Chapter 4

A staff member stumbled over, speaking in a voice low that was unable to conceal his panic. "Mr. Larson, there's a problem! The surveillance vehicle was stopped a mile away. They're armed and blocking the road, demanding that you negotiate!"

Zack looked at me anxiously, then glanced down at his watch. Then, he actually handed over the loudspeaker to Kimberly.

"You handle the initial talks first. I'll go deal with the other thing. I'll be back in 20 minutes!"

How ridiculous. I had still foolishly imagined that Zack and I had at least a shred of affection left.

That even if we were divorced, even if he had fallen for someone else—at the very least, he wouldn't want to watch me die.

Kimberly took the loudspeaker and suddenly showed us a victorious smile. "Listen up, you idiot! The woman you caught was just a poor beggar! If Zack hadn't kindly funded her schooling back then, she would still be farming in the countryside!"

My nails dug deep into my palm, and blood seeped through the bandages.

The number of viewers in the livestream was skyrocketing, and the comments were pouring in.

"How exciting!"

"Is this a negotiation or an instigation?"

The tip of Ethan's knife suddenly paused, and the camera shook violently.

Kimberly's voice was filled with malicious joy as she said, "After spending so much of Zack's money, you dying here is perfect! You useless bum, you even kidnapped the wrong person. You were the one who injured her in that explosion last time, right? You're truly so stupid!"

The comments instantly erupted into chaos.

"Oh my God! Has she lost it?"

"She's trying to use someone else to kill that lady!"

"Does Mr. Larson not care about this?"

Ethan trembled with rage. He yanked my hair and shouted, "Is what she said true?"

The pain made me gasp sharply, but I replied calmly, "I already told you I mean nothing to Zack. But if you let me go now, I won't tell the cops the truth. Everything will be treated as if it never happened."

Meanwhile, Kimberly kept fanning the flames, taunting, "Trash will always be trash! Zack already didn't want this old hag. Who are you threatening with her? Come out if you've got the guts and watch me shoot you in the head!"

"Shut the hell up!" Ethan roared at Kimberly before furiously kicking over the camera. "Zack, this unwanted woman of yours has a damn beautiful face. Today, I'll slash it up and have the whole nation see what she looks like disfigured!"

He stepped closer and closer, and the blade's tip shook before my eyes. The smile on his face looked twisted and crazed.

I stared hard at the knife in his hand and muttered in a daze, "Did you know? If I still held even the tiniest place in Zack's heart, then he should have been the one standing there negotiating."

The blade pressed against my chin, and the icy sensation made me shiver.

I continued, "He wouldn't have handed this life-threatening negotiation over to that mistress of his who wishes me dead."

I suddenly burst into laughter, the sound echoing sharply in the empty factory.

Ethan's knife froze in midair, and he stared at me suspiciously.

"There's no need to trouble yourself with this. Give the knife to me. I'll do it myself."

I finished speaking calmly, and my gaze swept over the tiny blue light flashing on my watch. That was the signal from the GBC's special tracker.

Ethan froze, and the comments went wild.

"What the hell kind of move is that?"

"This woman has to be crazy!"

"Where's Mr. Larson?"

The next second, just as the knife fell into my hand, a deafening explosion erupted. The entire abandoned factory shook violently, and flames roared up into the sky.

The last thing I saw was the flashing blue light on my watch suddenly turning into a bright red.

…

Outside the factory, Zack stumbled backward due to the shockwave. He stared in disbelief at the blazing building.

The walkie-talkie in his hand slipped from his grasp with a sharp clack.

"Mr. Larson." A communications officer ran over with a pale face. "There was an explosion inside! The preliminary judgment is that Ethan planted the explosives in advance. The hostage and Ethan were both killed."