Chapter 189
The next morning, the moment Theodore stepped into the office, Stanley sensed something was off
“Mr. Russell, you…” he began, hesitating.
Theodore’s expression was unreadable. “What?”
Stanley faltered under his boss‘ cold stare and quickly shook his head, “It’s nothing, sir”
But Theodore wasn’t letting it slide. “Say it.”
Left with no choice, Stanley cleared his throat. “You didn’t shave this morning”
Without thinking, Theodore ran a hand over his jaw and felt the prickly stubble.
Stanley
ey quickly added, “But it doesn’t take away from your charm. Honestly, it kind of works for you.”
And it did. The rough stubble gave Theodore a rugged edge, making him look even more masculine.
Theodore gave a low grunt of annoyance, but instead of heading straight to work like he usually did, he said, “Give me Megan’s contact info.”
Stanley blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I said, give me Megan’s number,” Theodore repeated, his tone leaving no room for doubt
Since Eliana had blocked him, Megan might be his only window into what she was up to.
On set, the director finally called “cut,” and Megan was granted a moment to breathe.
Her agent walked over and handed her the phone.
Megan absentmindedly lit up the screen, only to freeze when she saw a message from Theodore.
At first, she didn’t think much of it, but the second she registered the sender’s name, her fingers trembled.
Her agent leaned in, concerned. “Megan, what is it?”
Megan took a few calming breaths before managing. “Mr. Russell just texted me…”
“What?” the agent gasped.
Still staring at the screen, torn between surprise and dread, Megan murmured, “Should I reply? What if it’s a trap again?”
The agent, knowing full well what she was referring to, reassured her, “You’re not trying to flirt with Mr. Russell. It’s just a message. You’ve got nothing to feel guilty about.”
“But his wife is right over there,” Megan said, nodding toward Eliana, who stood on the bridge, quietly admiring the view
Her agent paused, then asked, “After spending time with Mrs. Russell yesterday, would you say she’s approachable?”
Megan nodded.
“And Mr. Russell? Is he approachable?
Megan’s head shook so fast it was almost comical.
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There you go, Don’t overthink it. Just reply if you make Mr. Russell feet Ignored, we might not even finish anboli
“You’ve got a point. Megan murmured, finally replying to the message.
Almost immediately, a new text came in.
What’s Eliana doing?]
It was direct, commanding, so typically him that Megan felt nervous just reading it.
Her agent peeked over her shoulder and asked, “Why would Mr. Russell ask you instead of just texting his wife?
Megan didn’t want to admit that Eliana had blocked him, so she deflected, “I’m parched. Can you get me some water?”
Once the agent was gone, Megan carefully crafted a reply,
[She’s on the bridge, enjoying the scenery.
Theodore’s response was immediato. Send me a video. There was no explanation, just an order.
Megan hurriedly lifted her phone and began filming.
Eliana stood at the railing, one hand resting on the ironwork, the other gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The wind played with her dress, the sunlight softening her profile.
There was something about her in that moment, serene, elegant, almost otherworldly, Megan found herself mesmerized, wondering if the world might actually look different through Eliana’s eyes, kinder, gentler, more beautiful.
And then, a man walked into the frame. A handsome foreigner, confidently striding over with a smile. Clearly, he was about to strike up a conversation with Eliana,
There were plenty of good–looking men in Lunara, but this one was definitely not something Theodore should see
Panicked, Megan scrambled to stop the recording. She tried to delete the video, but her thumb slipped
Eyes wide with horror, she tapped frantically to unsend it, but it was too late. The message had already been delivered.
There was no taking it back now.
Theodore’s eyes remained fixed on the video. At first, Eliana was simply standing alone on the bridge, quietly taking in the view. Then, a tall foreign man appeared beside her, chatting and laughing like they were old friends.
The gentle look in Theodore’s eyes slowly darkened, clouded with something sharp and unsettling.
“Find out exactly where this place is in Lunara,” he said, his voice low and tight.
At that moment, he deeply regretted ever letting her go abroad. All he wanted was to keep her close, to keep the world away from her.
“Yes, sir,” Stanley responded immediately.
Back on the bridge, Megan knew she had just made a serious mistake, but there was no undoing it now. All she could do was put on a brave face and walk
Over to Eliana.
As she approached, she noticed the foreign man, still chatting casually with Eliana, suddenly reached for her backpack.
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Chapter 189
So, he hadn’t come to flirt. He’d come to steal
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” Megan shouted without heutation
The man frore for a split second. Realizing Iliana wasn’t alone and the situation was shipping, he gave up all pretense and longed forward, trying to snatch the bag outright.
Megan grabbed his wrist, holding him back with all the strength she could muster. “Help! Somebody help she yelled behind her “He’s trying to rob
her
The man’s eyes flared with fury. Without a word, he pulled a combat knife from his pocket and drove it straight toward her
“Megan, look out!” Eliana cried.
But it was already too late. The blade plunged into Megan’s abdomen, Blood burst forth instantly, staining her clothes deep red
“Megani”
“Megan!”
People rushed in from every direction. Lliana dropped to her knees, pressing her hands over the wound in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding two of them collapsed together on the pavement, shaken and helpless.
The attacker, taking advantage of the chaos, vanished into the crowd with practiced ease.
Back in the office, Stanley had just pinpointed the bridge’s location from the video.
But at the same time, news of
news of the attack had already made its way into the local headlines.
He burst into Theodore’s office, face pale. “Mr. Russell, it’s bad!”
Only when he stepped inside did he realize Theodore wasn’t alone.
Seated across from him was Joseph Hill, who glanced up and offered a dry, amused smile. “Mr. Russell, your assistant certainly has a flair for the dramatic”
“You’re too kind,” Theodore replied evenly, though he could hear the undertone loud and clear. Joseph was mocking Stanley’s lack of decorum
“Sir, you’ll want to see this,” Stanley said quickly, holding out an iPad with trembling hands. On the screen was a news report, Eliana’s name front and center, along with footage of the scene.
After what had happened the last time, Eliana being detained at the police station, Stanley had learned his lesson. When it came to her, nothing was too small to escalate.
Joseph frowned. “Do you not see we’re in the middle of a meeting? Do you have any idea how much this deal is worth? You can’t just burge in unannounced and throw everything off”
The room tensed immediately.
Stanley swallowed hard. He knew this negotiation was worth millions. Under any other
any other circumstance, he never would’ve dared to interrupt.
But Theodore could tell something was seriously wrong. With a quick nod, he turned to Joseph. “Excuse me a moment,” he said, taki Stanley
iPad from
His face went rigid as he scrolled through the video and news headlines. Then, suddenly, he stood up, his expression cold and unreadable. “Book me a Night to Lunara. Right now!”
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