Ch. 1191..1200
Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1191--‘That's right. Annie asked me to do it so she would have something to hold against me, right? If I do as she said, I will be a murderer, and she will have evidence of it for the rest of my life. She could threaten me with it whenever I go against her wishes.’
Ralph recalled the incident from a few days ago and how crazy Hannah could get occasionally. He felt suffocated by the thought of obeying her for the rest of his life.
He turned around and said to Hannah, “Annie, why don't we just forget about this? She's still your sister, after all! What about we just send her back to the Riggs Estate? Your parents live on the island, don't they? We can get them to lock her up on the island too.
"Also, don't you think we're going too easy on her by letting her die so easily? We should let her suffer from all the pain you went through before as well!"
"Are you nuts?” Hannah became furious all of a sudden. "Don't you know that my parents would only help her if we sent her back to the island?
They're always biased toward her! If they knew about this, they would help her, and I would die instead!
"Heather has to die! She must die so my parents would have me as their only daughter! They would only give up and face reality with that!" Hannah grumbled as if to brainwash herself before she looked toward Ralph angrily.
"Can't you just do this simple task? Didn't you say that you love me? I would even hurt my sister for you. I don't even care that you have nothing anymore, but you don't have the guts to do something so simple, is that it?"
"It's not that I don't have the guts to do it, but..."
Before Ralph could finish his words, Heather interjected, "He doesn't want you to have something to hold against him for the rest of his life! Haven't you realized it? He doesn't want anything to do with you, much less forever!
"No one would want to be with you forever, you nutcase! Do you think you've won? You're just my shadow for the rest of your life and won't be able to have your own life even when I’m gone! Haha!"
Heather boisterously laughed as if she was the winner of this game. She was in a pathetic state right now, with her life hanging by a thread, but she looked like she was the one who had the upper hand.
"Shut the f*ck up!" Hannah broke out crazily. She could not care less and grabbed the bowl in Ralph's hand, rushing over to force the liquid down Heather's throat.
Ralph was stunned for a while; at that moment, his hand was empty with nothing in it. Then he saw Hannah squeezing Heather's chin, forcing the latter to lift her head while her other hand brought the bow! to the latter's mouth.
"Die! Die, you b*tch! I'll be the only one left when you're dead! No one will compare me to you anymore! Why won't you die?!"
Hannah cursed with an ugly, twisted expression.
Heather struggled with everything she had. No matter how calm she was, she had the instinct to fight for her life whenever faced with death. She twisted her body and turned her head fervently, refusing to cooperate with Hannah.
Even if the poison weakened Heather, it was easy for her to deal with Hannah, who was weak compared to her.
As a result, Hannah was sweating and spilled most of the liquid, but none went into Heather's mouth. It made her anxious and frustrated as she turned to roar at Ralph, "What the hell are you still doing there? Come here and help me! We're both dead meat once she turns the tables on us!"
Hannah's last few words woke Ralph up. He came to his senses and thought, ‘She's right! Although I don't want to kill Heather, it's game over for me if she could turn this around. I can't depend on the Russell family anymore. If I lose my support from the Riggs family too, that would be the end of my life.’
With this thought in mind, he quickly went over to them and helped Hannah to keep Heather's limbs in place. It was easier to get this done with two people. No matter how much Heather struggled, the duo still held her down and had her cheeks squeezed so hard that it forced her to open her mouth.
Just as Hannah was about to pour the poisonous liquid into Heather's mouth, a loud sound came from outside as if an earthquake had just occurred.
Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1192--The two were startled and loosened their grasps subconsciously while Heather took the chance to swing her hand toward the bowl, causing it to fall to the ground and scatter into fragments everywhere.
"What the f*ck are you guys doing?! Do you want me to kill you?!" Hannah returned to her senses and walked out furiously as she rebuked. She thought it was her people that caused the commotion. However, Hannah felt a strong wind when she reached the door. With a pain in her chest, she flew back into the basement.
