Chapter 98 The Plot Thickens
As soon as Zoe stepped out of the car, two bodyguards rushed up to clear the path ahead of her.
Suddenly, her phone rang sharply. She answered it casually.
She didn't say a word, but when she hung up, her face turned deathly pale, her feet seemingly rooted to the ground.
No, she couldn't panic. It was too late to leave now.
The bodyguards had already pushed the door open. Finally, she forced herself to step inside.
No matter what, she had to get through this on her own. Stay calm!
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out, "Zoe!"
"Ah, don't kill me! I don't know anything, nothing at all!" she screamed in terror, immediately crouching down and covering her face with both hands.
She let out a piercing shriek.
The two bodyguards immediately moved to protect her. "Miss Perez, don't be afraid. It's Mr. Harrison."
Zoe slowly moved her hands away. When she clearly saw the cold, imposing man before her, she rushed toward him with delight.
"Nicholas!" She threw her arms around his waist, her body trembling slightly, as if she'd been traumatized.
"What are you doing here? Do you know what this place is?"
Nicholas's expression was dark, his tone filled with accusation and hardness. His arms hung at his sides—he didn't embrace her back.
"I shouldn't have come!" Zoe looked up at him with crystalline eyes, her voice trembling. "This afternoon, I received an anonymous letter saying they'd caught the man who kidnapped me before. They asked me to come identify him, so I came."
"How did you end up here? Have you already caught him?"
She looked up at him, tightening her grip around his waist. Seeing his cold demeanor, she knew she needed to amp up her performance.
Just then, Tyler approached with two men carrying something behind him.
"Miss Perez, take a good look. Is this the man?"
Zoe turned her head. When she saw the emaciated, blood-covered figure, she screamed again in terror.
"Ah, what is that thing? Nicholas, make them take it away! I won't identify him anymore. Wah!"
She broke down in tears, trembling violently. She released her grip on his waist and nearly collapsed.
Nicholas instinctively reached out to catch her falling body, giving a subtle nod. The two bodyguards carried the body away.
Everything was going perfectly!
"This isn't a place you should be. Where's that letter?" His voice softened.
But he remained suspicious.
"At... home. Nicholas, please take me back. I'm scared. What if there are other accomplices at my house?"
Zoe's eyes brimmed with tears, looking utterly pitiful.
Nicholas looked at her. Even though his love for her had completely vanished without a trace, he still felt obligated to her. He couldn't let anything happen to her!
"I'll take you home." Nicholas helped her toward the exit. Before leaving, he told Tyler, "Take another look around. If you don't find anything, wrap it up!"
"Got it!"
Zoe leaned smugly against his chest, a glint of satisfaction flashing in her eyes as that day's events replayed in her mind.
Just as Dullon was about to assault her, the door had been kicked open.
Several dark figures rushed in swiftly, violently pulling Dullon off her. The sound of fists and feet connecting was dull and terrifying.
Dullon's screams came to an abrupt halt.
A tall, imposing figure slowly walked in against the light.
Zoe couldn't make out his expression, but that silhouette, that commanding presence—it was so familiar it made her heart race.
Matthew.
How could he be here?
The man walked up to her, his towering figure casting a shadow that completely enveloped her.
He removed his fine-quality suit jacket with elegant yet authoritative movements, personally draping it over her exposed body, covering the chaos of the room and her shattered dignity.
"Miss Perez, you've had quite a scare." His voice was low, carrying an oddly soothing power.
"Good thing I wasn't too late."
Zoe clutched the jacket's lapels tightly, her fingertips ice-cold, her body still trembling uncontrollably.
Still in shock, but completely confused.
She looked up at this enigmatic man before her. "Mr. Moore, how did you end up here?"
Matthew leisurely lit a cigarette, the crimson ember flickering in the darkness.
Through the swirling smoke, his gaze was unfathomable.
"Miss Perez, no need to be afraid." He exhaled a smoke ring. "We could be allies. Care to chat?"
