Chapter 126 Chapter 126
Benjamin stood frozen for a short moment. Under normal circumstances, he would have been tempted to strangle the woman. But he had to coax her into talking to keep her conscious now.
Gritting his teeth to suppress his rage, he softened his voice: "Your phone isn't on you. Once we get out, you can call him, okay?”
Instead, she let out a faint, derisive snort. "You're lying to me, Alex."
He abandoned all pretense of calm, gripping her chin tightly as he growled, "That's right. I am lying to you. Grace, where's your conscience? I risked my life to save you, and you're thinking about another man!”
“You saved me?” she sneered softly. “If it weren't for you, how would I have gotten into danger? If it weren't for you, I'd be living my life peacefully. How would I have ended up in this mess? Do I really need you risking your life to save me?"
His words caught in his throat. Stung and humiliated, he lowered his head to silence her. He tasted the fine grains of sand on her lips along with the faint metallic sweetness of blood. But he didn't care. His fingers pinched her jaw, tilting her head back, and his tongue slipped between her lips and teeth.
She tried to struggle, but the space was too confined, and she lacked the strength. She could only protest with muffled sounds and seize any chance to bite his lips and tongue, muttering curses like "Bastard!"
He didn't care. He released her after a long while, his forehead still pressed against hers. He murmured, "Grace, don't try to reason with me."
Grace's breathing was ragged; it was unclear whether it was from anger or exhaustion. She snorted coldly, her voice thick with hatred. "Alex, why didn't I smash you to death just now?"
Benjamin paused, then laughed. He tightened his hold on her, cupping her cheeks as he spoke. "Don't wish for my death, Grace. If I die, you won't live to leave this place either. They won't let you go.”
"I don't want to live either. I'll die with you," she replied coldly. "That way, whether it's my parents or Adrian, they'll finally be free. No more threats, no more persecution."
After she spoke, both fell silent. Voices above grew clearer—people chanting slogans and directing others to lift the floorboards.
"What a pity we can't die here together," Benjamin murmured, his voice tinged with faint weariness. He seemed to smile silently before continuing. "Having you accompany me on the road to hell...that's fine. I'm willing."
She didn't answer. Instead, she slowly leaned her head against his. He froze, then snapped back to reality. He quickly slapped her cheeks and called out urgently, "Grace? Grace?”
This time, she didn't respond.
Benjamin was genuinely panicking now, blurting out promises without thinking. “Grace, wake up! If you're okay, once we get out, I'll let you call Adrian. I'll let you see him. I'll take you to see your parents and help you get back to your old life! Grace, don't scare me like this. You haven't killed me yet, so how can you give up now? Grace, answer me. Answer me."
Grace felt like she heard it, yet it was as if she hadn't heard anything at all. She remained in a daze, unsure how long she had slept. When she finally came to, she found herself in a hospital.
The nurse at her bedside noticed she was awake and asked her questions in halting English.
Her response was sluggish. She struggled to open her mouth, but she couldn't make a sound. The nurse quickly left, and moments later, several medical staff rushed in.
They were just doing routine checks. Through the crowd, she spotted Benjamin. His upper body was bare, and his chest and back were wrapped in bandages. Several scabbed scratches marred the side of his face. He stood behind the crowd, watching her quietly.
As if drawn by an unseen force, she lifted the corners of her lips, revealing a faint smile. He visibly startled, then curved his own lips into a smile, too.
After a long while, the medical staff finally left the ward. With his hands in his pockets, he walked toward her bed and stood there looking down at her. "How are you feeling?" he asked.
She didn't answer. She just said, "Thank you."
He raised his eyebrows in surprise and chuckled softly. "Seems you're truly awake now. Not thinking about dying with me.”
She smiled faintly and pressed her lips together. After a moment, she asked, "Do you keep your promises?"
He froze, finally grasping her meaning. A flash of irritation crossed his face as he glared at her. "Ungrateful little thing."
She merely smiled back, echoing his own words. "You said not to reason with you. If we can't reason, what's the point of gratitude?"
He was stumped yet unwilling to concede. A fierce look crossed his face. "Grace, if you know I don't play by the rules, then don't provoke me. Otherwise, if you push me too far, I'll go after Adrian.”
