Chapter 123 The Servant Swings a Knife at Her Face
The next morning.
Emma opened her eyes, and the scene from last night instantly flooded her mind.
She and Mr. West had kissed? The moment this thought hit her, she sprang up from the bed like she had springs installed.
Her first reaction was to quickly check her body.
After a thorough examination, there were no signs of violation.
Emma let out a heavy sigh of relief and slumped back onto the bed.
Her heart was still pounding wildly.
Yesterday, she had also heard him say something about "husband."
What did he mean by that?
Could he be saying he'd bring Nicholas over to help her? What a joke! Emerald City was over thirty thousand kilometers away - even a rocket couldn't get here that fast.
She patted her face, trying to clear her head.
Mr. West really was a gentleman - he didn't take advantage of her drugged state to force himself on her.
It seemed Matthew was right - Mr. West was gay. He had absolutely no interest in women, and supposedly any woman foolish enough to approach him would get her hand chopped off.
She walked out onto the balcony. The view here was stunning. Skywater Peak was the highest mountain in Luminous City, so she could see the entire city.
Half the area glittered gold in the morning light, like a projection of heaven.
The other half remained shrouded in decay and gloom, like an abandoned hell.
Between them, a towering wall stood like a glaring wound, brutally separating two completely different worlds.
And at the cliff's edge, a solitary, upright figure had become a beautiful sight.
Mr. West stood with one hand in his pocket, talking on the phone. Sunlight reflected off his golden mask, emitting a soft glow.
The morning light outlined his tall figure - broad shoulders, narrow waist, a physique rivaling any male model.
Suddenly, she seemed to have another illusion - Mr. West really did resemble Nicholas.
Suddenly, a man walked over and hugged Mr. West. Mr. West patted his shoulder, and the two seemed very familiar with each other. Then they stood together at the cliff's edge, chatting about something.
Emma had a sudden realization - maybe that man was Mr. West's "girlfriend."
Before long, Emma walked in their direction.
As soon as the man saw Emma approaching, he made an excuse and left.
She spoke, "Mr. West, thank you for helping me yesterday."
The fake Mr. West - Nicholas - upon hearing this, his handsome eyebrows moved almost imperceptibly, his tone carrying an unnatural tension, "I didn't touch you."
"I know." Emma nodded, her expression calm. "I meant, thank you for finding the antidote for me."
Only then did he nod slightly in acknowledgment.
The wind at the cliff's edge was quite strong, blowing her soft hair.
Nicholas silently took off his coat - a black windbreaker of excellent quality, carrying his crisp scent - and naturally draped it over her shoulders.
"It's windy here," he said simply.
Emma felt the warmth from the coat and that faint, unique scent belonging to him, and didn't refuse his kindness.
Suddenly, her gaze was drawn to a cluster of purple flowers blooming brilliantly at the cliff's edge.
The color was vivid and eye-catching, a stunning sight in this somewhat desolate cliff area.
"Oh!" She let out a delighted exclamation, her feet moving uncontrollably toward them.
"Dangerous!" Nicholas was terrified, almost reflexively extending his long arm to pull her back, holding her tightly in his embrace, his tone carrying stern concern, "What are you trying to do?"
The man's warm chest left her a bit dazed, but her mind was entirely on those flowers.
Emma struggled in his arms, pointing at the cluster of unremarkable purple flowers on the ground, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.
"Do you know what this flower is? Seven-colored Flower! I never expected that after searching the whole world, it would be growing here!"
Her tone was full of surprise. That's right, this Seven-colored Flower was the same one the professor had brought to Emerald City for her before.
This plant was highly toxic yet could cure all poisons - absurd and incredibly precious!
As she spoke, she tried to break free from his arms to pick it herself.
"Don't move." But he said domineeringly, his arms tightening, not allowing any resistance.
Then he strode over to the cliff's edge with his long legs, bent down to pick a few of those purple Seven-colored Flowers, and placed them in her palm.
The flowers were delicate and small, their color truly rare.
Suddenly, he remembered - Professor Frank had brought this little flower to her before, at Matthew's dinner party.
Emma held the flowers, her eyebrows curved with happiness. Suddenly, she pinched off a petal and lightly put it in her mouth, tasting it carefully.
Nicholas's brows instantly furrowed, "Are you hungry? I'll take you to the restaurant. How can you eat flowers?"
This woman would worry him to death!
"This flower is highly toxic," Emma said casually, dropping a bombshell. "I'm just testing it."
Nicholas nearly had a heart attack hearing this, "It's poisonous and you're eating it? Are you crazy?"
He wanted to make her spit it out immediately. Was this woman trying to kill herself?
Emma burst out laughing, with a bit of mischief, "It's fine, fighting poison with poison. I have antibodies in my body, it can't hurt me."
