Chapter 257 Be Buried with Me

Chapter 257 Be Buried with Me

Michael waited until everyone else had left before coming over and saying quietly, "Mr. Baker, the police have made progress. They've tracked down the source of the leak—a guy named Archer Stone who used to work in IT at Moore Corp."

"Is there enough evidence to arrest him?"

"Yes."

"Then arrest him."

The police moved quickly and found Archer's place that very evening.

But at the same time, they uncovered an even more important lead—Archer gave up Matthew.

The police rushed to Matthew's place overnight, but Matthew was already gone.

He'd gotten word ahead of time and fled with a few of his trusted men, whereabouts unknown.

When Alex heard the news, he just let out a cold laugh.

He could hide for now, but not forever.

Half a month later, Emily's treatment entered its final phase.

The neural connections in her brain that had been weakened by TMS began slowly recovering under the precise intervention of the expert team.

On the day she was discharged, Alex came to pick her up.

She stood at the hospital entrance, watching him get out of the car wearing a dark gray coat. He'd lost weight, his features were sharper, but the way he looked at her was still the same as before.

Emily looked at him and smiled. "I'm hungry. I want to eat your cooking."

Alex froze for a moment, then reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding her very, very tight.

"Okay." His voice was a bit hoarse. "I'll cook for you when we get home."

In the airport departure lounge, Emily sat in a chair holding a picture Eleanor had drawn.

The picture showed four people—a woman with long hair, a tall man, a little girl, and a baby stroller.

On the back of the picture, Eleanor had written in wobbly letters: Mommy come home soon.

Emily hugged her daughter tight, carefully folded the picture and put it in her bag, then got up to go through security.

She went to the restroom.

As she came out and walked to the sink, someone appeared behind her.

Matthew's face appeared in the mirror.

He'd lost a lot of weight, his cheekbones jutting out, his eyes bloodshot, his whole body giving off a crazy vibe.

Before Emily could speak, a cloth covered her nose and mouth.

Her hand grabbed at the air, then her whole body went limp and collapsed.

Matthew caught her, picked her up horizontally, and placed her in a wheelchair waiting outside.

The wheelchair was electric. He controlled the direction with one hand while holding the unconscious Emily with the other, exiting through a side door of the airport and getting into a van.

At the same time, outside Eleanor's school.

The nanny was waiting in the pickup area as usual, but when school let out, the teacher told her Eleanor had been picked up early by someone.

The nanny panicked and immediately called Alex.

Alex was in a company meeting when he got the call. When he stood up, his chair toppled over with a loud crash.

"Pull the security footage! Get all the footage from every school entrance!"

In the surveillance video, a man wearing a school security uniform crouched down in front of Eleanor and said a few words. Eleanor hesitated, then followed him.

The "security guard's" face was mostly hidden by his cap, his features unclear.

But Alex didn't need to see his face to know whose man it was.

His phone rang.

The caller ID showed an unknown number.

Alex answered and heard Matthew's voice.

"Alex, long time no see."

Alex's fingers tightened around the phone. "Matthew, if you dare touch a hair on their heads—"

"They're both in my hands, and you still dare threaten me?" Matthew cut him off, his voice flat. "I'm giving you an address. Come alone."

"If you don't come, or if you bring anyone with you, you'll only be able to collect their bodies."

The call ended.

Alex stared at the address displayed on his phone screen, a storm raging in his eyes.

But he only hesitated for a second before grabbing his car keys and rushing out of the office.

Matthew had chosen a location on a cliff by the sea.

By the time Alex arrived, the sky had darkened. Sea wind howled up from the cliff bottom, making his coat flap loudly.

Matthew stood at the edge of the cliff.

He sat in a wheelchair with a blanket over his legs. Emily and Eleanor were each held by a bodyguard at the cliff's edge, cloth stuffed in their mouths, hands and feet bound.

When Eleanor saw Alex, she struggled desperately, big tears streaming down her face.

Emily was relatively calm. She looked at Alex and shook her head hard, signaling him not to come closer.

Alex's gaze lingered on their faces for a second, then turned to Matthew. "I'm here. What do you want to let them go?"

Matthew tilted his head to look at him, a chilling smile on his face.

"I want you to make a choice," he said. "Between the two, you can only take one. The other will jump down with me as my burial companion."

The sea wind made his voice choppy, but every word was piercingly clear.

Alex stood still.

"Choose quickly." Matthew's voice suddenly became shrill. "Or I'll choose for you—take them both."

Emily shook her head desperately. She used all her strength to push the cloth out of her mouth and shouted hoarsely, "Choose Eleanor! Alex, choose Eleanor!"

Alex looked into her eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"Choose quickly!" Matthew's wheelchair slid a few inches toward the cliff edge. Loose stones rolled off the edge and fell into the sea without making a sound.

"Choose the child." Alex's voice seemed to squeeze out from between his teeth.

Matthew laughed.

He laughed happily, like a child who'd gotten a favorite toy.

"Good." He waved his hand, and the bodyguard pushed Eleanor toward Alex.

Eleanor threw herself into Alex's arms, crying and shaking all over.

"You're a good father," Matthew said. "Too bad you're a bastard husband."

He reached out and put his arm around Emily's waist.

The electric wheelchair suddenly accelerated, carrying both of them off the cliff edge.

Emily didn't scream. She just looked back at Alex once, her eyes showing not fear, but an indescribable calm.

Alex lunged to grab her hand. His fingertips touched her fingers, but only for an instant.

Then she fell from the cliff, disappearing with Matthew into the dark sea below.

Alex lay at the cliff edge, his arm still stretched out.

He opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.

Eleanor cried out for her mother in his arms, her voice scattered by the sea wind, dissolving into the cold air.

The rescue team arrived at the scene before dawn.

They searched the waters below the cliff for a full day and night.

Early the next morning, the rescue team found Matthew.

He'd been washed by the waves onto a reef beach several kilometers away, his body already mangled beyond recognition by the rocks.

His legs had already been disabled, so he couldn't swim after falling into the water. Combined with the freezing seawater and the undercurrents, he'd drowned within minutes of hitting the water.

But the rescue team didn't find Emily.