Chapter 3

Edwin's cold figure vanished into the woods without a trace. Clarence raised an eyebrow, glancing back toward the cabin before following after him with a shake of his head.

Inside the cabin, Ashley gently pressed her hand against Rusty's warm, velvety fur. That steady warmth and the quiet trust coming from the massive tiger were oddly comforting—it tugged away the shadow that had hung over her since being locked up.

"You wanna get out of here, don't you?" she murmured, leaning closer.

Rusty let out a soft whimper, rubbing his big head against her arm like he was trying to prove her right.

Ashley couldn't help but smile. For once, the icy look in her eyes melted a little, replaced by a spark of playfulness.

She pointed at the wooden door, locked tight from the outside, and mimed a charging motion.

"If you're serious, break it down."

The signal seemed loud and clear to Rusty. The moment his role switched from companion to protector, his whole demeanor shifted—gentle turned fierce in a second.

With a low growl, his muscles tensed like a coiled spring; then he stepped back to gather force and burst forward like a streak of white lightning.

"Bang!"

A deafening crack followed. The so-called sturdy door didn't stand a chance. Under Rusty's brute strength, it practically exploded, wood splinters flying everywhere.

Sunlight and fresh air poured into the musty space. The scent of grass and trees came rushing through like a wave, sweeping away the mildew and gloom.

Ashley took a deep breath, eyes brightening. It felt like the first breath of real air in ages.

She stepped out of her gloomy cage with Rusty right beside her, rubbing his head affectionately against her palm, like he was looking for praise.

"Good boy." Ashley scratched behind his ears, then looked around.

The King's family garden was way bigger than she ever imagined—pavilions, towers, blooming flowers everywhere, even a forest in the far distance. She had no clue where the borders ended.

She didn't remember the way she'd come in at all. Everything was quiet, just the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze and the occasional chirp from a bird.

"Rusty, do you know where to go?" she asked softly.

The tiger gently tugged at the sleeve of her wedding dress with his mouth, then started walking in a specific direction.

Ashley didn't resist—she followed.

Rusty moved fast, sure of where he was going. At times he even broke into a jog. Ashley grabbed at her long hem and ran with him, feet touching the sun-warmed grass.

Wind brushed over her face, lifting stray strands of hair. Beside her, a regal white tiger kept pace. For the first time in forever, freedom didn't feel like a fantasy. It was real—it was here.

...

Meanwhile, back at the main house—

Edwin stepped into the luxurious but chilly foyer, only for one of the maids to rush up in a panic. "Mr. Edwin! Something's wrong! Mrs. Eleanor's had another attack, and it's worse than the last time! Please come quickly!"

His expression changed in an instant. Skipping any questions, he bolted up the stairs like a shot toward his grandmother's room.

Clarence's usual laid-back smirk vanished. He followed, eyes grim.

Inside the lavish bedroom—thick with the overpowering scent of medicine—Eleanor lay on the bed, her body twitching in visible pain.

"Grandma!" Edwin rushed to her side, dropping to one knee and grabbing her icy hand, voice breaking with panic. "Hang in there, the doctor's on the way!"

He whipped around at the maid trailing behind and barked, voice cold and sharp, "Where's Dr. Brown?! I said call him!"

The maid nearly collapsed under his fury, voice trembling as her eyes filled with tears. "Dr. Brown left for a medical conference overseas yesterday... We can't reach him right now!"

"Then find someone else! I don't care how you do it—drag every top doctor in this damn city here if you have to!"

His fury exploded, veins throbbing at his temple. The whole room seemed to shake from the sheer volume of his shout.

"It's already been done," an older but slightly steadier butler replied with a trembling voice. "But those specialists saw Mrs. King's records and said... there's nothing they can do."

"Useless. Every damn one of them's useless!" Edwin's eyes turned savage, filled with murderous rage.

He gripped his grandmother's hand tightly, an overwhelming feeling of helplessness and fear gripping his chest like a vise.

And right in the middle of that chaos—

BOOM!

The door burst open with a deafening crash.

Everyone turned their heads in shock as Edwin's pet white tiger, Rusty, charged into the room. On its back, an utterly out-of-place bride in a ridiculous wedding dress was riding in like some scene out of a movie.

As soon as Ashley entered, still sitting on Rusty's back, her eyes locked onto the furious man beside the bed.

Their gazes met for a split second—Ashley's heart skipped a beat.

It was him!

The man from last night in the warehouse, the one poisoned and still had managed to steal her first kiss?

So this was the infamous cursed heir of the King family—Edwin?

Talk about a cliché twist of fate.

All the humiliation and rage from the night before came flooding back. Her racing mind tried to assess: Had he recognized her?

Edwin was clearly thrown off by Rusty and Ashley's bizarre entrance but quickly masked his surprise with growing suspicion and disgust.

"Who let you in here?" His voice was like ice, sharp enough to cut. The hostility in his tone made everyone freeze. "Get out. Now!"

Ashley caught the implied threat and instantly realized—he hadn't recognized her.

She breathed a quiet sigh of relief and was just about to turn around and leave when—

Eleanor suddenly convulsed violently and coughed up a mouthful of dark, sticky blood.

"Grandma!" Edwin's face turned white as a sheet. He frantically held onto her trembling frame and screamed at the shocked staff, "Why are you standing around?! Get a damn doctor!"

Ashley was a doctor. And there was no way she could ever ignore a patient crashing in front of her.

Without hesitation, she slid off Rusty's back and rushed to the bed, quickly examining Eleanor's face and lips.

This wasn't some common episode—this was a vascular blockage. Holding her like that, completely disrupting breathing? Death was imminent if not handled now.

She forcefully shoved Edwin aside.

Caught off guard, he stumbled back a step.

"Are you out of your mind?!"

He lunged and clamped a hand around her throat, his grip so tight it felt like her windpipe would snap.

Ashley's face flushed red. But she wasn't afraid—she stared him down, her eyes blazing, hands trying desperately to signal.

"What's she doing with her hands?" Edwin shouted irritably at an older maid who knew sign language, not letting go in the slightest.

Terrified, the maid stammered through the translation, "S-She says let go of Mrs. King. You can't hold her like that or... or she won't be able to breathe..."

"Nonsense!" Edwin didn't believe it for a second. His grip tightened even more.

Ashley's vision started to blur. Her lungs screamed for air.

Just then, Eleanor's body was wracked with another violent tremor—her life hanging by a thread.

Ashley, summoning the last bit of strength she had, made one last desperate set of gestures, eyes begging Edwin to understand.

The maid half sobbed, "Mr. Edwin... she says if you don't let go and lay her flat right now, it'll be too late!"

Edwin froze, staring at his grandmother's ashen face... then at the woman in front of him, whose eyes—despite suffocating—still burned with fire.

Those eyes...

His fingers slackened slightly without realizing it.

And in that split-second opening—

Ashley broke free, hands moving fast to demonstrate something.

The maid quickly translated, "The Lady says to lay Mrs. King flat for chest compressions!"

Edwin hesitated for only half a breath before shouting to the staff, "Do what she said! Lay grandma down!"