Chapter 106
Given the close quarters, Sue moved like lightning. Joshua was distracted by cradling Allison, and when he realized he had to act fast to defend her, it was already too late.
Even with his martial arts training, there was no way Joshua could push Allison aside and counter Sue’s attack in time. As the knife came at him, his eyes went wide in shock. He twisted his body, taking the blow himself to shield Allison.
A sharp grunt escaped Joshua as the blade sunk into him.
“No!” Sue’s scream pierced the air, and she stumbled back, disbelief written all over her face. “Why…” she shouted, “Joshua! Why do you care about her so much? You’re willing to risk everything for her?”
The metallic tang of blood filled the air, and only then did Allison grasp what had happened. She stepped back from Joshua, eyes dropping to the knife buried in his side. Her face went pale as a sheet.
“Joshua!” she cried, tears spilling down her cheeks.
At that moment, a crowd burst through the rooftop door, rushing towards them. Trained security quickly subdued Sue.
Allison held onto Joshua, sobbing uncontrollably. “I’m so sorry, Joshua. I’m so sorry…” she gasped between sobs. “It’s all my fault… I shouldn’t have come up here alone…”
She’d planned to pretend to go along with the masked person’s demands, swap herself for Lizzy, and then find a way to take down Sue once Lizzy was safe. She wasn’t acting rashly–she had a strategy. But she hadn’t counted on Joshua arriving so soon. He didn’t want her to face danger alone. She never imagined he’d lay his life on the line to protect her.
How did it end up like this? It was all on her. She should have trusted Joshua when he said he’d called in all the estate’s security and waited for him to sort Lizzy’s rescue. She should never have dashed to the rooftop by herself. The security team showed up just minutes after Joshua, yet it spiraled into this mess.
Regret gnawed at Allison, wishing she was the one who’d been stabbed.
At the hospital,
Joshua was in surgery. The hallway outside the emergency room was packed with worried faces. Allison had cried until she couldn’t anymore and was now standing against the wall with vacant eyes. Emily and Rose had cried until their eyes were red. Lizzy was safe, and Linda had taken her home. With all that happened, the engagement party was obviously off.
The hallway buzzed with tension.
“How did this happen? Who is that woman? Why kidnap Lizzy, and why did the kidnapper ask to swap her for Allison?” Javier asked, his voice tense. “Is she an enemy of the Fisher family?”
Ben looked confused. “No, I don’t know her either.”
“I do,” Joshua’s friend George chimed in. “She’s one of Joshua’s admirers.”
Rose frowned, puzzled. “An admirer?”
“Yeah,” George confirmed. “When the cops took her away, I saw her face. Her name’s Sue. She was our classmate in high school and has been after Joshua ever since. It’s been, what, ten years now?”
Allison snapped back to reality, murmuring, “Joshua’s admirer? Why would she do this?”
Chapter 107
Chapter 107
