Chapter 225 Mutual Destruction
When Harriet received the phone call, she was soaking in a hot spring spa.
"Chase has been kidnapped?" Harriet was shocked. "When did this happen?"
"Harriet, I'm sorry." Nolan's voice was hoarse. "I've done everything I could, but I still couldn't save Chase. I had no choice but to call you."
"Because they said they'll only release Chase if you bring Dr. Smith for the exchange."
Harriet suddenly realized, "It's Lark, isn't it?"
"To snatch Chase from my bodyguards without me being able to trace it - there aren't many people in Emberfall who could pull that off. The only ones I can think of are the Romanov family."
Harriet closed her eyes. "She went after Chase to get to me."
Tristan had protected the people around her who might be targeted by Lark, but Nolan had his own capabilities - Tristan wouldn't have counted him in.
She just never expected that Chase would be the one taken.
Harriet calmed herself down. "Mr. Johnson, Chase is in this mess because of me. I won't let anything happen to him. Don't worry, I'll bring him back."
"Harriet, they're only allowing you and Dr. Smith to go. Since we've guessed it's Lark, she must be planning to kill you."
"If I don't go, something will happen to Chase." Harriet had already made up her mind. "I won't let anyone else get hurt because of me."
"Tristan won't let you take this risk."
"Don't worry, I have my ways of making sure he can't stop me." Harriet asked, "Did they say when I need to go?"
"Tonight is the deadline."
"Got it."
Around 8 PM, Harriet drove toward the suburbs following the address Nolan had given her.
After about twenty minutes, two cars with their high beams on appeared ahead, and Harriet stopped.
She pulled Ondine, who was tied up, from the back seat.
A bodyguard immediately stepped forward to search her.
"Don't touch me!" Harriet said coldly. "If you dare mess with me, I'll leave right now! Lark has been dying to see me. If I walk away, let's see how you explain that to her!"
The two bodyguards exchanged glances. "How do we know you're not carrying weapons?"
"You have a detector, don't you? I'll check myself and show you."
Harriet took the detector and scanned herself from head to toe, proving she had no weapons.
The bodyguard added, "Hand over your phone."
Harriet took out her phone and threw it on the ground.
Only then did the bodyguards lead them to their car.
Throughout the ride, Harriet kept observing the outside. This area was already deserted, and the road conditions weren't great either.
There was no way this place would have surveillance coverage.
After about half an hour, the car finally stopped.
The two were taken out of the car. In front of them was a small wooden cabin, surrounded by armed mercenaries standing guard.
"Get inside!"
The two were forced into the cabin at gunpoint.
The cabin wasn't very big. Lark was sitting in a single armchair, while Chase was tied up hand and foot, lying on the floor nearby.
"Chase!" Harriet's heart jumped. "Lark, I've brought Dr. Smith. Let Chase go now!"
Lark gave a look to a nearby bodyguard, who immediately understood and brought Ondine over.
Lark personally untied her.
"Dr. Smith, you've been through a lot." Lark tore off the tape on Ondine's mouth. "Please sit and rest."
Ondine walked to the side.
Lark came before Harriet and laughed softly. "Harriet, your biggest weakness is being too soft-hearted. Chase isn't even your son - why do you care so much about him?"
"We don't need to discuss this." Harriet said coldly. "Dr. Smith is yours now. Let Chase and me go."
"Harriet, you're really naive!" Lark sneered. "You've fallen into my hands and you still think you can leave alive? That's just wishful thinking!"
"Let me tell you, tonight is the night you die!"
"But the night is long. Before you die, let's settle all the scores between us."
Harriet looked at her. "Looks like I really can't escape death tonight."
"So before I die, can you at least give me some answers? When you deliberately fell down the stairs and framed me for pushing you, did you actually injure your nerves or not?"
"Harriet, I said you were stupid and you really don't use your brain at all." Lark scoffed. "How could I be as unlucky as Gemma, getting paralyzed at the drop of a hat? Of course I was faking it."
"So Tristan's guess was right - you really were faking it." Harriet frowned. "To send me to prison, you were willing to sit in a wheelchair?"
"No choice - who told you to be so annoying?" Lark's eyes were full of poison. "Just thinking about you lying next to Tristan every night made me wish you would disappear immediately!"
