Chapter 8 I Must Wrong You, Gideon

A thin line of blood welled up on the man's neck.

"Don't move." Adeline's voice cut through the air like ice, right beside his ear.

The man froze. "You—"

"I said, don't move." Adeline pressed the blade in a little further.

The edge bit deeper. Blood trickled down his neck. The man panicked. He spun and shouted at his two stunned henchmen.

"What are you standing there for? Put her designs down!"

Both men stepped forward. They set the blueprints back on the table.

"That includes the one you're holding." Adeline's eyes shifted to the third man.

He didn't hesitate. The drawing was down in seconds.

"Good." Adeline gave a slight nod. "Now. Everyone, hands up."

The three men exchanged glances. The one with the blade at his throat moved first. He raised his hands with painstaking care. He was terrified that even the slightest twitch might drive the edge deeper into his neck.

The other two hesitated for a moment. Then they slowly raised their hands as well.

"Three steps back. Against the wall."

They complied instantly.

Only then did Adeline shift her attention back to the man she had in her grip.

"Talk. Who sent you?"

The man's expression wavered. He said nothing.

Adeline flexed her wrist slightly. The blade nicked just a fraction deeper.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" he blurted out. "It was Gideon!"

"He sent us to teach you a lesson. Said you've been going after Vivian. Told us to destroy all your designs, and also... also..."

"Also what?"

"Also to break your right hand. So you'd never be able to do design work again."

Adeline let out a cold laugh. "Gideon gave that order himself?"

"Yes! Straight from his mouth!" Feeling the pressure at his throat intensify, the man rushed to add, "He's downstairs in the car right now, waiting for us to finish and report back!"

Adeline was quiet for a few seconds. A sharp smile curled at the corner of her mouth.

"Good."

She suddenly raised her foot. She drove it hard into the back of the man's knee.

His legs buckled. He pitched forward. Adeline caught his right arm. She wrenched it backward in one clean motion.

A crisp crack split the air.

"Aaagh!"

The man screamed. He stared down in shock at his arm. It was bent at an angle it was never meant to bend. The bone had snapped clean.

Adeline moved quickly. She crouched. She pulled a black pistol from the holster at his waist. She kicked it spinning across the floor to the far wall.

The other two men finally snapped out of their daze. They charged at her together.

The one on the left swung a punch straight at her face. The one on the right lunged for the wrist holding the knife.

Adeline slipped sideways to dodge the punch. She drove her left elbow hard into the ribs of the man on the left. At the same time, she flipped the blade in her right hand. She cracked the flat of it across the right man's wrist. The pain made him yelp. He ripped his hand back.

She followed with a kick. It landed square in his chest. He flew backward. He crashed to the floor. He couldn't get up.

The man with the broken ribs curled on the ground. He rolled back and forth with both hands pressed to his chest. His face was white as a sheet. He was too far gone to even cry out.

In barely ten seconds, all three intruders were down.

Adeline looked at the men groaning on the floor. "So this is what Gideon's people are made of."

Every fighting technique she knew came from the orphanage. Nothing elite. But enough to hold her own and hit back. In her last life, she'd been caught completely off guard. That was how Gideon had gotten the upper hand. She'd been outnumbered, beaten up, and hauled off to the hospital.

This time, that wasn't going to happen.

"Run along and tell your master. If he ever aims to ruin anyone again, he'd better size up his own sad little strength first."

The man on the floor trembled. He couldn't get a single word out.

Then came the sound of hurried footsteps in the hallway.

A heavy bang. The apartment door was kicked open.

Adeline turned. Gideon stood in the doorway. His face was a picture of pure shock.

He'd heard something wrong through his earpiece and rushed straight up. But he had never expected to find all his men flat on the ground.

His eyes landed on the blood-smeared knife in Adeline's hand. His stomach dropped. He swallowed hard. He took two steps back.

"Adeline, you—"

"Gideon. You made it." A slow, sweet smile spread across Adeline's face.

