Ch. 2061..2070
Chapter 2061 Did Not Love Her As Much
Nothing major happened in the next few days. Francesca would start her training routine, refine poison, and make weapons in the morning, and she would go over to William's at about three or four in the afternoon.
In the past, she would stay back to enjoy tea and discuss medicine after treating William, but now she would always come and go in haste.
Whenever William asked if something had happened in her family, Francesca would always say there were urgent matters to attend to in the orphanage.
William would not ask further, but he would always be overwhelmed with mixed reactions when Anthony picked her up at the courtyard.
"Anthony is such a nuisance. Ms. Felch always leaves in a hurry whenever she receives his call in the evening. She didn't even have time to enjoy a cup of tea.” Robin could tell what was on William's mind.
“Anthony and Francesca are childhood friends, and they're like siblings. Anthony is just worried about her,” William said calmly.
"Siblings? The bodyguards in the Nacht residence told me he was Dr. Felch’s ex-boyfriend, though.” Robin was a little confused.
“I guess Francesca used Anthony as an excuse to reject Danrique.” William grinned. “She's not into Anthony for sure.”
“I guess so.” Robin agreed. “There's nothing extraordinary about Anthony. He's definitely no match for you, Your Highness. I'm sure Ms. Felch wouldn't fall in love with someone like him.”
William hummed in agreement. It was unusual for him to agree with Robin's thoughts. He then added, “Humans are attracted to power and prestige by nature. There's no exception!”
"Yes. Besides Danrique, no one else is on par with you, Your Highness,” Robin said with a sigh. "Speaking of Danrique, he seems to be laying low these days.” William raised his suspicion. “Why hasn't he gotten in touch with Francesca? He didn't even come to look for her. What is he busy with?"
“Has he given up on her?” Robin took a wild guess. “An arrogant man like him will not give in to love easily.”
“I don't think he'll give up so easily,” William deduced. “No doubt an arrogant man will not fall in love easily, but once he does, he'll not concede defeat.”
"Why didn’t he come and look for Ms. Felch then?” Robin could not work out the logic. “She has been back to S Nation for nearly twenty days, yet he's still nowhere to be seen. If you were in his shoes, I'm sure you would have come after Ms. Felch in no time.”
“That's because I don't have other things to do.” William chuckled. “Danrique had just dealt with Frank, so he definitely has a million things to settle. At this critical moment, I suppose his business and career would be his priority.”
“Well, I guess he's not that into Ms. Felch,” Robin opined.
William hummed in agreement. “I wouldn't have done this to Francesca if I were him.”
“He's not that into you. I wouldn't have done this to you if I were him,” Anthony also uttered the exact words while driving.
Anthony made that remark because Sloan came to bid Francesca farewell as he would be returning to Xendale.
After wishing Sloan a safe flight, Francesca left in Anthony's car.
Anthony felt Danrique’s approach was insincere. He was the one who upset Francesca, yet he refused to come and apologize to her personally. To make things worse, the subordinate he sent to talk to Francesca had to return to the country in a hurry just because he needed him. What does Danrique take Francesca for?
That was why Anthony expressed his frustration.
On the other hand, Francesca looked calm. She said, “I'll just pretend nothing had happened. I didn't lose anything anyway.”
"You didn't lose anything?” Anthony read between the lines. “Does that mean you two have not...” "Of course not.” Francesca glared at him.
“Oh, okay. That's good to know.” Anthony was pleased to hear that.
Francesca kept mum and looked outside the window. Though she looked calm, deep in her heart, she was overwhelmed with complicated emotions. The fact that Danrique summoned Sloan back to the country means he’s giving up on me. I guess he’s just not that into me.
Chapter 2063 Time To Act
Nothing went wrong in the next couple of days, but somehow, Francesca was worried about the orphanage as she had an inkling that something unpleasant was about to happen.
She would patrol the area at midnight before returning to her house to rest. That was why she could not sleep well every night. She would look listless every time she visited William.
William was worried about her and would check on her to see if she needed assistance, but she would always say she was overwhelmed with work and not explain in detail.
When Francesca was about to go to sleep one particular night, she felt an inexplicable burden in her heart.
When she was about to call the orphanage, she received a call. “Hello there. Long time no see!”
“Chrono?” Francesca could not help but shudder upon hearing his voice. He's not dead.
“Surprise, surprise.” Chrono chuckled. “Did you think I was dead? Oh, dear. I'm sorry to disappoint you.”
“What do you want?” Francesca asked cily.
“What can I do to you when you're under so many people’s protection?” Chrono sneered sarcastically. “But I want you to listen to an explosion.”
Suddenly, a deafening bang emerged on the other end of the phone!
Francesca was thunderstruck. She quickened her pace, walked to the window, and saw fire and billowing smoke from a distance. Shoot, it's the orphanage!