Bang! Hannah dropped to the ground with a thud.
"Annie?!" Ralph was shocked when he saw Hannah returning to the basement in such a way. He ran over to help her up, and just as he looked out the door, he felt suffocated and sent flying backward alongside Hannah this time around.
They were in a small room, so there was not much space. Hence, the duo's backs smashed into a wall, scraping dust off it before falling to the ground again. The room became dusty instantly.
“Cough! Cough!" The duo started coughing blood. They did not even see the intruder when the intruder had already kicked them till they spat blood. Their chests felt intense pain, like their limbs had broken. When they opened their eyes again, they saw an upright man kneeling before Heather. Ms. Riggs, I came late! Please forgive me!"
"Chump?!" Hannah recognized the intruder and cried out in surprise, unable to believe the sight before her. Even though she felt excruciating pain, and it felt like a knife was slicing through her lungs each time she took a breath, she could not help but exclaim, “How is this possible?! Weren't you...”
“You mean to say I should’ve gotten assassinated and killed long ago, right?" Chump threw Hannah a cold sideways glance while still kneeling on one knee.
Chump's words silenced Hannah, but he was right. That was her plan. She used up all her savings on top of the money and jewelry she had stolen from Heather to hire the best killer in the world with one motive-to kill Chump.
She knew Chump was skilled, so she was willing to spend a fortune to hire an even more skilled killer. It should have been impossible for Chump to survive.
"So what if you hired a great killer? Don’t you know that I was the one who trained Chump?" With one hand on her chest,
Heather finally regained her strength and turned to look at the duo, her lips curling into a mocking smirk.
"You knew it was impossible to bribe him because of his loyalty toward me, but do you know that he’s also good at pretending to be dead? Besides being skilled in kickboxing, that is.”
Chump knew there would always be someone more powerful than him. He also knew the best way to survive was to play dead, even though it might be embarrassing.
He deceived the group of killers, and while he had gotten severely injured, he ran back to the house with all his might to seek help.
"Impossible! I booked a plane ticket home. Mom and Dad were still..." Before Hannah finished her sentence, she seemed to understand something.
"You said it yourself. Mom and Dad have always doted on me the most. Have you forgotten about that?" Heather smirked before continuing, "Do you think you can convince my people so easily? Do you think you can replace me just because we look the same? You're still too naive!"
With that, Heather put one hand on Chump's arm and stood up with a bit of force.
Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1193--Hannah and Ralph panicked when they saw Heather standing up. Their fear of Heather had taken root in their hearts, after all.
When Heather was lying in bed, unable to move and dying, the duo still feared her a little, let alone now when she could stand before them.
"No! It's impossible!" Hannah did not want to believe what she was seeing. She thought her plan was perfect and had everything under control.
Hannah thought she had secured her victory, so she would not believe it if anyone told her she had lost.
“Chump, do you think you can fool me with that nonsense?” Hannah smiled forcefully and continued, "You wish you could intimidate me so easily! It would take you longer than this to return to the Riggs’ Estate and get reinforcements. You're just bluffing, aren't you? My people will rush inside and take you down as soon as I call for them. I'd advise you to run for your life before I change my mind! I can let you off the hook if you walk away now.”
"You're the one bluffing here," Heather retorted coldly, “Accept what's happening. Do you think you can bribe my people so easily? I have friends in this industry, too, besides enemies. You underestimate me too much!"
After a pause, she continued, "By the way, do you think you can replace me after attending a few boring dinners and talking to a few useless people? Hannah Riggs, you're way too naive! Do you think that's all I can do? If that's true, I couldn't have gotten to where I am today, and the Riggs family would not have the wealth we possess today!"
"Then you..." Hannah widened her eyes, obviously convinced by Heather's words by now. There was just one thing she did not understand. ‘She wasn’t in good health recently, and it didn't look like she was acting at all.’
