Chapter 275
Nicolas arrived faster than anyone expected, so quickly that April’s tears hadn’t even dried.
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“Mr. Hendrix,” Corey greeted him with a smile, managing to put on an amiable front. “To what do we owe the honor of your visit? Is there something you wish to instruct us on?”
“Instruct?” Nicolas’s gaze was icy, his patience thin. “I’m just here to see you dead.”
Corey’s expression faltered. The last person who had dared speak to him like this was likely suffering in the lowest pits of hell. But Nicolas was another story. Corey couldn’t touch him and didn’t dare to.
So, Corey forced himself to keep smiling. “Mr. Hendrix, I share quite a connection with your wife and have collaborated with her many times. Such harsh words, especially right off the bat, are rather disheartening.”
“A close connection?” Nicolas’s voice was laced with sarcasm, and Thea stepped forward with a mocking smile. “Mr. Xander, is that what you call a connection? Sending someone to take my life and swearing you’d cut me to pieces?”
She had come prepared and copied the apartment surveillance in advance. Thea held up her phone, playing a recording from the apartment’s surveillance system on loop, capturing Chad’s earlier threats.
Corey’s face fell. “I just learned about this myself, Miss Rowland. The only thing I can assure you of is that… it wasn’t my order.”
Clearly, Nicolas had no interest in the tangled web of their disputes. Holding Thea’s soft hand, he laughed coldly. “Darwin, go ahead.”
Nicolas’s purpose was simple. It was to take down the entire Viper. A wave of bodyguards dressed in black surged forward, muscles straining beneath their sleeves.
These were Nicolas’s elite forces, honed over years. Any one of them could wreak havoc on an entire scene. Nicolas respected the Viper enough to bring in a formidable team.
“Mr. Hendrix!” Corey started, his voice tense.
But the guards wasted no time. They stormed in, smashing anything in their path. The weaklings with snake tattoos barely lasted two rounds before they were downed.
Corey was panicking. “Let’s talk this through. It’s the Viper’s mistake for upsetting Miss Rowland. I’m more than willing to make amends.”
“Why would I care about that?” Nicolas scoffed, dismissing him with a lazy, yet menacing tone. “No need to hold back. Don’t stop until my wife is satisfied.”
But Nicolas wasn’t just here to trash the place; he had no intention of sparing anyone who dared challenge them. Anyone who crossed their path left with broken arms or shattered legs.
Corey’s face grew darker by the minute until he dragged April out from a corner. “Mr. Hendrix, I’ve done some digging. It was April’s error in judgment. She had unresolved issues with Miss Rowland and even went as far as to falsely use my
name.”
April’s face was ashen, her body trembling uncontrollably. Under Nicolas’s intense gaze, she could barely form a coherent sentence. “I… I didn’t mean to… I just couldn’t get over it.
“Thea, you said let me go?”
we were friends once, didn’t you? Since you weren’t hurt, could you ask Mr. Hendrix to let the Viper go… to
Thea couldn’t fathom where April got the nerve. If she hadn’t seen April’s manipulative nature firsthand, she might have been swayed by her meek display. April was a venomous snake, lying in wait to strike.
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Chapter 275
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Thea had no intention of letting a threat like that linger. “Friend Sorry, Miss Sandy, but that’s an absurd notion. Don’t flatter yourself. I don’t make friends with people who want me dead.”
Her voice was bold and her intentions clear. The as she continued, “You like to throw your weigh
a taste of your own medicine.”
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once–scattered guards in black now gathered around. Thea’s eyes stayed icy around and abuse your power, don’t you, April? Well, it’s about time you got
The guards didn’t hesitate, fists and kicks raining down on April, who screamed in agony as her wails echoed throughout the entire villa. They, trained to be ruthless and devoid of pity, showed no mercy.
Thea stood firm, unflinching. For the first time, she felt the sheer satisfaction of having someone powerful at her back, and it felt surprisingly exhilarating.
“Feel better now?” Nicolas’s tone was soft as he approached her, concern evident even amid April’s weakening cries for help.
“Not bad,” Thea replied, lifting her chin slightly, still watching Corey sweat.
“Miss Rowland, isn’t it time to call it a day?” Corey’s voice finally broke. Despite everything, he had grown up with April, and even the most hardened heart couldn’t stand by and watch her die.
“She’s shown no kindness toward me, so why should I? Surely, Mr. Xander, you’re aware this isn’t the first time April’s tried to harm me. What I don’t understand is what exactly I’ve done to offend Miss Sandy?” Her cool words fell with precision on April’s ears.
April’s physical pain and mental anguish combined into an unbearable torment. She finally snapped. “Thea, who are you kidding with this innocent act? We’re both women. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your flirtatious ways with Corey!
“Married and still running wild. I have no idea how Mr. Hendrix puts up with a slut like you. You ought to be dead. Too bad Chad and Amelia couldn’t get the job done.”
Thea motioned for her guards to stop. April, battered and bruised, was a far cry from her previously charming and spoiled self.
“Is my sorry state what you wanted?” April spat, her face twisted with resentment. “Corey sacrifices me for you, and Mr. Hendrix goes to war with the Viper just to protect you. I don’t get it. What magic do you have?”
April didn’t know why Thea had some kind of allure that could bring men of such power to their knees.
‘Magic? Hardly,‘ Thea thought to herself. If she truly wielded that kind of power, she wouldn’t have been betrayed after a seven–year relationship. April was simply giving her too much credit.
With a cold expression, Thea stepped forward, roughly lifting April’s chin with the toe of her shoe, forcing April to meet her gaze. “So you admit it? Amelia and the recent incident… both connected to you?” April, too angry and thoughtless to realize it was a setup, took the bait.
“And if I do? What then, Thea? Do you really think you have what it takes to kill me? Sure, you could end ine here, but then you’d have the entire Viper after you, seeking revenge day and night…” April snarled, forgetting herself.
April was, after all, the true heir to the Viper. Thea kicked April aside and met Corey’s grim gaze.
“Mr. Xander,” she said, her voice dripping with irony, “whether you two are siblings or lovers isn’t my concern, nor do I care. But given Miss Sandy’s attitude toward me, shouldn’t I expect some kind of resolution?”
April was right. Nicolas could easily end her life for Thea’s sake, but Thea didn’t want to burden him with more trouble. It was better to let Corey handle this and give a satisfactory answer
“April has been spoiled her entire life. She’s reckless and immature,” Corey said, his face drawn with tension. “Miss Rowland, if you’d permit it, I’ll send her abroad, far enough that she’ll never darken your path again.”
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April immediately protested “No! Corey, I can’
