Chapter 221

Robert’s POV

I lay on the cold concrete floor, lost in the suffocating isolation of time. Suddenly, the rhythmic thud of approaching footsteps broke the silence. I surged to my feet with guarded precision, pressing my back against the iron door, holding my breath.

The moment it swung open, I lunged at the guard like a predator. I twisted his neck with a raw, primal force until I heard the sickening crack of bone. He collapsed, a lifeless heap.

I snatched the handgun from his belt and moved through the desolate corridors of the warehouse until the faint sound of Carlos’s voice drifted from a nearby room. I opened the door with agonizing slowness to prevent any creak.

Carlos lunged to attack, but recoiled the second he recognized me, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "It’s me, Carlos," I whispered. "Let’s get out of here."

His eyes shimmered with frantic concern. "Where’s Julie?"

"I don’t know," I replied with rising bitterness. "The Don played us."

We moved with calculated caution, tension vibrating through our veins, until we spotted a guard stationed at the corner.

I flanked him and slammed the butt of my pistol into his skull with everything I had. As he slumped unconscious, Carlos grabbed his weapon. We found a table in the hallway where our confiscated phones and pistols lay; we retrieved them instantly. "We need to slip out unnoticed," I told Carlos as I chambered a round. "They outnumber us."

Carlos tightened his grip on his gun. "Let’s move."

We headed for the exit, but the silence was suddenly shattered by a hailstorm of gunfire. I threw myself behind a wall while Carlos took cover opposite me. I signaled for him to hold his fire; my ammunition wouldn’t survive a prolonged shootout.

We waited for a momentary lull. "Now!" I barked. We moved in perfect sync, our aim lethal and precise, dropping every man in our path.

"Let’s go," I panted. But suddenly, the chilling bite of cold metal pressed hard against the back of my head. The Snake’s voice slithered into my ear, a disgusting hiss. "Did you really think it would be this easy, Robert?"

I remained dead calm. "Ah... The Snake. Do you intend to kill me?"

Carlos leveled his weapon at The Snake’s head. "Drop it or I’ll end you!" he roared.

"I’ll kill him before you can touch me," The Snake replied coolly.

"Go ahead," I challenged, feeling the barrel grind against my skull. "Do it!"

Carlos panicked. "Stop it, Robert! What are you saying?"

My eyes remained fixed on the void. "I’m not afraid to die. Do it, Snake!"

The pressure increased. "I will," he growled.

Carlos screamed hysterically, his finger tightening on the trigger. "I’m warning you!"

In a flash, shots erupted from both sides. I felt something searingly hot blood gushing out, soaking through my shirt.

I felt the bullet tear through me, but strangely, there was no pain. None at all. Just a profound, heavy drowsiness clouding my senses, as if I were in desperate need of sleep.

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Stewart’s POV

I didn’t know how to handle that girl’s sudden, cursed arrival at the house. The shock had paralyzed my mind, but I regained my composure quickly; I had to play the part of the doting father for the money, and nothing else.

I remembered instantly that Thomas had offered me an eye-watering sum if I could get Julie out of the club and back home. When I saw her standing at the door, I viewed it as a gift from the heavens.

I tried every trick to make her stay, at least until I could get my hands on Thomas’s cash. But Meredith was currently drowning in her own agitation, locked away in her room, and I had no idea how I’d convince her to let Julie stay without the house exploding.

I waited in the living room, rubbing my hands together with a mix of anxiety and greed, waiting for Julie to come out so I could figure out how she’d escaped. When she didn’t appear, I finally lost my patience.

I marched toward her room and threw the door open without knocking, only to freeze in my tracks. The room was empty.

"Julie! Where are you?" I yelled, my voice thick with panic.

I stumbled toward the bathroom and flung it open. Nothing. Only silence met me. I slapped my hands together, feeling my blood pressure spike. Did she really run away? Is the opportunity gone just like that? Damn it! Damn it all! The money had slipped through my fingers at the very last second.

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Julie’s POV

A hand gripped me with sudden force. I spun around in terror, only to see Ron, the guard. His eyes widened when he saw me. "Julie!" he breathed in disbelief. He scanned my face. "Did the kidnapper let you go?"

"You all knew I was kidnapped?" I asked, my heart racing.

Ron looked around anxiously. "Yes. Mr. Robert went to save you, but he hasn’t returned."

Dread began to seep into my bones. "What? Did you call him?"

He shook his head somberly. "His phone is dead."

A chill washed over me. Could something have happened to him? Suddenly, Ron’s phone rang. "Yes!" he barked. As he listened, I watched his face turn to stone.

He hung up and bolted away without a single word. My God, has something terrible happened?

I saw the guards fanning out among the tables, telling the customers in firm tones that the restaurant was closing immediately.

A frantic scramble began as people hurried to leave. I grabbed one of the guards by the arm. "I’m Mr. Robert’s assistant... what’s going on?"

"I don’t know," he replied mechanically. "I just have orders to clear the floor."

I stood in the center of the vast, emptying hall, lost and directionless. Suddenly, I saw Ron running again.

I chased after him with everything I had. "What happened?" I wheezed. He didn’t answer; he just lunged toward the exit. I followed him, a lump of fear choking my throat.

Robert’s car screeched to a halt at the door, but it was Carlos who stumbled out of the driver’s seat, his face as pale as death.

Ron rushed to open the other door, and that was when I saw a sight I never imagined I’d witness... Robert was drenched in blood, his head slumped, his body completely limp. He looked like a corpse.