"Get out of the way! Move! Everyone, get out of the way!"
The doors of the ambulance were kicked open from the inside and the paramedics rushed out two stretchers. They were followed by Wesley Helian, who seemed both worried and furious.
"Don't worry, Jessica. You are going to be fine."
His face seemed tense and his breath was cold. "You must save her. If she dies, I am going to make sure your hospital is closed down,"
Wesley Helian roared.
The nurses and doctors who were rushing the stretcher in quickened their pace, afraid that they would become the punching bag of the big shot Wesley Helian.
So... Still choose Jessica Ruo?
Christine Ji, who was lying on one of the stretchers struggled to open her eyes. Hearing the furious roar of Wesley Helian, she felt like she was falling into utter despair.
Jessica Ruo herself seemed fine. She had merely passed out because of fear.
But she...
Christine Ji tried to move her fingers and cried out in pain.
"Christine, you vicious woman! How dare you drive and want to die with Jessica? Why don't you just go to hell and be done with it?"
Wesley Helian kicked the nurse's leg in anger. The poor girl flinched and stumbled and the stretcher swayed a bit from its course. The disturbance pulled on Christine Ji's wound painfully and her blood stained the stretcher.
Before she could clearly hear the curses that Wesley Helian was throwing here and there, the two stretchers were separated and pushed into different emergency rooms.
"I need a blood transfusion here!"
"Where is the doctor? She is dying,"
inside the operating room, one of the nurses pulled in the stretcher and shouted. She looked delicate and seemed just over twenty years old. She had never seen or come across such an accident. Standing and shouting at the door of the ward, her voice seemed to tremble.
Christine Ji opened her eyes and clearly felt like her life was fading away. Her beautiful eyes were full of unwillingness.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. The doctors are taking care of another operation. I'm so sorry."
As the nurse thrust the blood transfusion bag into her arm, she kept murmuring apologies. She was also crying simultaneously. From the way Wesley Helian looked, it was clear that no doctor was daring to take charge of the operation.
'Wesley Helian, we have been married for two years now. I thought you would believe me someday, but as it turns out, nothing can defeat your ruthlessness.'
Christine Ji's heart ached to the core.
She moved her hand slowly and touched her flat belly. There used to be a baby belonging to the two of them. Now, that seemed so impossible!
"Is this all because of Wesley Helian?"
It took her all her strength just to say that. Even after saying this little thing, she gasped and blood came out of her mouth.
Perhaps it was all for the best. Perhaps only when she really was dead could the tragedy between them finally come to an end.
"Yes. I am so sorry. The man said that if Jessica died, our hospital would be buried along with her. Which is why all the qualified doctors have rushed there..."
The nurse told her word by word. Even though she was speaking delicately, she seemed to be torturing Christine Ji.
"Go ask for the doctors again."
She couldn't die like this. No, she was yet to find her child and avenge herself.
Christine Ji's eyes were bloodshot from anger and the blue veins on her hands were raised.
Even amidst all that anger, a silent drop of tear fell down along the corner of her eye, wetting the pillow. The air around was full of an indescribable desolation.
The pain had engulfed all her senses. She kept thinking about their first meeting...
It had all begun two years ago, in the Capital Hotel--
It was six o'clock on a winter morning, and it had begun to drizzle even before dawn.
Inside one of the hotel rooms, there was a French style bed, and the room was filled with a touch of incense. The night lamp was lighting up the room carefully.
"Ugh... It's so hot in here..."
Christine was unconscious.
Her hands fumbled around on the bed, and she felt a touch of something hot on her side.
'Where am I now?'
She opened her eyes. Her head ached and a chill had swept over her, even though it was incredibly hot in there. She moved slightly and felt like she had been run over by a car.
Even though she was an inexperienced woman, she could still guess what was wrong with her.
Without enough time to think it over, she picked up the bed sheet, wrapped herself in it, got out of bed and stumbled towards the bathroom.
"Go and check it out!"
