Chapter 130 The Night Before the Final Battle, The Last Supper
Emma frowned slightly and continued, "James, I'm not joking with you. He's been acting strange lately, his temperament has changed, he's become somewhat violent, and there's always a smell of blood in his room. I suspect he's injured, and he seems to have some self-harming tendencies."
"Okay, I got it. You'd better stay away from him so you don't get hurt by accident!"
James warned her seriously. It seemed he needed to speed things up and get the antidote ready quickly. Fortunately, he had the Seven-colored Flower as an ingredient, otherwise even God himself couldn't save Mr. West!
Mr. West was James's lifesaver. Being able to save his life would be a way to repay him.
"How could this be?" Emma was startled.
"Well, he has sexual dysfunction and is somewhat frustrated."
"James, are you kidding me?"
Was he just brushing her off like this? Although she only worked on formulas, she wasn't stupid.
"Don't overthink it, it's fine. In ten days, I'll come find you and bring him some strong supplements. Take care of yourself, and remember, stay as far away from him as possible." His tone was a bit rushed, clearly brushing her off. "Oh, it's time to feed Little Cloud, I gotta go."
The phone had already been hung up. Emma stared at the dial tone, spacing out for quite a while.
In the study, Nicholas quietly hung up the extension, his expression turning cold and stern.
That day James said he was poisoned. Although he didn't say what kind of poison, it definitely wasn't good news.
He had to endure for ten more days and wait for James to return. Once everything was settled, he would take her and leave Luminous City!
He didn't want to be this annoying Mr. West anymore!
......
In the downstairs hall, Tom was pacing anxiously. As soon as he saw Emma coming down the stairs, he hurried over.
"Emma!" Tom's expression was somewhat grave. "Elvin sent a message."
He handed over a tablet with just one sentence on it.
Emma looked at it, and her eyes suddenly darkened, becoming unfathomably deep.
"Got it." She spoke lightly, but her voice carried a trace of cold determination.
"Looks like it's time to settle this. Go prepare, we'll leave tomorrow."
"Okay." Tom nodded and left, getting in a car to go down the mountain.
A tense atmosphere filled the air.
At that moment, Nicholas came down the stairs, each step carrying an unhurried elegance, noble as a descending deity.
"Mr. West, good morning."
She went up to greet him, her eyes glancing at his right hand, which had several inconspicuous band-aids on it.
His gaze lingered on her neck. Good, the red marks had disappeared, otherwise he would have to kill himself in apology.
The two walked to the dining room and sat down together for breakfast. The atmosphere was a bit strange, as if they didn't know where to start a conversation.
Nicholas placed a pink donut on her plate and broke the silence first. "I'm sorry, I hurt you by mistake yesterday."
"Why did that happen? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
The light in his eyes dimmed. "Last night, I had a nightmare and lost control of my emotions for a moment. I apologize."
He apologized again, looking very sincere.
Emma didn't probe further. "As long as you're okay. Tonight, I'll cook a nice dinner for you myself, as thanks for all your help these past days."
His hand paused. "You're leaving?"
Emma smiled and said casually, "Yes, tomorrow I'm going to the city with Evelyn to look around. I'll be leaving Luminous City in a couple of days. James has been rescued, so I don't have anything else to do."
She made up an excuse, just not wanting to involve him in Elvin's matter—it was too dangerous.
He responded faintly without asking further, but he already had a plan in mind. He knew tomorrow was a big day!
......
In the afternoon, sunlight lazily spilled onto the lobby entrance.
Hawk walked in steadily, carrying Evelyn in his arms.
Evelyn in his arms had a weary look on her small face, clearly having endured quite a bit of "torment."
Soon after, Hawk came downstairs alone, ordered a nourishing lunch at the restaurant, packed it up himself, and brought it back to the room.
After that, the door never opened again.
In the afternoon, three groups of people came in succession, all looking hurried, and were led directly to Nicholas's study.
He seemed to be handling urgent matters, and the pressure around him had dropped a few notches.
Emma didn't dare disturb him. She just instructed the kitchen to prepare lunch and had someone quietly deliver it to the study door.
Then she threw herself into the kitchen, concentrating on preparing the dinner dishes.
Night fell and lights came on.
A lavish Western dinner was ready. The dining table was covered with a white tablecloth, and the fine tableware sparkled under the lights.
Emma specially went upstairs to change into an elegant, clean beige dress before gracefully coming downstairs.
Just then, Evelyn and Hawk also came down together.
Their fingers were intertwined, and the sweet atmosphere surrounding them was so thick it seemed to envelop the entire lobby.
Like a happy butterfly, Evelyn broke free from Hawk's hand, ran over to Emma, and whispered a few words in her ear.
Emma's face showed surprise, and she instinctively glanced at Hawk standing not far away, still upright and aloof.
She really hadn't expected their connection to be so wonderful.
"You two sit down first, I'll go get Mr. West." Emma said softly, about to turn around.
Before she finished speaking, Nicholas had already come down the stairs.
He was still in a dark suit, expressionless, walking straight to the head of the long dining table and naturally taking his seat, with an air of innate aloofness.
