Chapter 534 Determination
On the coffee table lay the photos Emma had secretly taken of George last night. Though George wasn't visible in the photos, he was crouched down, gently petting a kitten on the ground, his expression unusually tender.
Emma's fingertips lightly traced his outline.
"But George will be heartbroken," she murmured to herself.
Her phone buzzed again. It was a message from Eva: "Ms. Stuart, I found this in Mrs. Russell's suitcase."
The photo showed an old USB drive next to Wanda's business card.
Something to do with Wanda?
Emma immediately called Joshua.
"Joshua, I need you to look up an address," she quickly explained the situation, "and also, check Wanda's whereabouts today."
Ten minutes later, Joshua called back: "Ms. Stuart, that chemical plant is an abandoned property of the Russell Group, but there's been frequent activity there recently. As for Wanda," he paused, "her car was seen heading towards the outskirts of town about half an hour ago."
Emma's heart raced. "Does George know?"
"Mr. Russell is resting. Should I inform him?"
"Not yet," Emma bit her lip, "I'll think about it."
After hanging up, she stood by the window, lost in thought. Raindrops pelted the glass, reminiscent of that nightmare three years ago. Back then, Scarlett had stood in the Russell Mansion, sneering that she wasn't good enough for George.
Another message interrupted her thoughts. It was a voice message from Eva. When she played it, she heard Scarlett's heart-wrenching screams and muffled conversations.
"Where's the USB drive?" "You'll all pay for this, George won't let you..."
The recording abruptly ended. Emma's hands trembled uncontrollably. She suddenly realized this wasn't just a simple kidnapping!
Emma rushed into the bedroom and retrieved a handgun from the depths of a drawer. Michael had left it for her protection, and she never thought she'd actually need to use it.
"What am I doing?" she questioned herself in the mirror, "Going to save a woman who wishes I were dead?"
The girl in the mirror had red-rimmed eyes. She remembered George's confession in the rain last night, and the look on his face when he said, "Someone's been watching us." If something happened to Scarlett, George would be devastated. He had already lost his sight; he couldn't lose his mother, too.
"Let's just say it's for George." She took a deep breath and called Joshua: "I need backup, but don't alert George. Get a car ready, and hurry."
The rain poured harder. Emma parked the car two thousand feet from the chemical plant and scaled the wall under the cover of thunder. Dressed in black athletic wear, she moved with the agility of a cat.
"Joshua, I'm in position," she whispered into her earpiece, "Where are your men?"
"Standing by at the southeast corner," Joshua's voice was tense, "Ms. Stuart, we should wait for the police..."
"There's no time," Emma could already hear the screams from inside the plant, "I'm going in first. Move in when you hear the signal."
She moved along the damp wall, suddenly hearing a familiar voice! Through a rusty vent, she saw Scarlett tied to a chair, her face bloodied.
"You think George will come to save you?" a masked woman toyed with a syringe, "He's busy cozying up with Emma."
Scarlett spat, "That bitch..."
Emma clenched her fists. Just then, her phone vibrated—it was George calling! She quickly silenced it.
She could handle this; there was no need to risk George's safety.
Even though she knew she couldn't fall for George again, George was still the father of her child. She couldn't just stand by and watch him get hurt!
Yes!
Everything was for Lucas!
In the darkness, Emma moved like a nimble cat, silently approaching the plant's outer wall. She looked up at the location of the circuit breaker and drew a sharp knife from her waist. In the moonlight, the blade gleamed coldly.
With a soft click, she precisely cut the power. The entire plant plunged into darkness, with only a few emergency lights casting a faint red glow.
Using the cover of darkness, Emma slipped into the plant through the ventilation duct. Her movements were light and precise, each step carefully calculated. The duct was filled with dust, but she didn't dare to sneeze.
Below, she heard chaotic shouting:
"What's going on?"
"Check the breaker!"
Emma held her breath, peering through the vent's slats. She saw Scarlett tied to a chair in the center, her face pale but defiant. The masked woman held a syringe, the needle glinting dangerously in the emergency light.
Just as the needle was about to pierce Scarlett's skin, Emma kicked open the vent cover and leaped down!
Emma rolled as she landed, grabbing a steel pipe from the ground. She swung it hard at the nearest thug's knee, sending him screaming to the floor.
"Emma?" Scarlett's eyes widened, her voice trembling, "What are you..."
"Don't talk!" Emma darted behind Scarlett, slashing the ropes with her knife, "Stay close to me!"
The memory ended there.
Emma didn't know how she should feel now.
Honestly, she should regret risking her life to save Scarlett, who had once looked down on her and nearly got her killed. But when she thought about how devastated George would be if Scarlett died, she felt her actions were justified.
Maybe she was crazy!
Meanwhile, Joshua was in a high-speed chase, tailing a white sedan through the narrow industrial district roads. The white car made a sharp turn into a side street, and Joshua floored the gas, only to be blocked by a large truck suddenly crossing the road.
"Damn it!" he punched the steering wheel, watching helplessly as the white car disappeared into the night.
A voice crackled over the radio: "Joshua, should we expand the search area?"
Joshua's temples throbbed, recalling Scarlett's desperate scream. A sense of foreboding washed over him.
"Turn around! Head back immediately!" he yanked the steering wheel, the SUV skidding into a sharp turn.
When Joshua returned to the scene, all that remained was a pool of blood. Police sirens wailed in the distance, their flashing blue and red lights casting eerie shadows over the abandoned plant.
"Where are they?" Joshua grabbed a police officer surveying the scene, his voice trembling with an intensity he didn't realize he had.
The officer, startled by Joshua's fierce demeanor, stammered, "An ambulance just took an elderly woman away, said she had a heart attack..."
"And the other one? The young woman?"
The officer shook his head, bewildered, "Didn't see any other injured person."
Joshua's sunglasses slipped, revealing bloodshot eyes. He crouched down, touching the still-wet blood. The cold sensation sent a chill through his entire body.
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