Chapter 257: Is This the Feeling of Heartbeat?
Neil felt pretty pleased with himself.
Watching Alexander and Catherine walk hand in hand up ahead made Neil happy.
This kind of deep mountain forest was perfect for developing feelings!
If a poisonous snake happened to pop out somewhere, Catherine could easily take care of it, and wouldn't Alexander be completely smitten with her?
What if a wild bear showed up and Catherine handled it? A beauty saving the hero - wouldn't Alexander be unable to leave Catherine's side after that?
Or if a wild boar came charging through and Catherine dealt with it, Alexander would definitely fall head over heels for her!
Neil had always known exactly what Catherine was capable of.
This slope in front of them - sure, most people couldn't climb it, but Catherine had been rock climbing with her bare hands since she was five years old.
Only this good-looking Alexander would think Catherine was some delicate woman!
Seeing that Alexander and Catherine didn't seem much different from their last visit, Neil felt anxious for them!
With Catherine around, finding Richard's whereabouts wouldn't be a problem.
If Catherine knew what Neil was thinking, she'd probably ask how he could be so spot-on.
Alexander held Catherine's hand with one of his, keeping her behind him as he watched the nearby bushes alertly.
Rustling sounds came from the grass, and at the edge of the bushes, they could faintly see traces of a snake moving.
"Watch out!"
This mountain village area had lots of snakes.
Not far from them, a small snake with a triangular-shaped head was flicking its tongue in their direction, its vertical pupils cold and threatening!
"It's okay, I can handle it."
Catherine wanted to say she had brought plenty of prepared powders with her.
Having lived in this mountain village for so many years, she knew all about what creatures appeared here and could handle them easily.
When she was little and her family was poor, Catherine would secretly come up here to catch poisonous snakes to sell for extra money.
But Alexander cut her off, blocking Catherine completely behind him as he pulled out a Swiss Army knife from his pocket.
"I'm here - there's no need for you to handle this!"
He, Alexander, didn't need his fiancée to face a poisonous snake alone while he just stood by watching!
"Then be careful."
"Don't worry, just give me a second!"
The snake flicked its tongue and slithered up quickly. In a flash, Alexander's hand grabbed the snake's weak spot, and his knife pierced through the snake's head, pinning it to the ground!
His movements were smooth and efficient, the muscles in his arm bulging as the snake's tail wrapped around Alexander's wrist before slowly going still.
Catherine looked at Alexander with something different in her eyes now.
Even in this situation, he didn't hesitate to shield her.
Alexander didn't notice Catherine's gaze. He quickly dealt with the snake, pulled out his knife, and continued forward holding Catherine's hand.
The Brown family's house was pretty run-down and Catherine found it quickly.
Pushing open the courtyard gate, Catherine immediately smelled a strong scent of blood!
Following the smell, Catherine spotted Richard and Sophia lying inside the house, both unconscious.
Calling out to them several times got no response, but after checking, she confirmed both had normal pulses and no wounds - they'd just passed out from inhaling too much ether.
Catherine breathed a slight sigh of relief. At least they were okay.
"Catherine, come look at this."
Outside in the yard, Alexander was crouched by a vegetable garden, waving her over.
After confirming Richard and Sophia were fine, Catherine walked over to Alexander and followed his gaze.
All the chickens and ducks in the garden were dead, and in the pool of blood lay a man covered in wounds, unconscious!
"Brent? So Richard and Sophia's situation really is connected to him."
Seeing Catherine about to walk into the garden, Alexander grabbed her hand and said gently, "I'll go. Don't get your hands dirty."
His tone sounded matter-of-fact as he walked into the garden without hesitation. After bending down to check Brent's breathing and pulse, he looked up. "He's still alive."
Catherine raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Thanks."
How did Alexander know she wanted to know about Brent's vital signs?
She and he really did seem to be in sync - even things she didn't need to say out loud, Alexander seemed to sense right away.
Alexander didn't rush to come out. His cold eyes fell on the unconscious Brent, flashing with some intense emotion Catherine couldn't quite read!
Alexander was tall, and even half-crouching there he stood out. With a half-dead man and a yard full of dead chickens and ducks in front of him, the scene looked oddly out of place.
Catherine had to ask.
"Alexander? What's wrong?"
Alexander's voice was a bit hoarse. "Catherine, I actually kind of envy this guy."
Envy who? Brent?
How could someone like Alexander, blessed with everything, need to envy some small-time troublemaker from a mountain village?
Alexander dusted off his hands and stood up, walking toward Catherine with the light behind him.
"He's known you since childhood, grew up with you. I'm actually a bit jealous!"
This was the first time Catherine had heard him be so honest!
Alexander stopped a few steps away from Catherine. "I've got blood on me - don't want to get you dirty. Stay back a bit."
She had blood on her too. When checking Richard and Sophia earlier, she'd gotten quite a bit of blood from the house on her hands.
Catherine stepped forward. "It's okay."
A layer of light fell across Alexander's face, and his gaze at Catherine held an almost unbelievable tenderness.
With the mountain village sunlight behind Alexander, the shadow falling in front of him enveloped Catherine, as if drawing her into his territory!
His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, looking rather attractive.
His voice was both seductive and husky. "Catherine, I really like you."
"If I'd known you when we were kids, I probably would've camped out at your doorstep every day."
Catherine looked up at Alexander. "But Grandpa Felix said you had girlfriends before."
Alexander froze, panic flashing in his eyes!
"That's a rumor - I never had a girlfriend. You're... my first love."
He had no idea what Felix was thinking, spreading rumors about him to Catherine!
If he scared Catherine away, Felix would have to deal with the consequences!
Seeing Alexander scrambling to explain, not daring to come closer because of the blood on his hands, Catherine couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm teasing you. Felix said your romantic history is blank."
Alexander said she was his first love.
As for Catherine, she still wasn't sure how she felt about Alexander!
But right now, with Alexander so close, she didn't feel put off. In fact, when his eyes burned into hers like that, Catherine felt her heart beat a little faster.
Was this feeling what it meant to be attracted to someone?