Chapter 825
Chapter 825
Artemis lowered his head and kissed the corner of Bailey's lips. “You don't need to worry about this. Leave it to me to handle. This time, I will definitely force Mr. Doyle and Sofie to mobilize all their forces, and then we'll catch them all in one fell swoop.”
With a smile on her face, Bailey snuggled into his arms and obediently nodded. “All right. You go handle it. I won't worry myself. I'll just stay at the base and take care of my health.”
“Good girl.”
After a moment of silence, Bailey asked, “What about the Hoffman family? I know Mr. Philip and Sofie are in a partnership. Given his cunning nature, though, he probably won't exhaust all his resources to help Sofie seize Tarragon Headquarters.”
Artemis sneered, “Do you really think the head of the Hoffman family is a fool? He may appear weak on the surface, but he's actually wise beyond measure. Once Mr. Philip dispatches half of his forces to assist Sofie, Mr. Hoffman will undoubtedly take decisive action. He'll thoroughly eliminate Mr. Philip's and his son's remaining power. In plain terms, he's just looking for the right opportunity to topple Mr. Philip's faction while also preserving his own strength.”
After some thought, Bailey concluded that was indeed the case. “All right. I trust your judgment. Veikko will handle Shaun, Mr. Hoffman will deal with Mr. Philip, and we'll deal with Sofie. This time, I'm determined to send all these terrible people straight to the Grim Reaper.”
Inside the hospital room, Tucker looked at Astrid, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. He said lightly, “I've given Lindsey the landline number here. She may call you at any time to ask you out. You know what to do, right?”
Astrid hung her head slightly, staring blankly at the marble floor, her eyes filled with inscrutable darkness. “I do, and I won't let you down. However, don't forget what you promised me. Once we catch Caridee, you'll hand her over to me to deal with her.”
With a soft hum of acknowledgment, Tucker was about to say something more when the cordless phone on the table began to ring.
The bodyguard quickly picked up the phone and handed it to Tucker. “Mr. Tucker, the call is from the suburban mansion. It should be Ms. Lindsey—”
Tucker waved his hand to interrupt him, passing the phone to Astrid. “Remember, try your best to imitate Caridee's voice. Don't let her detect any flaws.”
Astrid closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, they were filled with tranquility. “Hello, I'm Caridee. You are?”
An anxious voice came through the phone. “Caridee, listen to me. I just overheard a conversation between Shaun and Tucker and found out that Bailey is not dead.”
Astrid smirked. The next second, a look of surprise flashed across her face. “Really? Is Bailey really not dead? W-Where is she now?”
“At a residential house in Xemrich. I'm about to head over there to check it out. Do you want to come with me? The odds of rescuing Bay may be better if I have extra help.”
Astrid feigned feeling troubled. “I-I'm afraid I can't get out. Do you have any way to help me?”
“I remember there's a back door at the base. All you need to do is figure out a way to slip out from there. I'll be waiting for you in Xemrich. You must come, okay? I'm afraid I won't be able to rescue Bay by myself.” After that, the call abruptly ended.
Astrid's smirk grew more pronounced. She lifted her eyes to look at Tucker and said softly, “She invited me to Xemrich. Dare to let me go?”
Tucker stepped aside. “Why would I be afraid to? At this point, you have no other choice but to cooperate with me. You may as well use your face to help me win over Shaun. Once he's happy, he'll agree to collaborate with me. Then, I'll take down Tarragon, capture Caridee, and let you do as you please with her.”
“All right.” Astrid slowly stood up, tossing the phone she held onto the bed, and began to stride toward the door.
She knew she was stepping into hellish, endless torment.
Unfortunately, she had no other choice.
Ever since Tucker forcibly gave her plastic surgery, her life had been devoid of any light.
Since her life was shrouded in darkness, she decided to drag all the d*mned souls with her for company.
Inside the bedroom of the Hoffman residence, Juliana leaned against the headboard while Raymond
was feeding her food. “Daddy, what should we do next—”
Before she could finish her question, Raymond shook his head at her. He reached into his pocket and fumbled around for a bit, then a crisp 'ding' sound was heard.
He activated the jammer, temporarily disabling the indoor surveillance cameras and listening devices.
“Someone may be listening or watching in, so it's wise to be cautious. I know what you want to say. Rest assured. Everything is under my control. Recently, I've been deliberately laying low, which has made Philip lower his guard. Now, we wait for him to dispatch half of his forces to assist Sofie in encircling and annihilating Tarragon. Then, I will seize the opportunity to wipe out his remaining forces.”
With a gentle smile, Juliana wrapped her arms around him and asked in a hoarse voice, “Daddy, have you found out where they're keeping my sister?” Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
“I did. She's locked up with Sofie at a mansion on the outskirts. However, Holden secretly contacted me, asking me not to rescue her for now.”
Juliana furrowed her brows, somewhat puzzled. “Why is that?”
“He plans to lure Sofie into a trap in an attempt to eliminate her, Philip's, and Mr. Doyle's forces in one fell swoop. I agreed because I thought it would benefit the Hoffman family's future development. He assured me that your sister would not be harmed in any way.”
A sly smile appeared on Juliana's face. “Daddy, you've accepted Mr. Lewitt. Even though you reject him, at least you believe he can protect Wendy.”
“You little rascal...” Raymond flicked her forehead. After a moment of silence, he said, “Your sister's path is already set. No one can change it. However, your future is still unplanned. I'll give you two options. First, you can leave the family and chase after the person you want to pursue. Your second option is to fully commit yourself to becoming the future head of the Hoffman family. In other words, you'll have to sever ties with the outside world. I won't force you. The choice is yours.”
Without a second thought, Juliana blurted, “I choose the second option, Daddy. I want to be the head of the Hoffman family as well as Huntley's bride so I can take care of him for the rest of my life.”
A trace of heartache flashed past Raymond's eyes. He couldn't help but reach out and gently rub her head. “Don't rush your decision. Once Philips is taken out, then you can tell me what you want.”
Juliana smiled. This is my final decision. I've no intention of looking back on the sights I've passed by. Now, I have someone I want to protect. Though there may not be a romance, a sense of familial affection will gradually be nurtured over time. It's not too bad staying by each other's side for a lifetime this way.
Inside a certain small café in Xemrich, Astrid limped into a private room.
A few days ago, Caridee was injured. To create a convincing deception, Tucker also injured her leg and tongue.
Her arm was also broken by him.
For her mission, she paid a terrible price.
As such, she would never rest in peace until she could get her revenge on Caridee.
“Caridee, you're finally here. I thought you wouldn't be able to make it,” said Lindsey.