"Do you like the show I put up for you?" Heather took a deep breath and pressed one hand on the bed's frame. When she tightened her grip, the wood crushed.
The duo just watched Heather's movements as their faces paled from fear.
Ralph was feeling hopeless now. Recently, his mind had been in a mess, making him restless. Now, he had lost his last hope, Hannah, to turn the tables around. Without the Riggs family’s support, he genuinely had nothing left.
“Ants,” Heather sneered and turned to say, "Lock the two of them up and wait for my orders." Then she headed out the door.
With that, Chump nodded and tied the duo up before throwing them into a room, locking it up as he walked out the door. In just such a short time, a drastic change occurred. The room returned to its pitch-black state.
Hannah remained silent and sat in her spot, not moving for a long time. Everything felt like a nightmare to her.
Ralph noticed her pale expression and understood what she was feeling. Just a while ago, he experienced the same thing. The only difference was that he failed, while Hannah thought she succeeded when she fell into Heather's trap instead.
They were so close to getting everything they wanted. Hannah wondered if everything would be different if she had forced the poisonous liquid down Heather's throat earlier.
“Annie...” Ralph could no longer bear to see Hannah's blank expression and called her nickname softly.
Hannah blinked like his voice had returned her to her senses. Then she turned to look at him and said dazedly, “Am I dreaming? Can you slap me? Slap me to wake me up from this nightmare! How could I fail? I carefully planned everything. Chump-why is Chump not dead?”
Ralph understood how Hannah felt better than anyone else, and the more she struggled, the more his heart pained for her.
“Annie, I forgot about how cunning Heather could be. She took advantage of me in the past and did it again to you this time. She lied about getting poisoned. I bet the poison didn't affect her, but she put on a show for us!"
Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1194--"No, that can't be it!" Hannah shook her head, frowning in disapproval. "If she wasn't poisoned, why didn’t she fight back when I slapped her? With that temper of hers, she wouldn't be able to endure it! She must have been pretending to be fine earlier! I swear she's poisoned!"
"But just now, did you see...” Ralph's gaze was drawn to the broken bed frame.
The truth was right in front of them. If Heather were poisoned, she would not have the strength to break the bed frame. "I can guarantee you that she’s just pretending to be poisoned. In the deal I had with her, I was supposed to be the one to steal the secret handbook, but she did it herself in the end. Think about it. She’s so cautious, so how could she not realize that you were going to poison her? I'm sure that she was just pretending because she has some other ulterior motives!"
"What kind of ulterior motives could she have?” Hannah immediately responded with a question.
"Well..." Ralph did not know what to say.
If he had known, things would not have turned out the way they did. He could not tell what Heather was thinking, which was the same for Alexander. He could not guess their next moves, so he suffered crashing defeats.
He thought that he was the one playing chess and laying all his pieces out, but little did he know that he was actually a chess piece in someone else's game.
"No, she must be lying about not being poisoned. Raff, I didn’t lose to her. I didn't lose..."
The two disagreed, and Ralph understood that he had no way to persuade Hannah now. Hence, he could only let out a long sigh as he stared at the dark window.
In the end, they still lost terribly.
Hannah was right about Heather being poisoned, and it was pretty serious. After leaving the basement, Heather stopped walking after taking a few steps, staying in her spot and holding on to the wall with one hand.
When Chump had locked the door and followed behind her, he was puzzled to find her standing there. "Ms. Riggs?"
He noticed her lowering her head and spitting blood as soon as he called her name. The blood was darker than its usual color, indicating that she was poisoned.
"Ms. Riggs!"
"Shut up!" Heather reprimanded, her voice low and weak. "What are you panicking about?"
“You...”
When Chump saw her crushing the bedframe earlier, he thought that she was okay. He did not expect that it was just another trick of hers.
After all, Heather was brilliant, and no one could guess her thoughts. Perhaps she had her reasons for doing so, but she did not look like she was in great condition judging from the situation.
