Chapter 548 Stanley Charles
Francis's eyes were icy as he sneered, "Love me? That's just a lie you tell yourself. You want me to bow down to you. You think that just because you've put in all this time, you deserve what you want. After all your dirty tricks, you still want to dress it up as 'love.' Audrey, you make me sick!"
Francis finished with a simple but loaded statement, showing just how much he despised Audrey. His eyes were filled with such hatred that it was clear he never wanted to see her again.
This hit Audrey like a ton of bricks! She called out in a panic, "Francis!"
Francis's eyes were dark and menacing, "Don't say my name. You're not worthy!"
Each word was like a knife, cutting Audrey deeply. She had loved Francis for so many years, but his words made her heart ache. Her heart felt dead, and her face turned pale, drained of all color.
After a wave of intense emotions, Audrey finally pulled herself together and showed her true colors. "So what? Everyone knows we're married. The woman you love left you. Do you think you can survive without me?"
She burst into laughter. "Francis, what makes you think you're so high and mighty? In the end, you're still mine, and you can't escape."
Audrey grew more frenzied, brushing her hair back with pride, "I've never failed to get what I want, and you're no exception!"
"Looks like I overestimated you. You won't repent," Francis said coldly.
"Why should I repent?" Audrey said proudly, "I haven't lost!"
Repentance was for the weak, and she was above all, able to decide others' fates at will.
"You will lose now." Francis's thin lips were cold, and his handsome face was filled with murderous intent.
Audrey sneered, "Do you want to kill me? Francis, I'm not that stupid. I've got bodyguards hidden everywhere. At my command, you'll be the first to die."
Francis kindly reminded her, "Then call them out."
"Fine, I'll call them," Audrey said, "Come out, guys."
The surroundings were dead silent. She called again, "Hey! Come out!"
Still, no one responded.
"Where are they?" She became increasingly agitated, "Get out here!"
The only response was the quiet air.
Audrey finally sensed something was wrong. She looked back at Francis in disbelief, "Where are my people? What did you do?"
"They should all be asleep now," Francis replied nonchalantly.
Audrey was shocked, "You took down all of them?"
The next moment, she thought of something more important, questions she should have considered earlier. "Francis, what are you planning? What does this wedding mean?"
Francis said calmly, his eyes cold and mocking, "Audrey, I've given you chances. It's too late to ask now."
"You lunatic, don't you want to live?" Audrey roared, "Don't you believe that only I can save you? If I die, you won't survive either!"
"Of course, I believe that," Francis paused, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light, "You can save me, even if it means turning me into a brain-dead, paralyzed shell."
Audrey felt like she'd been struck by lightning! She never thought Francis knew everything. Sure, he wouldn't die, but living might be worse than death.
And now that Ryan and Keith were out of the picture, Francis, as the heir of the Getty family, was still a big deal, even if he was paralyzed. This way, Audrey could get involved in the Getty Group's business as Francis's wife, slowly siphoning off benefits for herself.
These thoughts raced through Audrey's mind in an instant. The situation had changed, and so did her plans.
So Audrey ditched the embarrassment of being exposed and kept going, "Francis, everything I did was for you. You have to know that I begged Arthur for this life-saving medicine. And Arthur even lost several men for it."
This time Audrey wasn't lying. The medicine came from the witch family of Emerald Isle.
Witches on Emerald Isle were a unique group, not threatened by either the Perry family or the Charles family. This was an agreement made when they first arrived on the island, and the witches weren't interested in money. They believed in self-sufficiency and didn't recognize external currency. On their small island, using gold, seafood, etc., was enough for the witches to thrive.
To get Arthur to secure the medicine, Audrey paid a high price.
Arthur initially didn't plan to negotiate with the witches but sent his men to steal it. After losing eight men, they finally got this magical medicine.
But the witches' medicine came with some curses. It was like the deadlock Francis was in now. He had been poisoned with a deadly toxin; the medicine could only preserve his brain for a while. The process of limb atrophy and paralysis would still happen; it just delayed it for a bit.
For those facing the fear of death, even if the medicine couldn't restore them to normal, it was still highly valuable. After all, there were very few people in this world who weren't afraid of death.
Audrey continued, "As long as you're alive, with advancing technology, there's always hope for a complete cure!"
Audrey looked obsessively at the handsome but pale Francis, continuing to persuade him tirelessly, "Francis, think about how beautiful this world is. Do you really want to leave? If you cooperate with me, I will definitely find the real cure for you, definitely."
Audrey reached out her fingers to gently smooth Francis's wrinkled suit, enticing him, "As long as you believe in me, you can survive."
Meanwhile, in the laboratory, Wesley, wearing a sterile protective suit, excitedly hugged the woman in the same lab and spun her around like crazy. He shouted while spinning, "Thank you! Thank you!"
The female doctor, dizzy from Wesley's spinning, shouted, "Wesley, I'm gonna throw up. Put me down."
"Sorry," Wesley said, quickly setting her down and clasping his hands in gratitude. "Thank you so much. If it weren't for your hard work, we wouldn't have made this breakthrough. My friend is saved."