'Someone's voice? But whose voice?'
Her body went stiff from the tension.
The door of the bathroom was ajar, and in the soft white light, she saw a strange man inside. Christine's face went a little hot.
"A bunch of losers!"
A roar came from inside. Wesley Helian had not noticed that she was approaching. His fist hit the glass hard, and the broken pieces cut into his hand. Blood slowly flowed along the wall.
It was Wesley Helian!
She had climbed into Wesley Helian's bed.
Christine felt a chill running down her neck.
The legend of S City. The CEO of K Group. He had always been on top of the economic list in the city. Why was he here?
"Have you seen enough?"
A low growl came from the bathroom. Wesley had noticed her now. With cold eyes, he pushed the door open and glanced at Christine. Christine broke out in a cold sweat on her forehead. She wanted to run!
She took a few steps back and was about to close the bathroom door completely when a hand reached out and grabbed her wrist tightly.
"How dare you climb into my bed?"
The sudden pain on her hand made her let out a light cry. She struggled and hit the man's arm hard in her efforts.
"Let's just forget about what happened today."
Forcing herself to calm down, Christine forced a smile on her face.
"It's my own loss if we do that and I don't care about it. I don't think you should either!"
Deathly stillness was the only response she got!
Wesley narrowed his eyes but didn't take them off of Christine.
If he hadn't seen with his own two eyes that the woman standing in front of him was a virgin, he would have been deceived by her look now.
"How much is it going to be?"
A playful smile appeared on his face.
'How dare he think of me as that kind of woman?'
Christine's face darkened. "What about you? How much is it going to be?"
Wesley looked at her weirdly with a gloomy expression on his face.
Christine's eyes flashed but she didn't dare to look into the eyes of Wesley. If this matter was ever exposed, the Ji family might never be able to protect her from its repercussions. Now she had no choice but to throw caution to the wind.
"Climb my bed and say something rude to me again and again." The man's breath approached her slowly, as if he was nearing a prey, and the playful smile disappeared. He let go of Christine's wrist, but before she could react, he tightly grabbed her chin.
Christine was now forced to look into his eyes.
"What tricks do you want to play? Or are you imitating Jessica?"
As the strength and the force of his grip increased, Christine's face turned red and she couldn't breathe.
Soon, the strength disappeared. Christine was then thrown away and hit the tea table. The piercing pain forced her to curl up on the ground.
"Don't be so naive! What makes you think that I will be responsible for you after you climbed into my bed?"
Wesley snorted and walked past the woman.
Last night, it had all seemed rather intense.
Their clothes were scattered all over the ground. Wesley picked up her clothes in disgust, and she saw that a few thin threads were fluttering around. His expensive suit itself was crumpled and his trousers had been kicked under the bed.
Christine slowly got up and carefully leaned against the wall.
The current Wesley was like a furious lion. If anyone provoked him, there was no chance of survival at all.
A crumpled piece of paper was suddenly thrown towards her. Christine subconsciously picked it up and opened it. It was a cheque, for ten million!
"Listen up, take that and run! If you dare tell anyone what happened today, then don't blame me for ruining your entire family."
At the entrance of the hotel, the motorcade of the He family had occupied the entire road. The drizzle had turned into a downpour now. Two bodyguards opened the car door respectfully. A walking stick fell to the ground first, and then, one of the bodyguards opened the umbrella to cover the passenger of the sleek, black car from the rain.
The man was grey haired, but he was still standing tall and straight. He was wearing a customized suit, and the row of buttons on his blazer were shining.
He took the umbrella and it could be seen that his hands were not aged at all. The face under the umbrella was just about ninety percent similar to that of Wesley.
Pretty soon, a row of minibuses also came to a halt outside the hotel, and their doors were thrown open. The reporters got out of their cars and surrounded the hotel.
"Mr. Karl, Mr. Wesley is inside."