She blinked and continued, "Before, when I was doing research, getting poisoned several times a day was routine. One time was even more ridiculous - I just smelled an unfamiliar flower, and my face swelled up like a pig's head. I was so ugly that James didn't recognize me and thought I was a thief trying to steal formulas!"
She spoke of past dangers so casually, as if telling jokes about someone else.
Nicholas listened to her words, first shocked, then the corners of his mouth lifted uncontrollably - he actually smiled.
His beloved Dr. N, she truly was a gift from heaven to humanity.
So interesting!
How had he never really gotten to know her before?
He raised his hand, gently brushing aside the hair blown across her cheek by the wind, his fingertips inadvertently touching her cool skin.
His eyes held endless tenderness - one look could make you sink into them, unable to escape.
Emma looked up at him, meeting his deep gaze, feeling a bit lost, her heartbeat skipping a beat.
Suddenly, a bodyguard walked over and whispered a few words in his ear. He nodded.
"Your friend has returned to the castle. I need to go out now. Can you wait here for me to come back? Don't leave on your own." He instructed seriously.
"Okay, I'll wait for you to come back." Emma nodded, surprisingly obedient.
He strode away and boarded a helicopter directly.
"This time, I'm going to blow his dog head off." His dark eyes carried a murderous air.
"Yes!" The team members on the aircraft responded loudly!
...
The small iron cage was freezing cold.
Evelyn curled up in the corner, hugging her arms, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.
Her stomach was painfully empty and burning.
She hadn't eaten for a day and night, feeling dizzy and seeing stars.
Those unbelievable truths from the video exploded in her mind, churning into chaos.
Five years ago.
That earth-shattering duel between Theo and Hawk.
Duke was still one of Hawk's men back then.
Her brother had struck first. One shot, right in Hawk's face, nearly killing him.
Then Duke, that lunatic, actually tried to die together with Theo, and they both rolled into the sea of fire.
In the end, both crawled out.
Now, Duke had captured her to force Theo to show himself!
To draw out Theo for a battle with Hawk, so he could profit from their fight and seize power.
The more Evelyn thought about it, the heavier her head felt, her eyelids heavy as lead.
If only Emma were here!
At this moment, Emma was in the study, completely focused on handling several freshly picked Seven-colored Flowers.
These flowers were very beautiful, but also poisonous.
Her fingertips gently rubbed a half-dried petal, which already felt somewhat hard.
This thing absolutely couldn't fall into enemy hands, or the consequences would be unthinkable.
There was a gentle knock on the study door.
A young girl in a servant's uniform walked in carrying a tray, with a professional smile on her face.
"Miss, Mr. West had oatmeal porridge made for you."
The girl's voice was soft as she gently placed the white porcelain bowl on the corner of the desk.
Emma's hand holding the petal paused, and she responded flatly, "Just leave it."
The servant acknowledged but didn't immediately leave.
When Emma looked up, a dagger came at her face with fierce momentum. "Go to hell!"
Her pupils shrank in terror, all her hair standing on end, her body instinctively trying to dodge backward.
With a loud crash, the servant who had been murderously attacking her was instantly kicked away by a powerful force.
The servant groaned, collapsed on the ground, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, clearly seriously injured.
Emma gasped heavily, still in shock, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.
Only then did she see clearly - standing in front of her was a tall, cool woman, the same woman who had helped her at Water Tower Warehouse before.
Unexpectedly, she had saved Emma again today.
Several bodyguards who heard the commotion rushed in. Seeing the scene in the study, their expressions changed.
"Take her away! Interrogate her thoroughly!" The lead bodyguard ordered sternly. Immediately someone stepped forward and dragged out the servant who could no longer get up, like dragging a dead dog.
Emma steadied herself, her chest still pounding, her voice still shaky, "Thank you."
The woman nodded, turned, and strode toward the door with her long legs.
Her movements were as swift as the wind.
Suddenly, someone shouted outside, "Someone come quick, Mr. West is injured!"
Emma rushed out at the sound.
Nicholas was pale, supported by two bodyguards as they entered.
Emma hurried forward, her face full of concern. "Mr. West, you're injured. Where are you hurt?"
"It's nothing, just a minor injury." He shook his head. Two more bodyguards walked in behind him, escorting an old man.
"Emma!" A weak but familiar voice called out. Emma turned around in surprise to see a kind face.
"James!" She ran over joyfully and hugged him. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, thanks to Mr. West who brought people to rescue me." James Lee looked relieved. This time was really too dangerous - he'd lost a pinky finger and nearly died in this godforsaken place.
A bodyguard shouted again, "Oh no, Mr. West has passed out!"
Emma's heart clenched! She didn't know that this injury would lead to their separation by life and death...