"I just want to see him one last time. It's my only wish." She spoke calmly, her voice gentle. She turned her gaze out the window. After a moment of silence, she continued, "People have to leave the past behind and move forward. No matter how hard it is, I have to keep going."
He couldn't pinpoint the feeling in his heart. Was it relief or bitterness? He stood there, speechless.
She turned back to look at him, studying him from head to toe. "You're injured too?"
He had shielded her with his body when they fell, and his back was torn apart by shrapnel and debris. How could he possibly be unscathed? Her question stung, and he gave a cold snort. "No need to rejoice. I’m tough as nails. I won’t die.”
Grace didn't want to argue with him, so she changed the subject. “Where are we now?”
“Cancún,” he answered, adding, “The best hospital in Cancún.”
She hesitated, then asked, "How is Michael?"
Benjamin didn't expect her to ask about Michael. Yet, despite his surprise, a faint warmth touched his heart. After all, she was a softhearted person. He answered, "He's hurt worse than you are. He's still in intensive care. His life is saved, but he's got a rough road ahead.”
"What about Landon?" Grace asked naturally.
Benjamin didn't pick up on her subtle concern; his smile widened. "That kid got lucky. No injuries. He's staying with Danjo.”
Grace wanted to ask more questions, but she feared overwhelming Benjamin and arousing his suspicion. She held her tongue for a moment, then cautiously asked, "You really will take me to see Adrian?"
Her words shattered Benjamin's joy. He shot her a cold glare. If she hadn't looked so frail, he would have wanted to torment her again just to vent his frustration. "I will," he replied, adding, "But I must finish handling matters here first. I'll take you to see him."
Joy flashed in her eyes, but she quickly lowered her gaze, as if afraid he might see it. After a moment of silence, she suddenly said, "Benjamin, I don't want you to have much more to do with General Danjo."
He still harbored some resentment toward her. Hearing this, he tugged at the corner of his mouth and asked, "Why?"
She bit her lower lip lightly. "Those who touch poison lose their minds and become utterly depraved. Their crimes are unforgivable. I don't want you to become like that."
Her answer caught him off guard, leaving him momentarily stunned. Lifting her eyes to meet his, she held his gaze as she slowly said, "Can we please stop doing illegal things? Or at least try to do fewer of them? Doesn't the Norman family have plenty of legitimate businesses? Let's get into those instead, okay? Let's earn clean money.”
That "us" melted Benjamin's heart. He reached out to stroke her hair, then pressed his palm against her cheek and whispered, "Grace, I promise. But we have to take it slowly. This connection with Danjo is not something I can just sever."
The drug trade was lucrative, but breaking free wasn't so simple.
General Danjo needed the Norman family to launder his money. Even more crucially, he needed their funds to purchase weapons and ammunition to defend his territory. They were interdependent, growing together. If one side suddenly withdrew, it would only provoke the other's furious retaliation. Earlier, while Benjamin was steadily expanding Norman Science, he had been determined to sever all ties with figures like General Danjo. Unfortunately, he failed and nearly got killed by Danjo.
Therefore, whatever had to be done, it had to be done slowly.
Grace spent over ten days in a Cancun hospital. During that time, Benjamin left for three days without telling her where he was going. She assumed he had gone to see General Danjo again. On the day she was discharged, Benjamin had returned with Landon.
Michael's injuries were more severe, requiring him to stay in the hospital longer. However, Landon intended to stay behind permanently. Thus, only Benjamin and Grace were leaving. On the way to the airport, Landon asked Benjamin, smiling, "Benjamin, why not just go back to the country? Why Europe?"
Grace, unaware that they were heading to Europe, froze for a moment and instinctively turned to look at Benjamin.
His gaze met hers. With a faint, mocking twist of his lips, he replied, "Taking Ms. Hill there for a change of scenery. Incidentally, I'm taking her to meet her ex.”
Landon, convinced he had misheard, froze in confusion. After an "Ah?" of realization, he scrambled to cover his embarrassment with several nervous chuckles. Finally, he offered his sincere admiration: "Benjamin, you're really generous."