Chapter 249

"Susan!"

Little Daniel screamed in terror, his small hands desperately reaching forward.

He watched helplessly as his mother tumbled down the stairs.

Alexander Grant lunged forward, shielding Susan in his arms at the last possible moment. They crashed down the steps together, his body forming a protective barrier around her.

Thud—

The dull impact echoed through the empty stairwell.

Susan opened her eyes to find herself cradled securely in Alexander's embrace. Her fingers trembled as she touched his bleeding hand. "Mr. Grant, you're hurt!"

"It's nothing." He withdrew his hand casually, then swept her up into his arms.

Susan instinctively struggled, but froze when she saw the bloody gash on his face.

Daniel rushed over, his eyes red-rimmed, tiny fists clutching Susan's clothes. His mother had promised never to lie to him—yet the sight of that glaring pool of blood made his heart tremble.

Andrew Lucas stood on the second-floor landing, his knuckles white with tension.

Watching Susan gaze tearfully at Alexander's wound felt like a sledgehammer to his chest. Had she already moved on to someone new?

Hmph.

His cold laugh echoed down the empty hallway. As Andrew turned away, his peripheral vision caught the bloodstains on the floor, and his steps faltered.

So much blood... Was it really just a bitten lip?

He yanked his tie loose irritably and strode to the window. On the lawn below, Mr. Wang howled like a dying pig.

Andrew's gaze fixed on those greasy hands—the same hands that had dared to touch her.

"Ah—!"

A piercing scream split the night. Andrew stepped mercilessly on Mr. Wang's wrist, grinding down until the sound of snapping bones reached his ears.

"Mr. Lucas—" Snot and tears streamed down Mr. Wang's face as he begged for mercy. "Next time, I'll teach that bitch a lesson—"

Before he could finish, a polished shoe crushed his mouth.

The butler watched in horror as his young master tore through the lawn like a madman. He retreated to a corner and dialed frantically. "Madam, the young master... he's pulling up the grass..."

Under the moonlight, Andrew knelt in the dirt, his fingers stained with soil. The diamond ring was gone—just like the love he had lost forever.

The atmosphere in Dr. Nash's clinic was heavy.

After Daniel was taken out, Alexander gripped the old doctor's wrist. "Tell me the truth, Grandfather."

Benjamin Nash sighed deeply, looking at Susan's unconscious form. Her pulse was erratic as a candle in the wind—this girl might not last through the winter.

"She—"

Outside, lightning split the sky, and rain poured down in torrents.