“What do you think? Does it sound good?" Chrono let out a mirthless laugh. “Do you want to hear more?” “You're crazy! You're crazy!” Francesca roared in agitation. “Leave the kids alone! Come after me if you dare!
“I wanted to, but there are too many people protecting you. There's nothing I could do.” Chrono smirked. “By the way, how far are the other two orphanages from your place? Will you be able to hear the explosion?”
“Don’t you dare—"
“Oh, someone's panicking now.” Chrono chuckled. “If you don’t want that to happen, bring your passport, come to the airport, and look for me.”
“I'm coming over now. Stop attacking the orphanage.” Francesca could not contain her frustration. “Those kids are innocent. They re as innocent as Candice—"
Chrono interrupted her, “Cut the crap. If I don’t see you in half an hour, I'll send all the children to heaven to play with Candice.”
“You—" Before Francesca could say anything, Chrono had hung up on her.
She had no time to think of her next move. After grabbing a few pairs of clothes and stuffing her passport and wallet into her bag. she grabbed her car keys and ran downstairs
When she walked past the lab, she remembered something Layla had said. She ran to the lab, grabbed a handful of drugs and secret weapons, and stuffed them into her bag before leaving.
Anthony, who was only in a pair of casual shorts with floral patterns, dashed out and asked, “What's wrong? Something happened to the orphanage?”
“Get to the orphanage. Quick!” Francesca urged him while starting the car engine.
“Where are you g—" Before Anthony could finish his question, Francesca got into the car and sped off.
He rushed back to his room to change and brought a few bodyguards to the orphanage.
Before leaving, he stuffed Layla’ minigun into his pocket in a panic.
While driving, he received a call from the orphanage and learned that the explosion happened in a car park near the building. The blast was so loud that the children were all crying and screaming in fear.
The caretakers had lodged a police report right after the incident.
When Anthony asked if there were any casualties, they said the children could feel the impact but were all unhurt because the explosion was quite a distance away.
Upon hearing that, he heaved a sigh of relief and instructed the caretakers to protect the children. Before ending the call, he told them he would be there in no time.
Anthony then dialed Francesca’s number but to no avail. He had no choice but to send her a text message: The explosion was at a car park. The children are safe!
q po.
Chapter 2064 Crueler
Francesca's place was quite some distance away from the airport, so she had to speed down the road the entire journey. Only then would she be able to make it to the airport in under thirty minutes.
I have to hurry, or that lunatic, Chrono, might do something crazy. Francesca thought about the explosion at the orphanage and felt her heart aching.
She was moving out of the way of a truck when Anthony called her. Hence, she didn't pick up. It wasn't until she was on the highway and things were much calmer that she finally returned his call. “Hey.” "Where are you?" It was noisy on Anthony's side, and she could hear children crying. “I'm at the airport. How are things at the orphanage? Are there any casualties? Is anybody hurt?” Francesca's heart clenched as she spoke,
“The explosion happened in the parking lot near the orphanage. It didn't take place in the orphanage itself, and a few kids fell out of their bunk beds because they were scared. Other than that, no one was injured.”
“The parking lot?" asked Francesca. She was temporarily stunned. “Then the kids are all okay?" Francesca sighed a breath of relief. Thank the heavens that Chrono isn't a total monster and didn't actually go after the kids.
Still, I bet that little conscience he has will fade away if I didn't show up at the airport on time. "Where are you now? Come here quick,” said Anthony in a worried tone. “Chrono must be trying to force your hand by threatening the kids’ safety...”
The line was cut off before he could finish talking.
Francesca didn't pay much attention to that. She assumed that it was because he was too busy and accidentally hit the button that ended the call. It was also possible that the signal was poor, so she wasn't overly worried.
She simply grabbed her bag and her phone, then hurried into the airport.
The departure hall was filled with tourists at the time, but Chrono was nowhere to be found. Francesca was confused and was just starting to wonder what was going on when she suddenly sensed a hostile aura closing in on her. She turned around immediately.
A woman in an all-black outfit, a cap, and a face mask was standing right behind her. The former had a pair of eyes that glowed with menace.
Francesca narrowed her eyes a little to scan the person in front of her. She looked into her opponent's eyes. “It's you?"
She is Chronos ally, the assassin who faked being a doctor when we met at the hospital.
“Nice. You have great observational skills,” said the assassin, who smiled soon after. “Here. We got your plane ticket ready. Let's go.”
She was going to force Francesca to check in for departure right away.
"Where is Chrono? Why isn't he here?” demanded Francesca. She could somewhat sense that something was off.
"Why does that matter? I, alone, am enough to accomplish this mission,” replied the assassin before she shoved Francesca a little. “Go check in right now.”
“No, that's not right,” murmured Francesca while scanning the assassin suspiciously. “The two of you... You're not trying to lure me out of the way, are you?”
The glow in the assassin’s eyes shifted a little, and Francesca got what that meant right away. “So your target has always been...”