It sent a chill straight through him. He spun around. He bolted for the door. But before he could take another step, Adeline was already moving. She grabbed him by the hair. She yanked him back.

Gideon hit the floor hard. He howled in pain. "Let go of me! I'm calling the police!"

Adeline's smile didn't waver. She brought the blade slowly toward his throat. "Pardon me, Gideon."

The noise from inside the apartment had been loud enough to draw the neighbors. The door hadn't latched shut. Someone worked up the nerve to push it open a crack. A scream tore out of them.

"Someone's hurt in there!"

The other neighbors crowded in to look. Four men were sprawled across the floor in various states. One of them, dressed in a tailored suit and looking like someone who mattered, was on his knees with blood running down his shins.

Adeline slowly turned her head. Her face was streaked with spattered blood. The knife was still in her hand.

She smiled pleasantly. "Good evening."

The neighbors stumbled backward. Phones were already out. They were dialing the police.

Helen was shaken awake in the middle of the night by one of the household staff. They told her that Gideon had been in an incident. He was already at the hospital in emergency surgery.

She didn't stop to change out of her nightgown. She ran straight out the door.

Vivian followed close behind. She did her best to calm Helen the whole way there. Tears filled her own eyes.

By the time they reached the hospital, the operating room doors were just swinging open.

The surgeon pulled down his mask. His expression was serious. "The patient has a ruptured Achilles tendon in his right foot. We've completed emergency suturing. But he'll need long-term rehabilitation. A full recovery isn't guaranteed yet."

"On top of that, there's a minor fracture in his arm and one broken rib. Overall, the injuries are fairly serious."

Helen swayed on her feet. She nearly fell. Vivian grabbed her by the arm.

"Where's Gideon? I need to see him now."

A nurse led them to his room.

Gideon lay in the hospital bed. His face was battered and bruised.

"Gideon!" Helen threw herself to his bedside. She clutched his hand. Tears streamed down her face. "Who did this to you? Who hurt you like this?"

Gideon opened his eyes slowly. His lips moved. He forced out a few words. "Adeline..."

"What?" Helen's voice broke. "You said Adeline? She did this to you?"

Vivian pressed a hand over her mouth. Her face flooded with disbelief.

She had never imagined that Adeline was actually capable of this.

"How dare she... how dare she lay a hand on my son..."

Before Helen could finish, her eyes rolled back. She collapsed. She hit the floor unconscious.

"Mom!" Vivian screamed. She reached out to catch her. But Helen was already out cold.

Medical staff came rushing in. They got Helen onto a stretcher. They rushed her to emergency.

Vivian stood frozen for a long moment. Then she came back to herself. She realized the most urgent thing now was to keep Gideon calm. She quickly stepped to the side of the bed. She leaned over him.

"Gideon, just focus on getting better. I am not letting this go."

Gideon looked at her, exhausted. He closed his eyes again.

Vivian's chest tightened. A wave of anxiety washed over her.

She was afraid he was blaming her. But she'd had no idea Adeline knew how to fight.

"I'm sorry, Gideon. This is all my fault. If I hadn't come to you complaining, you never would have gone to confront Adeline just to stand up for me."

Vivian's eyes reddened. Tears slipped down her cheeks. Her expression was the very picture of guilt.

Gideon's irritation dissolved on the spot. He opened his eyes. He said gently, "Don't cry. None of this is on you. I didn't think it through."

"No, it's completely my fault!" Vivian covered her face. She let out soft, broken sobs. Quietly, she watched his expression through the gaps in her fingers.

The moment she saw the last trace of blame in his eyes give way to tenderness, she pressed forward.

"I'm calling Louis right now. I'll make sure he gets justice for you."

She pulled out her phone without missing a beat. She put it to her ear.

"Louis, just listen—Adeline attacked Gideon with a knife..."

She never finished the sentence.

A cold hand wrapped around her wrist. It held tight.