Chapter 281 The Outlaw’s Final Strike
Ever since Dione let her go, Elodie had been living in constant panic.
She knew Rufus's methods better than anyone.
Once he found her, she would die more miserably than anyone else.
So she cashed that large check and started a life on the run.
Until the eve of the wedding.
Elodie figured that Rufus's attention had to be entirely focused on Stefan and Cecilia's wedding by now, with no time to bother with a small fry like her.
This was the perfect chance for her to slip out of the country.
She bought a ticket to a neighboring country, put on a hat, mask, and sunglasses, wrapped herself up completely, then called a car to head to the airport.
The car drove smoothly along the highway toward the airport.
Elodie watched the scenery speeding past outside the window and finally felt a bit of relief.
Once she was on that plane, she would finally be safe.
However, just when she thought she was about to escape, the car suddenly slammed on the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road.
"Sir, what is wrong?" Elodie asked warily.
The driver did not answer. He just turned around and gave her an extremely creepy smile.
Smoke began to billow from the air vents.
A wave of dizziness hit her, and Elodie blacked out completely.
After what felt like a long time, she finally came to.
When she woke up again, she found herself in an abandoned warehouse, tied to a chair.
The iron door of the warehouse creaked open, and a thin figure walked in against the light.
Rufus had become terrifyingly gaunt, his eye sockets sunken, stubble all over his face. Only his eyes still burned with hellish madness.
"Rufus..." Elodie's teeth were chattering. "I was wrong... please, spare me."
"How could I bear to?" Rufus pulled at the corner of his mouth, crouched down, his cold fingers sliding across Elodie's cheek, his voice so soft it made her blood run cold.
"Didn’t you want to have my child? Didn't you want to be with me forever? How could I harm the mother of my child?"
"But I do have a request I would like to ask of you."
He took out a small bottle from his pocket and poured out a black pill.
"Don't you like setting timers?"
"This is a powerful nerve poison. In twelve hours, you will die in extreme pain. I am the only one who has the antidote."
"No... do not..." Elodie shook her head frantically.
Rufus grabbed her jaw and roughly shoved the pill into her mouth, then forced a bottle of water down her throat.
The pill slid into her stomach, and cold despair wrapped around her heart.
Rufus stood up and looked down at her from above, his eyes devoid of any human emotion.
"Tomorrow, at Amelia's wedding, I will arrange for you to get inside."
"And then you are going to kill Stefan for me."
Looking at Rufus's crazed expression, Elodie felt cold from head to toe.
Make her kill Stefan? Was he insane?
If she really laid a finger on Stefan at the wedding, she could forget about ever having another peaceful day in her life.
The Hensley family would absolutely make sure she could not even die in peace.
But if she did not go... she would die from the poison in twelve hours.
Either way, this was a death sentence. Rufus had not left her any way out at all.
"What? You do not want to?" Rufus saw her hesitation and sneered. "Too bad. You do not have a choice."
"I..." Elodie's lips trembled, unable to form a complete sentence.
Despair crashed over her like a tide.
She regretted everything.
She should never have gotten involved with this lunatic Rufus.
She had personally driven herself into a dead end.
Watching Elodie's face twist with fear and regret, Rufus showed no emotion whatsoever. Instead, he threw his head back and let out a maniacal laugh.
He had lost everything. He did not care about anything anymore.
If he was not going to have a good life, then no one else would either.
St. Light of Hope Church.
In stark contrast to the dark, decaying warehouse, this place was bright and holy, like heaven.
White roses and crystal chandeliers reflected each other's light, and the organ music was solemn and melodious.
In the bridal suite, Cecilia wore that starlit wedding dress and calmly looked at herself in the mirror.
The door opened, and Stefan walked in.
He wore a pure white suit, so handsome it was breathtaking. The moment he saw Cecilia, his eyes flashed with intense amazement and love.
"You... are so beautiful."
"You are very handsome too." Cecilia looked at him, smiling with her eyes curved.
Stefan held her hand. His palm was ice cold.
"Nervous?"
"A little." Cecilia did not pretend otherwise.
"Do not be afraid." Stefan gently pulled her into his arms. "I have got everything under control."
Cecilia leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and asked softly, "Will he... really come?"
"He will." Stefan's eyes turned cold. "I have already set up a tight net. As long as he dares to show up, he will not make it out."
The wedding march began.
Under everyone's gaze, Stefan held Cecilia's hand, walked down the red carpet, and finally stood at the altar.
The priest opened the Bible, and the solemn vows echoed through the church.
"Mr. Stefan Hensley, do you..."
At that moment, a discordant commotion rose from the back of the church.
A woman in a server's uniform, carrying a tray and keeping her head down, was moving quickly toward the altar.
At the altar, the priest had finished the vows.
"...do you?"
That "server" was now less than thirty feet from the couple onstage.
Stefan turned his head, gazed deeply at Cecilia, and even let a gentle smile appear at the corner of his lips.
"I do."
His voice was steady and strong, without the slightest hint that anything was wrong.
The priest then looked at Cecilia.
"Ms. Amelia Martinez, do you..."
However, just as Cecilia was about to speak, something unexpected happened.
That "server," who was actually Elodie, suddenly stopped in her tracks.
She raised her head, her face full of fear and despair, tears streaming down.
She looked at the radiant couple at the altar, then at the people scattered around the church who appeared to be guests but were actually plainclothes police and bodyguards.
Elodie knew perfectly well that she had no chance to strike.
The moment she made a move, she would be gunned down the very next second.
Either way, it was death.
Rather than kill someone she did not want to kill, then carry that infamy and have the Hensley family destroy her utterly even after she was gone...
She might as well... might as well do something that would let her face her own conscience.
A wild thought flashed through her mind.
Elodie used all her strength to scream one sentence to the entire church.
"Rufus is here!"