Francesca turned pale. She ran toward the parking lot immediately.
The assassin quickly chased after her.
The two of them made it all the way to the parking lot before the assassin fired a bullet that dug deep into the ground beside Francesca’s foot. “Hold it right there.”
Francesca was about to retaliate when a group of men suddenly emerged from the shadows and fought the assassin.
It took Francesca some time to recognize those men. Turned out that her saviors were Sloan and his men. Ah, so they never left.
She didn't have much time to wonder what was going on though, so she got into her car and sped away a moment later.
“Ms. Felch!”
Sloan called out to Francesca, but she never even turned back. She kept her foot on the gas.
Sloan and his men apprehended the assassin soon enough and rendered her unconscious. He had the bodyguards take her away and brought two men with him when he got into the car to chase after Francesca.
“Gordon and the others aren't here yet. Do we have enough men with us?”
“I don't know. Let's cross that bridge when we get there.”
“Understood.”
While driving to the orphanage, Francesca called Anthony's number, but she simply couldn't get the line through.
She called the orphanage’s employees after that, but their phones were unreachable as well.
Panic coursed through her veins and burned her heart. She stomped on the gas pedal and was driving so fast that the car almost flew in the air when she hit the speed bumps.
A bad feeling crept up on her. Chrono isn't going to do something even crueler, is he?
She was still panicking and overthinking the situation when someone called her. It was William. Francesca picked up the call right away. “William!”
“Francesca, is something wrong?”
"Something bad might be unfolding at the orphanage, William. I'm on my way now, but can you...?" “I'll send my men over right away.”
Chapter 2064 Crueler
Francesca's place was quite some distance away from the airport, so she had to speed down the road the entire journey. Only then would she be able to make it to the airport in under thirty minutes.
I have to hurry, or that lunatic, Chrono, might do something crazy. Francesca thought about the explosion at the orphanage and felt her heart aching.
She was moving out of the way of a truck when Anthony called her. Hence, she didn't pick up. It wasn't until she was on the highway and things were much calmer that she finally returned his call. “Hey.” "Where are you?" It was noisy on Anthony's side, and she could hear children crying. “I'm at the airport. How are things at the orphanage? Are there any casualties? Is anybody hurt?” Francesca's heart clenched as she spoke,
“The explosion happened in the parking lot near the orphanage. It didn't take place in the orphanage itself, and a few kids fell out of their bunk beds because they were scared. Other than that, no one was injured.”
“The parking lot?" asked Francesca. She was temporarily stunned. “Then the kids are all okay?" Francesca sighed a breath of relief. Thank the heavens that Chrono isn't a total monster and didn't actually go after the kids.
Still, I bet that little conscience he has will fade away if I didn't show up at the airport on time. "Where are you now? Come here quick,” said Anthony in a worried tone. “Chrono must be trying to force your hand by threatening the kids’ safety...”
The line was cut off before he could finish talking.
Francesca didn't pay much attention to that. She assumed that it was because he was too busy and accidentally hit the button that ended the call. It was also possible that the signal was poor, so she wasn't overly worried.
She simply grabbed her bag and her phone, then hurried into the airport.
The departure hall was filled with tourists at the time, but Chrono was nowhere to be found. Francesca was confused and was just starting to wonder what was going on when she suddenly sensed a hostile aura closing in on her. She turned around immediately.
A woman in an all-black outfit, a cap, and a face mask was standing right behind her. The former had a pair of eyes that glowed with menace.
Francesca narrowed her eyes a little to scan the person in front of her. She looked into her opponent's eyes. “It's you?"
She is Chronos ally, the assassin who faked being a doctor when we met at the hospital.
“Nice. You have great observational skills,” said the assassin, who smiled soon after. “Here. We got your plane ticket ready. Let's go.”
She was going to force Francesca to check in for departure right away.
"Where is Chrono? Why isn't he here?” demanded Francesca. She could somewhat sense that something was off.
"Why does that matter? I, alone, am enough to accomplish this mission,” replied the assassin before she shoved Francesca a little. “Go check in right now.”
“No, that's not right,” murmured Francesca while scanning the assassin suspiciously. “The two of you... You're not trying to lure me out of the way, are you?”
The glow in the assassin’s eyes shifted a little, and Francesca got what that meant right away. “So your target has always been...”
Francesca turned pale. She ran toward the parking lot immediately.
The assassin quickly chased after her.
The two of them made it all the way to the parking lot before the assassin fired a bullet that dug deep into the ground beside Francesca’s foot. “Hold it right there.”
Francesca was about to retaliate when a group of men suddenly emerged from the shadows and fought the assassin.
It took Francesca some time to recognize those men. Turned out that her saviors were Sloan and his men. Ah, so they never left.
She didn't have much time to wonder what was going on though, so she got into her car and sped away a moment later.
“Ms. Felch!”