Zoe's head snapped up, her eyes still wary, now tinged with coldness.
"Allies?" She laughed bitterly. "Mr. Moore, you jest. How could we possibly be allies?"
She bit her lip, stubbornly meeting his gaze.
"Don't think that just because you saved me, you can make me hurt Nicholas!"
Matthew chuckled at her words, as if he'd heard the most amusing joke.
Smoke escaped from his thin lips, blurring his handsome features.
"Hurt Nicholas?" He flicked his cigarette ash, his tone casual. "How could I let you hurt Nicholas? On the contrary, I can help you win him back."
Zoe wasn't stupid.
In a flash of insight, a name came to mind. "Because of Emma?"
Her tone carried understanding mixed with mockery. "Who would've thought there'd be a woman in this world that the great Mr. Moore couldn't handle. How fascinating!"
Matthew's smile faded slightly, his gaze sweeping over Dullon, who was still restrained and shouting nearby.
"What?" His voice wasn't raised, but it carried an icy penetrating power. "Is Miss Perez planning to stay here and have some fun with this gentleman?"
Zoe shuddered, the fear she'd just suppressed surging back.
Dullon's face terrified her.
It would be a nightmare she'd never escape.
"No!" The words tumbled out, her voice trembling. "I'll cooperate with you!"
Matthew nodded with satisfaction.
Then, together, they staged another perfect kidnapping scene.
All they had to do was wait for Nicholas to come play the hero!
No one knew that Dullon had been able to find Zoe so precisely, even knowing she'd be without bodyguards that night, because Matthew had deliberately leaked the information.
As for the real culprit, Dullon—he was locked in the deepest dungeon of this abandoned estate by Matthew's men.
In complete darkness.
Matthew placed a cold key in Zoe's hand, his tone flat.
"Miss Perez, this man is yours to do with as you please."
For her to enjoy at her leisure.
...
Night deepened.
In the upscale restaurant, crystal chandeliers cast brilliant light over exquisite dishes and fine wine.
Emma had no appetite, absently poking at the foie gras on her plate with her fork.
Matthew held his wine glass, his posture relaxed, his voice tinged with amusement. "What's wrong? Still brooding over that little company trouble?"
Emma looked up and rolled her eyes at him.
"You call a multi-billion dollar funding gap 'little trouble'? Matthew, how do you manage to eat well and sleep soundly?"
His devastatingly handsome face looked even more defined under the lighting. At her words, his lips curved into a meaningful smile.
"Just thinking about going back to Novaria with you in a few days makes all of this seem trivial."
Emma's hand holding the cutlery paused.
Something about that statement didn't sit right with her.
Matthew acted as if he hadn't noticed her reaction, raising his glass with a slight arch of his eyebrow. "What, planning to dump me the moment we get back to Novaria?"
"Of course not!" Emma immediately snapped back to attention, raising her glass to clink against his with a crisp chime. "Matthew, don't overthink it."
The wine went down smooth with a hint of sweetness.
Matthew set down his glass and added leisurely, "Though we might need to make a detour. Last week, someone spotted that guy in Novaria, but the latest intel says he's slipped away to Lumaria. So we'll make a stop in Lumaria first."
Emma's expression remained calm, her fingertips gently tracing the rim of her glass.
"Fine."
Her tone was light but carried an unshakeable determination.
"No matter where he runs to, this time we're reeling him in."
After dinner ended, Matthew predictably "had too much to drink."
Emma struggled to support him, the man's tall frame leaning almost entirely against her.
He seemed to deliberately control his weight—heavy enough to be convincing, but not so much that she'd collapse under it.
His handsome face was inches away, his breath warm with the essence of alcohol, brushing against her neck.
Those eyes, usually sharp and penetrating, were now hazy and languid, focused intently on Emma's profile with a tenderness that could melt steel.
In the distance, from inside a car, a pair of hawk-like eyes watched this scene unfold, fists clenched until the knuckles turned white.