"So of course I had to find a way to get rid of you. Prison was perfect - out of sight, out of mind, and you'd have a criminal record. For the rest of your life, you'd never be able to wash away that stain!"
"Just for a man - is he really that important to you?" Harriet couldn't understand. "He doesn't love you, so you should go after him. Why target women?"
"Without me, what if he falls in love with another woman? Will you keep targeting the next one?"
"Don't lecture me." Lark glared at her. "You're just a caregiver from the countryside - why should you be prettier than me? Why should you sit in the position that should be mine?"
"I just hate you, I want you dead. What can you do about it!"
"Harriet, don't act all high and mighty in front of me. Don't you hate me too? Don't you want to kill me with your own hands?"
"Of course I hate you, but before Rhea died, I only wanted to let the law deal with you." Harriet held back her tears. "Lark, you shouldn't have - you never should have killed Rhea."
"She was asking for it - who else is to blame?" Lark said coldly. "Besides, she was just a servant. She's dead, so what? Is it worth getting this worked up over? People who don't know better would think I killed your own mother!"
Harriet's hands clenched into tight fists. "Lark, you forced me to do this!"
"So what if I did? What can you do about it?" Lark laughed coldly. "Harriet, you said it yourself - you can't escape death now."
Lark took a knife from the bodyguard. "Tell me, where do you want me to start? Should I cut up that annoying face of yours first, or dig out your kidney and feed it to the dogs?"
Lark leaned close to Harriet's ear and lowered her voice. "Actually, I really want to start with your private parts. I'm curious why Tristan enjoys having sex with you so much. Is there something special about you?"
"Or before you die, should I let you have some fun first? I brought so many men anyway. If they take turns, that should be enough fun for you, right?"
Lark got more and more excited. "Yes! Let's do that!"
"I'm really curious - if Tristan finds out that tonight, his beautiful rose rotted in the mud, what will his reaction be?"
Harriet smiled. "Fine. Taking you down with me isn't hard, is it? I've enjoyed everything I needed to in this life anyway. But you - you haven't had enough good days yet, have you?"
Lark scoffed. "Take me down with you? With what?"
"With exactly what I have." Harriet looked at her. "Just because I can save lives doesn't mean I can't kill."
"Then tell me, how are you going to kill me?"
"As Mr. Jones's final and most important disciple, making some colorless, odorless poison isn't difficult. If you don't believe me," Harriet's gaze moved downward, "look at your hand."
Lark raised her hand, and the next second, her pupils suddenly contracted!
Her slender hand was starting to turn black, as if rotting, and it was beginning to hurt!
"What's happening!"
"It's a poison I made myself." Harriet smiled, but there was no warmth in her eyes, only bone-chilling coldness. "It'll seep through your skin, slowly penetrate your organs, and then your whole body will rot and die."
Lark said frantically, "Dr. Smith, come save me!"
In the distance, Ondine was helping Chase walk behind Harriet.
Lark suddenly realized. "Who are you?"
Harriet tore off the mask on Ondine's face, revealing Niamh's face.
Lark's face went pale with anger. "Harriet, you dare trick me!"
"How could I possibly send Dr. Smith to you to cure your illness?" Harriet sneered. "Lark, what you owe me, what you owe Rhea - it's time to pay up."
"Who says I need to pay!" Lark shouted angrily. "Harriet, if you dare kill me, the three of you won't leave here alive either!"
"Give me the antidote right now and return Ondine to me, or I'll kill Chase first!"
"I came here already prepared to die. Do you think I care about all that?" Harriet held Chase. "If we're all going to die here today, then what I owe him, I'll repay in the next life."
"Harriet, you really are heartless!" Lark said angrily. "He was kidnapped here because of you, and you don't care if he lives or dies? He's just a child!"
"You know he's a child! Yet to achieve your goals, you won't even spare a child!" Harriet said coldly. "But since Rhea died, I've learned one thing."
"To deal with someone like you, I have to be even more ruthless than you. So I'm going all in!"
"Actually, I just need to guard Dr. Smith and not let her treat you, and you'll die sooner or later anyway."
"But I can't wait anymore. I want to watch you die with my own eyes and avenge Rhea."
"I know you. You thought you had everything under control, so you'd definitely humiliate me in person. That's exactly why I had the chance to poison you."
"The poison was on Niamh. When you thought she was Dr. Smith and got close to her just now, you were already poisoned."