The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 176

"No entry."

"Could you please let Mr. Thorne know we're here? We—"

The security guard repeated mechanically, "No entry."

His voice echoed slightly louder this time, catching the attention of the grieving figure inside.

Seeing us, a flash of murderous rage ignited in Terrence's hollow eyes. He slowly pushed himself up and began walking toward us.

But he stopped two paces away, right in front of a display stand holding The Samurai Katana.

"You have the nerve to come here?"

His voice was a gravelly, demonic rasp that made my heart violently seize.

It was dripping with lethal intent.

Leon sensed it too. He quickly stepped forward, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "Mr. Thorne, please don't do anything rash. We are deeply sorry for this tragedy, but the authorities are already investigating, and they will definitely—"

"Will they? What good is an investigation?" Terrence interrupted, pure despair bleeding into his rage. "My Beatrice is never coming back... all because of you quacks."

*Shing!*

Before either Leon or I could react, Terrence drew the katana from its sheath and lunged directly at us.

Without thinking, I threw myself in front of Leon. The gleaming, razor-sharp steel stopped less than an inch from my throat.

I stopped breathing. My heart was practically beating out of my chest as Terrence sneered, "You trespass on my property uninvited. I could easily claim you were breaking and entering, and cut you down where you stand."

He twisted the blade slightly. I knew that if he moved a fraction of an inch closer, the steel would slice through my neck.

"I know you won't do that, Mr. Thorne," I said, forcing my voice steady. I glanced at Beatrice's portrait. "You love your wife too much to do something that would break her heart."

Seeing my window, I pressed on. "It's obvious how deeply you loved each other. That's why I'm certain you would never go against her wishes, and you would never allow anyone to exploit her death for their own agenda."

"Exploit her death?" Terrence frowned in confusion, his bloodshot eyes locking onto mine. "What the hell are you talking about?"

I met his gaze and delivered the unvarnished truth. "The Thorne and Sterling families are currently fighting over a plot of land. The Thorne family is using your wife's death as leverage to negotiate with the Sterlings, betting that they will fold to protect Ferris's career. Did you not know this?"

Terrence looked at me in sheer shock before roaring, "Bullshit!"

He was completely losing control of his emotions.

Leon quickly stepped up, pulling me behind him protectively. "Mr. Thorne, with stakes this high, do you really think we'd come all the way out here just to peddle rumors?"

Terrence glared at me, his jaw clenched so tightly it looked like it might shatter. "You'd better be telling the truth, or else..."

"We have absolutely no reason to lie to you," I said from behind Leon, my voice firm. "Everyone at Capital General is devastated by your wife's passing, and we are fully cooperating with the authorities. But out of basic fairness, none of us want to see a deceased patient turned into a bargaining chip in a corporate war. Do you?"