Chapter 88 : Take His Sister Home
It was a hospital, with people coming and going nonstop. Soon after they heard Nova’s loud voice, a small crowd gathered around them immediately. Most people would have expected Nigel to back off and save face, but he didn't hesitate at all.
Allison was still injured and could barely walk. Nigel dragged her straight to the ground. He didn't slow down. He just kept hauling her toward the main lobby.
Allison tried to scramble to her feet, but she was yanked down again. Nova chased after them, trying to help, but Sherrie grabbed her and held her back.
Then, Sherrie shouted loudly, “My sister has a mental illness! You people can't just believe her whenever you want. Show some respect!”
“That’s right!” Nigel added. “She’s family. She’s losing her sanity. Some lowlife man tricked her, and as her family, I’m taking her home!”
At that, the crowd that had been about to scold Nigel suddenly stopped.
“Wait, she’s mentally ill? No wonder she’s just letting herself be dragged away…”
“That tall girl might actually be the kidnapper. Didn’t the news just mention that mentally ill women are easy targets for this kind of thing?”
“These siblings are something else, so beautiful and kind-hearted. Even with her mental issues, they haven’t abandoned her.”
Sherrie wasn't strong enough to hold Nova for long, but when she saw the crowd turning away, she shouted again, “Everyone, help us hold down the kidnapper! Let my sister go home!”
Wanting to look heroic, the crowd quickly moved and pinned Nova down.
A few attention-seekers pulled out their phones to film this “beautiful moment of justice,” zooming Allison’s face. After all, the victim’s expression always drew the most clicks.
Dragged along the floor, Allison’s eyes went to Nova, trapped behind the crowd, then to the phone thrust in her face, recording her.
She couldn’t free herself. Defeated, she buried her face in her hair, trying to avoid being filmed any more than she already had.
However, she knew her full face had probably already made its way online. She was used to having her dignity stripped away.
But this time, Jareth might get dragged into it as well and be mocked for standing by her. The noise in the lobby became so loud that it drew Ronan’s attention.
He rolled over in his wheelchair. He glanced first at Allison being dragged along the floor, then shifted his eyes to Sherrie, noticing the red swelling on her face.
Ronan’s face darkened. “Who slapped you?”
Sherrie’s tears fell immediately. “It… it was Allison…”
Then she quickly shook her head and added, “But Ronan, I’m fine. Really. Don’t be angry. Allison has Jareth backing her now. She doesn’t even care about Nigel anymore…”
Ronan’s mood soured even more. Allison wasn't just ignoring Nigel now.
She had dared to slap Sherrie, which meant she didn't care about him either.
His voice turned cold as he ordered the men behind him. “Go help Mr. Nigel. Take his sister home.”
“Yes, sir!”
Two bodyguards moved quickly. They pulled Allison’s hands off the railing she clutched and lifted her up.
Nigel swiftly reached out and pressed the elevator button.
The doors slid open. Nigel was about to enter when he suddenly stopped.
A jet-black cane appeared in front of him.
In that brief, frozen moment, Jareth and Oliver walked out of the elevator.
Jareth’s eyes slid past the guilt written plainly on Nigel’s face. Only then did he seem to notice Allison, pinned between two bodyguards. She looked utterly worn down. After she was dragged away, her clothes hung loosely on her frame, and her tangled hair barely hid the fear trembling in her eyes. She looked like a terrified little fool.
Jareth’s lips tightened into a thin, rigid line. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded as if each word had been ground out between clenched teeth. “Some people really don’t value their lives, do they? You actually dared to lay a hand on her.”
The moment the words fell, a group of bodyguards rushed out from the crowd, surrounding them until there was no space left between them.
Bystanders who reacted too slowly and were still filming had their phones ripped away and crushed underfoot.
The air turned suffocating as more than a dozen bodyguards took their places. No one dared to speak. Jareth walked up to Nigel while keeping his intense stare fixed on him.
Nigel instinctively wanted to look away, but with so many eyes on him, he forced himself to look back into Jareth’s eyes.
He tried to stay composed as he talked. “Jareth, she isn’t married to you yet. As her brother, I have the right to take her home. That isn’t unreasonable, is it?”
Jareth let him finish. His eyes slowly narrowed, and instead of answering, a cold smirk curved his lips.
Nigel felt it immediately. The air around him seemed to change. The silence itself felt dangerous. Before he could react, Jareth swung his cane upward.
It fell slowly. Jareth caught it just below the handle, turned it smoothly, and drove the metal grip into Nigel’s abdomen.
Nigel made no sound despite the strong force driving toward him. He staggered back inwardly. He could feel the air slowly being taken from his lungs. Then he dropped to one knee, instinctively curling like a shrimp.
Jareth might have had trouble walking, but his arms were still as strong as ever.
That single strike carried the same force as Nigel’s kick to Allison. One blow for one blow.
“Nigel!” Sherrie cried out as she rushed to him.
Tears streamed down her face as she threw her arms out in front of Nigel, shielding him with her body. She sobbed, “Mr. Taylor, if hurting someone is how you stand up for your sister, then hit me instead. Just don’t hurt Nigel…”
She bit down on her lip, her eyes reddening as her whole body trembled like a fragile wildflower.
Ronan couldn't stand it any longer. He rolled his wheelchair up to her and growled, “Sherrie! Why are you begging him?”
Then he turned his glare on Jareth. “They’re brother and sister. A brother taking his sister home is perfectly reasonable. You’re interfering in something that has nothing to do with you.”
“Brother and sister?” Jareth scoffed and shot Ronan a sharp look. “And what proof do you have that they’re even related?”
Ronan stared at him as if he were stupid. “They share the same parents. Do you seriously think that needs proving?”
Jareth let out a low, dry chuckle. “Same parents, huh? Then why does he have a registered identity, but his ‘sister’ doesn’t? Maybe we should run a DNA test and see what comes up.”
The color drained from Nigel and Sherrie’s faces.
A DNA test? That would expose Sherrie’s lie to everyone.
Neither of them said a word. Jareth’s voice turned cold. “I pulled Allison out of the hands of human traffickers. She’s mine now. She's not your sister.”
He ran his thumb slowly along the handle of his cane, then a razor-sharp smirk appeared on his face. “I’ve said it before. I’m very protective of what belongs to me. Since you laid a hand on her, you can leave one behind.”
Everyone was startled, wondering if they’d heard him correctly. Even Allison stared at Jareth in shock.
He wanted Nigel’s hand?
Ronan lost his temper. “Have you lost your damn mind? This is a hospital!”