Winning Her Heart Back



Flesh and Bones

Despite William's impressive marksmanship, the attackers were well prepared. As three fell, four more emerged.

William and Emelie retreated, taking cover behind a large tree.

They crouched together, using the tree as a shield. William aimed and shot another attacker trying to flank Lyle.

The arrow struck the attacker in the arm, and Lyle kicked him against the tree before he could even scream.

Lyle turned around. He felt mixed feelings facing William after all these years. "Will..."

"There's only the two of you and you're this reckless? Are you trying to get yourselves killed? "William glanced at Emelie.

With their proximity, William's breath brushed against Emelie's neck. She furrowed her brows and elbowed him in the abdomen, breaking free from his hold.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

She stared at him. "Do you even know why we're here?"

"To catch the driver, Felix Ashford," William replied.

"And you?" Emelie pressed.

"Same reason you're here." William said. His eyes were darker than the starless sky.

"Did you think I was meeting with him?" he asked.

She indeed had that suspicion, but it was quickly dismissed.

Emelie didn't pin every doubt on William. After all, he had no reason to orchestrate her kidnapping. Still, William sensed her doubts.

He hurriedly explained, "I've been keeping an eye on Felix even before his release. I bribed a close contact of his in prison to tell him that the police had found Frank's body and that they were investigating. If Felix and his crew killed Frank, he'd be facing another ten years.

"I bet he wouldn't be able to handle the pressure of four years in prison. No matter who killed Frank, he'd be scared of getting caught. If he made a move, I could follow him and find a way to resolve the case. That way, you clear your name, and we catch the real culprit. Is

everything clear now?"

Emelie remained silent.

It was no wonder Felix went to such lengths to escape Lyle, only to escape to Capebatt City. It turned out William had already brainwashed him.

While they were stuck in a wild goose chase, William was always one step ahead.

"Whether it's one thing or another, it's my business. Mr. Middleton, what's with all this

effort? What's it have to do with you?" Emelie said.

Then, she turned to check on the situation with Lyle.

William turned her face back to him, his lips pressed into a thin line. "How does it have nothing to do with me? The child you lost to the kidnapping was my flesh and blood, too."

Emelie's breath hitched, and she felt a pang of pain in her chest.

After a while, she scoffed. "You speak as if you cared about the child. If you'd known I was pregnant, you would've forced me to get an abortion. Now that I've had a miscarriage, isn't that what you wanted?"

"Whether you believe it or not, if I knew you were pregnant, I would've married you and kept the child." William's voice was low and serious.

Had that been the case, they would have married and had a child. There wouldn't have been issues with Daphne, and Emelie wouldn't have left Cloudex.

None of the subsequent events would have happened. And maybe the situation now wouldn't have unfolded. Every misstep had led to another.

Looking back, Emelie felt like it was a lifetime ago.

Lyle staggered back, clutching his stomach upon being hit with an iron rod. He spat out blood and called back, "Will! Are you guys done chatting? Maybe you could lend a hand?"

Emelie snapped back to reality. She quickly loaded her crossbow and took aim. She fired the arrow, hitting one of the attackers in the thigh.

Emelie had always aimed to disable, not kill.

"Aren't you always bragging about your skills?" Emelie said as she reloaded the arrows.

Lyle broke an attacker's nose with a punch and then kicked another in the groin with a spin. "How could you compare fighting one-on-one and a brawl?"

Emelie shot back, "Which is why I say Jodie's skills are better than yours. Whether it's long- range sniping or close combat, one-on-one or a group right, she handles it all with ease."

"On your right," she added.

Lyle lifted his left foot and delivered a kick, hitting an attacker sneaking in from the right in the head.

"She's trained like a killer machine. We're not even at the same level. Comparing us is like cheating." Lyle was gasping for breath.

"What did you call a 'killer machine'?" Emelie rebuked.

William's cold voice cut in. "Are you two close? Is this turning into a debate?"