Unexpected Marriage With Mr. Leighton: Rebirth of the Villain-Chapter 135: THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Once the call ended, Hazel felt this unsettling feeling. Something felt amiss in the house; an instinct born from years as an assassin warned her that they were not alone.

Hazel glanced around, her senses heightened, scanning for any shadows lurking in the corners of the room.

Slowly, with caution, Hazel walked towards the door and opened it to a quiet hallway that greeted her, but her instinct was right.

From behind the door, she spotted men in black masks in the hallway. There were four of them, and they didn’t see her.

"Ck, what the hell." Hazel was annoyed and found the situation troublesome. She wanted to go back to sleep, but now there were intruders inside this house.

As this was River’s line of work, she immediately felt the weight of their presence. With one glance, she recognized that they were assassins.

She slipped from the room and went to the hallway. Her footsteps couldn’t be heard, and her presence was still unnoticed by them.

Her position was hidden, so they didn’t realize there was someone else with them there. She remained relatively calm while observing them coldly.

It irritated her that these men had come to ruin her nice evening. She was sleepy and wanted to rest; she was a little bit hungry too; she didn’t want to deal with assassins.

However, Hazel was well aware that she wasn’t in a position to fight.

Not only was she pregnant, but she was also not in the same physical condition she used to be. She was not River.

Hazel’s body was weaker than River’s, and these were professional assassins, not some teenagers she had fought in the past.

The teenagers had tried to appear bold and rebellious, but these men were the real deal. Hazel wouldn’t be able to confront them in her current condition.

Especially since she didn’t have any weapons.

Just as she was about to turn around and discreetly leave the hallway to notify Ranon, someone covered her mouth.

Out of instinct, she reacted against the grip.

***

Laurel stayed in the hospital with James, anxiously watching over Carl as he lay unconscious. He was stable now, but the doctors said he needed to be under close observation.

"This wouldn’t have happened if you had stayed." James was shaking, frustration evident in his voice. He buried his head in his hands, consumed by a mix of guilt and sorrow, while Laurel looked at him with disdain.

She had no intention of engaging in a heated argument in the hospital. Although her heart ached for Carl, her stepson, Laurel firmly believed that she wasn’t fully to blame for the situation.

She refused to be manipulated into feeling guilt over circumstances that were not entirely within her control.

Not long after, Amelia arrived at the hospital. When Laurel saw her, she chose that moment to leave.

On the other hand, Amelia seemed genuinely concerned, but Laurel could see the smugness hidden behind her façade, as though she had won against Laurel, even though Laurel didn’t see there was a competition here. She willingly gave back James and Carl to her.

"I am leaving," Laurel announced firmly.

"Leaving? What if Carl wakes up and looks for you?" James tried to stop her, but she brushed him off.

"His mother is here; he doesn’t need me," Laurel replied, her voice laced with sarcasm. "He needs his parents. It’s time for both of you to step up and act like real parents for him."

James fell silent, caught off guard by her biting words, while Amelia’s irritation flared in response. "What do you mean by that?"

"Ask yourself what the meaning of that is." Laurel looked at Amelia sharply. "It’s your time to redeem yourself for the time when you left your son."

With her final words, Laurel exited, leaving James and Amelia alone in the ward where Carl lay unconscious.

Amelia cursed under her breath for how callous Laurel was even though Carl was sick. "She has no heart at all."

"Let’s focus on Carl," James said to diffuse the situation. He stared at the closed door; some part of him wanted to go after Laurel and talk things through, but he knew it was useless. Laurel wouldn’t want to hear anything from him.

He was going to give her some space to cool off.

Amelia approached James and hugged him. "It’s okay. Everything will be alright. She shows her true colors. She has never cared about you and Carl." She tried to reassure James, seeing how distressed he was, but her own eyes were red-rimmed with unshed tears, revealing her inner turmoil.

"I am fine." James patted her back and pulled away from her to sit on the chair next to the bed.

Amelia’s tone shifted. "I can’t believe Carl would resort to drugs like this. He must be under immense pressure. How could Laurel manipulate our son to the point of such severe depression so he resorted to drugs?" Amelia asked, posing the question as a rhetorical question.