“I'm poisoned!" she whispered lowly. “Don't let anyone else know about this. No one knows that she replaced me, right?”
"She's been using your identity recently out there, but as her behavior is much different from yours, that may arouse some suspicions. However, no one knows about it yet,” Chump answered.
When he rushed back to the Riggs family’s residence to seek help while he was injured, he found out about the things that Hannah had been up to recently, but he did not have the time to deal with her.
All he thought about at the time was saving Heather, and he found the chance to do so upon learning that she would return to the Riggs family's residence today.
“Good!” Heather nodded and continued, "Help me back to my room.
Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1195--Upon returning to her room, Heather started to cough continuously. It was serious, and it sounded like she could not suppress it at all.
Chump stood by her side, not knowing what to do. Finally, he went out to get a glass of water for her, and when he returned, he saw her spitting out another mouthful of blood again.
After that, Heather seemed to be in a slightly better condition. With Chump's support, she sat down on her bed and leaned on the bedframe. She took the glass of water from Chump, but her face had no color.
"Ms. Riggs...” Chump was worried sick.
Initially, he thought that Heather was alright and that she had everything under control. However, that was not the case.
"I didn't expect she would have the guts to do this." Heather took a breath and looked up at the ceiling, a wry smile plastered on her face.
"I'd let my guard down against her over the years, and I’d never been wary of her."
Heather could not describe how she was feeling right now. She had always disdained and looked down on Hannah, her twin, and younger sister. She did not think that Hannah would pose any threat to her.
As far as she could remember, she had always been the better child. She was the chosen one by her parents, while Hannah was not fit to be her competitor.
She thought that Hannah would be grateful for her. After all, Hannah could only survive and still exist in this world because of her. Hence, she believed Hannah should still be indebted to Heather no matter what she did.
Recently, she knew that Hannah had been dissatisfied with her, but she just brushed it off and did not take it seriously because what could a weak and useless girl do anyway? She never expected that Hannah would have the guts to poison her.
She had no idea where Hannah got her poison or when she hired a bunch of killers. She almost let Hannah succeed.
If Chump had not protected her with his life, or the support from the connections she made in the past, Hannah might have been able to kill her this time.
Seeing her upset look, Chump snarled, "I'm going to kill her!”
"Don't act rashly!" Heather said faintly. "I still have my reasons to keep her alive.”
“But...”
“There's something more important I need you to do for me!" Heather closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, there were sparkles in them.
After a moment of hesitation, Chump leaned closer to her, and she whispered in his ear.
"This..."
"Get it done!" Heather waved her hand, and as if she had used up all of her energy, she turned sideways, saying nothing more.
Although Chump was worried about her, he always obeyed her orders and went on to do his task right away.
Heather tilted her body sideways and grabbed the blanket, which still had the faint scent of Hannah on it. It made her frown, and she tossed it away before kicking it to the ground.
She would not allow anyone to lie on her bed.
Margaret had finally overcome her dangerous state. However, she was still weak due to her age and the repeated emotional damage she had recently suffered. She had lost a lot of weight, looking very different from just a few days ago. It was difficult to believe that she was the same person.
Lily was sad to see Margaret's appearance as well. It reminded her of her grandfather, who had passed away suddenly. They were powerless, and there was nothing much they could do at that age.
"Why are you eating so little?” Alexander inquired, concerned when he noticed she had set down her cutlery. "The food not to your taste?"
Lily shook her head. "I'm full."
Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1196--"You don't have any appetite these days. Are you too tired?” Alexander asked. "What about skipping the hospital visit later? My aunt is there, and the maids are there too, which is more than enough to take care of grandma. She'll also be released from the hospital in a few days.”
"Can she be discharged with her condition?"
"The doctor said it's fine. With her condition, she doesn't need to stay in the hospital because she's not ill. She’s just old now."
