Chapter 169: No!!

Chapter 169: No!!
Third person

“Let's move, slowly,” Matt murmured in Valerie's ears, his hot breath fanning against her skin. His eyes were still locked onto Lucas—who was practically shooting daggers at Matt with his eyes.

"Matthew, please," Valerie whispered back, her voice trembling. "You don't have to do this. You can still let me go."

Matt's jaw tightened, his chest heaving with desperation and anger. "Do you really think I'm an idiot?" he hissed. "You want me to let you go? I should just allow you to run into his arms?" He questioned in a mocking tone.

“Drop your weapon and surrender,” the police announced again but neither Valerie nor Matt paid any attention. 

“Best believe if I do that, then I'll shoot you from behind before you get to him,” Matt added. The chilling sensation in his voice sent a shiver down Valerie's spine.

“Man to man,” Lucas began, his voice almost a growl. “What would it take for you to let her go? Anything at all… name it. Even if you don't want to spend a single day in jail for this crime, it can be arranged.”

Matt scoffed, pulling Val away slowly. “Man to man,” he replied, his voice dripping with contempt. “Fuck you! I want her and she's mine.”

Matthew's words had Lucas clenching his fists harder, the bulging veins in his temple visible. He grinded his teeth hard to suppress the urge to shoot the idiot.

Matthew released his hand on Valerie's hair and curled it around her neck instead. “Afterall, I knew her first.” He shot Lucas a smug smile. “So you're going to have to find someone else.”

Valerie shook her head vigorously, she doesn't even know where the courage came from. “Technically… Lucas knew me first. I met him even while I was married to Adam,” she supplied.

If Lucas wasn't boiling with anger and helplessness right now, he'd have smiled at her words. 

Matt frowned at Valerie, his hand clutching her neck tighter until Valerie's eyes turned red. Then he looked at Lucas, who seemed like he was about to eat him alive. “Remember what I said.” He smirked. “Move and I shoot her!”

Lucas clenched his fists tighter, his fingernails bruising his palm. “I swear I'll kill you with my bare hands!” 

"My sweet friend, Matt… He bowled with me, he always looked out for me,” Val whispered desperately. “Matt will never do this. I want my friend back.”

“That's a weak attempt at manipulation.” His reply was sharp, followed by laughter that sent another shiver down her spine. "Well you didn't want to date that sweet friend. Right now, he's someone else—A man in love who'll do whatever it takes to get his woman."

“Let her go,” Lucas started, his tone deeper.

“You must think that you're some sort of magician,” Matthew sneered.

“Let's fight man to man,” Lucas suggested, his voice surprisingly calm. “Whoever wins, gets the girl.”

Valerie’s eyes widened at Lucas's proposal.

Matthew's expression didn't change, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. For a moment, it seemed like he might be considering Lucas's offer. Then he chuckled dryly and looked around at the cops that filled the scene. “You think I'm stupid, don't you?”

“Yes, and a coward too,” Lucas stated flatly, his expression unreadable. “And you'd always be that abandoned kid. The one that couldn't stand up for himself, the one that was always bullied.”

“Shut up,” Matt snapped, his hand tightening on his gun. He exhaled sharply, how did Lucas know about the bullying? Anyway, he wasn't that boy anymore.

“Our son… He's alive,” Val shouted and then proceeded to make a careless move. She wasn't quite sure what she was thinking but she tried to wriggle her way out of Matthew's grip.

Lucas frowned in confusion at her words. “What's that?”

“Look,” Matt snapped in annoyance, his hold on her tightening. “I might not want to kill you, but if you pull that stunt again, I'd be forced to. And after you die, I'll make sure to send someone to finish your boy too.”

Dread coursed through her and tears slipped down her face. Something inside her understood that he wasn't bluffing, Matt had already proven to her that not every mad person walks on the street naked. Some of them work in Tech companies too.

Lucas couldn't make out what Valerie was trying to say and so he continued. Nothing was more important than saving her life. “It's no secret why you were tossed into an orphanage. That's where you belong.”

Matt frowned. “What?”

“You deserve to be alone and unloved.” Lucas scoffed, his eye dripping with disdain. “Turns out the Harrisons figured it out early and that's why they sent you away.”

Matt's fierce gaze narrowed, tears burning at the back of his eyes but he suppressed it by clenching his jaw so tight. “Are you trying to provoke me?”

"Just look at what you're doing to the only person who actually gave a shit about you.” Lucas glanced at Valerie briefly, another wave of anger washing through him when he saw her—eyes red from crying, sweat trickling down her face, mucus dripping from her nose.

"This is different," he chuckled, but Lucas could see the pain behind his eyes.

"Is it?” Lucas questioned. “Or that's what you told yourself. Who else cares about you? No one.” He paused for a moment, as if allowing Matthew to process his words before he continued. “You're completely unlovable. Even your real father ran away before you were born. It must suck a—”

"Shut the fuck up!" Matt interrupted sharply, the gun in his hand trembling.

At this point, Matt couldn't take it any longer. He'd kill Lucas first. He removed the gun from Valerie's head and then aimed. 

The deafening sound of a gunshot echoed through the air. Eyes wide with shock and parted lips was the reaction from almost everyone.

“No!!” Valerie screamed.