The butler, whose name was Peter, was speaking fluent Italian as he gestured his master inside with a welcoming wave. The reporters followed the man spontaneously and entered behind him as well.
This man was Wesley's grandfather, and known as Karl Helian. He was the leader of the Helian family, and also one of the most powerful people in S City.
Inside the hotel, the hotel wardrobe was supplied with a few suits for several kinds of occasions. After browsing around, Wesley casually picked out a suit, whose quality of cloth was visible even from a distance. Also, it looked like the suit had been especially prepared.
He calmly tidied up the blue colored suit and looked at Christine through the mirror. "Aren't you leaving?"
Christine looked at him in disbelief and anger. She did not like this meeting, even though this was the first time that she had seen a real person of the Helian family in person. And wearing that expensive blue suit, with his deep eyes, he seemed to be exuding a terrifying aura. He looked impatient and unapproachable. At the same time, he looked much more handsome than his appearance in the magazines. He looked like a flamboyant person, totally different from Barrett Gu's sunshine.
"You... Forget it..." Christine looked furious. Thinking about Barrett Gu, her heart began to ache. She had lost her virginity for no reason today. How was she going to face him now?
She randomly pulled out a long sleeved cloth from the wardrobe, especially picking one which could cover the hickeys on her body. After that, she went into the bathroom to try it on.
Just as she was inside, the door was smashed open, and the air froze in an instant.
Karl Helian was standing in the door and looking around. He could sense the tense atmosphere in here hadn't been dissipated. His expressions were a little excited as his eyes slowly met with Wesley's.
The area behind him was crowded with reporters, but no one dared to step into the room, and no one dared to ask any questions. The flashlights would flicker occasionally and that was the only sign of their presence.
"Grandpa, what are you doing here?" Wesley sat down on the sofa, with one hand on his neck and his legs crossed.
"I heard that you were in an accident, so I am here to save you." Karl Helian walked into the room slowly with his crutch, supported carefully by Peter, the butler.
"I was in an accident? So why do you bring reporters with you?"
Wesley turned his head and looked at the man with a faint smile that seemed to be mocking him.
Karl ignored him completely and kept walking around, looking for something in the room.
Finally, he stopped at the door of the bathroom. A rustling sound was coming from inside.
'Is she here?'
The man's eyes twinkled. He put his hand on the doorknob but then slowly brought it back down. He needed to wait for the girl to come out herself.
After freshening up, Christine stood in front of the mirror and looked at her reflection. The day might not have been going good but fortunately, all the hickeys had been covered.
The cloth itself was a bit tight and revealed her curvaceous figure. Her face flushed with the heat.
Looking in the mirror, she saw a high nose, a pair of eyes like almonds, which were marked with a trace of unspeakable sadness. Her thin lips slightly opened, and finally turned into a self-mocking smile. She then scooped up some water and splashed it on her face. Her hair was disheveled and feebly hanging on her shoulder in a mess. But even so, it was not difficult to see that she was a beautiful woman.
She grabbed a towel and wiped the water from her face. Then she opened the bathroom door.
The flashlights that clicked instantly blinded her eyes and she was unable to open them. The strong smell of cologne came over from a person standing in front of her.
"If you want the newspapers to be closed, you can continue taking those pictures!"
A curt voice sounded. Although he was a little angry, the man's voice was still pleasant to hear, and his handsome face was full of dignity.
"Come here, my granddaughter-in-law. Hurry up now." At the sight of Christine, Karl couldn't hold back his dignity any more. He began to smile.
Christine herself was yet to recover from the shock that the reporters had given her.
She staggered and almost lost her balance. Fortunately, her waist was held by Wesley in time and she didn't fall down.
"Grandpa, you know that I won't marry anyone except Jessica." Wesley loosened his grip on Christine and walked slowly towards Karl.
"See here. You must be responsible for the girl you slept with. I have seen Jessica grow up. She is much more complex than you make her out to be."
Karl was getting excited now. He hit the ground with his crutch, which made a loud noise in the silence of the room.
