Chapter 5

The VIP ward of the hospital.

Elora lay motionless on the hospital bed.

Multiple fractures. Internal bleeding. The fact that she was still alive was nothing short of a miracle.

It had been a full week. Rodger hadn't shown his face even once.

She scrolled through the photos and videos sent by her subordinates. While she lay unconscious, gravely injured, Rodger had been wrapped up with Lilah-lost in pleasure, indulging in passion, utterly oblivious to the world.

Pain tore through her chest.

Her head throbbed in sync with the pain.

Just then, her phone rang.

It was the Dale family's landline.

For no reason at all, Elora's heart clenched. She answered immediately.

"Miss! Something terrible has happened!"

The housekeeper's voice came through, mixed with gunfire and screams.

"The Griffiths suddenly smashed several of our operations! Right now, right now their men have surrounded our main compound! They're calling for an all-out war!"

Elora's heart sank.

"On what grounds?"

"Rodger says... says we kidnapped his son, Drake! He said if we don't hand the boy over, he'll wipe out the Dale family completely!"

"That's bullshit!"

Elora's vision darkened with rage.

"Miss, please think of something! The Master is overseas, the household is in chaos, and they came fully prepared! Mr. Dale has already been injured. We can't hold them off much longer!"

A sharp pain tore through her wounds. Elora broke into violent coughing, the metallic taste of blood flooding her throat.

"Hold the line. I'm coming back. Now," she said through clenched teeth. Hanging up, she ripped the IV from the back of her hand, grabbed her coat, and stormed out.

Rodger was trying to annihilate her completely.

He had already killed Franny. Now he wanted to destroy her entire family.

Fine.

If that was how he wanted it, then this would end in blood.

The taxi screeched to a stop.

Outside the Dale family estate, black sedans packed the area so tightly there wasn't an inch of space left.

Men of her family were being forced back step by step. Many were wounded, and several lay motionless on the ground, their fates unclear.

At the very center stood Rodger, dressed in a black overcoat, his expression cold and severe.

He held Lilah tightly in his arms, who was crying so hard she looked on the verge of fainting.

"Rodger... if anything happens to our son, I won't live either..."

The moment Elora appeared, every gaze snapped toward her.

Rodger's hawk-sharp eyes locked onto her.

"Elora! Finally dare show your face? Hand over my son!"

She looked at the man who seemed ready to tear her apart and felt nothing but bleak irony.

This was the man she had once loved with her whole heart, someone who now showed not a shred of trust toward her or her family.

She sneered, "Rodger, have you lost your mind? You think I kidnapped your son? I don't even know where he is."

"Still playing dumb?" Rodger cut her off sharply.

"Who else but you would dare touch my son? Lilah heard it herself-the mercenaries were on the phone with a Miss Dale when they took Drake!"

Elora laughed in anger. She didn't bother arguing further and ordered the housekeeper to open her private arsenal.

If Rodger wanted to play, she would make it his last game.

At that moment, one of Rodger's men hurried over and whispered, "Mr. Griffiths, we've got Hugh Dale."

Cold flashed in Rodger's eyes.

"So that's how you want to do this, Elora? You won't give me my son?"

He raised his hand and ordered, "Bring him over."

Moments later, Hugh was shoved forward, his hands bound behind his back.

His face was bruised and swollen, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

When he saw Elora, he shouted urgently, "Elora! Don't worry about me! This is a setup-we never-"

Before he could finish, a thug smashed a baton into the back of his knee.

Hugh let out a muffled groan and dropped to one knee, teeth clenched in silence.

"Hugh!"

Elora's heart nearly stopped. She tried to rush forward but was blocked by a wall of men.

Two burly guards grabbed her shoulders, wrenching her wounds open. Blood soaked into her clothes.

She inhaled sharply and murmured to the housekeeper, "Don't move. Not yet."

Rodger looked down at the kneeling Hugh, then at the battered Elora. His voice was glacial.

"Elora, this is your last chance. Bring my son back-alive and unharmed-and I might consider leaving Hugh intact. Otherwise... "

He paused.

"I'll carve him up piece by piece right in front of you, until you talk."

Lilah sobbed even harder, "Please... the child is innocent!"

Elora ground her teeth, "Rodger, use that pig brain of yours! I just crawled out of the hospital. You really think I was in any shape to kidnap your precious bastard?"

"Still won't admit it?"

Rodger's gaze hardened. He raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face.

"Do you really think you're still my precious Mrs. Griffiths? Wake up."

The slap was merciless. Elora's ears rang, half her face instantly swelling as blood split her lip.

Her vision blurred. She nearly collapsed, held upright only by the men restraining her.

"Elora!" Hugh roared. "Rodger, you animal! Come at me if you've got the guts!"

Rodger didn't even spare him a glance. His eyes stayed fixed on Elora as he curled his lips into a smile.

"Come at you? Of course I will. After all, if your sister won't tell the truth, you're the one who suffers."

He tipped his chin toward the thug holding a knife and ordered, "Skin him."

"No! Rodger, you wouldn't dare!"

Elora struggled like a madwoman, eyes splitting with fury.

But she was badly injured and tightly restrained, completely powerless.

The blade rose, then came down.

Just then, a man came tumbling in, panic-stricken as he shouted, "Mr. Griffiths! Something's wrong-big trouble!"

Rodger barked impatiently, "What are you panicking for? Can't you see I'm handling something?"

The man dropped to his knees and continued, "Mr. Griffiths! We just got word-our largest arms supplier, Mr. Calder from Ravencrest... He's unilaterally cut off all weapons shipments to us! And our two biggest strongholds in the south and the docks were just wiped out!"

Rodger's pupils shrank, shock flooded his face.

At those words, Elora, slumped weakly, stirred. She rasped, "Now. Detonate."

The moment her words fell, a deafening explosion tore through the air.

Flames shot skyward.

Rodger barely had time to clutch Lilah in terror before he and countless his men were blasted into the inferno.