Chapter 43 Imprisoned
Chapter 43 Imprisoned
Nora was rushed to the emergency room as doctors and nurses hurried to help her.
She screamed in the hallway, voice hoarse and desperate, eyes wild.
"That's my husband!"
Lily rushed over to hug her, but Nora savagely bit her.
Nora writhed on the ward bed, shrieking and clawing, face streaked with tears.
Jack slipped out of the ward.
Just as he reached the door, he ran into Dennis.
"Dad?" Jack's heart sank.
"Wonderful! The ex married his sister-in-law. And now you're driving your sister to the brink of madness!" Dennis sneered.
Jack's face turned ashen.
Dennis patted him on the shoulder. "Keep up the good work. The Ward family will be in your hands sooner or later."
Lily emerged and demanded, "What does this have to do with my son? It was Raymond, the eldest son of the Riveras, who personally arranged it! Can you afford the consequences of offending the Riveras?"
"It's true that Raymond pushed this through. We were forced to accept it," Jack quickly explained.
"My mother has passed away. It's inappropriate to hold a wedding banquet now," Dennis continued.
Jack immediately replied, "I've already discussed this with the Riveras. They agreed to the engagement first, and they hope we could handle the funeral discreetly."
"That old woman's been crazy for years. She's been locked up in the backyard—how many people even remember her? Even if we held a grand funeral, no one would show up," Lily scoffed.
Jack frowned and sighed. "It's a shame the wedding has turned into an engagement party."
Dennis's lips curled into a sinister smile as he slowly said, "It is a shame."
Lily crossed her arms over her chest and asked coldly, "Now that the old lady is dead, no one can keep Ellie in check. If she runs away again, how are we going to explain it to the Riveras?"
"Isn't she already engaged? How can she run away?" Jack frowned.
"Then we'll just lock her up and keep her there," Dennis said coldly.
Lily's face darkened as she glared at Dennis with hatred. "Lock her up at the Rivera house! I refuse to have her in our place!"
"Matters concerning the Ward family are not for you to decide," Dennis said coldly.
"The Riveras are pressing us hard. Let's discuss Ellie's wedding dress first. She's covered in bruises right now." Jack quickly chimed in, changing the subject.
"Just have her wear long sleeves!" Lily waved her hand impatiently.
——
In a detached villa, Raymond was sitting on the sofa while a young woman was kneeling at his feet.
She swallowed something before standing up and leaving.
His gaze remained fixed on his phone.
It displayed a zoomed-in image of a painting that filled his eyes with awe.
KNOCK!
Someone knocked at the door.
Raymond turned off the screen, smoothed out his clothes, and said, "Come in."
The door swung open.
Bella walked in, wrinkling her nose.
"You've got a broken hand, and you're still messing around with women!" she complained.
"Bella, have you sorted out the arranged marriage yet?" Raymond asked with a smile.
Bella replied irritably, "The family spoils you too much!"
"I'm the heir of the Rivera family and your only brother!" He emphasized with a smile. "If they don't spoil me, who else will they spoil?"
"You're such a good-for-nothing! Are you going to be a layabout your whole life?" She frowned.
"What's wrong with that?" Raymond shrugged. "I don't have any ambitions. It's enough that you do."
Bella shot him a glance. "I hope you will feel that way forever. Don't try to fight me over the family fortune."
"I just want to marry Ellie!" he said eagerly. "The sooner, the better!"
"It's all taken care of! Mom and Dad took care of it personally. The engagement party is in two days. Satisfied now?"
"Didn't we say we'd just have a wedding reception and get married?" he asked, "How did it turn into an engagement?"
"Just a little hiccup. It doesn't matter. Once you're engaged, you can just take her away," she said impatiently. "But I'm warning you—don't call it off!"
"I definitely won't this time." Raymond waved his hand.
"You better not." Bella shot him a glance before leaving.
DING!
A message popped up.
Raymond tapped his phone to check it.
Bruce Powell: \[Raymond, I couldn't make it to the engagement, but you have to invite me to the wedding!\]
Raymond quickly replied: \[Don't worry, you've earned it!\]
He then opened a social media platform and clicked into a specific account.
The user was a student at the world-renowned Royal College of Art (RCA).
The account had posted many works, and a recent painting was absolutely stunning.
One of Raymond's friends, Bruce, recognized the person in the photo!
Upon learning it was Ellie, Raymond immediately sent someone over to propose a marriage alliance.
——
The next evening, the warehouse door swung open.
The servants walked in, took Ellie out.
After taking care of her, they locked her in a small room on the third floor.
Jack appeared, holding her white phone.
"Unlock it," he ordered.
Ellie simply ignored him.
He then grabbed her right hand and pressed it against the fingerprint unlock screen.
The screen lit up!
He began browsing through the phone, but he found nothing.
He then opened Ellie's social media feed and posted an engagement announcement in her name.
There must be something on this phone!
Could it be a dual-system setup?
Frowning, he grabbed her left hand, intending to unlock it.
CRACK!
Ellie suddenly grabbed a water glass from the table and smashed it against the surface.
The glass shattered into shards.
Without hesitation, she pressed her finger down, slicing her thumb and destroying her left fingerprint.
Blood dripped from her fingertip and pooled on the floor.
"Tell me the password! Hurry up!" Jack shouted.
Ellie picked up the shards of glass from the floor and swung them at him.
He pushed her away, sending her tumbling onto the bed.
"You're really stubborn! You'd rather die than give in!" He gritted his teeth in fury.
He then slammed the door open and shouted, "Butler! Band-Aids!"
The servants rushed in to bandage Ellie's wound.