Sloan called out to Francesca, but she never even turned back. She kept her foot on the gas.
Sloan and his men apprehended the assassin soon enough and rendered her unconscious. He had the bodyguards take her away and brought two men with him when he got into the car to chase after Francesca.
“Gordon and the others aren't here yet. Do we have enough men with us?”
“I don't know. Let's cross that bridge when we get there.”
“Understood.”
While driving to the orphanage, Francesca called Anthony's number, but she simply couldn't get the line through.
She called the orphanage’s employees after that, but their phones were unreachable as well.
Panic coursed through her veins and burned her heart. She stomped on the gas pedal and was driving so fast that the car almost flew in the air when she hit the speed bumps.
A bad feeling crept up on her. Chrono isn't going to do something even crueler, is he?
She was still panicking and overthinking the situation when someone called her. It was William. Francesca picked up the call right away. “William!”
“Francesca, is something wrong?”
"Something bad might be unfolding at the orphanage, William. I'm on my way now, but can you...?" “I'll send my men over right away.”
Chapter 2065 A Fate Worse Than Death
William didn’t ask any questions or waste any time. He sent his men to the orphanage immediately. After that, he called Monica and had her meet up with Francesca at the orphanage as quickly as possible.
Francesca didn't want to get William involved in the matter, but it was an emergency. She had no choice and could only ask for his help.
The car zipped down the road. Every single part of Francesca wished that she could be at the orphanage right away.
It was the middle of the night, so there was no traffic. Unfortunately, the distance between the two locations was simply too great. It didn't matter how fast the car traveled. It would still take her some time to get there.
Time trickled by one second after another. It felt as though an eternity had passed before Francesca finally reached the orphanage.
The car swerved beautifully as though it were driven by a racer, but it stopped right at the entrance of the orphanage.
Francesca jumped out of the car. When she saw what was in front of her, she was dumbfounded.
A few police cars were parked right in front of the entrance, and the police officers had their guns pointed at the door. Everyone seemed to be on high alert, even though the place was strangely quiet.
Just before Francesca reached the place, the police officers used a loudspeaker and tried to negotiate. All they got in return was a rude statement. “Stop talking. If I hear another word out of you, I will kill one of the kids here.”
The police officers turned off the loudspeaker right away and stopped talking entirely.
After that, Chrono replied, “Everyone is to remain quiet now. We'll wait for Francesca Felch to show up. I want to talk to her.”
No one dared to say another word. The only thing they could do was wait outside the orphanage. A police officer checked out the surrounding area and tried to sneak in, but a gunshot came when he got too close. The kids’ panicked screams filled the air soon after.
No one dared to try anything else after that. Monica also showed up to remind them that the orphanage had security cameras everywhere. Chrono could see everything.
If they tried anything at all, it was likely the guy would go on a murder rampage.
That was why everyone was quietly waiting for Francesca to show up.
“Ms. Felch!” said Monica when she saw Francesca. She hurried over and nervously reported, “Chrono set up a lot of bombs in the orphanage and is holding all the kids as hostages.”
Francesca had suspected that was the case, but actually hearing the news from Monica still hit her hard. “That freaking lunatic!”
“Calm down, Ms. Felch,” replied Monica as she held Francesca back.
"We're strategizing now, Ms. Felch. Do you have the blueprints for the orphanage’s interior?” asked one of William's subordinates.
“There's no point. There's nothing you can do, even if you manage to sneak in. He's holding over a hundred kids and the employees as hostages!” replied Francesca.
She massaged her head a little to force herself to calm down. “I'm the one Chrono wants, so he won't hurt the kids so long as he has me.”
"But—"
The others had more to say, but the door to the orphanage opened at that moment. A creepy and deep voice echoed. “Francesca Felch. You're finally here.”
His voice was especially eerie on that dark, quiet night.
“Chrono, I'm the one you want. Let the kids go!”
Francesca ran toward the door.
“Killing you will be too merciful,” said Chrono. He grinned evilly. “I want you to have a taste of the sorrow you condemned me into.”
"What do you want?” demanded Francesca nervously. “Don't act recklessly, or..."
She never got to finish her sentence. A few kids walked out of the orphanage slowly and fearfully. When they saw Francesca there, they cried loudly.
"Save me, please!”
“Kids...”
Francesca wanted to run to the kids and rescue them, but she noticed that every single one of them had a bomb strapped onto them.
She stopped in her tracks and roared angrily at Chrono, “You freaking lunatic! What do you want from me?”
“Get on your knees,” commanded Chrono mercilessly.
"You—"
Francesca was about to protest when a loud bang filled the air. The bullet zipped right past the top of a kid's head. It scared the kid so much that he fell onto the floor and cried fearfully.
Chapter 2066 Sin
“You are so noisy,” complained Chrono. He pointed his gun at one of the kids’ heads and demanded, “Shut up!”
