Chapter 327
With the icy blade of the dagger touching her neck, Heather instinctively flinched back. When she lowered her gaze to see the offending dagger, her breathing hitched.
She was someone who highly valued her life. To top it off, she also had people that she loved
“You won’t dare.” Heather narrowed her eyes, attempting to see how far Elise’s limits stretched.
Elise curved her lips up, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “You can try me.”
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Heather could see from Elise’s eyes that she had thrown all caution to the wind. In the end, Heather didn’t push her luck.
Elise knew a little about fighting in the first place. Now that she had a dagger, she had the upper hand completely. Once she had ascertained that Heather wouldn’t continue fighting, she finally moved on to the next step. “Get up,” she threatened. Still holding Heather, she turned to glance at the door. “And open the door,” she urged.
Heather obediently did as she was told, moving over to grab the handle. However, the door wouldn’t open. “It’s locked.”
“You better not be playing any tricks.” Elise actually didn’t believe her.
“If you don’t believe me, try it yourself.” Heather raised her arms in surrender. “You’re Matt’s only chance of turning the tables. You think he’ll let you escape so easily?”
Elise had enough of pointless blabbering. Matthew could come by any time now. She didn’t have much time to waste. Every second was precious.
“Turn around.” After getting Heather to stand with her back to her, Elise pointed the dagger at Heather’s back while she tried to open the door with her free hand. In the end, there was no miracle. No matter how much strength she poured in, the handle remained resolutely in place.
Heather smiled, pleased. “Matt’s going to come back soon. And before that happens, you better go back to the room, or I can’t guarantee what kind of treatment you’re going to receive otherwise,” she reminded.
Go back? Wouldn‘t that be waiting around like a sitting duck? Elise wouldn’t admit defeat
so easily. Thus, she put away her dagger and began to search for another escape route.
Heather, on the other hand, was no match for Elise. They both knew this fact deep down, so she didn’t escalate the situation any further.
Like she was watching a show, Heather coldly looked on as Elise searched from the kitchen all the way to the study with nothing to show for it. She once again mocked, “Stop wasting your time. This place is completely sealed off. There’s no other exit apart from that door.” In addition to that, that door was specially made. No blade was going to scratch that door, and axes wouldn’t be able to break it down. Other than getting its key to unlock it, there was no other way to get that door to open.
Elise returned to the living room once more and looked at Heather dejectedly, who was enjoying the show. These two are mad for constructing such a huge hidden space out of nowhere. Am I really never going to escape?
Just as Elise was about to fall into despair, Alexander’s familiar low voice sounded from outside. “Elise, are you in there?”
Elise’s eyes instantly lit up, and she whipped around. “I’m here! Alexander! I’m inside!” He found me. He really found me. She knew she could trust this man.
“Okay, got it. Don’t get overexcited.” Alexander unhurriedly calmed Elise before he continued in an unrushed manner, “I’m going inside now. Stand a little further away.”
“Sure.” Elise took a few steps back, leaving a few feet of distance between the door and herself.
The next moment, something could be heard smashing away at the door. One strike, two strikes… Elise could even feel the floorboards shaking, but there was absolutely no sign of the door opening.
Not long after that, the smashing sounds stopped. Elise heard Alexander again. “Elise, hide. Find a room or stay far away from the door. Can you do that?” He deliberately made his voice louder.
Elise glanced around before nodding at the door. “Yeah. Is the kitchen far enough?”
“Yes. Go and hide. I’ll go inside two minutes later for you.” Having said that, Alexander disappeared. Elise quickly headed to the kitchen and locked the door to wait for her rescue soon.
Heather sat unperturbed on the couch as though she had just heard the biggest joke
in her life, waiting for Alexander to once again hit another dead end. She had said before that the door would not be opening unless unlocked with its key.
The next moment, though, there was a loud crash as the wall across her suddenly crumbled. Immediately after, an SUV rushed at her. Heather quickly raised her arms in front to shield herself. With the piercing sound of brakes screeching, the SUV stopped just a hair’s breadth away from her. She barely escaped with her life.
Alexander opened the door of the vehicle and got out. Once he had determined the location of the kitchen, he quickly ran over and opened the door. The moment he saw Elise, all his defenses came crashing down, and he drew Elise into his arms without a care in the world. He held her tightly, wishing that he could have her permanently in his life.
“I’m here,” Alexander said, his voice choking up.
“I know.” Elise had never felt so safe before. “Thank you, Alexander.”
Alexander shook his head, his large hand moving up and down as he patted her fluffy hair. “Sorry I came too late.”
The sticky feeling he got when he touched her hand instantly made Alexander frown. That striking red on her hand when he looked down was like a knife, stabbing right into his heart.
“What happened? Did you get hurt?” Alexander’s heart hurt, but he didn’t dare to touch Elise, fearing that he would hurt her
Elise had already weathered through the worst of the pain. By now, the pain had numbed, so she didn’t really feel anything much. She smiled as she shook her head. “It’s nothing, just a small scratch. It’s no big deal.”
But Alexander wasn’t going to easily give up on this matter. This place was completely sealed off, and other than Elise and that other woman, there was no one else here. He knew very well just who the culprit was, and a chill instantly rose in his eyes. He lifted a hand and gently placed it on Elise’s shoulder. “Wait for me for a bit,” he soothed. Subsequently, his lips curved up. Although he was clearly smiling, the rest of his expression was filled with cruelty. Retrieving Elise’s dagger, he took a deep breath before he headed to the living room for Heather, who still hadn’t calmed down from the initial shock.
As Elise watched his departing figure, she instantly understood what he was going to do. She hastily ran after him and pulled on his sleeve to stop him. “This has nothing to do with her. I actually hurt my own hand.”
Alexander’s anger had reached its boiling point. He simply thought that Elise was making up excuses because she was softhearted. He didn’t listen to her.
Elise could seemingly see the embers of fury in Alexander’s eyes burn larger and faster; he was close to losing control. Realizing this, she was both delighted yet panicked. In her franticness, she grabbed the hand that Alexander held the dagger with, forgetting her own pain as she held on with both her hands. “It’s true—I wanted to hurt myself to make them take me to the hospital so that I would get a chance to escape. Alexander, are you going to kill because of me? If you end up in prison and this happens to me again, who’s going to look for me?!” She was práctically begging
now.
Having felt her warmth, Alexander instantly snapped out of his rage. Carefully, he held her face, her expression currently filled with both love and worry. “Don’t be scared. With me here, there won’t be a next time.”
With that, Alexander tossed a frigid look at Heather’s way before he turned to open the door of the SUV. Quietly, he carried Elise and helped her into the passenger seat before he moved over and got into the driver’s seat. Start the engine, get ready, back up. Done. His face was icy as he stepped on the gas, as though this was the only way that would make him feel like he wasn’t useless for not even being able to protect his beloved