"Also, if you don't marry this girl, I'll expose this news to the public. I want to see just how generous Jessica can be."
The atmosphere was becoming tense now.
"Grandpa, don't forget that I have given you all the rights. Don't force me to take them back."
Wesley stood a little taller than Karl, and his expressions seemed to make the latter lose some momentum.
"You unfilial grandson, I will beat you to death!"
The crutch was raised in the air and hit Wesley hard. Wesley snorted and frowned slightly, seemingly unfazed by the hit.
"Let me tell you, as long as I'm still in the Helian family, Jessica is not going to be! You can forget about her!"
Karl hit Wesley several times and then suddenly coughed violently. With the help of Peter, he sat down stiffly on the chair.
"What happened today was an accident. I'll compensate her for this. Don't worry about it."
The exposed skin on Wesley's forearms was covered with bruises.
"If anyone even thinks about sharing what happened here to the public, he is dead! Smash your cameras and get out!"
Wesley's cold eyes flashed through the reporters at the door. They instantly threw their cameras on the ground in one single move and rushed backwards.
The reporters, however, merely looked at each other. They had been called here by Karl. If they left now, they would offend him. Some of the timid ones even started sobbing!
Outside, there was still a drizzle, and the sky was not yet completely bright.
Rubbing his temples, Wesley asked Christine, "Is ten million enough?"
"Screw you!"
Knowing what Wesley meant, Christine threw the slipper she had just put on right towards the man. A clear footprint was left on his expensive suit.
'This man thinks he's such a big deal! He thinks he can do whatever he wants! I'd like to see what happens if I irritate you!'
She was holding the other slipper in her hand tightly. "I've told you. So, what's your price?"
With a murderous look, Wesley took off his blazer and stepped forward slowly.
"I'm afraid you can't afford my price!"
With his hands in his pockets, the man walked towards Christine step by step.
Another slipper flew over, but he merely bent down slightly and dodged it deftly.
"So what's your price?"
She knew well that even the whole Ji family could not afford Wesley for one night, but what could she do now?
Having no other choice, she could only prepare herself for the worst consequence.
"The price is your life!"
Wesley raised his head and then stood still. "Bastard, if you dare hurt her, then so help me God Jessica will be dead!" Karl couldn't help shouting out in fury.
"Mr. Wesley..."
At that moment, a man squeezed in through the door. There was a scar on his face that extended from the corner of his eye to his chin. He was about the same height as Wesley.
The man came to a halt respectfully in front of Wesley. "Mr. Wesley, Miss Jessica is still in the city. However, we are still searching for her with all our might."
"Bear, I'll give you three days. You must find Jessica."
Wesley's tense face muscles finally seemed to relax a bit, though the expression in his eyes was still unfathomable. "Grandpa, no one can stop me this time."
"Three days? That is enough time for you to marry this girl."
Karl raised his head and said, "Peter, go and tell the Ruo family. Jessica is still in the city, let them handle it."
"Grandpa, do you want to force me?"
A gloomy aura approached Christine as Wesley grabbed her wrist fiercely.
"How many times do you want to use the same move?"
Christine lifted her foot and kicked Wesley's belly. The man staggered back a few steps and covered his belly with his hand. His face looked as cold as ice.
No one in the room had expected that Christine would make a move, not even herself. The atmosphere went eerily quiet when she did that.
"Well done, Christine!"
Karl praised her with an approving look. He had been worried that the woman would be submissive to Wesley, but now he only had to worry about them not getting married.
However, he had a plan. He always had his own way...
"You are courting death, woman!" Wesley clenched his teeth. He felt like crushing Christine into tiny pieces.
Christine picked up the bottle of red wine from the table and broke it over the table's edge. Now, the sharp point of the bottle was pointed towards Wesley. Christine looked like a hedgehog. Come close and no one could avoid getting stung!
"By the way, Bear, go and get some contraceptive pills."
