Chapter 4
One week later, the partnership between the Smith family and the Johnson family
over the coastal port business officially ended.
And I was leaving for good.
When I saw David again, he still wore that gentle, reassuring smile.
“Ashley, just give me a little more time,” he coaxed.
“I’ll make arrangements for Ann and the kid.
You’ve always been the one I love the most.”
I almost laughed out.
“David, am I really the one in charge of this deal?”
Ann’s voice suddenly sounded behind us, bright with surprise.
“But I just started learning how to handle these things.”
“Think of it as practice,” David said with a light chuckle.
I couldn’t even be bothered to argue about him using our families’ cooperation as Ann’s training ground.
The deal was already expiring anyway, and the Smith family had no intention of continuing our coastal port business with them.
I simply said, voice flat,
“Tell the soldiers to clear the area.”
The words had barely left my mouth
when bullets tore through the glass with a sharp crack.
I dodged on instinct.
My ankle twisted hard as I tried to move.
I didn’t dare rush around blindly, so I crawled behind the living room door to hide.
I was shaking with anger, but I forced myself to keep my voice low.
“Who did your clear work? If you pissed off the cops,
we’re all going to die here!”
“Damn it, it has to be that bastard again—he keeps coming after Ann.”
David’s frustrated voice came from behind the couch.
The moment the first bullet hit, he’d dragged Ann down and shielded her behind the sofa with him.
“David! Keep your voice down!
You’re going to give us away!” I hissed.
But his bloodshot eyes were locked on the direction of the gunfire.
“I’m going to kill him,” he growled.
David pulled the gun from the inside of his jacket and started forward.
Ann had already slipped back into the lounge area to hide.
I didn’t care about my ankle anymore. I grabbed David’s arm, my eyes burning.
“Wait for our people. Don’t be reckless.
If you want to die, don’t drag me down with you.”
“No. He has to pay.”
David didn’t listen.
The noise, the shouting, and the movement when he stood up
finally exposed our position.
I heard someone on the other side press a button.
I didn’t even have time to think.
The bomb’s countdown hit zero.
A rush of heat slammed into me.
The metallic taste of blood flooded my throat.
Luckily, the soldiers I’d brought in noticed something was wrong earlier.
They’d already sent an alert back to the Smith family for backup.
I woke up to the stinging smell of disinfectant.
The first sensation that hit me was pain—sharp, burning pain all over my body.
“Don’t move,” the doctor said calmly.
“You need rest. You’ve been in a coma for three days.
Your lungs were lacerated from the blast impact.
The ringing in your ears is normal. The good news is, your life’s not in danger anymore. You’re very lucky.”
The door to my room wasn’t fully closed.
From the room next door, Ann’s choked voice drifted over.
“How could you be so reckless with your life?”
David’s voice was weak but steady.
“He was coming for you.
If I don’t take him out, you’ll never be safe.”
“So, you just rushed forward like that?
Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?
You almost…”
“For you,” David said quietly,
“I can risk my life.”
Silence settled between them.
I could hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears,
each thud heavy and suffocating.
Then Ann spoke again.
“David, let’s get married.”
“I’ve realized I still… can’t let you go,” she whispered.
“You were willing to risk your life for me.
I want to marry you.”
“But what about your fiancée?” she added after a pause.
David’s voice was calm.
“Don’t worry. She won’t be a problem.
I just need to hold a fake wedding to trick her, that’s all.”
I lowered my gaze,
hiding the bitterness burning in my eyes.
Footsteps approached the door to my room.
I closed my eyes.
“Ashley?” David’s voice was right next to me.
“Are you awake?”
I kept my breathing slow and even.
I didn’t move.
A few seconds later, his footsteps retreated.
Once he was gone, I opened my eyes again.
