Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 715

The living room plunged into a suffocating silence.

Artie's brow twitched. Even though he had prepared himself for the worst, his knuckles turned stark white as he gripped the edges of the box.

The men behind him exchanged tense glances. One of them instinctively reached for his weapon, waiting for the order to execute everyone in the room.

But Artie didn't move. He just stared down at the dark sandalwood box in his hands, his thumb slowly tracing the edge of the lid.

"Let's go."

The men fell back toward the entrance with military discipline.

Artie was the last to leave. As he stepped over the threshold, he paused, his voice low and devoid of emotion. "Burn the house down."

"Yes, Boss."

Back in the living room, Miles lay crumpled on the floor, clutching his bleeding thigh and gasping for air.

Clara had screamed herself hoarse. "My leg... my leg hurts so much... it's killing me..."

"Clara! I'll... I'll get you to a hospital right now. Don't be afraid..." Arthur scrambled around in a blind panic, trying to lift her into his arms.

But the sheer terror of the raid had drained every ounce of strength from his body. He couldn't manage to carry her.

The fire started by the living room curtains.

A brazier had been knocked over, sending sparks flying onto the heavy velvet drapes. In an instant, it erupted into a massive wall of flames.

Thick, suffocating smoke mixed with the acrid stench of burning fabric, rapidly spreading from the first floor to the second.

"Fire! The house is on fire!" Arthur had just managed to drag Clara half-upright when he looked toward the stairs and saw a massive plume of black smoke rolling down. The flames were licking the wallpaper, crackling ominously.

"Clara, we have to go!" Arthur hoisted her up. Her leg was still bleeding heavily, and the pain made her scream with every step. Unable to stand on her own, she draped all her weight onto Arthur as he dragged her stumbling toward the front door.

"Dad! Mom!" Miles's voice cracked in terror. He clung to the armrest of the sofa, trying desperately to pull himself up. The torn flesh of his leg twisted his face into a mask of agony. "Don't leave me here!"

Arthur froze for a second, glancing back over his shoulder. Half of his face was illuminated by the flickering, demonic glow of the fire.

He gritted his teeth, tightened his grip on Clara, and roared back, "Wake River up! Tell him to carry you out! Hurry!"

With that, he didn't look back again, dragging Clara out through the front doors.

Miles stared in disbelief, cursed violently, then turned to the unconscious River. He shoved him hard. "River! Wake up! The house is on fire!"

River didn't move a muscle.

The inferno was growing wilder by the second.

Gritting his teeth, Miles reached out and pinched River hard, then delivered two vicious slaps across his face. "River! Wake the hell up!"

River finally stirred, groaning as his eyelids fluttered open.

"Move! It's a fire!" Miles grabbed him by the collar, dragging him up from the floor. "Help me get out of here!"

A suffocating wave of heat closed in from all sides, searing their skin.

You're going to pay for this!

...

Cloudwater Estate.

When Artie returned carrying the dark sandalwood box, Hudson was sitting on the living room sofa, casually sipping his coffee. Hearing the footsteps, he looked up.

"Boss, I brought it back."

Hudson's gaze landed on the wooden box. He brushed his fingers lightly over the lid. "Make arrangements for the ashes. Give them a proper burial."

"Yes, Boss."

Artie turned to leave, but then hesitated, as if recalling something crucial. "Also, Boss..."

He pressed his lips together. "The Ivory Pill... River swallowed it the day he got it."

A heavy silence settled over the room.

Hudson set his cup down. His face remained entirely unreadable as he gave a simple nod. "Understood."

It was exactly as he had predicted.

The second Ivory Pill...

There could be no room for error this time! "Any news from Liam Harrison?"