Wesley raised his eyebrows frivolously and looked at the woman playfully. "Such an impudent woman doesn't deserve to bear a descendant of the Helian family."
This moody freak was satirizing her.
Hearing these words seemed to affect Christine since her fingertips visibly trembled. Recalling the vague experience of last night, she slowly dropped the bottle. Obviously, she didn't want to be pregnant with this swaggerer's child.
Outside the window, the sky was slowly getting brighter and the rain seemed to be withdrawing. Chances were that paparazzi were rushing towards the hotel now as well.
"Alright then! We have watched enough foreplay. I'll be leaving now. Remember to pay attention to the news this morning!" Karl's goal was finally achieved. With a handsome smile at the corner of his mouth, he got up to leave.
Christine's mind went blank.
The news this morning? What was that supposed to mean?
Karl seemed to sense her confusion. "The news will be released at seven o'clock. You will know what it means then."
He didn't want to say anything more and simply walked out of the room with his crutch. The reporters followed him closely, but they would look at Wesley from the corner of their eyes from time to time.
Inside the room, the efforts Christine had already exerted were beyond what she could afford. She fell down to the ground, weak and limp.
It was getting stuffy in the room. Wesley felt so too and pulled open his collar, revealing his chest. There were several clear hickeys on it.
Christine looked away. Obviously, he had done so on purpose.
"I still want you to tell me a price."
The man was half lying on the sofa now, his lips twitching slightly, and his voice deliberately lowered. He stared coldly at the woman lying on the floor, with his deep eyes, and his eyelashes trembling softly.
His angular features, fair skin, perfect face, peachy red lips, and high nose made him look like a medieval king.
Were it not for his actions, anyone would think he had been chosen by God. He was the eldest son of the Helian family and the only heir. If he stamped his foot, the whole S City would be in turmoil.
Such a person had the potential to be so perfect.
Unfortunately, everyone in S City knew that the man only cared about one woman: Jessica.
"Ha ha." Christine snorted but said nothing.
The newspapers, the TV, and the magazines were full of reports about Wesley. He had always looked so handsome in all kinds of media, but she had never expected that he would be this kind of a person.
"Mr. Wesley, I've bought the pills." Bear put down a bag of medicine on the table.
'I can't get pregnant with this man's child.'
Before Wesley could say anything, Christine pounced on the package, opened it and gulped it down.
"That's enough."
Without saying anything else, Christine suddenly ran out of the room barefoot. She was afraid that she would go crazy if she stayed here any longer.
Tired, she stumbled out of the hotel. It was a hazy drizzle outside, but her mood was a hundred times worse than the weather.
Her feet were red with cold. Passers-by would look at her and whisper. Every step she took made her feel a sharp pain all over her body. She clenched her fists and cursed Wesley a hundred times in her heart.
"Is that Christine?"
"Yes, it's her. Look at the photos. That's clearly her."
"Oh my God. If I were her, I would be so happy."
They were murmuring among themselves with excitement.
Christine turned around and glared at the girls around her, who were holding the morning newspaper in their hands and staring at her instead of the paper.
"Give me that." Like a cheetah, Christine quickly pounced and grabbed the newspaper. The biggest news was on the front page. It covered half the damned thing, and it was a photo of her and Wesley.
"Wesley, Karl!" Christine couldn't stand it anymore and madly tore the newspaper into pieces.
He had robbed her of her virginity and then even gone so far so as to announce it in the newspaper in a high-profile way. Did he want her to be unable to stay in S City?
On the other side of the street, the motorcade followed Christine and finally stopped in front of her. Then a black coat was wrapped around her cold and wet body. And as if they were afraid that she would escape, the bodyguards surrounded her.
The golden word "Helian" on the car was dazzling.
"Miss Christine, Mr. Karl has invited you." One of the bodyguards told her. Christine turned her head and the window was rolled down. The man was staring at her from inside the car.
"What if I don't want to go?" Christine didn't dare to act rashly, but she wasn't going to yield so easily either.
