Chapter 910: Chapter 909
Serena could feel her spirit, slowly and painfully slipping away from her body.
"Serena, Serena."
A familiar voice softly whispered her name.
Could it be Martha?
It was Martha’s voice!
With all the strength she could muster, Serena tried to pry her eyelids open, searching for Martha’s silhouette. But all she saw was darkness, as if she was trapped in a cold and shadowy void, blind to her surroundings.
She was scared, panicked, and she desperately wanted to ask Martha where she was, but when she opened her mouth, no sound came out.
"Hold on, you can’t die."
Martha’s voice was as gentle and resolute as a breeze from the past, "Hang in there, you must."
Tears streamed down Serena’s face. How she longed to speak to Martha, but her body was devoid of strength.
She couldn’t see Martha, couldn’t touch her, didn’t know where she was.
She wanted to tell Martha that the Collins had given up on her, truly abandoned her, indifferent to whether she lived or died, left her to perish in the bone-chilling basement.
She yearned for someone to hold her.
She was so cold.
Her whole body ached with an unbearable pain.
She wanted to leave this place.
The Collins family was only interested in finding her biological father, uncovering the truth behind the hospital fire from years ago, and exposing the true culprits. They didn’t care at all about her wellbeing.
Her heart ached, and she wanted to cry.
But Martha’s voice had faded away, replaced only by the cold wind brushing against her frail body, causing her to shiver uncontrollably.
She felt death approaching.
Perhaps in death, she could be with Martha, be heard, be cared for, be warm.
Meanwhile.
Belinda glanced at the clock; only the last hour remained of the 24 the doctor had mentioned.
"Can’t believe the guy’s got such a poker face. Does he think we’ll definitely save his darling daughter?"
Belinda was surprised. Erik, always so meek and diligent, had such a ruthless side.
The news had been out for hours. His daughter was about to die, and yet he hadn’t shown up.
"The New Year is coming. We can’t have someone die in our home." Darren was partly superstitious,partly fearful that her restless spirit would disturb the peace of their house.
After all, the older generation held strong beliefs in such matters. They didn’t want to spend the rest of their days avoiding the basement, letting it be a constant thorn in their side, a reminder that would only grow more painful with time.
Kenneth and Louisa, Bard and Eunice sat in the living room in silence.
As the seconds ticked by.
Suddenly, a servant came rushing in with news, "Mister and Madam, it’s Mr. Cooper. He’s here with Erik—oh, I mean, he’s brought Erik with him."
"What did you just say?" Louisa could hardly believe her ears. Had he actually caught Erik? The real Erik, not an impostor?
"Bring him in!" Kenneth feared any delay might give Erik a chance to slip away.
"Could this be a trap?" Belinda, ever cautious, chimed in. "Rose said Erik is a mid-level boss in a rival outfit. How could Martin have nabbed him so easily? Remember, our guys have been on it for days and nights with no luck. What if Erik and Martin are in cahoots, putting on a show for us?"
Maybe their goal was to rescue Serena?
"Do you think he’s got a plan B, maybe an ambush outside, or perhaps someone will attempt to break Erik out tonight?" Darren speculated.
"Possibly."
The group mulled over their conversation, sensing there was some truth to their suspicions.
After all, with Martin’s capabilities, it seemed unlikely he would beat them to Erik.
"Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let’s hear what he has to say," Louisa decided,
taking her seat of authority next to Kenneth, as they watched the figure walk through the door.
Martin led the way, urgency in his step, followed by two of his henchmen.
The thugs dragged in a bound and unconscious Erik, presenting him before the group.
"How on earth did you pull this off?" Louisa was incredulous.
Erik lay before them, tied up tight. Kenneth leaned in to check his pulse. He was indeed alive!
Martin didn’t hide anything and spilled the beans.
"Last night, after I left the Collins residence, I called in a number of top-notch doctors to rush to my place. By dawn, I had them shake their heads and leave one by one. I instructed them to spread the word that Serena was critically injured, on death’s door, and wanted to see her father one last time. It wasn’t long before an unknown number got in touch with me."
Louisa and Kenneth hadn’t expected Martin to actually have a plan that worked!
He had used Serena as bait to draw Erik out.
"Erik was obviously lurking in the shadows, keeping an eye on the outside world." Kenneth gathered, turning to Martin, "So you laid a trap, waited for the right moment, and caught him?"
"Yes." Martin glanced at Erik, a twinge of guilt in his eyes. After all, this was Serena’s biological father,and he had used the man’s life as leverage without her consent.
But he couldn’t just stand by and watch Serena die.
"Mr. and Mrs. Collins, I must ask you to hand Serena over to me. I’ve heard she has less than an hour to live. Keeping such a person is pointless for you, and her dying in your home would bring bad luck.
Why not let me take her? At least I can lay her to rest, prevent her from becoming a lost soul."
Martin’s voice trembled with emotion, eyes glistening as he fought to keep his composure.
He was grief-stricken and in agony, fearing Serena would truly perish.
Still, in a hoarse, earnest voice, he said, "Erik is yours to deal with. I, Martin, will not interfere with your business or help him escape. My word is my bond."
Perhaps fearing they might refuse, he added, "Even if Serena could be saved, I swear on my life that I won’t help her harm the Collins family in any way. I’ll steer her towards the right path. if she has any life
left in her."
He paused, closing his eyes for a deep breath to stave off the tears.
"Please... hand her over to me." Martin bowed deeply, his voice breaking, tears finally falling to the floor.
No one had expected him to be so devoted to Serena.
The clock hands had completed half their journey; Serena had less than half an hour left.
"A dying person is of no use to us. Since you wish to care for her remains, we’ll bring Serena here,"
Louisa commanded, and the order was given to bring Serena forth.
Martin hadn’t expected Louisa’s unexpected mercy. His eyes reddened with gratitude as he looked at her, his gaze filled with thanks.