“Don't cry, Kenny,” cooed Francesca quickly. “Be a good boy now and be brave. I will protect everyone. Let's play a game of hero versus villains, okay? I will rescue everyone, and all of you will be my assistants. Deal?”
The kids wiped their tears away after hearing what Francesca said. They pouted and nodded in agreement despite still sobbing.
“Chrono, don't hurt the kids. I will do whatever you want.” After consoling the kids, Francesca went down on one knee. “Ms. Felch!” shouted Monica in surprise.
“That's better,” said Chrono. He finally smiled in satisfaction. “Now, you are to repent. Confess your sin to everybody. Let them know what you've done.”
Francesca tilted her head up to look at the orphanage. The dim, flickering lights created an illusion, making it look as though Chrono was somehow both present and absent at the same time. He looked just like a demon.
Those creepy, narrow eyes glowed with the insanity and hatred that had been carved into his very bones.
With hatred burning in her, Francesca said word for word, “My first mistake is to butt in on a matter that does not concern me. I shouldn't have stayed and kept Candice company when I saw her sitting there all alone and waiting for you. If I hadn't done that, she wouldn't have gotten hurt for sending me some candy...”
“Those are useless details,” complained Chrono in dissatisfaction. “Get to the good parts!”
“My second mistake is that I was overconfident and believed that I could actually save her. I thought that my medical skills were good enough to accomplish that, and my judgment was blinded by my eagerness to save a life. At the time, you were behaving irrationally, so I had to calm you down, though...
“My third mistake is that I should've stopped when I found out that, during the surgery, Candice was born with a weak heart and had undergone surgery before. I should've told you everything and let you make all the decisions. That would absolve me of all responsibilities, but I pushed forward and worked as hard as I can to save her instead...”
“Shut up!” roared Chrono. He couldn't bear to continue to listen to any of that anymore. “Why are you still finding excuses?”
He went on, “Let me tell you exactly what your sins are. Firstly, you truly shouldn't have butted in. You shouldn't pretend to be a nice person. If you never did that, Candice wouldn't have gotten shot while trying to deliver you some candy. Your second mistake is that you lied despite having poor medical skills. You claimed that you could save Candice, but you couldn't. You even gave all sorts of excuses afterward to shift the blame to someone else. If you hadn't lied, I would've found a better doctor for my daughter, and she would still be alive!”
Monica felt exasperated when she heard what the guy said. “You think her medical skills are lacking? Do you even know who she is?”
“Monica,” said Francesca to cut Monica's words short. The former didn't want her true identity to be exposed. “Chrono, there is no point in saying anything else anymore. You won't listen to what I say anyway, and I am too tired to keep explaining the situation. Just tell me what you want.”
Francesca had tons of words to say and so much to refute. For starters, Chrono claimed that he could've found some other doctor, but Francesca was certain that no other doctor could save Candice. There was even a good chance that they'd lose her before they even had the opportunity to rescue her.
Unfortunately, there was no point in making a rational argument.
Chrono wouldn't listen to reason anymore, and Francesca didn't want to relive Candice’s death over and over again. It broke her heart every time she had to recall what happened.
“I want you to watch these kids die right in front of you!”
Chrono didn't want to waste his breath talking to Francesca anymore, either. He pointed his gun at one kid and was going to fire.
“No!”
Francesca screamed and ran over as fast as she could.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, and crimson red blood spilled.
Francesca's shoulder got hit, and blood was oozing out of her wound. Despite that, she hugged the kid tightly to protect her.
"Ah! Francesca!”
Frightened, the little girl in Francesca’s arms bawled.
“Ms. Felch...”
Monica was drowning in worry, but Chrono was still holding a bunch of kids hostage, so there was no way for them to fight him. They couldn't make any reckless moves, either.
The police were panicking as well, but there was nothing they could do.
Chapter 2067 Die In Front Of You
"You're crazy. Crazy!” Anthony shouted in anger. He tried to protect the kids earlier and passed out after he was badly beaten up by Chrono. The gunshot woke him up, and the first thing he saw was Francesca bleeding.
A few other employees were in the lobby, and they witnessed Francesca being shot. It scared them so much that they turned pale, and tears gathered in their eyes. Unfortunately, they were still too afraid to say anything.
They still had to consider the safety of dozens of kids who had bombs strapped to them, after all. If Chrono got mad, he could press the button and detonate all the bombs strapped to the kids, blowing them up.
"How selfless of you,” said Chrono. It seemed he was delighted to see Francesca being hurt. The joy in his eyes was practically overflowing. “I'd like to see just how many bullets you can take before you die.”
As he spoke, he pointed his gun at another kid.
“Ah, Francesca!”
The other kid bawled.
“No!”
Bang!
The gun went off once more, and Francesca dashed over again to protect the kid in her arms.
That shot hit her leg, causing her to fall to the ground. She could no longer stand.
