Chapter 12
Panic flooded through me. My eyes landed on a fruit knife sitting on the nearby table.
With every ounce of strength I had, I stretched forward and caught the handle between my teeth.
When I reached the ground floor, the first thing I saw was bodyguards scattered everywhere, blood pooling on the
marble floor.
And Ethan with his gun drawn.
“Stop!”
I threw myself in front of Lucas.
The barrel pressed right against my forehead, cold steel against my skin.
“Ava?!” Both men froze.
Ethan stared at me in disbelief. “You’d rather die than let me shoot him?”
His smile was cold and bitter.
I glared back at him without flinching, my heart hammering in my chest.
Lucas tried to pull me behind him, but Ethan slowly lowered his weapon and turned away.
“Take her and go.”
“Ethan?” I was stunned.
“Get out of here. Before I change my mind.”
Lucas kept his eyes locked on Ethan as he guided me backward toward the exit, his arm firmly around my waist.
Just as we reached the door, Ethan called out: “Ava.”
I turned back.
The distance was too great for him to see me clearly. “I can’t protect you anymore.”
I turned and left. The moment we stepped outside, a gunshot echoed from inside the house.
I spun around, but Lucas covered my eyes.
“Look away!”
I knew. Ethan had killed himself.
13:04
Two Chances, One Bullet: How His “Next Life” Promise Failed
9.1%
Chapter 12
Lucas missed his final chance to acquire Blackwood Corp.
But when we returned home, the Blackwood Corp collapsed on its own anyway.
The family had multiple branches.
After everything went down, each faction was scrambling to save themselves, and they’d already torn each other apart from the inside.
I saw Madison at the police station.
The kidnapping had been her setup from the beginning–a performance designed to get rid of me.
She was jealous of my abilities and terrified I’d take power without giving her the same dividends Marcus provided.
So she’d tried to have me killed.
What she didn’t know was that Lucas had already replaced her hired kidnappers the moment she went home.
Now she faced kidnapping charges and prison time.
I ran into Jason there too.
He’d lost weight, his eyes sunken like he hadn’t slept in weeks.
When he saw me, he gave a bitter laugh. “My stupid brother really did throw his life away for you.”
I frowned: “Do you think he deserved better?”
Jason bit his lip, his eyes red as he stumbled out of the station.
A few days later, I placed flowers on Ethan’s grave and whispered something to his headstone. Lucas suddenly spoke up. “I’m getting this scar removed.”
I looked up curiously: “Why now?”
“Maybe you’ll like me better without it.”
I was confused.
He glanced awkwardly at Ethan’s tombstone: “You loved him, didn’t you?”
I laughed. “What are you thinking? I was just telling him we’re done. Even if there’s a next life, I don’t want him to find me again.”
Lucas visibly relaxed.
But when we got home, he immediately scheduled surgery to remove his scar.
I couldn’t help but smile.
His former looks had a unique appeal, even with the scars.
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A blush crept up his cheeks. “Yeah.”
