Chapter 471 Offended Lyndon
Lyndon's gaze shifted, and the gentle warmth he'd shown Anne vanished completely. His tender eyes turned cold and sharp, with dark whirlpools swirling in their depths.
Before he could speak, Anne pushed Willard aside and stepped protectively in front of Lyndon.
"Can't you have a civil conversation? Why do you always resort to violence?"
Willard's lips pressed into a thin line. "He was about to touch you."
Anne felt a genuine fondness for Lyndon—a sense of kinship and warmth. He had shown her nothing but kindness, and she couldn't bear the thought of him suffering because of her.
"My business is none of your concern," she glared at Willard. "We have no relationship whatsoever. Even if he killed me, it would have nothing to do with you!"
"I would never hurt you," Lyndon said softly, his expression gentling as he looked at Anne. "Don't worry."
When Lyndon said not to worry, Anne felt genuinely reassured. She trusted instinctively that he would never harm her, though she couldn't explain why.
"Is your hand alright?" she asked with concern.
Lyndon flexed his fingers, intending to say he was fine, but the words that came out were different. "Is this your ex-husband?"
Anne seemed reluctant to explain. "Our grandfathers wanted us to marry. They were both ill at the time, so we went through with it. Now that both elderly gentlemen have passed away, we've divorced. There were no feelings involved, and we have no relationship now."
Lyndon knew the full story and caught the hint of sadness she tried to hide, so he didn't press further. Instead, he said, "My hand feels numb. I think my pinky has lost sensation."
Anne immediately took his hand to examine it, then realized she wasn't a doctor. "Let me take you to see a doctor."
She turned to Thora, "Keep an eye on Elissa and call me if anything happens!"
Thora nodded worriedly—what was wrong with helping a handsome man? Sure, Willard was good-looking too, but he treated Anne badly, and she was protective of her friend.
"Go quickly! Don't worry about Elissa," she assured them.
Willard stepped forward abruptly and grabbed Anne's arm. "He's faking it."
Anne tried to shake him off, but his grip was like a steel clamp. Furious, she snapped, "So what if he is faking it? Willard, you're becoming more disgusting by the day."
Willard felt his violent tendencies surge. He tightened his grip and pulled Anne into his arms with such force that she stumbled, still holding onto Lyndon's hand and causing him to stagger as well. Just as Anne's grip was about to slip, Lyndon caught her hand firmly.
"Can't you hear that she's been trying to distance herself from you?" Lyndon's voice was ice-cold. "What you're doing now constitutes harassment and assault—it's criminal behavior, Mr. Larson. This is Maple Valley."
Willard's profession occasionally put him in the public eye, and some ordinary citizens recognized him, let alone the wealthy and powerful in their circles. But on his way here, he had investigated Lyndon and found almost nothing—only that he was the head of Global Insight Magazine.
Yet Lyndon didn't strike him as someone from the cultural industry. The calluses on his hands spoke of long training, and when Willard had knocked his hand away earlier, Lyndon had shown the instinctive defensive posture of someone with extensive combat experience. His identity was definitely more complex than it appeared.
"What gives you the right to interfere between her and me?" Willard challenged. "A chance acquaintance? A new business partner? Which of those relationships is closer than what she and I have?"
Willard had been suspicious about Lyndon's striking resemblance to Elissa and had been restraining himself as Lyndon got close to Anne. But now, with all his violent impulses threatening to explode and Anne unconditionally protecting this man—even showing obvious affection for him—his control finally snapped.
"I may be her ex-husband, and yes, we're divorced, but she was raised in my family from childhood. We still have a family connection."
"No, we don't," Anne immediately denied. "I have no relationship with you whatsoever. Marriage severed any family ties, and divorce finished the rest. We're complete strangers now!"
Willard struggled to contain his rage, the veins on the back of his hands pulsing violently. Finally unable to suppress his violent impulses, he gripped her chin and kissed her forcefully.
Lyndon's eyes flashed dangerously. He seized Willard's wrist and twisted it hard while simultaneously pulling Anne to his side with his other hand, then kicked Willard away. The entire sequence was fluid and precise.
After dodging the kick, Willard sneered coldly. "That kind of combat skill comes from military training. Your intentions in approaching my wife aren't innocent."
