Ch. 66..70: The Adorable Twins and Their CEO Daddy Chapter 66-70

Chapter 66 A Trap

"And who is this?"

The owner turned to look at Eliana.His cold, sunken eyes made him look like a living corpse.She couldn’t help but look away uncomfortably.

Bradly stood in front of Eliana protectively, but his smile remained polite.

"We’re here together.Now, let’s get down to business."

The owner didn’t say anything more.He turned around and walked to the innermost part of the shop.

"Come with me if you want to see the goods."

As he turned around, he unlocked his phone and looked at the screen, on which there was a clear photo of Eliana.

Then he stole a glance at Eliana.He immediately sent a message, which read, "Miss Jarvis, she has taken the bait."

Bradly was about to follow the owner into the shop when Eliana tugged at his sleeve urgently.

"What’s the matter?" he asked in confusion.

Staring at the owner’s back, Eliana whispered in a low voice, "Something is wrong."

Bradly immediately took her hand and assumed a protective stance.It was obvious he believed her without hesitation.

Eliana didn’t expect him to react in this way.

After a moment of stunned silence, she pulled her hand away.

"Why are you just standing there? Do you still want the pink diamonds?"

The owner whirled around to find that the two people had stopped in their tracks.

Smiling calmly, Eliana asked in a level voice, "Sir, are you planning to raise the price since it’s very costly to transport the Argyle pink diamonds from South Africa?"

Bradly raised his eyebrows and looked at her with respect.He instantly caught on to what she was up to.

Argyle pink diamonds came only from Australia, not South Africa.

But the owner didn’t doubt her question.

"Of course.It was indeed very expensive."

Hearing this, Eliana and Bradly exchanged knowing glances.

Their hearts sank to their stomachs.

"Never mind.We don’t have that big a budget.We can’t buy it now."

Eliana spoke as though nothing had happened and started pulling Bradley towards the door.

"I’m ready to negotiate.Why don’t you check them first before discussing the price?"

With an unsettling smile on his face, the owner slowly approached them with his hands behind his back.

Finally, Eliana gritted her teeth and sneered, "Argyle pink diamonds were only produced in Australia.What kind of fakes did you have transported from South Africa?"

Bradly also pulled a long face and shook his head with disappointment.

"Who told you to lie to us?"

Seeing that the jig was up, the owner threw his head back and laughed.

"The lady’s smart.What a pity…"

A sinister light flashed across his eyes and he suddenly shouted, "Hey, buddies! Entertain the guests, why don’t you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of multiple footsteps echoed across the house and a group of men surrounded Eliana and Bradly in the blink of an eye.

Tall, strong men blocked the exit.

The low sunshine extended their shadows all the way to Eliana’s feet.

Eliana’s adrenaline was pumping through her veins, and her hair stood on end all over her body.

"What do you want from us?"

Bradly shouted harshly, pulling Eliana behind him protectively.

The old overhead light in the antique shop flickered a few times, before going out completely.

The dimness was like a net that immediately enveloped them, suffocating them.

"I suggest you cooperate, unless you wish to suffer," the boss sneered from the shadows.

Eliana swallowed her panic and threatened them.

"We’re calling the police!"

"Get out of our way.We can pretend that nothing happened."

Bradly tried to negotiate with them while grabbing Eliana’s wrist and tentatively walking to the door.

However, the men who blocked their way didn’t budge.

The owner grinned from ear to ear.

"Miss Pierce, someone paid me a high price to teach you a lesson.Now that you’re here, I 0.0% need to do my job."

Bradly’s grip on Eliana’s wrist tightened.

Eliana couldn’t believe her ears.

Did they actually lure her out here under the guise of selling Argyle pink diamonds? But before she could mull over it some more, the owner barked at his men to attack.

The men swarmed towards Eliana, waving machetes and iron clubs in their hands.

"Ah!"

Eliana’s body reacted faster than her brain.She quickly ducked, narrowly avoiding one of the men’s weapons.Her heart was pounding against her chest.

Bradly suddenly pushed her into a corner.

