57

57
Chapter 57 

Lyon had barely loosened the last knot on Kathryn’s restraints when a slow, deliberate clap echoed through the room. The sound was smug, sharp, like a knife slicing through the air. 

“Well, well, well…” Wendy’s voice came from the doorway, sickly sweet and dripping with malice. Lyon’s head snapped up, and there she stood, leaning against the frame with a cruel smirk plastered across her face. Two enormous men flanked her, their broad shoulders filling the entryway like silent, unmovable walls. 

“I’ve been expecting you, Lyon,” Wendy purred, taking a slow step into the room, her heels clicking against the floor. Her confidence oozed from every step, every calculated motion. 

Lyon’s entire body stiffened. He rose to his feet, shielding Kathryn instinctively as if his presence alone could protect her. “Wendy…” His voice was low, strained, fighting the rage building in his chest. “Why are you doing this? What do you want?” 

Wendy’s smirk deepened as her eyes locked with his. “You think I owe you an answer?” she scoffed, her face hardening. “I don’t answer silly questions, Lyon.” 

Lyon took a step forward, his jaw clenched so tight it ached. “You think this is a game? I swear, Wendy, I will…” 

“Spare me the empty threats,” Wendy cut him off with a dismissive wave of her hand, her expression mocking. “You’re not in a position to promise anything.” 

She turned to the two men beside her and tilted her head slightly. That was all it took. Without a word, they moved toward Lyon. 

Lyon tensed immediately, stepping back to brace himself. “What are you doing, Wendy?” he demanded, his voice sharp, but the men ignored him. They were trained for this silent, focused, and relentless. 

“Stay back!” Lyon barked, his fists tightening, but it was too late. The first man lunged, grabbing his arm with a force that made Lyon stagger. The second followed quickly, wrenching Lyon’s other arm behind his back as he struggled. He fought hard, twisting, shoving, but their grip was like iron. 

“Get off me!” Lyon roared, his voice booming through the room, but his hands were pinned. One of the men twisted his arm hard enough to make his shoulder scream in protest. He grimaced, his face twisting with pain, but he didn’t stop thrashing. 

“Lyon!” Kathryn’s voice broke through the chaos, frantic and raw. She tried to move, but her legs were still weak from being bound. She collapsed back into the chair, tears streaming down her face as she looked at Wendy. “Please, Wendy… Please stop this!” 

Wendy turned her gaze to Kathryn, and her expression darkened into something colder, something dangerous. Her lips curled into a cruel smile as she crouched down to Kathryn’s level, her face just inches away. 

“Oh, darling…” Wendy cooed mockingly, her voice low. “This? This is just the start.” She tilted her head, her expression sharp and predatory as Kathryn flinched, tears spilling faster. “You think this is bad? You have no idea what’s coming next.” 

“Why?” Kathryn sobbed, her voice trembling. “Why are you doing this?” 

Lyon’s head jerked toward them, his chest heaving as he wrestled against the two men holding him. “Wendy!” he shouted, fury blazing in his eyes. “What did I ever do to you? What do you want from us?” 

Wendy turned slowly to face Lyon, her smile vanishing. The room grew deathly still, tension hanging thick in the air. 

“Why?” she repeated, her voice soft, dangerous. She took a step closer to Lyon, the heels of her shoes echoing ominously against the floor. “Oh, you’ll know soon enough. But for now…” She glanced at the men holding him. “Make sure he stays put.” 

The men yanked Lyon’s arms harder, forcing him down to his knees. Lyon groaned, his teeth gritted as he shot Wendy a glare filled with raw hatred. 

“Wendy,” Kathryn whimpered, still pleading through her sobs. “Please… don’t hurt him. Don’t hurt us. I’m begging you.” 

Wendy looked at Kathryn over her shoulder, her expression empty, almost bored, as if Kathryn’s pain didn’t register at all. “Begging won’t change a thing, sweetheart,” she said flatly, straightening her back. “You’ll learn that soon enough.” 

“I have a surprise for you, Lyon..” Wendy smirked, her eyes locking on Lyon's. 

Lyon's heart raced as Wendy’s smirk spread across her face. She clapped her hands twice, the sound cutting through the thick silence in the room. The door creaked open, and a man stepped in, dragging James with him. Lyon’s stomach dropped as he saw James, looking battered and struggling to break free from the man holding him. 

“You adopted James too?” Lyon asked, his voice sharper than he meant it to be. His eyes locked onto Wendy with disbelief, his hands itching to move but staying frozen at his sides. 

Wendy’s smile widened as she casually replied, “Yes, I did. What are you going to do about it?” Her tone was so casual, as if she were discussing something as simple as the weather. 

But Lyon could see it, this wasn’t just about James. It was about everything that had been ripped from him, everything Wendy had taken from his life. 

His mouth tightened, but he didn’t speak for a moment. His mind was racing with all the questions, all the things he could say. But there was no time for that now. 

“This is my game, Lyon,” Wendy continued, her voice low and venomous, laced with a sense of victory. “You never even saw it coming. You think you have control, that you can win, but you don’t. I own this. 

“Everything, your company, your life, everything belongs to me now.” 

Lyon’s jaw clenched. He couldn’t let her see how much her words stung. He couldn’t show her that she was getting to him. 

