Chapter 567
A sharp cry echoed through the chamber, and half the walls were instantly blown away
From the shadows emerged Richard, tall and imposing.
His clear and elegant face was flawless, but his eyes were steeped in hostility A palpable killing intent radiated from him, his powerful mura carrying a sense of destruction so overwhelming felt as though it could make hearts quiver and courage fail.
Tiffany froze, the attack in her hand faltering.
The masked man before her showed no such hesitation. The short knife in his grasp closed in, aiming for her body Her lips trembled as she murmured. “James… Is it you?”
The masked man’s hand hesitated–just slightly, almost imperceptibly.
But in the next moment, the blade surged forward again.
A sudden gust of wind erupted, and an invisible force stopped the blade just short of its mark.
Richard strode forward. His gaze fell on the wound on Tiffany’s wrist, and a fresh wave of hostility surged through him. With a commanding sweep of his hand, he sent the masked man hurtling through the air.
The masked man crashed into the wall with a thunderous impact, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
He struggled to retreat but found himself paralyzed under Richard’s oppressive aura.
Tiffany stepped closer, crouching slightly.
With trembling hands, she reached out and pulled away the man’s mask.
The mask fell away to reveal James‘ face.
It really was him!
The last glimmer of hope shattered within her. Her face turned ashen, and she let out a string of bitter, broken laughs. “James… Why? Why is it you? Why?”
This was the person she had trusted most, the one she was closest to.
Yet here he was, the one who had driven the knife deepest into her heart.
“Tiffany…” James groaned, struggling to rise, but his injuries pinned him to the ground. With great effort, he extended a trembling hand, trying to wipe the tears from her face.
Richard’s eyes narrowed dangerously, his murderous intent surging as he prepared to strike.
But before he could act, Tiffany took a step back. She looked down at James, her voice cold and steady. “Don’t call me that. It’s revolting.”
Years of her trust to him unraveled in an instant.
The weight of her dependence on him, the guilt she’d carried for defying him in the past–it all crumbled to dust.
It turned out that everything was fake.
‘How laughable, she thought.
08:20 Thu, Nov 28
Chapter 367
Tiffany straightened, turning her back to him. Only then did her tears fall, unchecked and silent.
She still remembered the day when she met James when she was just five years old.
Back then, he had smiled at her and said, “Call me James, and I protect you for the rest of your life.”
She was deeply touched at that time.
But as it turned out, he had known her identity, her life, and her origins all along. He had merely been waiting for the right opportunity–waiting for the path of sacrifice to fully take shape
Tiffany laughed bitterly at the thought. “James, you’ve truly outdone yourself, spinning this honeyed web for more than ten years.
James froze, his expression faltering for a brief moment.
Tiffany sighed softly. “I used to think you did everything for my sake, for my protection. But now I see it clearly. The reason you feared for my safety wasn’t out of concern for me–it was because my death would have jeopardized your plans, isn’t that right? No wonder you wandered aimlessly for so many years. I thought you were just tirelessly seeking answers.”
She gave a hollow laugh, her voice tinged with irony. “I didn’t know you were doing that, running around, just to pave the way for taking my life. You must be very tired.”
Tiffany closed her eyes briefly.
No wonder she had felt a strange pull when she entered this forbidden land—a summoning she couldn’t quite explain. It was because James had been subtly feeding her something over the years to suppress her talents and abilities, ensuring she would be powerless when the time came.
The shadowy figure she had seen earlier today, the haunting voice in her mind that she had mistaken for her mother’s–it had all been an illusion and part of his meticulous plan, crafted to manipulate her emotions.
The trap he had woven so carefully, layer by layer, had finally ensnared her. And she had walked into it willingly, convinced it was her own path to tread.
‘In the end,‘ she thought bitterly, ‘I was the one who were helping him profit off my own downfall.
Her voice trembled with fury. “James, how could you be so cruel It’s one thing to lay your hands on me, but why June? She’s stayed by your side all these years, and yet you can betray her so heartlessly. Do you even have a heart anymore?”
“A heart?” James burst into laughter, his voice sharp and bitter. “How familiar those words are, Tiffany. Your mother once asked me the same thing. And my answer then was simple: my heart was already given to her. So tell me–where else could I get one now?”
He always claimed his love for her was as deep as the sea. But in the end, all he got was her last words to him. “Let go. I will never love you.”
“How ironic. How utterly pathetic,” he thought.
Tiffany turned sharply at his words, her anger blazing like never before. “You think this is love? That you’re some tragic hero, giving everything and demanding nothing in return? Do you really believe your actions justify themselves because of the depth of your feelings?”
She stepped closer, her voice trembling with rage. “Have you ever stopped to consider how she would feel if she knew what you’ve done? If she learned that her life came at the cost of her daughter’s, would she be touched? Not to mention whether life will even work. But let’s say you succeed. Let’s say she returns. When this insane plan of yours to bring the dead back she finds out what you’ve sacrificed–who you’ve sacrificed–do you think she’ll look at you with love in her eyes? Or will she look at you with the disgust and horror you deserve?”
Chapter 567-
Doing all sorts of mean and pasty things in the name of deep love was totally a joke!
In the end, it was still just a flimsy excuse for his selfishness.
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James looked up, his eyes slightly red. “The Treasure Box can do it. The Treasure Box can do anything! I can bring Faith back to life. When she wakes up, she won’t know any of this. I can make sure she never finds out. Then she’ll be with me…”
“With you, she’ll prefer to die,” Tiffany interrupted, her lips curling into a mocking smile. “Still clinging to your delusions? She doesn’t love you at all.”
James froze, his expression crumbling into one of shock. A flicker of self–doubt crossed his face.
“How? How can that be?” His laugh was hollow, his tears flowing freely. He teetered on the edge of madness, his sanity unraveling before their eyes.
Tiffany turned her face away.
The scariest thing was obsession, and the saddest thing was still obsession.
Richard stepped forward, his large, pale hand brushing away a tear from Tiffany’s cheek.
His touch was gentle, but when he turned to face James again, the tenderness disappeared. His entire being radiated a cold, murderous intent.
His hand rose, poised to strike.
Before he could act, June stumbled up from the ground and dropped to her knees in front of him. “Mr. Hampton, please please spare him.”
Richard’s handsome face remained cold, utterly unmoved.
“Miss Kelley! Miss Kelley, I beg you–please let him go!” June turned to Tiffany, begging on her knees, but Tiffany quickly helped her up.
“June, what are you doing? Get up.” Tiffany’s voice was firm yet calm.
She hadn’t intended to kill James in the first place.
After everything–years of his false kindness, no matter how deceptive–it was still too much for her to bear the thought of taking his life.
“June, get up. I won’t harm James…” Tiffany said.
The fact that she called him by his name was enough to signal her resolve.
June’s eyes were filled with gratitude. Clutching her wounded side, she staggered to her feet and made her way to James. She approached him just as she always had, without hesitation or fear. Her trust in him, despite everything, remained unwavering even as blood seeped from the wound in her chest and even though, not long ago, he’d been the one to stab her.
“Mr. Quinn, I’ll take you away,” June said softly, forcing a faint smile despite her pale and fragile appearance.
Though she could barely stand, she braced herself to become his support. Injured and weak as she was, she still mustered the strength to help him, step by agonizing step, out of the room.
08:20 Thu, Nov 28
