Karma Doesn’t Sleep The Revenge Queen Rises novel Chapter 706

Tatum stood at the back of the ship, the night air thick with tension. One of his men lay sprawled at his feet, legs broken, head bleeding from the beating Tatum had just given him.

Tatum pulled out his phone and snapped a picture, cursing under his breath as he sent it off. “Damn idiot. You almost got every last one of us killed.”

Beside him, his right-hand man, Safeng, couldn’t keep quiet. “Boss, who exactly is this Song woman? Is she really worth trading three hundred hostages for? If we held on to them, we could get so much more out of this.”

Tatum shot Safeng a glare. “You don’t get it. It’s not about her. It’s about the person who wants her.”

Just thinking about Ryan, that lunatic, sent a chill down Tatum’s spine. He kicked the unconscious man again, venting his frustration.

“Drag him out of here. Patch him up, dump him on the second boat. From now on, that moron stays in the village and works the plantation. And the rest of you—listen up. Treat that Song woman like she’s royalty. I don’t care if you lose an arm or a leg, but she better not lose a single hair.”

Across the ocean, in a hospital room so still you could hear a pin drop, the only sound was a pencil gliding across paper.

Aaron quietly pushed open the door and saw Ryan sitting up in bed, completely focused on his drawing. Aaron raised an eyebrow, took a few steps closer, and watched in silence for a while.

Ryan was sketching Amelia. This time it wasn’t her distant silhouette—he was drawing her right there beside him, her eyes crinkling with a gentle smile, her whole expression soft and full of warmth.

Aaron narrowed his eyes. A guy like Ryan could probably rule the art world if he wanted. What a waste, he thought.

Suddenly, Ryan’s hand clenched around the pencil. He twisted to the side and coughed harshly, blood staining his lips, but somehow he didn’t get a single drop on the drawing.

Aaron’s calm faded. “Ryan—”

Ryan squeezed his eyes shut, breathing through the pain. After a second, he set the picture carefully on the nightstand and finally looked at Aaron.

“What’s with the worried face? Scared I’m about to die?”

Aaron let his shoulders drop a little, fixing his glasses. “Guys like you don’t go down that easy. You’ll outlive us all.”

“I promised her I’d stick around for a hundred years,” Ryan muttered. He tossed the pencil aside, like just talking had wiped him out.

He gave a crooked smile. “Wilson’s meds work too well. One day off them and I already feel like crap.”

The surgery was set for tomorrow afternoon, and he had to be off all meds by then.

Aaron just pressed his lips together, watching how pale Ryan looked.

Ryan glanced up, his usual lazy smirk in place. “Why are you looking at me like that? Got a crush on me?”

Aaron answered slowly, “I just think the world would be a much duller place without you in it.”

It was the truth. On every level, Aaron wanted Ryan to live.

Since the day he was born, Aaron had been raised as the Morris family heir. Every moment of his life was planned out. Every friend, every associate, even the smallest details—approved by the family.

Except Ryan.

They were rivals, but also the only ones who really understood each other. Friends, enemies, something in between.

Ryan wasn’t the sentimental type. He scoffed. “Save me the drama. I’m not here to spice up your boring life. If you’ve got business, spit it out. If not, get lost. I’ve got work to do.”

Aaron noticed the faint tremor in Ryan’s hand but said nothing about it.

He’d known Amelia for two lifetimes. He knew her inside out.

With her love and guilt, she’d spend the rest of her life looking after a broken man like him.

But he wanted more for her. He wanted her to chase her dreams, to find real happiness.

He wanted to be the one who lifted her up, not the one who held her back.

That was what set him apart from Clive.

Ryan’s strength was fading fast. Even blinking took effort.

“Amelia will be on the island by tomorrow. And the Baker family—tell them…”

He didn’t finish. The door knocked, and Francisco’s voice came from outside.

“Mr. Packman, it’s urgent. Can I come in?”

“Yeah.”

Francisco stepped in, nodding to Aaron. “Mr. Morris.”

He hesitated, unsure. Ryan just sighed, “Say it.”

Francisco squared his shoulders, all business now. “We just heard from Tiger Wind Island. Felix escaped.”