Chapter 27: Death Wish

+8 Pearls

Within the pitch-black building, Sebastian’s office was the only one illuminated by glaring white lights, making it feel particularly desolate. Constantly sitting in front of the computer, Sebastian grew weary from overusing his eyes. Frowning, he massaged his temples and reclined in his office chair, his gaze drifting toward the green plant next to the computer. When was this potted plant placed here? Did she bring it?

The thought of Madelyn made Sebastian tense. He realized, "I think I forgot to hand her the car keys just now!" Hailing a cab in the dead of night was no easy task, and it certainly wasn’t safe for her to be alone at this hour. With this in mind, Sebastian immediately grabbed his car keys and rushed after her.

When he reached the company’s entrance, Madelyn was already nowhere to be seen. He was met with deserted streets, only a slight chill from the cold night breeze sweeping through. It’s been a while since she left the office. She must’ve gone back already.

Slipping the key into his pocket, Sebastian was ready to head upstairs and resume his work when he heard a shriek pierce the air from a distance. “Ah! Let me go! Help! Help!”

Sebastian paused, listening closely. The startled cry astonishingly resembled Madelyn’s tone when she was angry. Don’t tell me…

Sebastian’s heart sank, and he quickly ran in the direction of the noise. As he got closer, he could see Madelyn calling for help, her face filled with fear. A group of thugs were attempting to forcefully drag her into a black van.

He barked in anger, “Stop!”

What a familiar voice. As Madelyn turned around, she was surprised to see Sebastian. At that instant, she was so exhilarated, as if she had seen hope. Her eyes lit up, and she was overwhelmed with joy, crying out, “Sebastian, come save me!”

A thug spotted Sebastian rushing over and immediately exclaimed in panic, “Boss, we’ve been found out!”

The gang leader took a look at Sebastian in the distance and spat on the ground. “He’s all alone, and there are so many of us. Why should we be afraid of him?” Following that, he frantically urged, “Hurry up, get this woman in the van!”

“Yes, sir!”

Right then, the black van was akin to a bottomless vortex, exerting a strong pull that gradually drew Madelyn into its depths. “No! I can’t get in this van!”

Steeling herself, she lowered her head and bit down on the large hand gripping her collar until she tasted a metallic tang of blood. As she clenched her jaw, an agonized scream echoed through the air. “Ouch! Damn you, bitch! It hurts!”

The thug who was bitten swung his hand and slapped Madelyn hard, knocking her to the ground. The force sent her tumbling several times. After the initial numbness, a wave of intense pain assailed her face, with something warm trickling down the corner of her lips. Madelyn raised her hand to wipe it, only to see her sleeve stained with blood.

However, she seemed utterly unfazed. Instead, she swiftly turned her attention to Sebastian, “Sebastian, be careful!!”

In the blink of an eye, a thug swiftly drew a dagger from his waist, aiming straight for Sebastian’s chest. Sebastian’s expression became solemn when he sensed the imminent danger. He stepped forward, swiftly seizing the thug. Then, bending his knee, he hit the thug squarely in the abdomen. The intense pain left the thug wailing.

Sebastian moved with a grace and fluidity that unmistakably revealed his proficiency in combat. The thugs panicked, realizing they were no match for Sebastian, so they shouted, “Let’s get out of here!”

In less than two seconds, the thugs hopped into the vehicle. The black van sped off, leaving a trail of dust in its wake.

When everything was finally over, Madelyn finally relaxed, only to feel intense soreness and aches all over her body. This marked the first time in her life that she had been struck and thrown to the ground, leaving her utterly dazed and helplessly sprawled on the floor.

Sebastian hurried over, quickly helping her up. “Are you all right?”

The hand-shaped red mark on Madelyn’s face, as well as the blood at the corner of her lips, were the first things to catch his eye. Evidently, the thug didn’t hold back at all. Beyond that, her knees were also scraped, and there were bruises on her arms.

A storm was raging in Sebastian’s eyes, and his face took on a dangerous, bloodthirsty look. Those fools have a death wish!

Subsequently, Sebastian scooped her up and strode toward the parked car, ready to drive her to the hospital. The moment Madelyn felt the warmth of Sebastian’s body, she snapped back to consciousness. Seeing that it was Sebastian who was holding her, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Recalling what just happened, Madelyn was filled with lingering fear. She clung tightly to Sebastian, tears welling up in her eyes as she sobbed softly. “I was so scared just now. If the bad guys had taken me away, I would never get to see you anymore.”

Sebastian was moved, for she was still thinking of him when she was in trouble. He patted her back and soothed her. “Don’t be scared. I’m here for you. I won’t let anyone bully you again.”

Madelyn nodded vigorously. Sebastian carried her into the car, and they headed toward the hospital.

Once they reached the hospital, the doctor came forward to examine Madelyn’s wounds. With a calm demeanor, he stated, “You’re okay. These are just superficial injuries. You’ll be fine after applying some medicine and bandaging your wounds.”

Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank you, Doctor,” Madelyn said.

The doctor examined her face. The finger marks had vanished, replaced by a patch of red swelling. He couldn’t help but sigh. “It’s such a shame. You have such a lovely face, but now it’s swollen. Use an ointment once you get home to help reduce the swelling.”

Madelyn was deeply grateful for the doctor’s detailed instructions.

“Thank you,” Sebastian said.

As the doctor tended to Madelyn’s wounds, Sebastian stepped out into the corridor and called Malcolm.

“Mr. Lockhart, what can I do for you at this hour?” asked Malcolm.

Sebastian’s gaze darkened as he thought about those thugs. He said solemnly, “Investigate something for me.” Subsequently, he relayed the license plate number of the black van he had memorized to Malcolm. In the end, he added with a grave tone, “Find that van and the people in it as quickly as possible. Once you’ve found them, report back to me immediately.”

Malcolm instantly nodded. “Yes, Mr. Lockhart.”

After hanging up the phone, Malcolm decided not to sleep. Instead, he immediately set about investigating the matter. Mr. Lockhart sounded grave. Something serious must’ve happened. I can’t afford to sleep on this.