After the incident the other day, Alexander could talk about Margaret's condition calmly.
After all, there was too much he had to face and too many things he needed to do. He could not let his emotions control him.
Lily nodded. ‘Then I won't go to the hospital in the next few days. I'll visit Grandma once she returns home."
She was indeed slightly tired. Rubbing her temples, she said, "There’s something I want to discuss with you.”
"Yeah?" Alexander looked into her eyes seriously, preparing to listen to whatever she had to say.
A moment of hesitation later, she started softly, "I think we should postpone our wedding.”
"Why?" Alexander did not understand where she was coming from. "Is there anything about it that's not to your liking?"
Lily shook her head and rubbed her belly, which was already visible enough that anyone could tell she was pregnant. "It's just that too many things have happened recently, and the family had enough on their plate. Grandma isn't feeling that well, and I… I'll need to get the wedding dress altered too."
Smiling, she continued, "I had a call with Justin recently. He’s busy in Azalea, so he might not have the time to return. Why don't we just postpone our wedding? You know that I'm not particular about such formalities, so why don't we... talk about this again after I give birth to our child?"
Lily was not that bothered about having a wedding. Back then, she agreed to have it as Alexander wanted to give her the experience all married women would have in their lives.
However, the wedding day was getting closer, but Margaret was not feeling well, Ralph's matter was not settled yet, and the Russell family was suffering from the aftereffects of the turmoil they had just gone through, although they looked fine to outsiders.
Looking at the bigger picture, Lily felt their wedding should be postponed.
"Won't you get upset about it?” Alexander asked softly as he took a wet tissue and wiped the corner of her lips.
"Nope," she replied thoughtfully.
"We'll go with what you want." After a moment of silence, Alexander nodded. He respected Lily’s choice completely regarding this matter. It was fine for him if she wanted to postpone their wedding.
When he thought about it, they could wait a few more years and have their child be the flower girl or boy. That seemed like a great plan as well.
The two stared into each other's eyes and smiled, just like the scene in a beautiful picture. At this moment, a maid came in and said, "Mr. Russell, there’s a gentleman out there who wishes to see you. He said he works for Ms. Riggs."
"Heather Riggs?" Lily blurted and met eyes with Alexander again before she continued, “Or perhaps... the person pretending to be her?”
"Should we meet her?" Alexander asked.
“Let's see what she’s up to. This is our territory anyway.” Lily threw him a glance, knowing that he already had an answer in mind, but still insisted on hearing it from her.
The maid left to welcome the guest. After working here for a long time, she knew that Lily's words count in this family!
The duo left the dining table and went to the living room. As they took their seats, a maid served them a pot of fruit tea while the other led the guest in.
Lily had an impression of the guest, but it seemed a long time since she last saw him.
"It's you?"
Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1197--Lily had met Chump twice before. She knew he was always with Heather and a hidden kickboxing master. Although he tried to hide his vitality, she could still sense the ability he had as a skilled kickboxer. Still, Lily only had a faint impression of him because he was not always around.
"Mr. Russell," Chump stepped forward and greeted respectfully. Then he looked at Lily and said, "Mrs. Russell, Ms. Riggs has invited you to come over tomorrow."
That stunned Lily. "Me?"
Initially, she thought Chump was here for Alexander, so it surprised her that Heather had invited her too. Alexander felt the same as well.
"Only her?” Alexander asked.
There was a hidden meaning behind his question. He meant to ask if Heather was inviting the two of them. Even if she was to invite only one of them, inviting Alexander seemed more plausible.
After all, she would communicate directly with Alexander regarding business or other things. There was little Heather and Lily could discuss besides kickboxing, after all.
"Yes," Chump answered, nodding.
Alexander lowered his gaze. "Do tell her we aren't going.”
His answer did not surprise Lily at all. She knew how protective he could be over her, and she was slowly getting used to it. Still, Alexander could sometimes be overprotective. After all, he did everything with Lily's best interests at heart.