With bared teeth, Bradly stood firmly in front of her and fought back several men.

The scene was chaotic.

But Bradly was outnumbered.It didn’t take long before he was knocked out cold.

"Bradly!" Eliana screamed, wanting to rush over to him.

But then a man with a sinister smile stepped in front of her.She stumbled to the side to dodge his attack, but another man rushed at her from behind.

With nowhere to escape, she was forced into a corner.She felt a gust of wind blow against her ears as an iron stick swung towards her head at lightning speed.

Eliana squeezed her eyes shut as despair overtook her.

All of a sudden, she heard the crisp sound of metal clanging against metal.

The sound of pained groans followed.

Surprised, Eliana opened her eyes and found that the iron stick had been knocked to the ground a few feet away, and that several men in black started streaming into the shop out of nowhere.

They fought off the men skillfully.

Stunned, Eliana was at a loss for words..

Even the owner of the shop was surprised.

In a fit of anger, he roared, "You b***h! How dare you call for help? Go to hell!"

The owner pounced on her, waving a knife in the air.

Before Eliana could act, the sharp blade was already swinging at her in the air.She held her breath and braced herself for the pain.

"Eliana!"

A familiar male voice shouted her name anxiously.

The next moment, Eliana felt herself being pulled into a warm embrace.

Then, they fell to the ground.

She came out of the ordeal unscathed, but the figure who had saved her was groaning in pain.

Chapter 67 Jealousy

"Are you okay?" The man’s cold voice sounded.

In a daze, Eliana looked up and met Preston’s gaze.He was frowning, and his eyes were flickering dangerously.

"I’m… I’m fine."

Still panicstricken, Eliana didn’t realize she was in his arms until now.She immediately jumped to her feet and helped him up.

In doing so, she inadvertently held the man’s hand.His burning skin grazed hers like a jolt of electricity, making her heart beat wildly.

But the owner of the shop wasn’t done just yet.He growled and held up his knife once more.

Maurice didn’t hesitate and kicked him square on the chest.

"Go to hell, you b*****d!"

The owner was flung backward and he smashed into some porcelain vases behind him.He spat out a mouthful of blood.

Before he could do anything, the men in black quickly surrounded and subdued him.

When the lights came back on, Eliana found herself standing in a mess.

 

Furniture and porcelain was scattered all over the floor, and the owner’s men were all crying and screaming as the men in black pressed them to the ground.

Blood dribbling down his chin, the owner looked up at Maurice in disbelief.

"How dare you make trouble in my shop? Do you know who I am?" he demanded.

Maurice looked down at him with cruel eyes and a face as cold as ice.He was in all black, as if Death himself had come to take the owner and his men.

The owner couldn’t help but shiver under the man’s gaze.

"Get them out of my sight,"

Maurice hissed through gritted teeth.

"Yes, sir!" the men in black answered in unison, which was deafening in the small, enclosed shop.

The tables had turned too fast.

Before Eliana could gather her bearings, Maurice had already dragged her out of the antique shop and into the sunlight.

"What… what’re you doing here?"

She looked at him in disbelief, wondering if she was seeing an apparition.

The coldness in Maurice’s eyes didn’t fade away just yet.

He scolded mercilessly, "I should be asking you the same thing! How could you just jump into such an obvious trap?"

Eliana pursed her lips tightly, her eyes fixed on Maurice.

How did Preston know that it was a trap? Did he come here just to save her? But Maurice’s next sentence crushed her fantasy in the blink of an eye.

"Luckily for you, my client wanted to come here with her bodyguards.Otherwise, how could I have saved you?"

His client? Bodyguards? What kind of clients did Preston have? He was probably entertaining a rich woman.

Eliana’s eyes clouded over at once.

Through gritted teeth, she spat, "You must be so popular."

"Eliana…"

A weak voice called out her name.

Only then did Eliana remember that she had come here with someone.

"Bradly!"

She whirled around in a heartbeat and ran to the injured Bradly.

Looking him up and down carefully, she asked, "How are you? Where does it hurt?"

