Chapter 8 The Last Call

Lexi turned and wheeled Lachlan out of the room.

"Tristan, you stay here and watch him. Don't stop until he gives in."

The bodyguard hit me brutally. Every strike sent pain coursing through me, making my veins bulge as cold sweat poured down my skin.

"Gideon, that's enough. Don't kill him," Tristan said.

The bodyguard shot me a cold look and ignored Tristan completely. Then, he brought the whip down even harder.

For some reason, I thought I saw something murderous in that look.

At first, I could still thrash and shake violently. Eventually, I did not even have the strength to struggle.

Blood ran from my toes and pooled on the floor. My body grew colder as I lost blood, and my vision began to blur.

I heard the door open. It seemed Tristan had rushed out.

…

Meanwhile, Lexi was in another room, gently comforting Lachlan.

A doctor came in with the scans. "Ms. Wyndham, don't worry. He only sprained his ankle. There's no damage to the bone."

Lexi thanked the doctor and carefully asked about the precautions. She still insisted that Lachlan stay in the hospital for a few more days just to be safe.

As soon as the doctor left, Tristan came rushing in, breathing hard. "Ms. Wyndham, he's already taken 99 lashes. I don't think Mr. Brooks is going to make it. Please, tell Gideon to stop."

Lexi scoffed. "He's not going to die from this. Go tell him he can be as stubborn as he wants. No matter how badly he's hurt, I can spend whatever it takes to treat him. He won't have a single scar. But today, he has to listen to me."

Tristan looked like he wanted to say more, but Lachlan interrupted him with a sigh.

"I'm almost jealous of how much people care about Ryder. Even Tristan, who's been with you for three years, is willing to stand up for him. I'm different. Without you, Lexi, I could die and no one in this world would even care."

Lexi shot Tristan an unhappy look. "You helped Ryder lie to me too?"

Before he could explain, she impatiently waved him off. "I hope this is the last time you do something like this. Get out."

Tristan froze, then sighed and walked away.

…

The pain finally became too much, and everything went black.

Not long after, Lexi's phone rang. She answered it, and an unfamiliar voice came from the other end. "Hello. Am I speaking with a family member or close contact of Mr. Brooks?"

Lexi nodded. "I'm his fiancee. What is this about?"

"We had previously arranged to come collect Mr. Brooks' body in the middle of next month. A few days ago, Mr. Brooks moved the date up to next Tuesday. We just wanted to confirm the change."

She frowned. "Collect his body? You must have the wrong number."

The caller sounded confused but insisted. "We really are the team Mr. Brooks hired to collect his remains. About the date—"

Before the caller could finish, she angrily hung up.

"Ryder is taking this act way too far. He's tied up and he still managed to arrange for someone to scare me. He really doesn't think he's done anything wrong, does he?"

The more Lexi thought about it, the angrier she became. She immediately called Tristan. "Where's Ryder? Put him on the phone!"

Tristan's voice came through, choked with tears. "Ryder's dead. The doctor said they couldn't save him."