Chapter 285
Chapter 285
“Me, being unreasonable?” Eliana was about to explode. ‘Seriously, who started this whole mess?‘ she fumed.
“Ever since Anthony mentioned Alice, you’ve been acting off. You’re actually jealous, aren’t you?” Theodore said.
Seeing Eliana’s face suddenly tense up, Theodore looked at her seriously and said, “Getting jealous over a woman I don’t even care about anymore? Come on, Mrs. Russell, is that really all you’ve got?”
Megan, standing nearby, felt her heart pounding in her chest. She desperately wanted to hear the whole story, so she pretended to focus on her shooting lesson while secretly eavesdropping on every word.
When Theodore laid the truth bare, Eliana shot back, “I not!”
“Then prove it. Show me you can treat me like you always do,” Theodore pressed, clearly not letting her off the hook. He handed her the gun she’d just put down. “Or are you going to chicken out?”
“You!” Eliana fumed. ‘Seriously, this guy is impossible!‘ she thought.
She snatched the gun back and huffed, “Back off. Don’t get so close; you’re messing up my aim.”
Theodore raised an eyebrow but stepped back.
Eliana finally turned around, narrowed her eyes at the nearby target, and fired in frustration.
The next moment, the recoil pushed her backward, and she stumbled right into Theodore’s arms.
He caught her smoothly. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, “Looks like you just threw yourself into my arms.”
Eliana’s face turned red. “Let go of me!” she said.
But Theodore replied, “The target’s moving back. Let’s see how you did.”
With that, Eliana lifted her gaze to the target. There wasn’t a single bullet hole. She’d totally missed the mark.
Theodore chuckled softly.
Eliana gritted her teeth. “What’s so funny? Like you
Theodore didn’t even hesitate. “Of course, I could.”
u could hit the bullseye on your first shot?”
Eliana was speechless. “You’re just born to mess things up!”
Theodore gazed at her delicate profile and said with feeling, “Yeah, that’s why I need you, Mrs. Russell. A peacemaker to keep me grounded. Otherwise, who knows what kind of person I’d have become by now.”
Eliana’s heart skipped a beat as he went on, “It’s not that I don’t want to punish Alice.
“She must be holding some incriminating evidence against Anthony, or he wouldn’t be treating her so well.
“I’m playing the long game here, trying to catch the big fish. Please trust me, okay?”
Eliana was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, “Let go of me.”
Seeing that she wasn’t really taking in his words, Theodore seemed frustrated, and he hugged her even closer.
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Chapter 285
The next moment, Eliana’s voice came through, a bit exasperated. “How am I supposed to practice shooting when you’re holding the like
this?”
Theodore was momentarily stunned, then noticed that her tense body was gradually relaxing. ‘Does this mean… she’s willing to trust meld Po
wondered.
Love could make anyone lose their mind, and for Eliana, Alice was exactly the switch that set her off.
She might not say it out loud, but there was no way she didn’t care about her husband living under the same roof as his ex.
Anthony’s words had definitely flipped that switch, but now, Theodore was the one switching it off, slowly bringing her back to her senses.
Just then, Ashton stumbled toward them.
Eliana and Theodore both turned to look at him. Ashton stared at Eliana, his voice calm but terrifying. “Give Harper back to me.”
Theodore let go of Eliana and stepped forward. “Ashton, you’re drunk.”
diana’s head, barking, “Give her back to me!”
The next second, Ashton whipped out a gun and aimed it right at
Seeing this, Theodore instantly seized the barrel of the gun, snapping, “Ashton Ford, have you lost your
mind?”
But Ashton just glared at Eliana, his voice hoarse. “Where did you hide Harper? Speak!”
Felix rushed over and tried to talk him down. “Ashton, put the gun down! Are you trying to ruin our friendship?”
Eliana looked at Ashton, who seemed completely broken and on the edge of madness. If he regretted it now, why had he made that choice back then? Calmly, she said, “Harper’s s gone. You were the one who let her go.”
Ashton’s eyes widened. “I let her go?”
“That’s right. On the cruise ship, Harper gave you the choice, and you picked Cathy without a second thought, didn’t you?” Eliana said.
“You!” Ashton’s hand trembled around the gun, but he couldn’t refute her. In the end, he just screamed, “You’re awful!”
Seizing the moment when Ashton’s grip faltered, Theodore swiftly disarmed him, tossed the gun to Felix, then grabbed Ashton by the collar and landed a hard punch right in his face.
“Theodore, this gun is empty. He was just messing around with Eliana,” Felix blurted out after checking the gun, his voice anxious.
Theodore’s eyes blazed with anger. “Messing around or not, I will never let anyone risk my wife’s life, not even for a second.”
“So she gets to use Harper against me like it’s some kind of joke?” Ashton was sprawled on the ground, but his eyes were still locked on
Eliana.
Theodore didn’t hesitate. He handed his loaded gun straight to Ashton. “I’m the one who helped Harper get out of the country. If you’ve got a problem, take it out on me, man to man.”
Eliana blurted out in shock, “Theodore!”
Felix was just as freaked out. “Theodore, don’t do anything crazy!”
Everyone knew Theodore’s gun was loaded. What if Ashton totally lost it and actually pulled the trigger?
Ashton stared at Theodore for a long while, then suddenly let out a bitter, pained laugh. “I knew it. There’s no way Eliana could’ve made Harper disappear all by herself. But I kept lying to myself, thinking you’d never do this to me. You’ve really let me down.”
Chapter 285
His eyes red, he pushed himself up from the ground and said fiercely, “Theodore, from now on, we’re not friends anymore.
With that, he threw the gun aside and staggered away.
Seeing this, Felix hurried after Ashton and got him a cab. Then, he came back, shaking his head. “Seriously, what the hell is all this??
Theodore closed his eyes, saying nothing.
“But honestly, Ashton is unbelievable. If he liked Harper so much, why didn’t he just come clean with her back then?” Felix still couldn’t get i
“Theodore…” Eliana stepped closer, her voice soft. “Why did you say it was you?”
Theodore opened his eyes and looked at her. “I just didn’t want him to point a gun at you again, not when he’s that angry,” he said quietly. Felix jumped in to break the tension. “Come on, Ashton was just drunk; he wasn’t thinking straight. He’ll snap out of it once he sobers up?” Not wanting Theodore to feel too upset, Eliana added, “Yeah, you guys have been friends for so many years. There’s no way it just ends like
this.”
Theodore let out a soft grunt, but the true depth of his emotions was known only to him.
AD