Just now, Bradly was outnumbered yet he still bravely fought to the best of his abilities.

Eliana trembled, just thinking about it.But before Bradly could answer, he was interrupted by a loud sneer.

Maurice’s black eyes bore a hole through his head.

"You were the one who brought Eliana here, aren’t you? You knew this was a black market where all kinds of scum hang out.You don’t even have the means to protect yourself, let alone Eliana.Did you want her killed?"

"I… That wasn’t my intention… I’m sorry…"

Bradly hung his head guiltily.

"This is all my fault.When I heard that they were selling Argyle pink diamonds here, I got too excited to verify the information beforehand."

However, Eliana’s face suddenly fell.

"Bradly! Your hand!"

Bradly followed her gaze only to find that his right hand was covered in blood.It was wounded so severely that it looked like something straight out of a horror film.

Eliana wrung her hands anxiously.

Bradly was a designer.

If something bad happened to his right hand, how could he draw?!

"Preston! Did you take your care here? Can you drive us to the hospital?"

Eyes big and filled with fear and worry, Eliana turned to Maurice pleadingly.

Seeing that she was so distraught over another man, Maurice couldn’t help but seethe with rage.

"He was the brainless one who put you in danger.Why do you still care about him?"

Eliana shook her head and began to beg.

"Please, Preston.Please."

Maurice was even more furious, but he found that he couldn’t refuse her when she looked at him like this.He probably owed this woman in a previous life.

Scowling, he supported Bradly’s arm and led him away, At first, Eliana was surprised that Maurice had agreed to her request.

Snapping out of her daze, she quickly trotted over to keep up with the two men.

"Be careful.Bradly’s hurt."

Although she was just being thoughtful, Maurice was so angry that he wanted to throw Bradly into the trash can.But he still obliged her and slowed down his pace for Bradly’s sake.

After putting Bradly in the backseat, Maurice started the car and drove to the nearest hospital.

On their way there, Eliana carefully took Bradly’s injured hand and looked him up and down carefully.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"I’m fine.Relax."

Bradly smiled weakly.

"Preston, can you drive any faster?"

Eliana urged Maurice.

Maurice glanced at the rearview mirror and met her anxious eyes.

The anger he had been suppressing just now suddenly burst out like a geyser.

The car swerved sharply.

The sudden movement made Eliana lurch to one side.

At the same time, she heard a loud bang.

"Ouch!"

Bradly cried out.His head had smashed against the window and his face contorted in pain.

Chapter 68 Injury

"Bradly?"

Eliana immediately turned around to check on Bradly’s condition.It wasn’t until she was sure that he wasn’t seriously hurt that she scolded Maurice.

"How come you drive like a madman?!"

She pursed her lips unhappily, suspecting that he did it on purpose.This man had looked gloomy ever since he saved them.

Maurice didn’t answer at first.

Instead, he steadied the steering wheel with one hand while the other pressed against his waist.

A hint of pain flashed across his face.

But a split-second later, he said flatly, "It was a slip."

Minutes later, they made it to the hospital.

Supported by Eliana, Bradly got out of the car and hobbled to the emergency room.

 

A doctor tended to the wound on his hand and announced, "It’s not a serious injury.None of the bones or tendons were damaged.You just need to come back to have the dressing changed and the stitches removed.Your hand will be fine once it recovers."

Hearing this, Eliana heaved a sigh of relief.It turned out that Bradly didn’t have any other wounds, just bruises.

So the doctor ordered a nurse to run a detailed examination on Bradly to see if he had any internal bleeding.

Before Bradly was escorted away, he gently touched the back of Eliana’s head and comforted her, "Now you can relax, okay?"

Eliana smiled faintly and watched as the nurse took Bradly away.

"Is he your boyfriend or something? Why do you care so much about him?"

There was a hint of bitterness in that low, hoarse voice.

Eliana looked in the direction of the voice and saw the man slumped on a bench nearby.

Maurice narrowed his eyes at her, looking hostile.

"No, but he got injured, trying to protect me back there.How could I not worry?"

