Richard replied coldly.

Anna tried again: "Sir, please reconsider. You have your engagement ceremony with Ms. Wells today. You need to be at the hotel soon."

Richard completely ignored her, his eyes never leaving mine as I was dragged away.