THE SPITEFUL BRIDE: Marry To Rival's Son novel Chapter 176

Chapter 176

But he acted like he didn’t hear her as he worked frantically to loosen the ropes around their hands. He needed to get that bomb disconnected before it was too late.

Defusing explosive devices wasn’t completely foreign to him – he’d learned the basics during his training years ago, and he had a good understanding of how these things worked.

“Didn’t you hear me? I said get out of here,” Margaret repeated, her voice getting more desperate.

Stefan continued working on the knots, his fingers moving quickly despite the pressure. He wasn’t going to abandon his mother, no matter what she said.

“Whatever you’re doing won’t help anyone,” Margaret said, her voice turning harsh. “You want to be a hero? You’re just being a coward. I thought you had grown up by now, but I’ve never been more wrong about anything.”

Stefan’s hands paused on the rope for just a second, but then he continued working. He wouldn’t let her words affect him. Not now.

“If you don’t leave here right now, I swear I won’t forgive you, even in my grave,” Margaret said, her words dripping with anger and spite.

“Would you stop acting like a child and let me do my job?” Stefan snapped back without looking up. “If you want to hate me after this, fine. Has there ever been a time when you didn’t hate me anyway?”

Margaret went completely silent, shocked. This was the first time in his entire life that Stefan had ever spoken back to her like that.

She watched him move to the bomb strapped to Dr. Harrison’s chest, carefully examining the wires and timer. She couldn’t believe she was going to die here with her son.

What had all her pretending been for? All those years of staying in that mental health facility, all that careful planning to stay safe and alive. And now Stefan was throwing it all away to save her.

Tears began falling down her face as she watched him work. She had never been a good mother to him. She had never been there when he needed her, and now she regretted every choice she had made.

She tried to reach out and touch his face, but Stefan moved past her, completely focused on the bomb in his hands.

Margaret watched him work with such concentration and skill. Memories from years ago started flooding back to her mind.

When Stefan was younger, he had wanted to be an engineer. He used to spend hours taking apart radios and clocks, figuring out how they worked. But she had always pushed him toward business instead, telling him he needed to learn how to run Jeremiah’s company someday.

Her heart ached as she looked at him now, tears still falling down her cheeks.

The timer showed thirty seconds left.

Margaret wanted to scream at him to run, to save himself, but she knew he wouldn’t listen. Stefan always did whatever he set his mind to, no matter what anyone else said.

So she just watched and prayed silently, asking God to keep her son safe.

And somehow, her prayers were answered. The timer stopped when it reached seven seconds, the red numbers

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frozen on the small display.

All three of them let out huge breaths of relief. Stefan stood up and walked toward the exit without saying anything.

“Aren’t you coming with me, or do you want to go another round with death?” he called back to them.

Dr. Harrison struggled to get to his feet. His legs were unsteady and he looked like he might throw up. He stumbled but caught himself before falling.

Margaret stood up immediately and followed Stefan toward the door. Dr. Harrison watched in amazement at how calm and strong she was. There was no sign of fear on her face at all. Stefan had definitely gotten his determination from her.

The doctor followed behind them, walking slowly at first but speeding up when he realized how quiet the building was. Something felt wrong about the silence.

Stefan drove them through the city streets in complete silence, heading toward his penthouse. His mother wasn’t actually sick, so there was no point in taking her back to the care facility.

While he was driving, his phone rang. He answered it through his car’s speaker system.

“Hello Stefan, can you hear me?” James’s voice came through sounding nervous and rushed.

“Yes. What happened?”

“The government project we were working on just collapsed,” James said.

Stefan’s hands tightened around the steering wheel. “Are there any casualties?”

“Not many. The ambulance got here as soon as I called them. It’s just that… the building… Stefan…”

Stefan took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. “It’s okay. Thanks for letting me know. I need you to do something for me. Can you make sure Elena gets home safely?”

He could feel James hesitate on the other end of the line. Stefan knew why there was still awkwardness between James and Elena because of their past. But right now, keeping everyone safe was more important than old feelings.

“James, I need you to answer me.”

“Yes, I promise I’ll get her home safely. And if she refuses to come with me, I’ll make her get in the car anyway.”

“Good. But just so you know, she can be really stubborn when she doesn’t want to do something.”

“I know…” James paused like he had almost said something he shouldn’t have.

“We’ll be back once we’re sure everyone is safe.”

“Alright… Be careful,” Stefan said before hanging up.

Stefan continued driving, his mind moving through everything that had happened. Someone had orchestrated all of this – his mother’s kidnapping, the bomb, probably even the building collapse at his company. It was all connected, all part of some stupid plan to hurt him and his family.

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