"I'm not your wife!" Anne cried, tears of frustration streaming down her face. He was impossibly stubborn, refusing to leave her alone—a struggle that felt endless, like a battle to the bitter end.
"Fine. Since talking to you is useless and you'll never change your self-righteous attitude, I won't consider your parents' or Uma's feelings anymore." She pulled out her phone to call the police, her hands shaking as she dialed.
Cursing her trembling fingers, she took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. Then a steady hand covered hers supportively.
"Take your time. I'm here," Lyndon said quietly.
Miraculously, Anne felt herself calm down and quickly dialed emergency services. Across from them, Willard watched their interaction with a face dark as a thundercloud.
Hayes stepped forward cautiously. Though Francis had arranged this private hospital floor with no other patients around, he needed to prevent Willard from completely losing control—such behavior would only widen the irreparable rift between him and Anne.
After Anne explained the situation and hung up, Elissa emerged from her examination. Scanning the scene, she first asked Anne, "Are you hurt?"
Anne shook her head. "I'm fine. This gentleman protected me. I was just about to take him to see a doctor."
This was Elissa's first face-to-face encounter with Lyndon. She'd seen photos, but seeing him in person was far more striking. She didn't need prior knowledge—just looking at Lyndon, she instinctively knew they shared a blood connection. It was like when she'd first met Anne; they didn't look particularly alike, yet felt completely comfortable together, as if something invisible connected them.
"Thank you so much," Elissa said, moving closer to him. "Since we're already at the hospital, let me take you to get that hand treated—it's quite swollen."
Lyndon showed Anne warmth and protective affection—after all, Anne was the youngest cousin. But with Elissa, along with brotherly care, there was also genuine joy in his expression.
"I appreciate it," he said.
"Not at all," Elissa took his wrist gently. "I should be thanking you."
Willard realized he couldn't simply force Anne to leave—not easily, anyway. Maple Valley had Francis and Jerry's influence, and with Elissa's interference, he wouldn't succeed smoothly. Moreover, Lyndon's mysterious background and intervention meant Willard was at a disadvantage here.
But now things were different. He pulled out his phone and photographed Elissa and Lyndon holding hands, then sent the image to Francis.
Felix, who had gone to buy food and was watching from the sidelines, had received a message from Elissa telling him not to interfere with Lyndon. So when Willard had approached Anne earlier, Felix hadn't moved. But now, as Willard tried to follow them, Felix stepped forward to block his path.
Willard had reached his limit with Felix, unable to understand why Francis kept such a fool around.
"Don't you see him holding hands with your Elissa?" he demanded.
Felix simply stared at Willard without responding. Realizing he couldn't reason with him, Willard gestured to Hayes, who moved to distract Felix while Willard hurried after the others.
Anne and Elissa brought Lyndon to a VIP room that Francis had reserved for Elissa's use during lengthy medical appointments.
"I've called for a doctor," Thora announced eagerly.
Elissa thought Thora was quite nice—she wouldn't be a bad match for Lyndon. "Thank you for your help."
Thora waved dismissively. "Don't be so formal, Elissa."
'Indeed, why be formal? Elissa mused, thinking, 'Who knows? We might all be family someday.'
The doctor recognized Elissa and nodded in greeting. "Please, let me take a look," she said.
After examining Lyndon, the doctor addressed Elissa: "Don't worry—no bone damage. I'll have a nurse bring some anti-inflammatory cream. The swelling should go down soon."
It really wasn't serious at all; even without treatment, the swelling would subside by evening and be completely gone by morning. But given Elissa's obvious concern, the doctor made it sound slightly more significant than it was.
"Thank you so much," Elissa said gratefully.
After the doctor left, a nurse brought the medication. Elissa was being cautious about handling any medications during her pregnancy, so she was about to ask Anne to apply it when she felt a sudden rush of air.
Before Anne could even open the tube, she was pulled aside. She was about to protest when Felix burst in, followed by two police officers.
"Who called the police?" one officer asked.
"I did," Anne raised her hand and pointed at Willard. "He's been harassing me and forcing himself on me against my will."
The two officers looked at Willard, and the older one's expression shifted slightly. Though Willard held a high position in Seaside City, his rank was well-known even in Maple Valley, especially among law enforcement.
