Chapter 116

"If that woman doesn't give me the signal soon, I'll do it myself," the man said. The other man remained silent. From her position on the ground, Elyse heard approaching footsteps.

Someone pulled open the sack, revealing a horrifying sight. The men were hulking figures.

"Hot damn! That woman never said our captive was a beauty!" Their vulgar comments and hideous laughter punctuated Elyse's fear. Bound and unable to move, she tried to back away, but their filthy hands reached her.

Suddenly, one man had an idea. Turning to his accomplice, he said, "It would be a pity to just kill her. Why don't we enjoy her a bit before we get rid of her? What do you think?"

The other man guffawed. "What the hell is wrong with you? Once we finish this task, we can have any woman we want. Why bother with her?"

"Bah! I don't have to explain myself to you." The first man looked at Elyse, his gaze lingering for what felt like an eternity. His leering eyes made her shudder with terror and disgust. Strangely, her fear seemed to excite him. Without hesitation, he reached for her bonds and attempted to untie them.

However, the rope, an exclusive Foster family creation, was not easily undone without a specific method. Joanna hadn't taught them this method, so the man struggled for a considerable time before finally freeing Elyse.

The moment her hands were free, she grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it in the man's face. Caught off guard, he fell back, hands over his eyes, cursing loudly.

Elyse scrambled to her feet, attempting to escape, but the other man grabbed her arm and threw her back to the ground. She curled into a ball, protecting her stomach. The attack left her dizzy and feeling much worse.

"You want to run away, eh, bitch? I'm going to fuck you until you pass out." The man she had blinded squinted, regaining some vision. He rushed toward her.

Desperate and hopeless, Elyse closed her eyes, awaiting the inevitable.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound began. The man, in the process of pulling off her dress, sensed something was wrong. Was the factory building shaking? An earthquake?

The rumbling intensified, followed by strong gusts of wind. The two men rushed to the door to investigate, stopping at the large windows. A helicopter was making a slow descent near the factory gates.

"Shit! We'll fail our mission."

The men whirled around to grab Elyse. Delirious with pain, she only wanted to survive. As the helicopter landed, all noise ceased. A moment later, deliberate footsteps approached. Tension filled the air.

"Who is it? Who are you?"

Moonlight illuminated Jayden's elongated shadow. He faced the goons, then glanced at Elyse, instantly assessing her condition. Swallowing his rage, he said, "Joanna Foster's mission failed. If you want to leave, let her go." His voice cut through Elyse's daze. She wanted to look at him, but was too weak.

"Who do you think you are? I don't care what you believe, I'll kill her if you come closer," one goon threatened.

Jayden scoffed. "If you touch her, you both will die."

The thugs exchanged a hesitant look. "I know you're killers hired by Joanna," Jayden continued. "No need to gamble your lives over a woman, is there?"

The men seemed to consider this. "Then we…"

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. The men froze as bullets entered their heads, causing them to bleed. They exchanged a look of disbelief before collapsing.

Elyse also crumpled to the ground, her strength gone.

"Clean up the mess," Jayden barked to his bodyguards. He scooped Elyse into his arms. She felt so light. He frowned at her pale, dry lips.

"Damn it."

He carried her from the factory. Elyse vaguely felt warmth, slowly opening her eyes to a blurry image of Jayden.

"Has she finally died? Why was she hallucinating things?" …