Chapter 359
The police and ambulance arrived quickly.
The two assailants were taken away by the officers, and Charlotte was rushed to the hospital.
Outside the emergency room, Petra and Jenny waited in tense silence.
Jenny paced back and forth in the hallway, murmuring over and over, “Miss Riley will be okay. She has to be okay…”
Petra leaned silently against the wall, arms crossed, her expression grim. Her lips were pressed into a tight line, eyes lowered,
saying nothing.
Not long after, Desmond and Xena rushed in, clearly shaken after receiving the news.
“How is Lottie?!” Desmond asked, his voice trembling as he turned to Petra.
Petra lowered her eyes, guilt etched across her face. Her voice was hoarse as she replied, “She was shot in the chest. We don’t know yet if it hit the heart.”
Desmond staggered, nearly losing his balance.
“How could this happen…” he muttered, eyes wide in disbelief, pain flooding his features.
“It’s my fault…” Jenny’s eyes brimmed with tears.
Her voice cracked as she choked out, “The shooter wasn’t even aiming at Miss Riley. It should’ve been me. She pushed me out of
the way… If she hadn’t, I would’ve been the one hit. I’m so sorry… It’s all my fault…”
“Mr. Riley,” Petra said firmly, “those men weren’t ordinary criminals. I fought both of them. They were professionally trained
mercenaries. I also saw a mark on one of their necks. It’s the signature tattoo of the largest gang in Atlantis.”
She pulled out her phone and showed him a photo she had taken before the police arrived.
In the image, the man who had collapsed from the drugged knife Petra threw was lying unconscious. On the back of his neck was a
black gun-shaped tattoo.
Desmond stared at the photo in shock. “The largest gang in Atlantis… Isn’t that…”
“They work for Joseph Ford,” a cold voice interrupted him.
They all turned to see Sean striding down the hallway, his face grim and stormy.
“This was my mistake,” Sean said tightly, his brows furrowed. “Joseph isn’t dead. The body we found in the wreckage was a decoy -a double he had planted long ago.”
“Joseph again?!” Desmond’s voice shook with rage. “This has nothing to do with my family! If he has a score to settle, he should take it up with your side. Lottie broke things off with you long ago. Why is he still targeting her?”
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Chapter 359
Sean’s dark eyes were filled with guilt and sorrow. “Because of me.
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“I’m sorry, Mr. Riley,” he said, his voice low and heavy. “Before the election in Atlantis, I had everything planned. I flew there myself to handle Joseph. Everything was airtight-until one of my men betrayed me and tipped him off. Joseph left a body double behind to die in his place and escaped through an underground tunnel, fully disguised.
“Our people, in coordination with the Atlantis government, wiped out his entire operation there. We were certain he was dead,
that Lottie would never be in danger again. That’s why… I allowed myself to get close to her again.
“Joseph has nothing left. His private forces are either dead or surrendered. He has no way to rebuild. This time, he’s cornered. He came back to Jersey City for revenge-to drag me down with him. The two men who attacked Lottie were loyalists who escaped
with him. He sent them to kill her… while he came after me himself.”
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