Emma clapped her hands lightly, and melodious music suddenly filled the air.
Then, a group of simply dressed women and children came in smiling. They were a bit shy, but more than that, they were happy. They soon gathered around the dessert station and buffet table, picking out their favorite foods.
The originally quiet scene suddenly became lively, filled with warmth.
Emma walked to Nicholas's side. "Mr. West, these are the family members of the hotel staff. I took the liberty of inviting them to join this dinner. I hope you don't mind."
Nicholas looked up, his gaze sweeping over those ordinary people with smiling faces, and said lightly, "Of course not."
Hearing the waves of laughter from over there, the tense line of his jaw seemed to soften a bit, his mood seemingly infected by that pure happiness.
A servant brought over a tray with decanted red wine.
Emma picked up a glass first, the wine-red liquid gently swaying in the glass.
"This first glass is for you, Mr. West." Her voice was clear and solemn. "Thank you for saving my life. If there's a chance in the future, I will definitely repay you."
At this moment, she only regarded him as Mr. West, someone she met by chance in Luminous City, not the high and mighty Nicholas.
This was their farewell dinner.
Tomorrow would be a life-or-death battle, perhaps with no return.
Evelyn also raised her glass toward Nicholas, with some apology on her face. "Mr. West, I was rude yesterday. Please be the bigger person and don't hold it against me. I'll drink first as an apology!"
With that, she tilted her head back and drained the red wine in one gulp, very boldly.
Emma picked up another glass and turned to Hawk. "This glass is for you, Mr. Zane, thank you for saving Evelyn."
Hawk's deep gaze fell on Evelyn, full of affection, then he nodded at Emma and drank the wine.
Setting down their glasses, the dinner officially began. Knives and forks clinked against porcelain plates, making pleasant sounds.
"Emma, this pan-seared veal is so delicious! This is definitely the best meal I've had since coming to Luminous City!"
Evelyn cut a small piece of steak and closed her eyes blissfully.
She picked up a piece and held it directly to Hawk's lips. "Open up, you try it too."
Without hesitation, Hawk opened his mouth and ate it, chewing carefully before nodding in agreement. "The taste is indeed good."
Nicholas sat at the head of the table, his eyes coldly sweeping over Hawk and Evelyn across from him, his emotions unreadable.
"By the way," Evelyn suddenly remembered something and spoke excitedly, "I heard that in Luminous City, there's a particularly cruel way of courting. A man will brand a unique mark on his body for the woman he loves. They say that through this blood ritual, his love for the woman becomes unforgettable, forever. Is that true?"
After speaking, she even nudged Hawk with her elbow.
Hawk quickly nodded in agreement: "That's right, there is such a tradition. But because it was too cruel and bloody, it was abolished long ago."
Evelyn's eyes rolled, and she looked at him mischievously: "Then do you dare to carve one for me?"
Hearing this, Hawk's expression instantly became incredibly serious. He gazed at Evelyn and said word by word: "If you like it, I'll carve 'Evelyn' on my arm."
Evelyn was amused by his serious manner and said triumphantly, "Nice try! If you're going to carve anything, it should be 'Hawk loves Evelyn forever and ever.'"
At these words, everyone present burst out laughing.
Hawk's face immediately darkened. If he carved that sentence on his arm, wouldn't he become a walking billboard?
Nicholas stared at Emma. She looked up, and their eyes met directly, sparks flying.
She quickly said, "Don't look at me, I don't like it. You don't need to carve anything!"
But he casually remarked, "Is the soup too salty?"
"Huh?" Emma picked up her bowl and drank most of it, but didn't find it salty at all.
The corner of his mouth lifted!
The dinner atmosphere was warm and harmonious!
But the forest in the southern part of Luminous City was already full of hidden dangers and murderous intent.
The top experts Elvin had gathered from around the world lurked like ghosts in every corner of the forest, determined to leave nothing to chance.
Tomorrow, Dr. N must not leave alive!
For four years, he had endured the bone-gnawing pain of the toxin day and night, every minute and second was torture.
It was time to settle this score!
Deep in the dark, damp dungeon.
Daryl's vision was pitch black, blindfolded, his hands and feet roughly bound, thrown in the cold corner like a broken sack.
Elvin sat in the corner, slowly wiping a sharp dagger with his fingers, the blade gleaming with a cold white light under the lamp.
More than a dozen burly, muscular team members sat around, tearing into roasted meat. The air was filled with the smell of meat and an unsettling metallic scent.
The heavy iron door was pushed open, and a tall, handsome man walked in.
He wore a well-tailored black trench coat, his steps steady, his eyes sharp.
Elvin immediately stood up, a rare smile appearing on his face, and hurried forward, giving the man a forceful hug.
"You're finally here!" Elvin's voice carried some excitement.
The man patted his back and nodded. The two appeared to have an extraordinary relationship.
At the same time.
The elite forces Nicholas had sent out had also quietly infiltrated the southern forest.
They had only one mission—before dawn, to eliminate one by one all the traps Elvin had carefully laid.
The night was their best cover.
Tomorrow's life-or-death battle was already imminent...