Eliana sat next to Preston in a huff and tried to help him sit up straight.

Although Preston was just a gigolo who worked in a night club, he always maintained a dignified, upright posture.

This was Eliana’s first time to see him slouch.

As she tried to help him up, she felt something sticky on her fingertips.

Puzzled, she looked at her hand, only to find that it was stained with dark red blood.

"Preston!" she shrieked in horror.

“You’re bleeding!"

She subconsciously lifted the hem of the man’s black clothes to check on his wound.

"Doctor—"

"It’s none of your business,"

Maurice cut her off.He grabbed her wrist to stop her.

The dark blood on her fair skin stood out starkly.His voice was cold, as though he was in no pain at all.

"Just care about your Bradly."

"Are you sure?! Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you got hurt?"

Tears welled up in her eyes that wandered to the back of his waist anxiously.

The wound… He was stabbed when he protected her back in the antique shop.

At the time, she had just thought that he had grunted in pain from the fall.

She didn’t expect that he could endure such pain and keep his composure even though he had been stabbed with an actual knife.

"I didn’t want to inconvenience you."

Maurice’s frown deepened.

The whole drive to the hospital, Eliana had only worried about Bradly.

She only glanced at Maurice when she asked him to drive faster-and that too was for Bradly’s sake.

Hearing this, Eliana looked at him, eyes wide with astonishment.

"Preston! Are you seriously letting your anger at me get in the way of your health?"

"Don’t flatter yourself.I don’t give a d**n about you."

Maurice’s expression darkened as he tightened his grip on her wrist.

Eliana couldn’t help but wince in pain.

Seeing this, he immediately let go of her and said in a bone-chilling voice, "Just give the ring back to me as soon as possible.Then we can cut ties completely."

As he spoke, Maurice stood up and strode towards the exit as though he wasn’t injured.If it weren’t for her bloodstained wrist, Eliana would’ve thought that his wound was just an illusion.

She quickly stood up and chased after the man.

"Come with me to see a doctor, or-"

Eliana was so anxious that she ran to catch up to Maurice.She moved too fast that she almost tripped and fell.

Fortunately, Maurice caught her by the waist subconsciously.He looked down at her stubborn eyes.

"Or what?"

Maurice squinted at her, his eyes flashing dangerously.His other hand moved upward along her back and held the back of her head in place, making her unable to move.His touch made her go numb, and she gradually lost feeling in her arms and legs.

But before she could go limp in his arms, she took a deep breath and said feebly, "If you don’t see the doctor, I… I won’t let you go."

 

Chapter 69 Her Worry

All of a sudden, Maurice’s phone started to ring, which startled Eliana.She snapped out of her trance and broke free from his embrace.

A trace of imitation flashed in his eyes as Maurice glanced at the caller ID.It was Corbin.

Eliana cleared her throat awkwardly and looked away.

"Wait, why aren’t you answering your phone?"

Eliana looked at Maurice in confusion when he rejected the call.

Just then, a figure ran towards them, shouting, "Mr.Mo—"

But before he could finish his sentence, Maurice shot him a murderous glare.

Corbin’s mouth clamped shut instantly.

Then he saw that Eliana was looking at him with confusion.

With horror, Corbin suddenly realized that he had almost blown Maurice’s cover.

Eliana’s eyes darted between Corbin and Maurice, confusion written all over her face.

"Mr.Jenkins? What’re you doing here?"

 

"My friend is in the hospital.I came here to see him,"

Corbin lied through his teeth.

The truth was, because he was Maurice’s assistant, he could check on his boss’s location from his phone.

When Corbin saw that Maurice was in the hospital and wasn’t answering his phone, he had rushed there as fast as he could.

Bumping into Eliana was the farthest thing from his expectations.

Besides, he didn’t realize at first that Maurice was still pretending to be Preston.

"Friend? What friend?" Eliana tilted her head to the side, mulling it over.

"Then who were you trying to call just now?"

"No one!"

Corbin saw the warning look in Maurice’s eyes and added, "I think you misunderstand.You must’ve heard me wrong."

