My First Love Died, Now My Step Uncle Wants Me-Chapter 148: Clearing the Venue to Find Someone

Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Clearing the Venue to Find Someone

Her outwardly submissive demeanor, which failed to hide a spine straighter than anyone’s, stirred Caleb Rhodes’s deepest sadistic urges.

He wanted nothing more than to snap her slender neck and break that ramrod-straight spine.

The darkness in his eyes deepened. He tightened his grip and said through clenched teeth, "Nina Wynn, don’t test my patience."

Nina Wynn lowered her eyes and said softly, "If he and I did sleep together, what would you do, President Rhodes? Flay me alive? Or let me be like Roy, thrown until my bones broke and trampled until my insides were pulp?"

Caleb Rhodes’s hand faltered for a moment before his grip grew even stronger. He snarled, "Answer me!"

Nina Wynn felt like her jaw was about to be crushed, but she refused to answer him.

But the pain was too intense, so she reached up to pry Caleb Rhodes’s hand away.

It was useless. This kind of resistance only fueled Caleb Rhodes’s violent temper.

The pain brought tears to her eyes. She bit her lip hard, refusing to speak.

Caleb Rhodes narrowed his eyes, his voice turning even colder. "Do you really think I can’t deal with you just because you’re acting like this?"

Her eyes brimming with tears, Nina Wynn looked up at him. She looked both pitiful and defiant, a sight that made the veins on the back of Caleb Rhodes’s hand pop with anger.

He had been searching all night, convinced something had happened to her. At the morgue, he had even started thinking about what would come after.

He had planned to finish everything she’d wanted to do, and then he would have joined her.

He had been in agony, yet here she was, being lovey-dovey with Finn Prescott!

At these thoughts, his eyes began to turn red again, and his voice became terrifyingly cold. "Nina Wynn, it’s true I won’t do anything to *you*. But I can’t say the same for other people."

Finally, Nina Wynn’s lips moved. "What do you want to do to Finn Prescott? The Prescott Family won’t be afraid of you."

Caleb Rhodes’s fingers gently brushed over her lips, his eyes filled with an ever-deepening malevolence. "How powerful do you think the Prescott Family is? If I make a move against him, he’ll be cast aside by his own family!"

"If he touched you, I’ll chop off his fingers one by one and feed them to the dogs!"

Finally, the color drained from Nina Wynn’s face.

He was right. If he really wanted to go after Finn Prescott, the Prescott Family wouldn’t pit their entire clan against the Nash Group for one person.

Large families always prioritized their core interests; they would never sacrifice the family’s welfare for a single individual.

’But by that same token, Caleb Rhodes wouldn’t truly make an enemy of the Prescott Family for my sake either.’

’She was self-aware enough to know that much!’

With this in mind, she said in a low voice, "President Rhodes, what is it you want to hear? That I slept with him, or that I didn’t?"

Her words were nothing less than a provocation.

Caleb Rhodes narrowed his eyes, released her, and turned to look coldly at the cat carrier. "Take the cat and get rid of it!"

The bodyguard said respectfully, "Yes, Third Lord Master!"

Nina Wynn was horrified. She leaped off the bed and lunged forward.

The bodyguard had only taken two steps before Nina Wynn rushed up from behind and snatched the cat carrier from his grasp.

The kitten, jostled inside the carrier, let out a weak meow. Nina Wynn clutched it tightly, took two steps back, then turned and ran.

Caleb Rhodes stared at her retreating back, his eyes filled with biting frost.

"Bring her back!"

"Yes, sir!"

In the blink of an eye, Nina Wynn had run out the main door, cat carrier in her arms.

As she sprinted, she managed to keep a clear head, avoiding the less crowded areas and running straight into the large shopping mall next door.

The mall was bustling with people. Being small, she quickly disappeared into the crowd.

The two bodyguards who had chased after her looked everywhere but couldn’t find any trace of Nina Wynn.

They could only report to Caleb Rhodes, who had caught up, "Third Lord Master, there are too many people. It’s not easy to find her!"

Caleb Rhodes’s gaze was terrifyingly sharp. He immediately pulled out his phone.

Within a few minutes, the manager and his assistant hurried over.

This mall was also a property of the Nash Group. When the manager saw the legendary head of the Nash Group in person, he was so intimidated by the man’s formidable aura that he didn’t dare to look him in the eye.

He lowered his head and said cautiously, "President Rhodes, I’ve had all the mall exits sealed. We’re currently evacuating the shoppers. If the person you’re looking for is still inside, there’s no way they can escape."

Before Caleb Rhodes could speak, he added, "We can pull up the surveillance footage from the entrance right away."

As he spoke, someone was already running over with a laptop.

It was only a few minutes of footage, and they quickly scanned through the entire video on fast-forward.

There was no sign of Nina Wynn leaving through this exit.

Caleb Rhodes’s face was cold as he swept his gaze across the hall. "Find her."

"Yes, sir!"

Meanwhile, Nina Wynn was huddled in a storage closet on the second floor, anxiously checking on Roy.

The frantic run had caused quite a bit of jostling. Roy’s not-yet-healed wounds had started to bleed a little, and the sight made Nina Wynn’s heart ache so much she was on the verge of tears.

She gently stroked the kitten’s back, comforting it in a small voice, "Roy, you’re not going to die. I’ll make sure you get better. I’ll get you out of here right away, and we’ll find the best doctor. Just hang in there."

As if it understood her, Roy let out two tiny meows in response.

Nina Wynn’s tears were about to fall. Not daring to look at it any longer, she quickly closed the carrier and held it tightly in her arms.

Right now, she could only hope that Caleb Rhodes wouldn’t find her, or that he would assume she had already left the mall.

If so, she could take Roy and leave in a little while.

Just then, a woman’s voice came from outside. "Did you hear that? I think I just heard a kitten meow, a very faint one."

Another voice replied, "Really? I didn’t hear anything. It was probably someone’s phone ringing."

"No, I have to go check. If a stray cat got in and ruined the merchandise, we’d be in trouble."

"Oh, forget about that. We just got an order from upstairs to evacuate all the customers first. Hurry up, go help by the elevators."

"Huh? They’re clearing the place out? Is some big shot here?"

"How should I know? But anyone who can have a big mall like this cleared out must be a pretty big deal."

"Let’s go!"

...

Nina Wynn grew tense, clutching the carrier even tighter.

’Caleb Rhodes is clearing out the entire mall to find me?’

’No!’

’I can’t let him find me. If he does, Roy is doomed!’

’I defied him like that just now. He’ll definitely throw Roy away!’

’Roy is so weak right now. It probably wouldn’t even survive two hours outside of this insulated carrier!’

’I have to get out of here now!’

She stood up, carefully opened the door, and stepped out.

She hadn’t taken more than a few steps when someone shouted from behind her, "Hey, you with the box! Don’t run around! The mall is being cleared out, please leave immediately!"

Nina Wynn didn’t look back. She clutched the carrier and sprinted in the opposite direction.

The shout was loud enough for the people on the first floor to hear clearly.

Caleb Rhodes looked up toward the second floor, his voice exceptionally cold. "Go up!"