Two bullets had torn through Francesca’s flesh, and blood had tainted her white shirt. The pain was so intense that she was drenched in sweat and her entire body trembled but still, she gritted her teeth and held herself together.
“Francesca...”
“Ms. Felch!”
“Francesca!”
The kids bawled.
Anthony, who was anxious, ran toward the exit.
Monica and the others were overwhelmed with worry as well, but there was nothing they could do. The police panicked too, but they couldn't make any reckless moves because it might endanger the kids.
"Aw, you really are selfless,” commented Chrono sarcastically. Francesca’s wound made him excited. “You truly are a good person. I guess that means I misunderstood you and that you actually care about these kids.”
“Just kill me!”
Francesca gritted her teeth and glared at Chrono.
“Kill you? With a single gunshot? That would be the easy way out,” said Chrono as he sneered. “What kind of father would I be if I let you off the hook so easily?”
"You—"
Francesca was about to speak when Chrono lifted his gun once more and aimed it at another kid. He sounded amused when he said, “There are five kids here. I wonder if you can take a shot for every single one of them.”
Subsequently, he held his forehead, acting as though he was troubled. “Ah, but wait. There are dozens more kids in there, so hang in there. You can't die, not yet.”
"Kill me however you like. Just let the kids go!”
Francesca was still holding herself together and was trying to keep herself conscious. She wanted to keep the kids safe and was willing to sacrifice her life for theirs.
“Let the kids go? Well, their freedom really depends on you now, doesn't it?" said Chrono as he grinned evilly. “On to the next kid, then.”
"You—"
Bang!
Francesca was about to speak when Chrono fired his gun again. She moved almost entirely out of her instinct, but her leg and shoulder were wounded, so she was not as agile and was a tad too slow.
Francesca fell right onto the ground, but she wasn't bothered about her wounds at all.
At first, she thought that the kid was wounded, but she later heard the other kids screaming in terror, “Ah, Anthony!"
Francesca's heart skipped a beat. When she shifted her gaze, she saw Anthony lying in a pool of blood. He had used every bit of his energy to throw himself at the kids and shield them. Unfortunately, the bullet hit his gut.
“Anthony!” shrieked Francesca. She crawled to him hurriedly and put her hands on his wound right away. "Hold on. Just hold on.”
Chrono’s aim was impeccable. He didn't want Francesca to die so easily, so the two bullets from earlier only got her shoulder and foot. The third bullet, however, tore through Anthony's gut, and that was life-threatening.
Francesca panicked immediately. She quickly opened her bag to get the bandage to stop Anthony's bleeding. That was when her eyes caught sight of something interesting.
“My, my, how touching.”
Chrono saw how much Francesca cared about Anthony, and that made him even happier. “Now you know how I feel! I want you to watch as everyone you care about die one by one.”
Chapter 2068 Stupid
“I shouldn't have saved you.” Regret filled Francesca as Anthony panted and battled for his life. The truth was that Danrique could've killed Chrono back at H City.
She was the one who felt sorry for what had happened to Candice, and she was the one who thought that Chrono had already set the bombs up in the orphanage. She thought he could blow the orphanage up whenever he wanted, and that was why she stopped Danrique. That, in turn, allowed Chrono to escape.
Her hesitation had led to everything that was currently unfolding. At that moment, any shred of guilt or pity Francesca felt for Chrono had died. She harbored nothing but hatred and anger for the lunatic standing in front of her.
“Too bad you can't turn back time,” commented Chrono. He had his fun, and he was not in the mood to drag the show on. He fished his remote out and said, “Now die. You and these kids will perish today, and every one of you will keep my Candice company in the afterlife. She will be thrilled.”
As he spoke, his finger moved toward the button.
Just before disaster struck, Francesca suddenly threw some silvery powder at Chrono.
He reacted quickly and pointed his gun at her, but he hadn't had a chance to pull the trigger before a loud bang came. The powder on him ignited and burned him with intense flames.
Those flames spread out extremely fast. It looked as though a fiery beast had swallowed him in an instant.
Initially, Chrono was surprised when he saw the fire on him. That surprise soon turned to agony, and he screamed while rolling on the floor to try to put out the fire.
Unfortunately, his efforts were for naught. The flames burned brighter as time passed.
When Chrono realized he was done for, he dashed toward the kids.
“Ah!”
The kids were so scared that they screamed and ran away.
“Monica!” shouted Francesca.
That was when Monica finally came around. She led William's bodyguard and ran toward the kids to protect them. The police officers were going to do the same.
However, a loud explosion came from the field outside, frightening the police officers. They stopped moving right away.
Francesca looked over and realized that Chrono was still holding the remote.
It had about ten buttons on it, and that meant that he could detonate different bombs in different locations.
Chrono was in so much pain that he subconsciously pressed the number zero on the remote, triggering the bomb in the field. The consequences would be disastrous if he were to press any other buttons.
