Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 714

Arthur leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You'll come with me tomorrow. As soon as the divorce is finalized, we'll go straight to get our marriage license!"

Clara blushed at his affection, playfully swatting his chest. "Stop it. The boys are right there!"

Arthur chuckled, holding her hand and pressing another kiss to her knuckles.

Miles sat on the sofa, watching the display, and rolled his eyes. "So cheesy at your age..."

River let out a soft laugh, but just as he was about to speak, a faint sound came from the front door.

He frowned, glancing toward the entrance. A split second later, the heavy living room doors were kicked open from the outside.

The heavy wood slammed against the wall with a deafening crash.

A dark figure moved faster than anyone could react, closing the distance to Miles in three massive strides and delivering a brutal elbow strike to his neck.

Miles collapsed into the sofa, knocked unconscious before he could even utter a sound.

River was the fastest to react. He leaped to his feet the moment the doors burst open, his hand instinctively reaching for the weapon at his waist.

But before he could draw his gun, a hand clamped down on his wrist, twisting it violently. River groaned in pain as a knee slammed into his stomach. He stumbled backward, crashing into the edge of the coffee table and shattering the glass and porcelain plates across the floor.

Arthur scrambled backward in pure terror. Before he could shout for help, two men in black suits grabbed him by the shoulders, slamming him face-first onto the dining table. With his cheek pressed flat against the cold wood, he was completely immobilized.

"Who the hell are you?" Arthur yelled, equal parts terrified and furious. "This is private property!"

No one answered him.

Seven or eight men flooded into the living room, fanning out with military precision. Some guarded the exits, while others began ransacking the cabinets and drawers. Their movements were sharp and coordinated, showing they came fully prepared.

"Stop! What are you..." Clara peeked out from the kitchen at the noise, but before she could finish her sentence, a man in black clapped a hand over her mouth and dragged her to the corner of the living room, shoving her onto the sofa.

"Don't move."

Clara's face drained of color. She shook her head frantically, tears welling in her terrified eyes.

The room was in utter chaos.

Artie was the last to walk in.

He stepped over the shattered porcelain and spilled fruit, stopping in the center of the living room. He looked down at River, who was pinned to the floor with his arms wrenched behind his back.

"Where is it?"

River glared at Artie with cold hostility, keeping his mouth firmly shut.

Artie immediately shifted his gaze to Arthur. "Where is it?"

"What? I... I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Where is the Ivory Pill?"

A suffocating silence fell over the living room.

Arthur swallowed hard, refusing to make a sound.

Artie waited for three seconds. Seeing the stubborn silence, he didn't waste another breath. He walked straight over to Clara and drove the knife deep into her thigh.

"Ah!" Clara's shriek was far more piercing than Miles's had been. Tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls.

She clutched her bleeding leg, curling into a tight ball, sobbing hysterically in agonizing pain.

Arthur's eyes turned bloodshot, his voice tearing from his throat. "I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!"

"Dad!" River roared in utter frustration. "Don't say a word! If you tell them, we're finished..."

But before River could finish, Artie delivered a swift, brutal strike to the back of his neck, knocking him out cold.

Watching River collapse, Arthur didn't even care anymore. "The Ivory Pill... we don't have it. It's... it's been gone."

Artie's stare locked onto him, as piercing as an icicle driven straight through the skull. "What do you mean?"

Arthur's lips trembled uncontrollably. "The day River got the Ivory Pill... he swallowed it..."