< Chapter 52: Blood on the…
+8 Points >
Chapter 52: Blood on the Rooftop
Chapter 52: Blood on the Rooftop
(Connor’s POV)
I raced after Olivia, my heart pounding with dread. Every second counted. Grace’s life hung in the balance, but I couldn’t let Olivia sacrifice herself.
Suddenly, a body collided with mine. Red wine splashed across my white shirt and suit jacket, the liquid spreading like blood.
“I’m so sorry, Alpha Connor!” A man with an apologetic smile blocked my path. “What
a terrible accident!”
I tried to step around him, but he shifted, maintaining his position directly in my way.
“Please, let me help clean that,” he insisted, reaching for my jacket.
My patience snapped. “Get out of my way!” I snarled, my voice dropping to a dangerous growl.
The stranger’s eyes widened at my tone. He finally stepped aside with a slight bow.
I didn’t waste another second on him, sprinting toward the elevator bank. My blood ran cold when I saw the floor indicator numbers rapidly climbing.
Nine… ten.
Too late. The elevator had already reached the rooftop.
A sudden suspicion made me whirl around, scanning the crowd for the wine–spilling stranger. He had vanished completely.
This was no accident. Someone had deliberately delayed me.
I punched the call button for the second elevator, cursing under my breath. Every second I wasted could cost Olivia her life.
Outside the manor’s side entrance, hidden in shadows, a black Audi idled silently. The man who had blocked me slipped into the driver’s seat, his apologetic demeanor completely gone.
“Brother Clayton, it’s done,” he reported crisply.
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< Chapter 52: Blood on the
In the back seat, Clayton Thornton nodded with languid satisfaction. “Let’s go.”
The driver hesitated. “Aren’t we waiting for Miss Reed?”
Clayton’s lips curled into a contemptuous sneer. “Brother Frederick only told us to help ruin the engagement party, not to ensure that foolish woman escapes unscathed. If we wait for her, none of us will get away tonight.”
Without another word, the car pulled away, melting into the darkness as they abandoned Vanessa to her fate.
(Olivia’s POV)
+3 Points >
The elevator doors slid open at the rooftop level. My heart hammered against my ribs
as I pushed open the heavy iron door..
Cold night wind whipped around me, tearing at my carefully styled hair and elegant
dress. The beautiful engagement gown that had made me feel like a princess now
felt like a cruel joke.
I spotted Grace immediately. My eight–year–old half–sister sat bound to a chair at the
very edge of the rooftop. Black duct tape sealed her mouth, thick ropes binding her
small limbs. Her eyes were wide with terror, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Behind her stood Vanessa Reed, her face twisted with hatred. A silver dagger
gleamed in her hand, pressed against Grace’s delicate throat. Two men in black stood
on either side, their expressions blank and menacing.
My stomach lurched at the sight. Just this morning, Grace had been spinning in circles, chanting about my engagement. Now she was a hostage, her innocent life
threatened because of me.
“Let my sister go,” I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. “I will do anything you
want.”
Vanessa’s eyes burned with a mixture of hatred and despair. “Come here,” she commanded. “Exchange yourself for her.”
Without hesitation, I stepped forward. Grace’s life was worth any risk to my own.
I moved slowly, careful not to provoke Vanessa into harming Grace. When I was just two meters away, a desperate shout broke the tension.
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“Livvy! Don’t go!”
Connor’s voice. He had made it to the rooftop, breathless and trembling with fear. Before I could react, he pulled me tightly into his arms.
“Don’t go,” he whispered, his voice quivering. “It’s too dangerous.”
+8 Points >
Vanessa’s face contorted as she watched us. Tears filled her eyes, spilling down her cheeks as she began to laugh–a high, broken sound that sent chills down my spine.
“Such enviable love, truly! Ha ha ha ha! Wonderful, wonderful!” Her laughter turned to sobs, then back to laughter again. “Why? Why is it you who has his love?”
In that moment, something in Vanessa snapped completely. With a primal scream, she lunged forward, silver dagger raised high, aiming for my back.
Everything happened in slow motion. Connor saw the blade coming but couldn’t push me away and counterattack in time. Instead, he twisted his body, placing himself between me and the dagger.
The silver blade sank deep into his waist.
Connor grunted in pain, his eyes widening as blood immediately darkened his
clothes. The red stain spread rapidly, far worse than the wine that had been spilled on him earlier.
Vanessa stumbled backward, her face a mask of horror at what she’d done. “No! Why? Connor, why do you care for her so much? You’re willing to die for her?!”
I stepped away from Connor’s embrace and looked down. The silver dagger was embedded in his waist, blood seeping around the wound. My face drained of all color.
“Con!” I cried out, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face.
The rooftop door burst open again. A squad of security personnel flooded the area, quickly subduing Vanessa’s guards. They rescued Grace and pinned Vanessa to the ground, wrenching the weapon from her hand.
I collapsed onto my knees beside Connor, sobbing as I clung to him. “I’m sorry… Con, I’m so sorry… It’s all my fault.”
My voice was hoarse, broken by guilt and grief. I had been so foolish. My plan had been to feign compliance, exchange myself for Grace, then find a chance to subdue
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< Chapter 52 Blood on the…
Vanessa. I believed I could handle her–she had no real combat skills, and I had
enough training to win.
+ Points >
But everything had happened too fast. I never expected Connor to arrive so quickly.
Never imagined Vanessa would be so desperate as to try to kill me outright. Never
dreamed Connor would shield me with his own body.
Self–reproach crushed me like a physical weight. I should have trusted Connor’s plan.
Should have waited for his security team instead of rushing in impulsively. If I hadn’t been so stubborn, he wouldn’t be lying here bleeding.
I would rather have taken the blade myself a thousand times over.
Hours later, I stood in the corridor outside the emergency room. A heavy silence had
descended upon everyone waiting there. Connor was inside undergoing emergency surgery, his life hanging by a thread.
The silver from the dagger made the wound particularly dangerous for a werewolf.
The doctors had been working for hours, but we had no updates yet.
Eleanor Rivers and Katherine Rivers stood nearby, their eyes red from crying. William
Rivers paced the corridor, his face a mask of controlled fury.
I leaned against the wall, my tears long since dried. My expression was hollow, my
spirit shattered by remorse and fear. The beautiful engagement gown I still wore was
now stained with Connor’s blood–a cruel reminder of how quickly joy had turned to
tragedy.
Grace had been safely escorted home by Natalie. The grand engagement ceremony
that was supposed to unite our families had been irrevocably ruined.
William Rivers stopped pacing, his face ashen with a mix of anger and disbelief. “How
could this happen? Wasn’t Vanessa supposed to be in the Western Territory? How did
she sneak back without us knowing?”
Frank Langley, Connor’s assistant, stepped forward. His normally composed face was
drawn with fatigue. “Sir, we just discovered that Miss Reed secretly met with
Frederick Warner in the US. It was Frederick Warner who helped her evade our
surveillance and return,”
At the mention of Frederick Warner, William was momentarily stunned. His face
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Chapter 52 Blood on the
drained of color, as though he’d seen a ghost.
+8 Points >
Katherine, who had been sobbing just seconds before, suddenly exploded with fury.
“Frederick Warner?!” she screamed, her composure shattering completely. “That bastard! That illegitimate son dares to strike at our family?!”
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