"Ms. Riggs said she doesn't have ill intentions and that you, Mr. Russell, shouldn't worry." Heather had expected
Alexander's rejection before and even told Chump how to convince the couple.
"If Ms. Riggs doesn't have ill intentions, she can come here anytime to discuss things with us. We don't have any ill intentions either." Alexander spread his hands to show how frank he was about the matter.
Chump pursed his lips and continued, "It's... inconvenient for Ms. Riggs to come here.”
"Would she experience more inconvenience than a pregnant lady? It seems Ms. Riggs isn't sincere about meeting us at all,” Alexander said coldly, "You may leave now."
"Ms. Riggs has no other choice. Mrs. Russell, you’ll know once you visit her. Ms. Riggs means no harm!" Chump said sincerely and lowered his head, but he showed no signs of leaving. It seemed he would not leave before he got what he came here for.
That made Alexander's expression turn cold. He did not like it when others forced him to do something. Just as he was about to ask Chump to leave again, Lily held his hand and asked, "What time should I meet her tomorrow?"
Upon hearing that, Chump raised his head to look at Lily. ‘Around 10 in the morning. It could be any time that is convenient for you as well."
They were flexible about the time, and it looked easier to negotiate things with them, which was the opposite of how forceful Heather used to be. Lily pondered before asking again, "I heard she’s returning home tomorrow, isn't she? Ms. Riggs has bought her plane ticket, right? If I meet with her late, won't it delay her schedule?"
This matter was not a secret, as Heather did not do it secretly. They even knew Ralph would return to the Riggs Estate with her.
Initially, they thought Heather had ulterior motives for inviting Lily over tomorrow. However, Lily wondered whether or not Heather was afraid of missing her flight.
‘How can Heather be so flexible about the time?’
"Well, you'll learn about this once you meet Ms. Riggs,” Chump said after some hesitation, "Ms. Riggs promised she would not hurt you. There are some things she wishes to discuss with you."
Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1198--After some thought, Lily turned to look at Chump again, but her gaze looked more determined this time. "Okay, I'll be there! Tell Ms. Riggs I'll be there at 10, and I'll be on time."
Upon getting Lily's confirmation. Chump's blank face showed a hint of relief as he lowered his head respectfully." Well be expecting you, Mrs. Russell."
"Li..." Alexander was about to say something, but Lily stopped him again by pressing her hand on his as she shook her head.
He suppressed his urge and waited until Chump left to ask,” Why did you agree to meet with her? What if she has a trap set up for you or tries to trick you again? It's best if you don't meet up with her tomorrow."
"If she were the past Heather, it'd be difficult for me to deal with her, but don't forget she's no longer the same Heather she used to be," Lily smiled, saying those words, which sounded like a tongue twister.
Alexander understood that "Heather" could not combat at all now and that she posed no threat to Lily. However, he could not help but still worry about it.
"It's easy for you to deal with someone clear about their ill intentions toward you, but it's different when someone hides their evil motives. If Heather hurts you tomorrow, defending yourself against her will be tough. I'll go with you tomorrow if you insist on going." That was the most Alexander could compromise on the situation.
"If Heather were willing to have you come with me, the negotiation earlier wouldn't have ended like this." Lily smiled.
"Don’t worry. I’m not a kid anymore. Also, although I can't go against her troops alone if we start a fight, dealing with a fake and weak Heather is a piece of cake for me."
She planned to counter each of Heather's moves, but Alexander was still worried. "But..."
"What about this? If I sense that something isn't right, I'll text you right away. Then you can barge into her place with your people immediately. How about that?" Lily winked at Alexander and asked in a relaxed manner.
Seeing that look of hers, Alexander could only keep his worries to himself. He understood that it was challenging to change Lily's mind once she had decided.