He stepped forward, his eyes hardening with every step. Still held back by the hefty men. “Let them go,” he demanded, his voice thick with intensity. “I’ll give you whatever you want. You can have anything. Just let them go.” 

Wendy’s smirk never faltered. She stood there, unimpressed by his offer, like she had already won. “I’m not a child, Lyon,” she said, as if his plea was beneath her. “You can’t bargain with me. I don’t need your deals or your empty promises. I’m past that.” 

Lyon’s hands balled into fists, his knuckles white. He couldn’t help the frustration that flared up inside him. Wendy wasn’t just playing a game, she was toying with him. And he hated it. He hated how helpless he felt in that moment. 

But there was no turning back now. He had to play along, had to stay calm. “You’ll regret this,” he said, more to himself than to her, but Wendy heard it. 

Her eyes got darker with something colder. "We'll see about that, Lyon." 

Wendy moved slowly, deliberately, pulling a gun from the back of her jeans with a chilling calmness. Her fingers slid over it as she checked the chamber, and then, with a brief puff of air, she blew lightly on the barrel. 

It was as if the weapon was an extension of herself, and the smile that tugged at her lips was anything but reassuring. It was twisted, full of malice, and it made Lyon’s stomach tighten. 

With a smirk, Wendy raised the gun, pointing it first at James, then to Kathryn. Her eyes as she swung the weapon back and forth between them, as though trying to decide who she’d destroy first. 

“James can prove your innocence, Lyon,” she sneered, her voice laced with cruel satisfaction. “He’s the key to clearing your name. You’d be free. You’d get everything back. Your empire. Your status.” She let the words hang in the air like poison before continuing, her eyes now narrowing as she turned to Kathryn. “And then there’s her. Kathryn. Your wife. And the mother of your child.” 

The weight of her words hit Lyon like a punch to the gut. He could feel the panic start to rise in his chest, a cold sweat breaking out across his skin. Kathryn, pregnant with their child... He couldn’t let anything happen to her. He couldn’t, he wouldn’t. 

Wendy’s voice cut through his thoughts, dripping with mockery. “Now, Lyon... choose.” 

Lyon’s heart raced. He could barely get his breath, each beat of his heart thundering in his ears. His gaze shot from James, still struggling against the men holding him down, to Kathryn, her eyes wide with terror, tears streaking her face. God, please, not her. 

“No. No, stop!” Lyon’s voice cracked as he struggled against the heavy men keeping him restrained. He tugged at his arms, desperation clear in his movements. “Please, Wendy... don’t do this.” 

But Wendy only grinned. It wasn’t a grin of victory. It wasn’t even a grin of satisfaction. It was a grin of someone who knew they had already won, someone who could play with people’s lives like they were nothing more than toys. 

“I’ll do anything,” Lyon begged, his voice raw with panic. “I’ll give you whatever you want. Just don’t hurt them.” 

Wendy didn’t respond. She simply watched him with an amused tilt of her head, as if his pleas were nothing more than an inconvenience to her plans. The gun swayed slightly in her grip. 

Her eyes never left his as she casually flicked the barrel with her finger, almost as if bored by the whole thing. “I’m not interested in bargaining with you, Lyon. You think this is a game? You think you can win me over with your pretty words?” Her smirk deepened, the edges of it turning darker with each passing second. “You don’t get to control this anymore. I’m in charge now.” 

Lyon’s heart dropped. He knew she was right. He was trapped. There was no escape. No leverage. Just a desperate, futile wish to save Kathryn and James, who were both at her mercy. But his words, his pleas, they meant nothing. Not to her. 

“Please,” he whispered, the words barely escaping his lips as the weight of the situation crushed him. “Let them go.” 

Wendy didn’t even flinch. She only looked at him, like a predator toying with its prey, as if savoring the moment. The gun still aimed at them, she stood there, taking it all in. 

“I told you, Lyon,” she said, her voice cold, final. “There’s no way out for you. Not anymore.” 

Wendy’s smirk was all too familiar, twisted, cold. She pulled out the gun from her back pocket with a slow, deliberate motion. Her eyes never left Lyon as she held it up. 

Lyon’s pulse raced, his heart thundering in his chest as he struggled against the two men holding him down. Sweat poured down his face. His hands were bound so tightly behind his back, he couldn’t feel his fingers anymore. His whole body was stiff with the urge to get to Kathryn. 

“Wendy, please,” he gasped. “Don’t do this.” 

Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction. She didn’t seem to care at all. 

“No,” she said, almost bored, but the gun stayed steady in her hand. “You’re the one who’s gonna have to make the choice, Lyon.” 

Lyon’s chest tightened, like the air had been sucked out of the room. He couldn’t think straight. His eyes flickered to Kathryn, still tied to the chair, her face pale, bloodshot from crying. 

He could hear the desperation in his own voice. “Please, Wendy. Let them go.” 

Wendy laughed, her voice cold and cutting. “Talk? Not with you.” 

Lyon’s eyes were fixed on Kathryn, his throat tightening as he saw the fear in her eyes. He could feel his heart breaking, but there was no time for that. No time for anything but to stop this nightmare. 

“Wendy, don’t hurt her, please...” His voice cracked. 

Wendy’s eyes narrowed, but her expression remained cold. She raised the gun, aiming it at Kathryn’s leg. Lyon’s whole body tensed, his voice rising. 

“No…..!” 

BANG! 

Wendy aimed at Kathryn's leg and shot her.