“Francesca Felch, I will drag you down to hell with me!” bellowed Chrono.
His voice carried a hint of insanity, and it was clear he was going to press all the buttons at once. Francesca panicked and ran to him, but the bullet in her leg caused her to fall once more. She widened her eyes in horror as she thought it was the end for them.
Just then, a silver glow zipped past her, and Chrono screamed at the very next second. Blood spewed everywhere, and the remote fell to the ground along with a severed hand.
“No!” Francesca shrieked with fear overflowing in her voice. If that remote were to fall onto the floor, the buttons might be triggered, and the bombs would go off.
Just then, a white figure showed up out of nowhere. The figure moved as quickly as lightning and caught the remote before it fell.
Before Francesca could even register what had happened, she heard a familiar voice. “Go to hell!” Danrique kicked Chrono onto the floor and mercilessly stepped on his head. “How dare you lay your hands on my woman? You'll burn in hell for that!”
Chrono was still engulfed in flames at the time, so it looked as though Danrique was stepping on a ball of fire.
"You—"
Before Chrono could finish speaking, Danrique kicked him and sent him flying.
Chrono’s body shattered the window and fell into the pond right outside.
Strangely enough, the water didn't extinguish the fire. It made the fire burn even brighter instead, and the water in the pond began bubbling. Soon, Chronos figure stopped moving.
Francesca stared at the smoke that rose from the pond and could finally heave a sigh of relief. That crazy man is finally dead.
“You are so freaking stupid!”
An angry voice came. At the very next second, Francesca felt her body being lifted into the air. She hadn't even registered what was happening before she was pulled into a warm embrace.
She lifted her head and saw a familiar and handsome face in front of her. The man’s eyes burned with fury, though. “Must you always go against me?”
Chapter 2069 Trust
Danrique’s words were mean, and his tone was filled with disappointment, but Francesca could see the worry in his eyes. It melted her heart instantly.
She couldn't hold herself together any longer, so she nestled her head on his chest weakly. "Everything is okay now. I'm here.”
Danrique’s heart softened. He couldn't bring himself to reprimand her anymore, so all he did was stroke her head gently. It was as though he was telling her that he could and would hold the weight of the entire world up to keep her safe.
Francesca immediately showed her vulnerable side. The strong front she had been putting up fell apart at that exact moment. That was when she suddenly thought of something important. “Those bombs, and Anthony, and the kids..."
“Don’t worry. I will make sure everything is okay,” promised Danrique as he marched away with Francesca in his arms. He didn’t even turn back when he instructed, “Get everything settled. I want everyone, except Chrono, to be fine.”
“Understood.” Anthony and the other injured employees were sent to the hospital in time. Gordon was a bomb disposal expert, so all the hidden bombs in the orphanage were removed quickly.
The kids were all transferred to another orphanage while Sloan and the others went with the cops to deal with the aftermath. Everyone got busy, and in a way, everything had finally come to an end. Heavy rain fell that day, and it lasted until the next morning.
Francesca woke up from her nightmare. When she opened her eyes and saw Danrique’s tender smile, she asked, “How is Anthony? And how are the kids? Is everybody okay?"
Danrique frowned. Dissatisfaction glowed in his eyes, but he didn't get mad. Instead, he gave her an honest answer. “A few kids were hurt, but it was nothing serious. That other guy might be in a bit of danger, though. He's in the ICU now.”
“I think his organ might've been hit. I have to go and see him...”
Francesca struggled to get out of bed, but Danrique pushed her down to stop her from doing so. "You're severely wounded and are in no shape to heal anyone. I've already told Sean to get Helen here.”
“She won't be able to make it in time,” replied Francesca. She was worried sick and panicking. “His condition is critical, and his life will be threatened if we drag this on...”
As she spoke, she forced herself to sit up. She wanted to get out of bed, but the wound on her leg was so severe that she fell right onto the ground
Danrique sat there and stared at her emotionlessly without uttering a word.
Francesca put her weight on the bed and tried to get up once more. Unfortunately, she fell again as soon as she got back on her feet.
“Is he really that important?” demanded Danrique.
"He's of utmost importance to me. In a way, he is like my family, and he only got hurt because of me. That is why I must save him,” said Francesca.
Danrique didn't say anything else. He simply got up, picked her up, and plopped her down in a wheelchair before pushing her out of the door.
“Mr. Lindberg!”
Sean and the other subordinates hurried to them right away.
"Get the doctor in charge to come to meet us right now. We'll discuss the plan to save Anthony,” said Danrique.
“Understood,” replied Sean before he went away to carry out the order.
Danrique pushed Francesca to the ICU. The medical superintendent and the doctors were already waiting for her there. They were quick to explain the situation to Francesca
Francesca frowned deeply. “What? The bullet is still in him?”
“The bullet is inside one of his major organs. It's risky to remove it, and we don't..."