"Then we'll have to persuade you." It looked like they had been expecting it. Hearing Christine's answer, the bodyguards moved in closer, ready to use force.
"Miss Christine, Mr. Karl just wants to talk to you. Besides, we have invited Mr. Nathan as well." Peter got out of the car and looked down at her.
"You..." 'This is going too far.'
Christine straightened her back, suppressed all the dissatisfaction in her heart, and slowly moved towards the motorcade.
"Christine, I don't intend to harm you. I just want to have a chat." Karl got out of the car as well and seemed to want to support Christine.
Christine dodged his arms and looked at the man in front of her angrily. "Mr. Karl, this is not a big deal."
"The Helian family is a well-known clan, Christine. We have to be responsible for such things. We will give you a satisfactory answer."
Karl got in the car again, and the door was now opened for her.
Christine was sensible. She got in the car and sat down beside Karl.
"Go." As soon as Christine had fastened the seat belt, Karl gave the order. The motorcade started instantly and ran steadily on the road. The cars in front of them moved to their sides spontaneously, making way for them.
Inside, Christine leaned against the door but did not say a word. In fact, one of her hands was on the door.
She felt like an ant. However, because of her, the dynamics of the entire S City were going to change.
The motorcade stopped at the Helian mansion. There was a vintage gate in between its boundary wall. A musical fountain was located in the center of the spacious lawn, with a sculpture of two children in its middle. The flowers along the driveway were blooming brightly. There was also a hanging chair in the corner.
"Tell me, why were you looking for me? Why am I here?" Christine felt an inexplicable resistance to this place. She just was unwilling to enter.
Nathan Ji stood respectfully at the door. He was already wet since he didn't have an umbrella with him. Seeing the motorcade stop, he immediately walked up towards them. When he saw Christine in the car, he instantly began to panic.
"Mr. Karl, what did my daughter do? Is everything okay?"
Christine bit her lips and tried to speak in a hoarse voice, "Dad, I..."
"You are a daughter of the Ji family. How depraved you are!" Seeing Christine's father, Wesley immediately understood her identity.
Before Christine could even begin her sentence, her father slapped her hard across the face.
"You unfilial daughter, do you want to destroy us? Apologize to Mr. Wesley now."
Her face turned red immediately. There were five clear fingerprints on it. Her curly hair fell down on her eyes, blocking her vision.
"I'm... I'm sorry, Mr. Wesley."
Christine couldn't believe what she had just heard. She suppressed the grief in her heart and apologized in a low voice.
"Raise your voice!" Nathan Ji roared impatiently.
"Mr. Nathan, Christine doesn't have to apologize to that brat. She didn't do anything wrong." Karl picked up the newspaper. "But this newspaper..."
Nathan Ji's hands trembled. He took it over and asked, "How is this even possible?"
After a few seconds of silence, he fell to the ground. "Mr. Wesley, I'm so sorry. I didn't teach my daughter well enough. Please let go of the Ji family and Christine. I'll take all the responsibility."
In this city, whoever offended the Helian family was undoubtedly sentenced to death.
"I can let you go. But I want her to kneel down and apologize," Wesley replied calmly.
Christine paused for a moment.
Wasn't he yet satisfied after humiliating her so much?
But if she resisted, what would happen to the Ji family? What would happen to Barrett?
Wesley raised his eyebrows. The expressions of grief and anger on Christine's face made him happy. "Well? Don't you want to?"
"If I kneel down, will you really let go of the Ji family?"
Compared to this man, the Ji family was too weak. They had no choice but to compromise and do what he said.
"Don't go too far." Karl couldn't stand it anymore. He came out of the car to reprimand the man, and then held up Nathan Ji. "I invited you here today because I have something important I need to discuss with you."
Still unsatisfied, Wesley laughed, "Remember, no one can resist me."
He was saying this to Christine. It looked like the danger had been dispelled, but it was temporarily. Christine breathed a sigh of relief.