James said nothing, while Amelia took a chair to sit next to him.

"It might have everything to do with Laurel. She could have influenced our son," Amelia pressed, trying to sway James.

"Let’s not talk about her." James didn’t want to hear Amelia badmouth Laurel.

Hearing that, Amelia was not happy, but she changed the topic anyway. "I know some people who overdosed. There is a possibility that when Carl wakes up, he will be hallucinating."

"Let’s think clearly about it later."

"What about putting him into a rehab immediately?" Amelia suggested.

James shook his head; his mind was a jumbled mess. "We shouldn’t rush into any decisions; we need to discuss this."

"Laurel must have been the reason why Carl used the drugs. There must have been something that she said that hurt Carl deeply. You know how sensitive our son is."

"Laurel would never do that." James frowned; instinctively defending his wife, he didn’t like what Amelia tried to indicate.

"You don’t know what a desperate woman is capable of," Amelia countered; her voice was sharp and accusatory.

As Amelia continued to create her own narrative, James felt a growing sense of unease. Amelia’s insistence on blaming Laurel began to feel more like a manipulation.

"We need to put him in rehab immediately, just in case it’s too late for him."

His suspicions about Amelia’s intentions deepened; while he wanted to prioritize Carl’s well-being, he also couldn’t shake the feeling that Amelia was using Carl’s crisis as a weapon against Laurel.

"Amelia," James said cautiously. "Maybe we should wait until Carl wakes up and discuss this further. Putting him in rehab without hearing him out first doesn’t sit right with me."

A flicker of annoyance washed over Amelia’s face. "But, James, he needs help!"

"Let’s talk about this later," James’s voice turned assertive. He stared at her closely. "I want us to focus on him."

Amelia’s facade began to crack under James’s scrutiny. "Fine," she said finally.

***

It was Ranon who covered Hazel’s mouth. "It’s me," he whispered for her to be quiet and return to their bedroom.

Hazel almost kicked him and retaliated strongly; if only his familiar scent hadn’t grounded her.

"No, I can help," she protested, feeling annoyed by the implication that she was helpless. "We need to..." She had formulated a plan in her head, but Ranon didn’t want to hear any of that.

He kissed her lips to silence her. This damn man! There were assassins inside his house, but he was so carefree as to kiss her.

The method was effective, because Hazel was stunned to silence.

"No, you will stay out of it."

While Hazel understood that Ranon was trying to be logical, her pride stung, unwilling to accept the idea of running away from danger.

This was against everything that she had learned all her life and her instinct.

But Ranon wasn’t in the mood for a debate. "Be good and listen to me. Don’t put harm on the baby." His tone was exceptionally calm, almost gentle, as if addressing a brat.

The moment Hazel registered his words, she realized his true concern was for their unborn child. But it wasn’t entirely accurate; Ranon was worried about both of them.

"I know you brought your gun," Ranon continued; his voice was steady and reassuring. "Stay inside the bedroom and use it if necessary."

Hazel was taken aback that he was aware of her weapon, though it was characteristic of him to be so observant.

"Go," Ranon urged, nudging her gently towards safety.

Reluctantly, she retreated to their bedroom, glancing back to see Ranon swiftly coordinating with the guards via his phone, giving them rapid orders in a low, cold voice.

The sight of him in action was undeniably attractive, igniting an impulsive urge for Hazel to stay and watch.

For a fleeting moment, Hazel found solace in the thought of being a damsel in distress, a role she never adopted.

All this time, she would always be in action and could rely on no one to protect her. She must protect herself, and that was not up for debate.

But now, this man told her to stay back, and he would do the hard work.

It felt... great.

Yet, Hazel quickly shook her head internally, dismissing the ridiculous notion.

Quietly, Hazel went back to her bedroom, but she spotted three men entering their home through the different window.

Adrenaline surged through her. Hazel grabbed her gun and dashed back out just in time to see one of the men enter Eilon’s bedroom, which was only two rooms away from Ranon’s old room.

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