“Prep for surgery right now. I'll do it,” said Francesca without even a second of hesitation. “And get more blood bags ready. Hurry!”
“But...” said the doctor who nervously glanced at Danrique.
"Just do as she said,” ordered Danrique.
“Understood.”
The medical superintendent left quickly to arrange everything. The doctor in charge, however, was a little unsure of that arrangement. “Ms. Felch, your shoulder is injured. Can you even hold the scalpel steadily?”
The truth was that Francesca couldn't even walk at that moment and had to rely on the wheelchair. Her entire right arm was also in a cast.
Hence, there was no way she could hold a scalpel.
“I might not be able to use my right hand, but I've still got my left hand,” replied Francesca. She frowned as she turned her gaze to Anthony, who was still lying on the bed. “You trust me to do this, don't you?"
Anthony stayed there without moving a muscle. It was as though he was agreeing with that statement and saying he trusted her.
q
Chapter 2070 Hurry Up And Wash Up
As the operation required a high degree of precision, it would be difficult for other doctors to do a good job even if they gave it their all.
However, Francesca was currently injured. She couldn't lift her right hand and could only hold the scalpel with her left hand. Worse still, her grip slipped on the scalpel when the nurse handed it to her, and it fell to the ground
All the medical staff around her were stunned. They all gaped at her. The attending doctor, Matthias, couldn't help urging, “A life is at stake here, Ms. Felch. This is no joke.”
“I never joke around with a life.” Francesca took the scalpel once more. “Let's begin!" “Understood.” The doctors didn't dare advise her further but did their best to assist her.
To their amazement, Francesca seemingly became a different person once the operation commenced, despite her severe injury. She became confident and focused.
That aside, she was exceedingly resolute when she operated, showing nary a hint of hesitance. Conversely, the other few doctors had their hearts lodged in their throats. After all, not only was the bullet embedded in an internal organ, but it even involved the aorta. Thus, a single misstep would put the patient's life in danger.
Nonetheless, Francesca removed the bullet with great speed and precision before proceeding to the next step.
Three hours later, Danrique was sitting on the sofa in Francesca's ward, replying to emails, when Sean hurried in and reported, “The operation has concluded, Mr. Lindberg. It was very successfull” "Got it,” Danrique replied placidly.
“The doctors are all praising Ms. Felch’s medical skills to the skies. They're saying that she's superb! Indeed, she’s incredible! How phenomenal!” Sean was rather emotional.
“Get the private jet ready to return to Xendale tonight.” Danrique glanced at his watch.
At that, surprise inundated Sean. “Tonight? What about Ms. Felch, then?”
“She's naturally going back with us. We'll take off before eight o'clock,” Danrique stated firmly. “Understood.” Sean didn't dare question the man anymore. Instead, he immediately went about the preparations.
Danrique continued scanning through his documents. A while later, Kerrie wheeled Francesca back to the ward. Behind them trailed a few female medical staff.
Upon entering the ward, they all bowed to Danrique. “Mr. Lindberg!”
“You're done with the operation?” Danrique lifted his eyes and looked at Francesca.
“Yeah. I'd like to take a bath.” Verily, Francesca was feeling pretty tired.
“There's an injury on you, Ms. Felch, and you can't get it wet. I'll wipe you down instead.”
With a gesture from Kerrie, two of the female medical staff quickly went to prepare some hot water. “You're all dismissed,” Danrique interjected.
“Understood.” The medical staff hastily left with their heads hung low.
"Why did you dismiss them?” Francesca questioned with a frown.
“It's just wiping you down, no? I can do it, too.”
Carrying her to the sofa, Danrique reached out to strip her clothes off.
Alas, Francesca instinctively backed away. “Stop. Have them do it instead.”
“I've seen it all anyway. Stay still, for I'm not going to take responsibility if you pull on your wound.” Despite her apprehension, Francesca no longer dared to move.
While unfastening her buttons, Danrique grumbled, “How troublesome! Why are there so many buttons?”
In response, Francesca rolled her eyes. Danrique initially sat on the sofa, but he had no choice but to lean over at that moment and loom over her like a hulking beast.
As the two people who hadn't seen each other in a long time came face to face at such a close distance, the atmosphere suddenly became charged.
Danrique stared at her, a fire gradually sparking in his gaze. Subsequently, his handsome face drew increasingly closer to her.
Francesca froze right then and there, moving nary a muscle. Holding her breath, she eyed him nervously. “W-What do you want? Mmph!”
Before she had finished speaking, Danrique had already captured her lips.
She was wholly stunned, her eyes going wide in disbelief. Just as she was going to stretch her hands out to push him away, the man pulled back.
“You reek of disinfectant!”
Argh! He even has disdain written all over his face!
“How dare you! I just came out from the operating theater!” Francesca’s face flushed bright red from fury.
“Hurry up and wash up!” Danrique continued divesting her of clothes.