The Scorned Heiress's Hidden Empire (by Jade Quinn) novel Chapter 419

hapter 419

The man who stepped out of the woods was nohe other than Sean.

Like William, he was dressed for hiking, with outdoor gear and hiking boots. Maybe it was because the mist in the woods softened the edges of his features, but there was a chill about him tonight that felt different from usual.

Chris didn’t look surprised to see him.

He and the men with him had already known there were people hiding in the woods.

And they had to be Zeller family men. Otherwise, William would never have dared to provoke him so recklessly.

Of course, Chris also knew that even if no one had been lying in wait in the woods, William still would have wiped Winter’s tears and held her hand right in front of him.

Because in that gritted smile of William’s, Chris had seen something that could io longer be suppressed.

Possessiveness.

A man’s possessiveness toward a woman

Chris had sensed it a long time ago.

William should be grateful that Winter had never seen him that way.

At that moment, there wasn’t the slightest ripple in Chris’s eyes. His bottomless black gaze remained fixed on William’s left hand, the one holding Winter’s.

That sharp, icy stare was enough to make anyone’s skin crawl.

“Let go,” Winter warned in a low voice. She looked up and glared at William. “He really will shoot.”

She knew better than anyone how unhinged Chris could be.

No matter the place. No matter the person.

Back then, he had been willing to shoot her to protect Skyla. Of course he would shoot William too.

But William didn’t move. Instead, he held her hand even tighter.

“Then let him shoot,” he said. “If losing this hand means I can still take you with me, it’ll be worth it.”

The sight of William’s fingers tightening around hers seemed to slow endlessly in Chris’s eyes. His finger on the trigger went stiff and pale.

“William Zeller, have you lost your mind too?” Winter snapped, panic rising in her voice.

She could feel the cold, dangerous pressure coming from Chris.

William wanted to say that he had lost his mind a long time ago. From the day she married Chris, he had already gone mad.

But what could he do?

Her eyes had only ever been on that bastard Chris.

Yet when he met Winter’s anxious, frightened gaze, his heart softened helplessly.

“L…” He started to comfort her.

But before he could finish, a sharp, piercing sound cut past his ear.

Bang

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Bang

Two gunshots rang out almost at the same time.

One bullet skimmed past William’s shoulder and struck the boulder behind him. Shattered fragments flew everywhere, sparks scattering across the ground.

The killing intent behind that shot was undisguised

With Chris, there was no third chance.

The first shot had been a warning

The second had still been a warning, and that had already exceeded his limit.

When Chris saw Winter throw her other arm up to protect William the moment the gunshots rang out, the red in his eyes deepened wildly.

Fresh blood dripped from the hand gripping his gun.

The three bodyguards beside him had seen it clearly.

The shot from the opposite side had come from Sean

They hadn’t expected Sean to be such a good shot

His bullet had struck Chris’s gun.

An ordinary person would have had their palm shocked numb and lost their grip. But Chris would never let the gun fall from his hand. The force had torn open the skin between his thumb and index finger, leaving the flesh raw and bleeding.

At the same time, Chris raised his hand, signaling his men not to act.

Just as they aimed their guns at Sean and his people, Chris suddenly strode forward.

Or more accurately, every bit of his attention was on Winter.

The bodyguard closest to Chris had been with him almost as long as Gavin had. He knew exactly what winter meant to Chris.

A dark look flashed through Sean’s eyes.

When the explosion had thrown her against the cliffside, her body had slammed into the rocks. She had probably suffered internal injuries, though she had no idea how bad they were

She caught her breath, then beckoned Fabian closer.

“I can tell you the password,” she said, “but you have to tell me the truth. Do you have another plan?”

Fabian stared at the dark blood at the corner of her mouth. His eyes held no warmth.

“I planted explosives throughout this mountain range.”

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