"But it sounded like you were calling Mr.Moran just now…"

Eliana’s words made Corbin’s heart leap to his throat.

Racking his brains for a way to get out of this sticky situation, he suddenly pointed an accusatory finger at Eliana.

"Do you want to get in trouble with Mr.Moran? You said you were leaving the office for work, but now you’re just slacking off!"

As expected, Eliana’s attention was immediately diverted.

With a guilty expression, she tried to explain, "I’m not slacking off! We… we got into an accident when we went looking for pink diamonds in the black market.Bradly was badly injured and is getting checked right now."

Pink diamonds? Corbin shook his head in disappointment.

"We’re already negotiating for the Argyle pink diamonds project, but you actually went to the black market to buy them yourself.Are you stupid or something?"

"I didn’t think it was a trap!" Eliana lowered her gaze, guilt overwhelming her.

Corbin scolded sternly, "You’re a grown woman! How could you still be so naive? I already told you that you can talk to Mr.Moran about the pink diamonds.But you and Bradly decided to believe in mere gossip.Of course something bad happened!"

Eliana took the beating, unable to retort.

Corbin was right.She had been too rash this time.If she had known earlier that people would get hurt, she would’ve gone straight to Maurice instead.It was better to give in to Maurice’s whims than to get others hurt-or worse, killed.

After Corbin left, Eliana realized that Preston had slipped away.

For a second, she was consumed with worry and agitation.

Preston hadn’t had his wound treated yet! How could he just run away? Why didn’t he care about his own health? What if his wound got infected?! Eliana quickly whipped out her phone and tried calling Preston, but to no avail.

A little while later, the results of the examination came out.

It turned out that Bradly didn’t have any internal injuries.He just needed to keep the wound on his hand dry.

With a heavy heart, Eliana took Bradly home.

Then she went straight to the Imperial Golden Club in an effort to find Preston.

However, after looking around, she didn’t find him.

The sun was setting and it was getting dark.

Dejected, Eliana headed home.

Nana was in the living room when Eliana amived, watching TV and eating snacks.

Seeing that her friend’s mind was elsewhere, she quickly pulled her into a hug.

"What’s the matter, Eliana? Were you bullied at work? Tell me who bullied you.I’ll beat them to a pulp!"

Despite her threats, Nana’s embrace was warm.She let Eliana’s head rest on her shoulder.

Eliana shook her head and couldn’t help but chuckle.

After thinking it over for a while, she decided to tell Nana what happened.

Eliana stuck out her lower lip and sighed.

"He isn’t answering my calls.I don’t know if he’s fainted by the side of the road or something.Who knows if there’s anyone taking care of him?"

Frowning deeply, she couldn’t help but worry constantly about Preston’s condition.

Chapter 70 The Woman Who Was Valuable To Him

In the riverside villa.

After dressing the wound on Maurice’s back, the doctor reminded him, "Make sure that you don’t let the wound come in contact with water…"

Maurice replied with a nod, put on his coat, and stood up.His face was pale, but he still looked very handsome.

When he looked out of the French window, he noticed the gates in the front yard opening, and a black car driving in slowly.

Just by a glance, he could tell that it was Gerald’s car.He narrowed his eyes coldly, looking at it.

Not long after, Gerald walked up to him, led by the butler.

The butler gave Maurice a curt nod and walked out of the room.

"Maurice, are you feeling uncomfortable now?"

Gerald sat down on the sofa, facing Maurice, with a hint of hypocritical concern in his eyes.

"I’m fine."

 

Maurice remained calm as he added, "Thank you for your concern."

Gerald turned to him with a smile and said, "I just saw the family doctor leaving."

Maurice looked up at him uncomfortably and said, "Well, the doctor was actually called in for you, Uncle Gerald."

"Maurice! What do you mean by that?"

Gerald’s expression changed at once.Was Maurice cursing him to fall ill? Standing by the window, Maurice smiled casually.

"You’re growing older, Uncle.And I just thought that you should get checked up regularly.If you have any undiagnosed diseases, and you don’t find out about it in time, then it will be very difficult for you in the future."

