Chapter 185

Chapter 185

Seeing the face she'd longed for day and night, Emily's tears fell uncontrollably.

The overwhelming fear in her heart strangely subsided a little.

He really came!

Michael took in her pale face, the bloodstained bandage on her wrist, and her desperate, suicidal posture.

Instantly, his eyes flooded with earth-shattering rage!

He moved without hesitation, lunging forward.

"Stop!" Gilbert reacted lightning-fast. The moment Michael burst through the door, shock gave way to extreme savagery.

He roughly yanked the still-crying Katya behind him while his other hand whipped out a sharp surgical knife with blinding speed.

Gilbert stepped forward like an arrow, pressing the cold blade directly against Emily's carotid artery.

Emily never imagined Gilbert could move so quickly. In a split second, she had fallen into his grasp, becoming his hostage.

"Michael! Take one more step, and I'll slit her throat right here!" Gilbert's voice twisted slightly with excitement and madness as he held Emily hostage, dragging her away from the window to face off with Michael.

Emily felt the cold, sharp pain against her neck and instantly froze.

Michael halted, his eyes locked on Gilbert. His gaze was ice-cold, his words forced through clenched teeth. "Gilbert, let her go!"

"Let her go?" Gilbert laughed maniacally as if he'd heard a joke. "Michael, I really underestimated you! I set up all those distractions to throw the Wilson Group into chaos, to keep you too swamped to think straight. Yet you still managed to track this place down so damn quickly!"

Michael's lips curled into a cold, contemptuous smile, his tone carrying absolute dominance.

"You think those amateur moves of yours could stop me? Gilbert, you're giving yourself way too much credit. My people have this place surrounded inside and out. There's no way out for you. Release Emily now, and I might consider leaving your corpse in one piece!"

"My corpse?" Gilbert tightened his grip on the knife, the blade nearly breaking Emily's skin as his eyes turned vicious.

"Michael, cut the crap! Get me a car and five million in cash so we can walk. Otherwise, I'll take her to hell with me—and I mean every word!"

The tension instantly escalated, the air seemingly frozen.

Michael's gaze was like the sharpest blade, clashing violently with Gilbert's crazed stare.

Just then, Katya, terrified behind Gilbert, watched the standoff unfold—especially Michael's intimidating presence and the knife at Emily's throat.

She suddenly burst into tears, not the whiny crying from before, but full of genuine terror. "Daddy, I'm scared... Let's go, don't kill Mommy, I don't want Mommy to die..."

Her little hands clutched Gilbert's pant leg as she sobbed, trembling all over.

Images of her own mother's death flashed through her mind, overlapping with Emily before her.

Katya shook violently, clearly terrified beyond measure.

Emily fought through the stinging pain at her neck and the fear in her heart, seizing the opportunity to speak in the steadiest voice she could manage.

Her gaze turned to Katya behind Gilbert, her tone carrying a strange mix of reassurance and persuasion. "Gilbert, look at Katya. She's already lost her mother. Do you want her to lose youtoo? To become a true orphan?"

"You keep saying you love her, that you're doing all this for her, but if you die, what happens to her? Who will truly care for her? Can you bear to leave her all alone in this world to suffer?"

Her words were like a fine needle, precisely striking the deepest part of Gilbert's heart—perhaps the only remaining softness and concern he still possessed.

The hand holding Emily hostage trembled almost imperceptibly.

He was obsessive and crazy, but his love for Katya, though twisted, was real.

Michael caught this moment of hesitation and immediately applied pressure, his tone brooking no argument. "Gilbert, drop the knife! This is your last chance. For your daughter's sake, surrender!"

Gilbert's gaze darted between the trembling, crying Katya in his arms, Emily with her determined eyes despite the knife at her throat, and Michael standing immovable as a mountain before him.

The madness, resentment, and struggle on his face finally gave way to ashen resignation.

He knew he had no shot against Michael.

The sharp surgical knife finally slipped from his hand, hitting the cold floor with a crisp sound.

He had lost.

Almost the instant the knife hit the ground, the bodyguards behind Michael pounced like cheetahs, restraining the dejected Gilbert and handcuffing his arms behind his back.

Another quickly took the frightened Katya away.

Michael rushed forward in one stride, carefully embracing Emily, who had gone limp and nearly collapsed. "It's okay, Emily. I'm here."

His deep voice carried a barely detectable tremor as he repeated the words in her ear, desperately feeling her presence as if trying to absorb her into his very bones, never to be separated again.

Emily leaned against his solid, warm chest. Her tightly wound nerves instantly relaxed, and tears poured out like a broken dam.

All her fear, grievances, and despair found release and comfort in that moment.

Emily and Michael clung tightly to each other.

Meanwhile, Gilbert and Katya, along with Gilbert's men, were taken to the police station by Michael's people.

They would face the appropriate punishment for their crimes.

Michael didn't take matters into his own hands—simply sending them to the police allowed Gilbert to finally let go of his lingering fears.

These were his actions alone; his daughter Katya could still live on properly.

Katya cried heart-wrenchingly as she was taken to the police station to await arrangements, having no guardian.

Emily felt no compassion.

Her fondness and sympathy for Katya had long since been worn away.

Crisis averted, Michael immediately carried the weakened Emily away from the hospital filled with evil and fear, moving at top speed.

He took her directly to the Wilson Group's private hospital, known for its cutting-edge medical care.

The entire way, he held Emily's hand tightly. The fear and cherishment in his eyes left her speechless—she simply squeezed his hand back.

In the car heading to the hospital, Emily rested in Michael's arms, feeling his steady heartbeat as her suspended anxiety gradually settled back to earth.

She hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Michael's tense jawline and spoke softly, "Michael, there's something I need to tell you."