Chapter 173
Chapter 173
Richard's POV
The car stopped at the dog yard.
I yanked her from the car, my fingers digging deep into her arm. Her scent—that damn familiar scent—made it harder for me to think clearly.
"Give me a chain to lock her up!" I barked at the keeper.
Elena's eyes widened. "Richard, have you lost your mind? I'm not a dog! Why are you locking me up?" She struggled against my grip.
I tightened my hold on her wrist, leaning in until our faces were only inches apart.
"You're right. You're not a dog—you're dog food," I growled. "Elena, this is your final warning. If you continue making trouble, I promise, others around you will suffer too!"
Elena's POV
"Fine!" I screamed, no longer caring about consequences. "Go ahead! Why bother with chains? If you have the guts, just chop me up and feed me to them now—wouldn't that be more efficient?"
My voice had risen to a hysterical pitch. My anger toward him had made me fearless.
Richard's face darkened dangerously, but something strange happened—he didn't immediately lash out as I expected. His jaw clenched tight, and a muscle twitched in his cheek.
"Take her inside," he ordered, his voice unnaturally controlled.
The keeper approached with a chain. "Yes, sir."
I knew this was my last chance. When he reached for me, I dug my nails deep into Richard's wrist and bit down hard on his hand.
"Ungh—" Richard grunted in pain, reflexively letting go.
I bolted, running blindly away. Behind me, someone shouted: "Stop!!"
The metallic clang of the chain whipping through the air was the only warning I got before searing pain exploded across my back and head. The scene before me began to blur as I fell to the ground.
Warm wetness spread across my scalp. Through blurring vision, I saw blood—my blood—pooling beneath me. Everything started to turn dark.
Richard's POV
The moment I saw Elena fall, some primal and terrible emotion tore through me.
My pupils contracted as I rushed to her side, dropping to my knees beside her fallen form. "Elena!! Are you alright?" My voice was barely recognizable, thick with concern I couldn't mask.
I touched her wound gently, my fingers coming away red. Fear gripped my chest.
Behind me, the keeper stammered, "Mr. Blackwood, I... I didn't mean to. I was just trying to stop her when she—"
Rage exploded inside me. In one fluid motion, I grabbed the chain and struck him across the throat. "You fucking idiot!" The words came out as a feral growl.
The man collapsed, coughing blood, his eyes wide with confusion. He couldn't understand why I was so enraged over someone I claimed to despise.
I just wanted to keep her by my side, to prevent her from leaving again.
Elena's POV
I woke up with a pounding headache.
"Cough, cough..." A violent fit of coughing seized me.
"Awake, are you?" A familiar voice—cool but not entirely unfriendly.
As my vision cleared, I recognized Mason, standing at the foot of the bed with his arms crossed.
"Mason?" I croaked, my throat dry. "What are you... where am I?"
Looking around, I saw the familiar room. I finally realized where I was. This was Mason's home—where I had stayed briefly before.
"Where? The underworld, of course," Mason replied sarcastically, his eyes betraying more concern than his tone suggested.
From downstairs, Cinda's shrill voice called up: "Mason, what are you still doing up there? Get down here for dinner!"
My fingers clutched the blanket, whitening at the knuckles. So I really was at Mason's house.
Mason turned to leave but paused at the door. "If you don't want to die, stay put. Richard isn't the man you once knew."
His warning left me confused and disoriented. How did I end up here?
Later that evening, Jason came to check on me.
"Jason, do you know how I got here?" I asked, desperate for answers.
Jason nodded slowly. "After Richard took you away, I was planning to have the children go beg their father, but the children called Mason instead. He took the children and went to confront Mr. Blackwood to get you back."
My throat tightened with emotion. Despite our relationship becoming fractured because of Mandy, Mason had still stood up to Richard for me.
The next morning, I felt recovered enough to move around. I needed to check on my children.
As I made my way downstairs, Mason intercepted me at the bottom of the stairs. "Where are you going?"
I hesitated, not wanting to provoke him. "Mason, I... I need to see the children."
To my surprise, Mason's expression hardened with determination rather than anger. "What's the point of sneaking around? Get changed. I'm taking you straight to him today."
My jaw dropped in shock. "You... you're taking me to Richard? Are you out of your mind?"
Mason's face darkened with impatience. "Useless! Always skulking around like a thief. What do you owe him? Why are you so afraid?"
He stalked off, leaving me standing there with my mouth open. I swallowed hard and hurried after him, unsure if this was courage or suicide.
In the car, my anxiety grew with every mile. "Mason, wait... I'm not afraid of him. I just... do you think he'll even see us?"
Mason's confidence was unshakable. "He wouldn't dare refuse!"
I mentally prepared myself for Richard to turn us away, planning to placate Mason afterward.
To my complete astonishment, when we arrived at a coffee shop near Blackwood Tower and Mason called Richard, he agreed to meet us.
Twenty minutes later, a black Bentley pulled up outside. My fingers instinctively tightened around my straw until it crumpled.
Richard's tall, elegant figure emerged from the car. Even from a distance, he commanded attention, his presence making the air feel charged with tension.
His eyes scanned the café and locked immediately on our table by the window. Mason appeared calm, sipping his water, while I could barely breathe.
Richard approached our table, his face expressionless. "What did you want to see me about?" He deliberately avoided looking at me.
Mason gestured casually to the empty chair that had been added to our table for two. "Have a seat, Mr. Blackwood. This won't take long."
I internally marveled at Mason's audacity.
To my utter amazement, Richard sat down without comment.