Chapter 220 Critical Moment

Chapter 220 Critical Moment

Scarlett approached Olivia, Celeste, and Molly step by step, gun raised, her eyes filled with madness and a sinister smile twisting her lips.

Olivia and Molly exchanged a glance, preparing to escape with Celeste.

But the moment they started to move, bullets hit the ground at their feet, frightening them into stillness.

"Don't even think about running, you three. This place is surrounded by woods—there's nowhere to go!"

Scarlett's voice was shrill and piercing, like an evil witch from a horror movie, sending chills down their spines.

Molly clutched Olivia's arm in terror, her body trembling uncontrollably. Olivia positioned herself protectively in front of Molly and the unconscious Celeste, her eyes warily fixed on the gun in Scarlett's hand.

Scarlett stopped in front of the three women, pointing her weapon at them with a cold laugh. "Celeste, do you remember? When I was a child, my entire family served the Howard family. My parents made me Matthew's playmate, but who would have thought that just touching me would trigger his allergic reactions to women."

She paused, her eyes growing even more vicious. "You pointed your finger right at my nose and called me an unlucky wretch, then had your husband banish my entire family from the country. Do you know how we suffered abroad? If my father hadn't been lucky enough to receive an investment and start a company, our whole family would have frozen to death on foreign streets."

Celeste lay on the ground, her consciousness still foggy. Hearing Scarlett's words, her eyelids fluttered as if trying to remember something, but she lacked the strength to respond.

Scarlett turned her gun toward Olivia, her eyes burning with jealousy. "And you, Olivia! What gives you the right to be with Matthew? I've loved him for so many years. For him, I worked to become the most famous actress, thinking that if I was good enough, he'd notice me. But what about you? You're just a pathetic creature who lost her mother and was cast out by your family. What makes you so special to Matthew?"

Scarlett's voice rose, tinged with tears. "Matthew is allergic to all women, except you. It's so unfair! Why do you get his love while I can only watch from afar, never even having a chance to get close to him?"

Olivia looked at Scarlett with particularly cold eyes, though her peripheral vision searched for an escape route.

"Feelings can't be forced. Matthew cares for me not because I'm exceptional, but because we're compatible. You can't hurt innocent people just because of this."

Olivia tried to reason with Scarlett, though she didn't expect to calm this madwoman down. She was buying time, at least until the police arrived to rescue them.

Scarlett burst into hysterical laughter, the sound filled with madness. "I think you're lying to me! You're just a bitch who stole my man and ruined all my efforts."

She turned the gun toward Molly, her eyes full of disdain. "As for you, Molly, you're just an idiot. You think being Mason's daughter makes you superior? You and your mother bullied Olivia, thinking you were so powerful, but you're just worthless!"

Molly broke into tears, hiding behind Olivia, not daring to make a sound.

Scarlett paced back and forth in front of the three women, gun raised, muttering constantly, "You all deserve to die! After I kill you three, I'll murder the rest of the Howard family—Matthew, Jacob, and Mason. I'll kill them all and make them pay for what they did to me!"

Her emotions grew increasingly agitated, her hands beginning to shake, the gun barrel moving back and forth between the three women.

Olivia knew she couldn't let Scarlett continue spiraling into madness. She took a deep breath and said to Scarlett, "Scarlett, calm down! I've heard about what happened back then. You mentioned your father unexpectedly received an investment—have you considered that this investment might actually have been compensation from the Howard family?"

Olivia was telling the truth. Matthew had once told her this story before bed. After Scarlett's family was exiled, Mason had secretly sent money to her father as compensation for their family.

"Don't lie to me."

Scarlett cut off Olivia's words, her eyes filled with resolve. "Stop trying to buy time. I'm going to shoot you all right now and escape before the police arrive. No one will suspect it was me—they'll think it was Stanley."

She raised her gun, aiming at Olivia, her finger slowly moving toward the trigger.

Olivia closed her eyes, thinking of Matthew, wondering if she'd ever see him again. Molly screamed in terror, clinging tightly to Olivia.

At this critical moment, a gunshot suddenly rang out from a distance.

Scarlett's body jerked violently. She looked down at her chest to see a flower of blood slowly blooming, staining her clothes red.

Her eyes filled with shock and unwillingness as she muttered, "How could this be? I haven't..."

Before she could finish speaking, Scarlett's body fell straight down, her gun clattering to the ground.

Both Olivia and Molly were stunned. They slowly opened their eyes, looking at Scarlett lying on the ground, then toward where the gunshot had come from, unsure who had fired.

Celeste lay on the ground, her consciousness slightly clearer. She looked at Scarlett's fallen form, then at Olivia and Molly, her eyes full of confusion.

From the distant woods, a figure slowly emerged, holding a gun. Olivia squinted, trying to see who it was, but because of the distance, she could only make out a blurry silhouette.

The person didn't approach, only stood in place, glanced in their direction, then turned and disappeared back into the woods.

Olivia and Molly looked at each other, both uncertain who had fired the shot. But they knew they were temporarily safe.

Olivia quickly crouched down to check Celeste's injuries. Celeste's shoulder was still bleeding, but her breathing was more stable than before.

"Mrs. Howard, hang in there a little longer. The police should arrive soon," Olivia said to Celeste, feeling relieved.

Molly gradually calmed down. She looked at Scarlett's fallen body, then at Olivia, whispering, "Who saved us just now?"

Olivia shook her head. "I don't know, but whoever it was, we owe them our thanks."

Meanwhile, in the distant woods, the shooter met up with his companion.

"That armed maid has been eliminated. But I don't understand why the boss gave such an order. Weren't we supposed to kill Olivia? Why did he change it to protecting her?"

These two were the Hades Website assassins who had previously planned to kill Olivia and Jasper at the gala.

But when they were preparing to go to the hospital to eliminate Jasper, they unexpectedly received orders from their leader to abandon the mission and instead protect them.

"Who knows? Maybe the boss discovered that Jasper is actually his illegitimate son."

The other assassin shrugged, making a joke. The two assassins looked at each other and burst into laughter before quickly leaving the woods. Soon after, the police arrived and successfully rescued Olivia and the others.