She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 435

Melanie suddenly doubled over, clutching her stomach and groaning in pain.

"What's wrong, Ms. Royce?"

Dr. Hayes saw her face twisted in agony and immediately grew concerned.

"My stomach is killing me... I think... I ate something bad on the flight..."

Melanie did her best to make her acting as convincing as possible.

"Well, what should we do?"

Dr. Hayes had never dealt with a situation like this before and looked completely lost.

"Excuse me," Melanie gasped out. "Is there a restroom anywhere near here?"

"We're in the middle of nowhere. Where would there be a restroom?"

"I... I really can't hold it..."

Melanie kept one arm wrapped around her stomach while frantically slapping the car door with her other hand, looking absolutely desperate.

Keith caught Melanie’s eye in the rearview mirror, his expression darkening with suspicion.

Slowly, he pulled the van over to the side of the road.

"Thank you! I'm so sorry for holding us up..."

Melanie muttered, hunching her shoulders and hobbling out of the van with apparent difficulty.

"Go keep an eye on her."

The authoritative bark of Keith's voice sounded exactly like a boss giving an order.

Melanie snapped her head back, looking deeply embarrassed.

"Um... I'm going to use the restroom, having a guy follow me is a bit..."

"It's very easy to get lost out here. You don't know the area, and it's pitch black. Having him escort you is for your own safety."

Seeing Keith's cold, predatory smile, Melanie knew they weren't going to let her out of their sight.

"Fine..."

Maintaining her pained posture, Melanie trudged deeper into the woods until she found a sufficiently thick tree.

"I'll just go right here! Do you mind backing up a little? Keep some distance, please..."

Survival told her she had to get out of that van at all costs.

She had to run.

Melanie thanked God for her solid sense of direction.

And she was overwhelmingly grateful for that dinner with Daphne, where she had learned about the local syndicates.

She was running strictly toward the west.

She didn't know how far she had to go to be safe.

She only knew that if she kept heading west, she would eventually cross into the Silverward Brotherhood's territory.

Once she was in their domain, whoever was hunting her wouldn't dare make a reckless move.

The night sky overhead was as black as ink.

Melanie ran purely on adrenaline for what felt like an eternity, gasping for air, her legs turning to jelly as she nearly collapsed into the dirt.

She punched her own thighs, forcing herself to keep moving, but her body was rapidly hitting its absolute limit.

Her pace gradually slowed. Just as she dimly made out the silhouette of a building looming in the distance, someone lunged from the shadows and grabbed her tightly from behind.