Gerald’s lips twitched when he heard those words.

‘What an arrogant b*****d! he thought to himself.

If only his father did not favor him, he would have killed his nephew already.

Gerald closed his eyes, trying to calm down.

And a moment later, he regained his composure and opened his eyes again.

Maurice was really not interested in making small talk with him, so he asked, "Uncle Gerald, since you came all the way to my place, I don’t think that you’re here to see the doctor, are you?"

"Of course, I came here because I had something important to discuss with you!"

With an amiable smile, Gerald narrowed his eyes.

"I heard that you disposed of my shops in the black market.Is there some kind of misunderstanding?"

"Absolutely not."

Maurice walked to him and looked down at him with a gloomy expression.He looked very intimidating.

"I did it."

Gerald’s smile faded away as he asked, "Why?"

"The owner of your shop hurt my people."

Maurice sat on the sofa opposite Gerald, leaned back, and looked at his uncle disdainfully.

"Maurice, if you didn’t already know, the black market is a complicated place.They don’t just work for me.They work for the money, you know? I don’t think that you should have gotten all those shops involved for personal reasons," Gerald hissed, gritting his teeth.

That afternoon, Maurice had sent his men to clear out all of Gerard’s shops in the black market, and in addition to the antique shop, they had also cleared out a hundred other shops that Gerald owned, which made him suffer a huge loss.

"That has nothing to do with me, but if you want someone to take the blame, then feel free to go and find those who did it."

However, whether Gerald would be able to find those men or not would be a completely different story.

"Did you do it just for that woman?" Gerald asked in disbelief.

He had not taken Eliana seriously when Maurice had brought her to their family dinner party as his date.

And he clearly was not expecting Maurice to make such a big move for her sake.

Maurice sneered and said in a disdainful tone, "Why should I explain my actions to you?"

There was a solemn look in his eyes, and his indifference made Gerald swallow his saliva.

Gerald’s expression darkened as he clasped the sofa armrest until his veins on the back of his hand stood out.He could not help but feel that Maurice was getting increasingly arrogant by the day.

Although he felt the urge to kill him right there, he had no choice but to control himself.

"You… I hope you can answer your grandfather in the same way when he asks you about it!"

Gerald stood up furiously, turned around, and left the villa.But the moment he got in the car, he burst into laughter.

Since he had known Maurice for a long time, he knew exactly what kind of a man he was.He figured that Maurice must have made such a big move in the black market for Eliana’s sake.

Even after investigating her, Gerald could not find anything about her, so he guessed that Maurice must have prevented people from knowing more about her.

Since Eliana was so valuable to his nephew, Gerald realized that he had to make good use of her.

Meanwhile, Eliana was a little flustered to see that Preston was still not answering her calls.It was time for the kids to sleep, so she suppressed the uneasiness in her heart, tucked them in, and helped them sleep.

Adrian and Aileen lay on the bed, looking at her expectantly.

Eliana picked up a fairy tale book and sat down beside them.

"What bedtime story would you guys like me to read today?"

"Cinderella!"

Aileen raised her hand excitedly, smiling sweetly at her mother.

Adrian sat up in silence before he tucked her hand back into the quilt.

Eliana’s heart warmed up when she saw that, and she stroked her son’s hair lovingly.She then tucked them in again before opening the fairy tale book.

Soon, her soft voice filled the room.

Adrian was just about to fall asleep when his sister’s sudden cry woke him up.

"Her family pushed it too far! How could they bully her like that?"

Eileen could not help but smile when she saw a hint of complain in her son’s eyes.

She patted him on the belly to comfort him before she turned to Aileen and said in an earnest tone, "If you and your brother ever get bullied, you must tell me, okay? Do not just put up with it."

Hearing that, Adrian said in his sleepy voice, "Okay."

"I won’t be bullied!"

Aileen suddenly looked up at Eliana and said, "I want to find the best man in the world to be our daddy and Mommy’s husband! He will protect Mommy from being bullied!"