Chapter 1198 Deadlock
At this moment, Jacob suddenly felt his feet slip and almost fell forward. He quickly looked ahead and saw a small bay in front of him. He was almost hanging on the cliff. If it weren’t for the bodyguard who pulled Lucia back, they would have fallen down.
Jacob’s hot body instantly turned cold with sweat as he withdrew his foot. But he couldn’t afford to be scared now because he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw Arthur had already chased after them with his men.
“Don’t come any closer! If you do, I’ll jump off with Lucia!” Jacob shouted at Arthur without thinking twice. Arthur immediately stopped everyone five meters away from them.Text © owned by NôvelDrama.Org.
“Uh-oh, there’s a sea cliff here!” Jack voiced his concern as soon as he saw their surroundings. The situation was not favorable for their rescue operation because if Jacob made any sudden moves, Lucia could be dragged down the cliff.
Everyone understood what Jack said, especially Arthur who stared at Jacob with burning anger in his eyes hotter than the scorching sun above them.
Lucia looked at Arthur with teary eyes, feeling both regretful and sad. She noticed that Arthur deliberately avoided looking into her eyes.
He was angry…
In reality, Lucia misunderstood. Arthur dared not look at her because he had just glimpsed the horrifying scars on her legs. He feared that if he gazed into her eyes for too long, he would impulsively charge towards her, driven by his protective instincts. He was afraid that Jacob would harm her.
Seeing that Arthur and his group had stopped in their tracks, Jacob managed to catch his breath for a moment. He bent over, breathing heavily, his hand still tightly gripping Lucia’s elbow.
“Arthur, what should we do?” Kane whispered to Arthur in a hushed tone.
Arthur narrowed his eyes and spoke coldly to Jacob,
“Let go of Lucia, I’ll spare your life.”
“You still don’t seem to understand your position,” Jacob struggled to lift his head. Lacking regular exercise, his recent sprint had left him panting heavily, his throat parched as if it were on fire. Despite the discomfort, he mustered a hoarse retort,
“Let me go, and I’ll spare Lucia’s life!”
“You can leave at any time, just release Lucia,” Arthur spoke firmly, his only concern being Lucia’s safety.
“Do you take me for a fool? If I let her go, do you think I’ll survive?” Jacob adopted a mocking expression, staring at Arthur and saying, “Arrange a boat for me to escape by sea. Once I’m safe, I’ll release her.”
It was clear to everyone that Jacob was lying. Before Arthur could respond, Dan stepped forward, his tone icy as he said, “Jacob, have you forgotten what happened when Spencer kidnapped Lucia? You’ve provoked a man you shouldn’t have,” he paused, uncertain whether he was referring to himself or Arthur, “You’re destined to face the consequences!”
“You are!” Jacob only noticed Dan’s presence now and widened his eyes in shock. After a few seconds, he burst out laughing and turned to Lucia.
“Lucia, you have some serious charm! Even Dan came to save you!”
Lucia couldn’t hide her surprise. Wasn’t Dan already in prison in the USA? Why was he here?
As the conversation turned towards her, Lucia looked at him and met Dan’s gaze. He had no expression on his face but his heart couldn’t stop beating faster…
Why did he come back? Because only Lucia made him feel alive even when locked up in prison all night long. So he risked everything just to see her from afar but didn’t expect…
Regardless of anything else, he had to save her! This was the only time that he followed his heart without being driven by others or interests so Dan remained steadfast.
To be honest, Lucia felt nothing for Dan even though she knew that he came back for her rescue. She couldn’t muster any emotion inside.
Dan seemed able to read something through Lucia’s eyes as they lowered down.
“Arthur, you’re really impressive! You can tolerate them flirting right under your nose just because you need more help?” Jacob laughed loudly while deliberately misinterpreting the eye contact between Lucian and Dan.
“What did you say?” Kyle wouldn’t let Jacob spout nonsense like this and impulsively moved forward but Arthur stopped him immediately.
Arthur remained composed, his face stern and expressionless. However, his gaze remained fixed on Jacob, observing his every move closely. There was no need for empty bravado; the crucial matter was how to rescue Lucia. Arthur’s mind was constantly churning with various rescue plans and possibilities, but each one was met with the steep cliff of that daunting sea.
“Mr. Davies, things are getting complicated…”
As Arthur pondered, others were also brainstorming solutions, but their ideas were nearly identical to Arthur’s. No one was willing to take even the slightest risk of harming Lucia in any way.
“We have no choice but force him out.” This was their last resort. Arthur was willing to back down for this one chance.
“Jacob, you know I can’t let go of Lucia. That’s something I won’t compromise on. If you’re smart, you’ll start thinking about what conditions to offer me now. As long as it can get Lucia back, I’ll consider it,” Arthur declared to Jacob.
Jacob didn’t doubt Arthur’s words. He knew that Arthur would do anything for Lucia. However, he couldn’t forget Spencer’s fate and the fact that he had seen it with his own eyes. So one thing was certain – he couldn’t afford to be soft-hearted.
“Stop talking nonsense and do as I say! Maybe in the future, I might consider letting Lucia return to your side if you agree with my terms. But if not, then we’ll both end up dead at the bottom of this cliff! Arthur, think carefully because under this cliff is not water but rocks! If she falls down there, there’s no way she will survive!” Jacob yelled at Arthur while dragging Lucia closer to the edge of the cliff threateningly. However, his fierce demeanor couldn’t conceal the fear lurking in his eyes. He glanced at the steep cliff and Jacob was also terrified.
“Then aren’t you facing death as well?” Kane answered on behalf of Arthur, shouting loudly at Jacob, “Jacob, no one knows your personality better than me – greedy for life and afraid of death; coveting power and wealth; willing to betray anyone for personal gain… You’ve come so far just for your own glory and riches? Think about how much effort you’ve put into all this just to betray Lucia and Poppy? Even your subordinates have betrayed you! I promise on my honor that if you release Lucia from captivity, then I will plead with Arthur let you go.”
Revenge meant nothing compared to Lucia’s safety at this moment.
Kane was different from others because he had witnessed his past self before becoming who he was today so his words could really shake Jacob’s heart more than others’. However due his suspicious nature, he still wouldn’t believe anyone easily.