"Are you certain he was harassing you?" the senior officer asked Anne carefully.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lyndon interjected sharply. "Are you suggesting a young woman would use such accusations to smear a man's reputation?"
When the senior officer's gaze fell on the speaker, his pupils contracted sharply. He had once seen Lyndon during a military parade—a chance encounter he'd never forgotten. While Willard was certainly not someone to cross, Lyndon's background was simply unassailable.
Ultimately, he requested that Willard accompany them to the station. "Sir, we'll need you to come with us for questioning."
Willard immediately called Francis, but after sending messages for quite some time without any response, he began to worry. When had Francis ever been so indifferent to matters concerning Elissa? Something was definitely wrong.
Francis was aware of everything happening but chose to ignore the messages, focusing on his rare opportunity to attend a meeting properly. When Willard's first call came, he didn't answer.
He was fully informed about the hospital incident and knew that Willard had now thoroughly antagonized Lyndon. As call after call went unanswered, Francis studied the photo of Elissa and Lyndon together.
A troubling possibility was taking shape in his mind—one he desperately wished he could ignore. Could such an astonishing coincidence truly exist? If Elissa had gone from being Francis's wife to a member of the Myles family of Silverlight City, then Anne must be a Myles as well. Not only had Willard offended Lyndon, but considering how he'd treated Anne—and her obvious hatred for him—he might never even get the chance to see her again.
After much internal struggle, Francis still couldn't bring himself to believe such a possibility. But if it were true... his reaction had been far too strange. How could he remain indifferent when Elissa was being so intimate with another man?
The realization sent a cold sweat down his back.
"What are you waiting for?" Lyndon's voice cut through the tension. "Do you need me to make the arrest for you?"
"No, no, no..." the senior officer hurried forward with a deferential attitude. "Mr. Larson, please come with us."
Lyndon's voice grew several degrees colder. "He committed a crime—it's clear-cut, and there's surveillance footage to prove it. What you should be doing is taking him into custody immediately, not negotiating with him about it."
The senior officer began to sweat profusely and finally had no choice but to forcibly detain Willard. "My apologies, sir."
Just then, Francis's call came through. Willard raised his handcuffed hands, and Hayes stepped forward to answer, holding the phone to Willard's ear.
"Where are you?" Francis's voice was icy.
"You don't know your wife is having her prenatal checkup?"
Francis's chilling voice came through the phone like a transmission from hell itself.
"Keep an eye on her."
The identity of "her" was unmistakable.
Willard's tone was loaded with meaning. "You're not even at the hospital. I've been sending messages and calling for ages—I thought you didn't care anymore."
Francis's voice remained coldly detached: "Now I understand why she sent me away today."
Willard didn't entirely believe Francis's words. Everything about today felt eerily suspicious. Yet he wanted to believe Francis, because the alternative possibility would damn him completely.
"Don't panic. Maybe Lyndon is your wife's long-lost family—they look remarkably alike."
Francis had anticipated that Willard would become suspicious. After all, that sharp mind had served him well in navigating the most complex political arenas.
"She's pregnant. I don't dare cross her."
Willard accepted the explanation. He'd witnessed firsthand how fiercely Francis protected Elissa—going so far as to bar Willard from his private jet and even injure him in a fight. Francis did all this to defend Elissa, who hated Willard for what he'd done to Anne.
"You'd better hurry. My wife had me arrested, so I won't have time to keep watch. If something happens between them, don't say I didn't warn you."
On the other end, Francis's lips curved slightly—a sight that left Simon speechless. He silently offered prayers for Willard's soul.
'Even the smartest people have their moments of complete blindness,' Simon thought.
"I'm on my way," Francis said, then ended the meeting and strolled out leisurely. He instructed his driver to take it slow, claiming he was feeling carsick today.
Then he asked casually, "How did you manage to provoke her to this extent?"
"She's willing to have a complete stranger arrested just to protect some man. What choice did I have?"
Anne was truly at her wit's end with Willard. She'd never realized before just how utterly insufferable he could be. Even after everything between them, he could still refer to her as his wife with such casual arrogance.
In that moment, Anne genuinely wished Lyndon were her family. From the police officers' reactions, she could tell that Lyndon wielded more power than Willard. Perhaps escaping Willard's clutches wasn't impossible after all...
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