However, he was still dissatisfied with her choice and glared at her. "Since I won't be able to stop you, remember always to put your safety first. Nothing is as important as your safety, do you understand?”
Lily nodded and wrapped her arms around Alexander's neck, smiling, "Yes, sir!"
Hannah and Ralph were still in the dark basement, and it had been 24 hours since they last ate or drank anything.
They were hungry and thirsty, leaving them with no energy at all.
It was fine for Hannah because she received such a punishment whenever she made a mistake in the past. Moreover, she was still suffering from the blow of her failure, so she was numb and unable to feel anything. However, it was a different case for Ralph.
He had always lived comfortably. Although he had gotten kicked out of the Russell family, Hannah came to his rescue immediately, so he had never suffered. Now that he had starved for a whole day, he was on the verge of breaking down.
"Annie. Annie, are you okay?” He nudged Hannah lightly with his arm and asked.
"Yeah," Hannah answered simply and said nothing else.
"Annie, do you think we're going to die here?” His voice was trembling. Then he continued in a softer voice, "What about this? You apologize to her when she comes back again. Let's apologize and promise we'll never go against her anymore in exchange for our freedom.”
Hannah was stunned upon hearing his suggestion before she turned to look at him. "How could you say such a thing? I won't be her shadow anymore in the future! Never in my life again will I do that!"
"But you'll die if you don't!" Ralph replied.
Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1199--"What's there to fear about death?" Hannah smiled nonchalantly. "I feel happy that I can die alongside you! Do you know I used to be afraid of dying? I didn't want to die because I didn't want to become the child my parents abandoned, but it's different now. I have you, and it's enough to be by your side. Dying with you would be a beautiful thing in my life too.”
Hannah expressed her feelings while she looked at Ralph gently, her eyes filled with adoration for the man.
However, her words only made him frown deeper, and he could not help but say, “Annie, don't think about this situation that way!
If we could survive, why should we choose to die? Death is scary, so we should try our best to live.
"When we're alive, we can breathe fresh air, eat delicious food, and drink all the wine we want. There's hope as long as we're alive, and who knows? One day we might be able to turn the tides, right? Life is a cycle, and there's only hope for us if we stay alive!”
Hannah shook her head and replied, “We won't be able to live any longer. I understand her. Since I poisoned her and wanted to kill her, she would never let us off the hook. Ralphy, I'll cherish all our time together now and regret nothing!"
"But I don't want to die!" Her sweet confession did not comfort Ralph at all. At this moment, he was hungry, thirsty, and afraid, which led him to explode from all the emotions he had piled up within his heart.
"You want to die, but I don't! I haven't lived enough! Let's go and beg her. Wait, no. I'm a part of the Russell family, so she can’t kill me this way. If she did, how would she explain it to my family? I won't die. I'll be okay!"
That made Hannah widen her eyes to stare at him in surprise. Her lips trembled as she spoke, "Ralphy, don't you want to die with me? Don't you want to be with me forever?”
"I want to be with you forever, but that's different from wanting to die with you. Life is beautiful, so why should we die? Annie, you can't die too. I'll find a way and get the Russells to save us. I-I'll negotiate something with Heather so we can both live!” Ralph blabbered in a panicked state.
The thought of death terrified him so much that his expression paled while sweat dripped from his forehead.
Hannah just stared at him for a long time without saying a thing. Suddenly, her lips curved into a smirk as she scoffed and turned away. She said nothing anymore after that.
After some time, they heard movements outside the door again, making Ralph regain his energy instantly. He sat up straight and said, “Annie. Annie, someone's out there."
However, Hannah did not bother to open her eyes at all. Soon, the door opened, revealing Chump, who entered with a water bowl. He stood before the two like a tall mountain.
"Are you here to release us? Heather wants to see us, right? Bring us to her. I have something to tell her!" Ralph blurted impatiently, afraid he would die if he spoke any slower.
In response to his words, Chump just threw him a cold glance and looked at Hannah. His gaze became even colder at the sight of her.
