Chapter 973 Dare to Secretly Get a Marriage Certificate with Me?
Ethan arrived with Ryan in tow.
After examining Vincent's condition, Ryan provided basic treatment. "You need a hospital," he said, looking toward Ethan. "My hospital would be safer."
"Lily met with that person," Ethan said grimly, watching Vincent. "They're getting impatient."
The shadow players wanted to use Lily, but her relationship with Vincent made him a liability they were desperate to eliminate.
Vincent nodded weakly as Ryan and Ethan helped him out of the villa.
Selene followed anxiously.
"Stay home," Vincent instructed, but she shook her head.
"I can take care of you," she insisted, her eyes still red-rimmed.
Something about her concern softened him, and Vincent relented. Perhaps he secretly wanted her company.
In the car, Vincent deliberately rested his head on Selene's lap.
"Are you still in pain?" she asked softly.
Vincent remained silent.
"Doctor, he's not going to die, is he?" Selene choked out, addressing Ryan in the passenger seat.
Ryan glanced back. Vincent's face was deathly pale, genuinely looking like someone at death's door.
"He won't die," Ryan reassured her. "We just need X-rays to check for glass fragments before stitching him up to prevent infection."
"Shouldn't we call the police?" Selene whispered.
"Already done. Don't worry," Ethan said soothingly, giving Vincent a knowing look.
This was all an act. The glass had only pierced Vincent's shoulder—not even that deeply. The bleeding looked worse than it was. This was Vincent Hamilton, after all. According to Juniper, when Vincent first arrived in Muskow and fought the black market for territory, he'd survived far worse injuries.
He was clearly exaggerating his condition. For Selene's benefit.
Ethan knew Vincent well—cold, emotionless, never genuinely caring for any woman. Even his pursuit of Jasmine had been merely to satisfy his competitive urge to take what was his.
Yet with Selene, he was willing to put on this charade.
"It hurts," Vincent rasped theatrically.
Ethan rolled his eyes. The performance continued.
Selene grew more anxious, nearly in tears. "Mr. Douglas, I'm sorry, but could you drive faster? He says it hurts—could there be glass fragments inside?"
Ethan accelerated without exposing Vincent's act.
"Selene... I'm cold," Vincent continued, clearly enjoying his role.
Selene wiped her tears and quickly moved to remove her jacket to cover him.
Vincent stopped her with a raised hand. "Just hold me tighter..."
Ryan, still catching up to the situation, looked questioningly at Ethan. "The wound isn't that serious... and it's too soon for tetanus..."
"Maybe it's mating season," Ethan replied dryly.
Ryan coughed, hiding his smile as he looked out the window.
They'd be surprised by this behavior from anyone else, but from Vincent, it was truly remarkable.
Selene, genuinely worried about all the blood—knowing only that excessive bleeding could be fatal—leaned down to embrace him.
"Don't worry," she whispered. "We're almost at the hospital."
At Lily's Residence
The assistant rushed into the living room. "Ms. Taylor, something's happened..."
She whispered in Lily's ear about Vincent's injury.
Lily's expression changed instantly as she stood up, frantic to get to the hospital. "Which hospital? What happened?"
"We're not sure yet, but the black market people are definitely behind this."
Furious, Lily gripped her phone and moved to the window to make a call.
"Was it you? Is this your idea of good faith in our partnership? What gives you the right to go after my man?" she demanded, losing control.
The voice on the other end was languid. "Don't get worked up. Vincent has made too many enemies. Too many people want him dead. If I tell you it wasn't my order, would you believe me?"
Lily clutched the phone tighter. Without a confession, she had no recourse.
"I don't care if it was you or not. If anything else happens to Vincent, I'll expose your identity to everyone. Test me if you don't believe it," she threatened.
The other party laughed mockingly. "Even if you don't expose me, I'll be stepping into the light soon enough."
Lily paused, frowning. "Regardless, you need to leave Vincent alone."
"Lily, you're a smart woman. You know that only what you hold in your own hands is truly yours. Let me tell you something... You wanted to know who secretly acquired the Murray Group? It was Vincent. He orchestrated the whole thing, deliberately using his Muskow company to buy the Murray Group, then snatched the Silverlight City project from you. He's been playing you for a fool. From the beginning, he never had genuine feelings for you."
Lily froze, her entire body rigid as if flash-frozen.
After a long silence, her mind went blank. "Impossible..." her voice trembled. "That's impossible. You're lying to me!"
She refused to believe it, her whole body shaking. Vincent couldn't have been deceiving her all this time... it wasn't possible.
"Vincent is cunning and treacherous... a dangerous man. I trust you know what to do," the voice said coldly. "I'll send you the evidence."
The message was clear: handle it yourself.
Lily, who had managed to kill even Xavier, could certainly deal with Vincent.
She slumped against the wall, sliding to the floor, utterly drained.
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
"Find out if Vincent is really behind the Murray Group acquisition," she ordered, her voice hollow.
She couldn't believe that all this time, Vincent had been manipulating her, feeling nothing for her.
She refused to believe it.
"Also, find out which hospital Vincent is in..." Lily's voice was hoarse as she clenched her fists.
If Vincent had truly deceived her, she would never let him off.
Never.
Capital Hospital
Vincent's wound had been treated and stitched. Now he lay in a hospital bed with an IV drip.
Selene sat by his bedside, her eyes still red from crying, watching over him vigilantly.
"I'm really fine," Vincent said, finally trying to comfort her.
Selene remained silent, still shaken by the ordeal.
"Is that all the courage you've got?" Vincent teased with a hint of a smile.
He'd always thought his lifestyle made him unsuitable for innocent, sheltered women. But meeting Selene had shattered all his principles and boundaries.
"I was just afraid you'd die," Selene sighed. "Think about it—no family, no children, not even married. What a waste that would be."
Selene's perspective was always refreshingly unusual. She genuinely felt sorry for Vincent, another orphan like herself.
"Worried about who'd inherit my fortune if I died?" Vincent asked with an amused look. "Would you dare to secretly marry me? That way, everything would be yours if I died."
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