Chapter 439

"Liam, it's Cassandra. Adrian and Julian, along with armed mercenaries, have stormed into my home."

"They've planted explosives everywhere. My grandparents, Rosalind, Nathaniel, Donovan, and Rosalind are trapped here with me."

"We're hostages now."

"They're demanding 50 billion and threatened to detonate the bombs if we alert the authorities."

"They've arranged a helicopter in the backyard for their escape."

After sending the encrypted message, Evelyn swiftly shut down the virtual screen and concealed the device beneath her blouse. Peering cautiously outside, she slipped out of the bathroom and returned to her room.

Her pulse hammered in her throat. Would Liam even receive the message? Would he call for backup or attempt a rescue himself? The uncertainty gnawed at her.

Minutes stretched like hours. Evelyn paced, her nerves fraying. Then—scuffling. Curses. A violent commotion from the adjacent room.

Her breath hitched. She rushed to the door, only to find a guard blocking her path, his gun leveled at her chest. "Stay inside," he growled.

Evelyn ignored the weapon, straining to hear. "What's happening? Who's fighting?"

Lewd laughter erupted from next door. "I love a fighter. Struggle all you want—it just makes it better."

Then—Rosalind's enraged scream. "Don't touch me, you filthy animal!"

Evelyn's vision tunneled. She shoved past the guard, ignoring the pistol pressed to her temple. The sounds of Rosalind being struck—flesh hitting flesh—sent white-hot fury through her veins.

"Go ahead, shoot me," Evelyn spat, tears burning her eyes. She knocked the gun aside and sprinted to the unguarded room.

The scene inside shattered her.

Rosalind lay crumpled on the floor, blood trickling from her lip, her blouse torn. Two shirtless men loomed over her, unbuckling their belts.

They turned at Evelyn's entrance, their smirks twisting into something predatory. "Looks like we got another pretty toy," one sneered.

Evelyn's fingers twitched toward her hairpin—a disguised pen gun.

She moved like lightning.

The first shot was silent. The man collapsed, eyes wide with shock.

His partner barely had time to react before the second bullet dropped him like a sack of stones.

Rosalind gaped at Evelyn, as if seeing her for the first time.

The woman standing before her wasn't the gentle artist she knew.

This was someone else entirely.