As if sensing his gaze on her, Hannah opened her eyes and looked at him, sneering, "You son of a b*tch!"
Chump did not care about that and just ignored her. With the water bowl in his hand, he said, "Ms. Riggs said that you two can't die yet."
Then he squatted and squeezed Hannah's chin while his other hand lifted the bowl to feed her some water. However, she turned and squeezed her lips shut, refusing to take it.
Seeing that. Chump did not force her to drink either and just put the bowl down.
“Tell her I regret nothing. The only thing I regret is not killing her sooner and allowing you to have the chance to rescue her!"
Hannah gritted her teeth in anger.
On the other hand, Ralph broke out in a cold sweat because of what she said as he tried to stop her in a low voice.” Annie, stop that.”
‘What if Heather gets mad and suddenly feels like killing us? Since she said we can't die yet, she isn't planning to kill us, or at least she doesn't have the intention now. If Hannah's words riled her up and made her change her mind, we'll both be dead.’
"That's not what she meant! Don't tell Heather that!" Ralph said while looking up at Chump.
Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1200--Chump snorted. "Aren't you going to drink too?"
"l’ll drink it! I'll drink! I'm so thirsty!” Ralph nodded fervently before he asked again, "Did you bring any food? I'm starving!”
That earned him a sneer and nothing else from Chump, who continued to feed him water. Ralph was extremely thirsty and opened his mouth eagerly to drink, but when he tasted the water, he found it did not taste right. It was salt water, and it was the kind that tasted like they poured a whole packet of salt into the water.
He refused to drink it in an instant and wanted to turn his head away to avoid the bowl coming into contact with his lips, but Chump could not let that happen. His resistance made Chump grab his chin, forcing him to open his mouth as Chump poured the bowl of concentrated salt water down his throat.
“Cough! Cough!” It choked him, causing him to cough incessantly to the point of tears. It was salty yet bitter at the same time. Disgusted, he wanted to puke, but nothing came out as he had not eaten anything in the last 24 hours. He only expelled the salt water he had just drank earlier.
"You guys are crazy!" Ralph shouted amidst his coughs.
"Ms. Riggs is kind enough to the both of you!" Chump stated coldly as he looked down at them.
If it were up to him, he would have ended their lives right now. 'How dare they harm Ms. Riggs? What they're going through now is nothing compared to Ms. Riggs’ suffering!’
With that, Chump left the basement, leaving a miserable Ralph behind. He was already thirsty in the first place, and now that he was forced to gulp down the bowl of salt water, his throat felt like it was on fire.
"Annie, did you know something was wrong with the water?" he asked, panting lightly.
In response, Hannah only said lightly, "I just know she won't be so kind to us.”
"Then you..." He wanted to blame her for not telling him about it, but he stopped himself from saying those words in the end. The two had their own concerns, respectively. The only thing on Ralph's mind right now was how to escape this place and survive.
Initially, he thought he was at his lowest point in life when he was removed from the Russells’ family register and became homeless. However, it was only in these near-death moments that he realized his dignity, pride, and honor did not matter. The most important thing was to stay alive. He did not want to die yet!
Hannah was silent for a long time, troubled by her own thoughts as well. The room was so quiet that their breathing could be heard.
"Ralphy..." Hannah called out and paused before she asked,” Have you... ever loved me?"
Ralph was almost asleep when he heard her voice in a daze, making him answer subconsciously, "I love you! Of course, I do!"
His lips curled into a smile, and Hannah continued to ask," Really? Do you love me for who I am, or do you... just love me because of my looks?"
"I love everything about you.” Ralph frowned. He was exhausted, not understanding why she was going on about this. ‘Be it her looks or other things about her, isn't it still her? r
Furthermore, Hannah has been asking these questions frequently lately, which would irritate men in any situation, much less in this one. He was not in the mood to think about his relationship at all.