Chapter 56 I'll Carry Her Myself

Eleanor had passed out before they even left the basement.

Aaron walked briskly with a foreboding glare, his presence so intimidating that even Blake felt his heart pound with every step, as if walking on thin ice.

He and Wesley had been with the Quinns since they were kids, shadowing Aaron, but never had they seen him so enraged.

Stepping out of the iron door of the basement, Aaron cast a chilling look upon the six bodyguards of Ji's Family headed by Ryan. "Is this how you protect her?" he demanded icily.

Noticing the person in Aaron's arms, Ryan's face turned pale, "Miss Patterson..."
"Get back to Davis's place!" Aaron grunted, cradling the figure in his arms and striding towards the car.

Immediately, Wesley swung the car door open, entrusting the aftermath to Blake as he drove to the Ashton family hospital.

In the basement.

Daniel, shot twice, lay wailing in a pool of his own blood, struggling to rise but only bleeding more profusely.

Hearing footsteps approaching, he glanced up only to see one of the twins walking towards him, a vicious glint in his eyes, "I have foreign citizenship; you can't touch me!"

Blake had an utter disdain for men who preyed on women. If he came across them on the streets, he'd take them down without hesitation.

He scoffed at Daniel's bravado as if it were nothing more than a bad joke.

Not one for humor, especially a poor excuse for a joke, Blake grabbed a leather whip hanging from the wall and swung it with precision.

The whip cracked sharply through the air.

Goosebumps shot across Daniel's skin as the wide, long whip lashed down, striking him and causing his gunshot wounds to bleed profusely due to his sudden tensing.

"Ah!" Daniel screamed in agony.

"How did you find this place?" he gasped, confident in his timing; they shouldn't have found him so soon, he'd expected more time to toy with Eleanor.

Blake kicked him aside, a cell phone tumbling out of his pocket.

Blake pulled out a device resembling a signal receiver from his own pocket; the little machine blinked red.

Daniel's pupils contracted in fear; he knew exactly what it was.

Someone had planted a tracker on his phone, and he hadn't noticed.

Squatting down, Blake poked the bullet wound on Daniel's hand with the handle of the whip, "Don't think you're a big shot just because you've dabbled in computers. You’re nothing to Quinn Corporation."

The pain caused Daniel to grit his teeth and sweat profusely, "Did Aaron know all along?"

A rare smile crossed Blake's face, but to Daniel, it was as though Satan himself had descended, "The Aaron you know is just the tip of the iceberg."

…

Ashton was rousted from his home late at night by a call from Aaron. He'd been asleep, but he hurriedly got up and dashed to the hospital.

Hearing about Eleanor's incident, he thought he'd stumble upon some juicy scoop. Ashton arrived just as Aaron was stepping out of the car.

Eleanor was unconscious, her body a picture of total dishevelment.

Aaron radiated an aura of cold hostility.

Ashton had never seen him like this before. He promptly summoned assistance to ready a hospital room and conduct a thorough examination of Eleanor.
"What the hell happened?" Ashton made his way over, reaching to take Eleanor from Aaron's arms.

Aaron shifted slightly, dodging Ashton's hands, "I've got her."

With determined strides, he headed indoors, leaving Ashton reaching for empty air, thinking Aaron was overreacting. It wasn't like he was trying to hit on Eleanor—Ashton was a doctor, for him women might as well be pigs.

Of course, that was something he'd only dare say in his head.

He had to pick up his pace to keep up with Aaron.

"She's been drugged," Aaron stated.

Even though the syringe had barely pierced her skin, a small amount of narcotic had been pushed into Eleanor's bloodstream.

By now, the drug had circulated throughout her body with every beat of her heart.

A tiny dose was enough to send someone into confusion.

Ashton frowned, "What drug?"

Aaron muttered a few words in a low voice.

Ashton's face turned pale. Immediately, he ordered the nurse to prepare the antidote. They still had time to flush it out.

Who would do such a thing to Eleanor?

It was downright lethal!

They worked tirelessly until 1:30 in the morning, and finally, Eleanor's condition stabilized. Now all that was left was for her body to eliminate the residual drug, and she'd be out of the woods.

"She'll be fine." Ashton approached Aaron, removing his surgical mask, "She has a minor scalp laceration, a bitten lip, and a more serious wound on the back of her hand, but no other significant injuries. Though the sedative is strong, she’ll likely sleep until tomorrow."

Aaron's expression was grim as he pinched out his cigarette and patted Ashton's shoulder, "Thanks."

The nurse had already cleaned the congealed wax from Eleanor's hand, revealing the fuzzy and blistered burn beneath.

Especially against Eleanor’s fair skin, it looked more shocking. Even the nurse, who was used to seeing all kinds of wounds, couldn't help but gasp at the sight.

How awful!

Just as the nurse was about to apply some ointment to the wound, a cool voice spoke up, "I'll do it. Please step out."

The nurse turned, a bit startled, to see Aaron by the door. His presence was so commanding she instinctively held her breath. She set down the ointment and walked out of the room, softly closing the door behind her.

After a while, Wesley knocked on the door, and in a deep tone, Aaron said, "Come in."

Wesley entered to find Aaron gently blowing on Eleanor's hand.

He was taken aback and quickly averted his eyes, mumbling, "Aaron, we’ve done with Daniel."

The man grunted in response.
He gently applied a small piece of gauze to her wound, secured it with tape, and then solemnly placed her by the bedside, casting a glance at Eleanor who was still lost in an unconscious slumber.

Eleanor, willing to pay such a steep price in this gamble–was it truly just to get back at Vincent, or was there something personal at stake?

To soften the glaring light, Aaron dimmed the bedside lamp to its lowest. In the muted glow, his chiseled features sunk into shadows, his expression unreadable.

"It's about time."

Just two days shy of the much-anticipated engangment between the Quinn and Thompson families, both households received an anonymous package one early morning.

Camila, oblivious to the brewing storm, hummed a tune, relaxing with her cup of tea. She instructed the servants to dress the house with extra festivity for the Quinn-Thompson marriage alliance, an unprecedented event in Nan City.

After delivering her orders, she finally opened the package to find a stack of photographs.

The moment she recognized the woman in the pictures, dizziness overwhelmed her, nearly causing her to faint.

The Quinn family.

The sound of teacups shattering in the foyer sent shivers throughout the household staff.

Bennett was livid. "The Thompsons have some nerve!"