Chapter 183 It Depends on Your Performance

Chapter 183 It Depends on Your Performance

Just as the icy blade was about to touch Jocelyn's skin...

A muffled gunshot shattered the silence of the abandoned factory.

The bullet struck Nora's wrist with precision, the impact sending her reeling with a scream as the dagger flew from her grip and clattered to the ground.

"Ah! My hand!" Nora clutched her bleeding wrist, shrieking in terror.

The factory's iron door burst open. Raymond's imposing figure appeared in the doorway, followed by Jake and several well-trained former special forces operatives, all wielding pistols. They swiftly surrounded Nora and Brian, weapons trained on them.

Nora's face drained of color. She stared at Raymond in disbelief. "How... how is this possible? How did you find this place?"

Raymond's gaze swept past her, landing urgently on Jocelyn. Only when he confirmed she was unharmed did his tightly pressed lips relax slightly.

He stepped forward, his voice cold and commanding. "Nora, you've been playing me for a fool all these years. Feeling satisfied?"

Seeing Raymond's undisguised concern and anxiety for Jocelyn, the hatred and jealousy in Nora's heart burned even deeper.

She suddenly bent down, snatched up the fallen dagger, and lunged behind Jocelyn in one swift motion. The cold blade pressed against Jocelyn's throat as she screamed hysterically at Raymond, "Don't come any closer! Raymond, if you care about her so much, then get me a car—fully fueled—and let Brian and me leave! Otherwise, I'll take her down with me!"

The icy blade pressed against her carotid artery, yet Jocelyn remained remarkably calm.

"Don't hurt her!" Raymond's pupils constricted sharply at the sight of that blade, his heart nearly stopping. He immediately raised his hand, signaling those behind him not to make any sudden moves. His voice carried a barely perceptible tremor. "Nora, calm down! The car—I'll get you the car! Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. Just don't touch a single hair on her head!"

"Raymond, now you're worried?" Nora laughed maniacally, yet the pressure of her grip increased. The sharp blade drew a thin line of blood across Jocelyn's pale neck. "Since you care about her so much, I want you to experience what it's like to lose her!"

With that, she tensed her wrist, preparing to slice downward.

In a split second, Jocelyn—who had been waiting for this moment—moved.

She suddenly raised her hand, gripping Nora's knife-wielding wrist. Using the momentum, she spun around, driving her elbow hard into Nora's ribs.

Nora gasped in pain, her grip loosening. Jocelyn seized the opportunity, wresting the dagger away and reversing their positions. She pressed the handle into Nora's lower back.

"Don't move!" Jocelyn's command was ice-cold.

The tables had turned. Brian, seeing the situation deteriorate, completely abandoned Nora and bolted toward a nearby window.

But Jake was faster. He raised his weapon and fired, the shot striking Brian's calf with precision. Brian screamed and collapsed, immediately restrained by two operatives.

"You! You bitch!" Nora struggled wildly, her arms twisted behind her back by Jocelyn, screaming curses in fury and shock.

Jocelyn looked down at her coldly, then shoved her forward toward Raymond.

"Nora, you can't escape."

Then Jocelyn raised her hand, slowly removing what appeared to be an ordinary crystal button from her collar.

A slight smile curved her lips. "From the moment I was kidnapped, everything that happened here has been livestreamed to the police and major media outlets. Nora, not only you, but the entire Watson family will pay for what you've done today."

Nora's eyes widened, fixed on that tiny button as if seeing her own doom.

She opened her mouth, but her legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed to the ground.

The wail of sirens grew closer, piercing the silence above the abandoned factory.

Watching as police led Nora and Brian away, Jocelyn's taut nerves finally relaxed. Her legs weakened, and she swayed slightly.

The next second, a warm, solid embrace enfolded her.

"Jocelyn! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Raymond's voice trembled with the aftermath of terror.

He quickly examined her neck, and when he saw that thin line of blood, the pain in his eyes nearly overflowed.

Jocelyn instinctively tried to push him away. "I'm fine... Raymond, let go of me first."

He lowered his head, his voice hoarse and earnest. "Jocelyn, forgive me for my obliviousness six years ago. Forgive me for all these years of mistaken identity. After we married, I didn't know how to cherish you. I lived every day in a fog, thinking I was repaying a debt, but I threw you away with my own hands. Every single day since you left, I've lived with regret. I agreed to marry Nora because I confused gratitude with love. But I'm awake now—completely, utterly awake."

Hearing these words, Jocelyn stood frozen. "You..."

Before she could finish, Raymond's voice continued, "I want to marry you. I want to win you back. And it has nothing to do with gratitude—it's because for these six years, there's only been one person in my heart. You."

He released her, and under Jocelyn's astonished gaze, he dropped to one knee before her without hesitation.

He pulled a velvet box from his suit pocket and opened it. A dazzling diamond ring sparkled brilliantly under the dim factory lights.

"Jocelyn, marry me again. Give me a chance to spend the rest of my life making up for these six lost years."

Jocelyn stared at Raymond kneeling before her, at the sincerity and remorse in his eyes, then down at the ring.

She had thought that six years had eroded whatever feelings she'd had for Raymond.

But now, that long-dormant heart beat wildly, uncontrollably, because of his gesture and his words.

She knew she had never truly let him go.

Just as her mind swirled in confusion, uncertain how to respond, a crisp childish voice suddenly rang out behind her. "Daddy! Mommy!"

Jocelyn and Raymond turned simultaneously. Mia stood at the factory entrance, holding Simon's small hand.

Simon broke free from Mia's grasp and rushed toward them. He threw himself into Raymond's arms first, shouting "Daddy!" loudly.

Then he grabbed Jocelyn's hand, tilting his delicate face upward, his eyes brimming with hope. "Mommy, please say yes to Daddy! Simon wants Daddy and Mommy to be together—forever and ever!"

Jocelyn looked at Simon's expectant eyes, then at the tension and hope in Raymond's gaze.

She lowered her head, slowly extending her hand. Her fingertips lightly touched the cool diamond ring.

"I'll consider it," Jocelyn raised her head, meeting Raymond's eyes. The corner of her mouth finally curved into an almost imperceptible smile. "But it depends on your performance."

Raymond froze for a moment, then joy flooded through him.

He surged to his feet and pulled both Jocelyn and Simon into a tight embrace, as if holding his entire world—lost and finally found again.

He knew their days together stretched ahead, and he would forever cherish this hard-won warmth, and the woman he loved.