They had been holed up in the lab, sleeping only four hours a day and living off instant food. They hadn't left the lab for an entire month and finally discovered the components of the lethal injection.
The genetic expert who initially studied this toxin had said it was incurable, but once the components were identified, it was no longer unsolvable.
The female doctor told Wesley, "The urgent task now is to inform your friend and find the whereabouts of the other injection to save his life."
"Yeah, I'll call him now."
Wesley dialed the phone, but Francis's phone was off. He quickly called Victor's phone, and it connected. "Mr. Redstone."
Wesley urgently asked, "Victor, where are you? Where's Francis? Why is his phone off?"
"Mr. Getty is at the wedding venue. I'm outside at the reception," Victor replied.
"Wedding?" Wesley, having been in the lab for so long, was confused and couldn't react.
"Yes," Victor explained, "It's Mr. Getty and Ms. Hernandez's wedding."
"What!" Wesley was shocked, "Francis and Audrey are getting married?"
"Yes," Victor said.
"Stop him, quickly! He can't really be marrying Audrey."
From what Wesley knew of Francis, he would never marry Audrey. How did this wedding suddenly happen?
Victor said helplessly, "I know Mr. Getty isn't sincere, but I can only follow his orders."
"Tell him..." Wesley's words trailed off.
This matter wasn't suitable to discuss over the phone. If someone had illegally intercepted their call, it wouldn't have been life-saving news for Francis, but rather something the bad guys could use to destroy him. Especially Stanley, who was said to be omnipotent, and none of his targets ever escaped.
Wesley changed his tone, "Tell him I have made progress. I'll be back in six hours. Stop everything and wait for me!"
"Okay, Mr. Redstone."
Victor sensed the urgency in Wesley's voice, knowing it must be beneficial for Francis. He quickly ran towards the wedding venue.
As soon as he stepped out, he bumped into someone. Looking up, Victor was surprised, "Joshua, what are you doing here?"
Joshua was equally shocked, "Victor, aren't you inside the venue?"
The two looked at each other and instantly understood Francis's intention. Francis didn't want any of them involved; he wanted to face it alone! Moreover, he had evacuated all the guests from the wedding venue and secretly moved them to another building. It was clear that he was preparing to face a storm inside.
Victor frowned, "This is bad, Mr. Getty..."
Before he could finish, the two of them were already running towards the opposite building.
When they arrived, the doors were tightly shut, and the area was swarming with armed police blocking their way. "You can't go in here!"
Joshua, being hot-tempered, was about to push the black-clad police officer to rush in. But Victor stopped him. "Don't be reckless!" he warned Joshua.
In Dreamlandia, Victor had to ensure Joshua didn't make any mistakes.
"Hello." Victor handed over his business card, identifying himself, "Our CEO is inside. Can you tell me what's going on?"
"Sorry, we're on duty and can't disclose any information. Please leave immediately."
Joshua was still fuming, but Victor pulled him away. However, they didn't go far but stood in a corner not too far from the building.
Joshua was anxious, "Victor, what's going on? Why are so many people evacuating?"
Victor watched the bustling crowd being orderly evacuated by the police, feeling increasingly uneasy. He called the intelligence center, "Check what's happening at the Serene Haven Hotel."
Victor didn't hang up, waiting for a response. Five minutes later, the operator from the intelligence center said, "We've heard that a lot of explosives have been planted at the Serene Haven Hotel, and everyone nearby needs to evacuate."
Victor's eyebrows shot up, "Who planted the explosives?"
The other side replied, "It seems to be related to the Charles family!"
Victor quickly ran through Francis's recent activities in his mind. Suddenly, a scene of Francis's arm bleeding on a rainy night flashed in his mind.
Victor had a sudden realization and said sharply, "Check if anything happened on Emerald Isle twenty days ago."
The sound of keyboard typing resumed. After about ten minutes, the typing stopped. The intelligence center replied, "Twenty days ago, Stanley Charles's wife died unexpectedly. It was quite a sensation at the time. That woman was Stanley's favorite among his 24 wives. Stanley shut himself in and killed nearly thirty servants, drivers, and bodyguards who served her, burying them with her. Moreover, her death didn't seem accidental; it was man-made. Stanley offered a $1 billion reward for accurate information about her death."
Victor fell into deep thought. He didn't know much about Stanley's wife, Aria Clark, but he knew Stanley well.
Stanley was Dreamlandia's most wanted criminal. In this country, Stanley and his men had committed hundreds of major crimes. He was elusive, and since Emerald Isle was a lawless country, investigations were often obstructed.
But the police in Dreamlandia never gave up on finding Stanley. It could be said that if they got accurate information about Stanley's whereabouts in Dreamlandia, the police wouldn't let him go. They would ensure Stanley faced the death penalty here.
But Stanley wasn't stupid. Knowing how much Dreamlandia wanted to capture him, he naturally wouldn't come here for no reason. Instead, he went to countries with lax law enforcement to continue seeking thrills.
Victor's understanding of Stanley came from the last incident when Francis was injured by explosives at sea.
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