Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Now! Damien thought to himself—this was the signal that Liam and his team had made their move.

The instant darkness fell, Jacques and his men panicked. Shouts and curses erupted across the hall.

"What the hell happened? Why are the lights out!"

"Check the power! Now!"

Jacques's first instinct was to pull the trigger, but in the darkness, Damien had already anticipated his move. He dodged to the side and seized Jacques's wrist in one swift motion, twisting hard.

Crack—the sharp sound of bone breaking, followed by Jacques's agonized scream.

The gun clattered to the floor.

Damien kicked him squarely in the chest, sending him flying backward into a pillar. Jacques collapsed, unable to rise.

The entire sequence took less than two seconds.

Simultaneously, intense gunfire erupted around the estate, accompanied by Liam's battle cry penetrating the walls.

"Get inside! Protect Mr. Stuart!"

"Everyone drop your weapons or we shoot to kill!"

Already rattled by the sudden blackout, Jacques's men stood no chance against The Crimson Brotherhood's elite fighters. Under the surprise assault, they had no ability to fight back.

The entire estate descended into utter chaos.

Damien paid no attention to the pandemonium behind him. Using the faint dawn light filtering through the windows, he immediately spotted Beatrice by the pillar and the two panicked guards beside her.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He grabbed a fallen steel pipe and charged forward.

The two guards had barely raised their guns when Damien's pipe came crashing down. The first strike shattered one man's wrist, sending his gun flying. The second blow connected with his temple—he dropped like a stone.

As the other guard tried to swing his weapon around, Damien closed the distance and drove his elbow into the man's throat. A dull thud, and the guard collapsed, gasping for air.

In the blink of an eye, both guards were neutralized.

"Ms. Sinclair."

Damien rushed to Beatrice's side. Seeing her wrists raw and bloody from the ropes, a flicker of pain crossed his smoke-blue eyes.

He reached for the hemp rope, only to discover Beatrice had already cut through most of it with the glass shard. Only the final bit remained attached to the knot.

"Didn't expect Ms. Sinclair to have such quick thinking." Amusement colored Damien's voice.

Beatrice looked at the man before her, her heart pounding wildly.

Her eyes grew slightly moist. "Mr. Stuart..."

Damien cut her off, his fingers deftly untying the remaining rope. He asked quietly, "Can you walk?"

Beatrice flexed her numb wrists and nodded firmly. "Yes."

Though her entire body ached, her eyes held no trace of fear. She immediately straightened and stayed close to Damien's side.

At that moment, the kicked Jacques recovered his senses.

Watching his Fiery Cross—built over years—being torn apart, rage consumed him.

His gaze swept to Beatrice, and vicious intent flashed in his eyes.

That bitch—this is all her fault!

Jacques lurched to his feet, snatched up a fallen knife, and lunged at Beatrice like a madman.

"Damien! If I'm going down, I'm taking someone with me!"

Beatrice's pupils contracted. Before she could react, Damien had already spun around, shielding her completely with his body.

He caught Jacques's knife hand in an iron grip, his other hand forming a fist that crashed into Jacques's face.

Then he followed with a vicious kick.

Jacques's nose shattered instantly, blood spurting as he flew backward again.

Before he could rise, Liam and two men rushed over. Liam planted his boot on Jacques's back, pressing his gun to the back of his skull.

"Don't move! Move again and I'll blow your brains out!"

Pinned to the ground, Jacques could only hurl curses at Damien.

Damien looked down at Beatrice behind him. "Are you hurt? Did he get you?"

"I'm fine."

Beatrice shook her head, but her gaze fell on his abdomen. His shirt was completely soaked with blood, white gauze showing through, shockingly red. Her heart clenched. "Your wound..."

"Just a scratch."

Damien spoke casually, as if the torn wound meant nothing.

He swept his eyes across the hall. The fight was essentially over—Jacques's men were either dead or surrendering, their weapons down. The Crimson Brotherhood had completely seized control of the estate.

Liam hurried over, his face pale at the sight of Damien's bleeding abdomen. "Mr. Stuart! Your wound's opened again! I'll call the doctor immediately!"

"No need."

Damien waved him off, his tone brooking no argument. "Clean up the scene first. Secure Jacques and the rest. We'll handle everything else back at base.

Also, prepare a car. Take Ms. Sinclair back to her hotel in the city immediately."

"Yes, sir!" Liam responded at once, turning to make arrangements.

Only then did Damien look at Beatrice. Taking in her disheveled state—her swollen cheek, tangled hair, and injuries large and small—complex emotions flickered through his smoke-blue eyes before settling into a simple statement. "Let's go. I'll see you out."

Beatrice looked at him, a thousand words lodged in her throat, finally condensing into earnest gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. Stuart.

Today's events—they're all because of me. I've caused you trouble."

Damien raised an eyebrow, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "It was nothing."

"The underworld code—you don't harm family, and you never involve innocents. You got dragged into this because of me. Protecting you was my responsibility."

With that, he strode toward the estate gates. Beatrice quickly followed.

The moment they stepped outside, John came running like a madman.

Seeing Beatrice standing there safe, though battered, his eyes instantly reddened.

He rushed to her side but didn't dare touch her, afraid of hurting her injuries. His voice trembled. "Bea! Are you okay? Thank God! You're finally safe! I was terrified!"

"I'm fine, John."

Seeing the anxiety written across his face, warmth flooded Beatrice's heart. She shook her head gently.

John's gaze fell on her swollen cheek and the blood on her wrists. Towering fury surged in his eyes.

Remembering they were abroad, he forcibly suppressed it. He removed his jacket and carefully draped it over her shoulders, pulling her into a protective embrace. "As long as you're okay. Let's go back to the hotel. Right now."

He turned to Damien, his expression solemn, and bowed deeply. "Mr. Stuart, gratitude beyond words cannot express our debt."

"The favor you've done us today—the Williams family will never forget. Should you ever need anything from the Williams family, you need only ask. We will repay you with our lives if necessary."

Damien nodded faintly, his smoke-blue eyes sweeping over John's protective hold on Beatrice. An indiscernible emotion flickered in their depths. "No need. This place isn't safe. Luminous City won't be peaceful for a while. Leave Eldoria as soon as possible."

"I'll clean up this mess. No one else will be foolish enough to bother her again."