No one expected that Riley Lancaster, having lost her unborn child as a bargaining chip, would become so unhinged. Caught completely off guard, the scene descended into chaos. Peyton Joyce screamed in terror, instinctively grabbing Simon Hawthorne to pull him toward her.
But the man violently shook her off, and Peyton was thrown against the wall by his brute force.
She watched helplessly as, having lost the crucial split second to kick Riley away because of Peyton’s pull, Simon realized Riley was already too close to Zoe Lancaster. With no time left, he didn’t hesitate. Moving at lightning speed, he spun around, using his own body as a shield to block Riley’s knife from hitting Zoe.
The blade plunged into Simon’s left arm. The sharp tip pierced right to the bone, slicing open his flesh and leaving a long, deep gash. The entire sequence took less than three seconds.
Riley hadn’t expected Simon to take the hit for Zoe. The moment the knife embedded itself in his arm, she snapped back to reality. Trembling, she pulled the blade out in a panicked attempt to undo what she had done and threw it away as if to clear her name. Her legs gave out, and she nearly collapsed. Her face turned deathly pale. "No... I didn’t mean to hurt Mr. Hawthorne..."
Zoe squeezed her eyes shut. She felt something warm splash against her cheek, and then she heard a faint, muffled groan from above her.
Her heart skipped a beat. Astonished, she looked up and met Simon’s cool yet comforting gaze. The coppery scent of blood filled her nose as she struggled, desperate to check his injuries.
The faint red of Simon’s lips gradually faded to white. He raised his uninjured hand and ruffled her hair. "I’m fine. It’s just a flesh wound."
A sudden, agonizing surge of fury erupted within Zoe. Her eyes instantly turned red. "Let me see!"
As she struggled to check on him, Simon let out another muffled groan.
Only then did Zoe see the state of his left arm. Blood poured down his clothes, pooling red on the floor. An injury bleeding this heavily was far from a simple flesh wound. Her small face abruptly lost its color. Stained with his blood, her features looked strikingly haunting.
She pulled herself out of Simon’s embrace. Her face was ice-cold, devoid of any warmth. She raised her hand and delivered a vicious slap to Riley’s face, striking her so hard that she crashed to the floor. Staring down at the stunned woman who was clutching her cheek, Zoe forced her chilling words through gritted teeth, her hatred overwhelming. "You lunatic! I won’t let you get away with this. I’m taking you to court!"
Wendy Lawrence and Riley were both scared out of their wits.
Even Sean Sheffield’s expression darkened. He walked over, glaring at Riley, and hissed coldly, "We shouldn’t have let you stay!"
Zoe quickly turned back to Simon. Tears slipped from her eyes, though her expression remained frigid. Her voice trembled violently, betraying her deep concern. "The hospital. We need to get you to the hospital!"
Simon watched her cry. Whether it was the pain from the wound or something else, every breath he took sent a sharp ache through his chest. He instinctively raised his hand, wanting to wipe away her tears.
"Let go of him!"
Peyton lunged forward and shoved Zoe hard. Simon’s hand caught nothing but air. The intense pain left him immobile as the blood continued to flow freely, and he furrowed his brows tightly. Peyton glared at Zoe with bitter resentment. Supporting Simon in her arms, she sobbed pitifully and shouted at Zoe, "This is all your fault! Stay away from him!"
That single sentence stopped Zoe dead in her tracks just as she was about to step forward. A sharp pain seized her heart, leaving her numb and unable to react.
Peyton acted quickly, calling Shane Shaw over.
As Shane supported him to leave, Simon didn’t move. Shaun gazed at Zoe, who stood pale-faced a short distance away watching him, as Simon reached out a hand and said hoarsely, "Come here."
Peyton bit her lip fiercely, unable to understand why Simon was still bothering with Zoe at a time like this!
Zoe’s legs felt like lead. She could read the meaning in his eyes clearly: he wanted her to go with him. But the woman he loved was right by his side, glaring at her with hatred. They were the ones who could comfort each other and find solace together. Why should she be the oblivious third wheel, the sinner standing between them? It was better to deal with the root of the problem first.
She turned her head slightly and took a deep breath. "Shane, take Mr. Hawthorne to the hospital."
By not going to him, she was rejecting him. Simon pressed his thin lips tightly together. Watching her stand motionless, a storm of turbulent emotions raged in his eyes—a mix of confusion and disappointment.
Shane couldn’t afford to worry about anything else. He forcefully led Simon away, who was too weak from blood loss to put up any resistance.
Only then did Zoe feel the oxygen rushing frantically back into her lungs. Her mind was an absolute mess. She was subconsciously running away from confronting this situation—a disaster entirely of her own making. Peyton was right. If it weren’t for her, Simon would never have suffered something like this.
Zoe felt freezing cold all over. She raised her hand and wiped the cooling blood from her cheek. It was Simon’s. It felt so cold, yet it burned so intensely that it left her trembling uncontrollably.
Miles Yates kept his lips pressed in a tight line. Having witnessed the entire ordeal, his feelings were incredibly complicated. Everything had happened too fast. He had just reached out to pull Zoe away, but Simon’s sheer panic over her safety had taken him by surprise. There had been no room for Simon to dodge in that confined space. Even if Miles had managed to pull Zoe away, she wouldn’t have been able to avoid the blade. The only inevitable outcome was that Zoe was going to get stabbed.
But the outcome had been entirely unexpected. Since he couldn’t change the fact that someone was going to get stabbed, Simon had made a split-second decision to use his own body as a human shield for her. Miles didn’t believe for a second that Simon hadn’t seen him reaching out to pull Zoe away. However, Simon likely hadn’t trusted Miles to protect Zoe from getting hurt. Unwilling to gamble with her safety, Simon chose to risk his own life and act as a meat shield.
Simon knew full well that Riley was out of her mind at that moment, yet he blocked the attack without a moment’s hesitation. It was as if he wouldn’t have cared even if Riley’s knife had struck a fatal spot.
Miles pressed his lips tightly together. He looked at Zoe and stepped forward. "It wasn’t a fatal wound. Don’t worry."
Zoe couldn’t hear him. She clenched her fists tightly, her eyes devoid of any light.
Wendy finally snapped out of her daze. She charged forward in a fury, screaming, "You jinx! You absolute jinx! Nothing ever goes right when you’re around! This is all your fault!" She lashed out, trying to hit Zoe.
Miles’s usually gentle expression turned fierce. He grabbed Wendy’s wrist and flung it away violently. In the heat of the moment, he shouted in his native Cantonese, "Get lost!"
Wendy was thoroughly intimidated and shuddered in fear.
Zoe fixed her frosty gaze on Wendy. The only reason she had stayed behind was to clean up this mess. After all, it was a member of the Lancaster Family who had injured Simon. She couldn’t cleanly separate herself from the situation, and there was no way she could just walk away without giving them an explanation.
"The man your daughter stabbed is the Crown Prince of the Hawthorne Family," Zoe said coldly. "She meant to ruin my face, but instead, she injured an innocent bystander. Mr. Hawthorne and I will hold her fully accountable and hand her over to the law. You’d better start praying she doesn’t end up in prison!"
Wendy’s legs turned to jelly, and she collapsed completely onto the floor. Riley, already paralyzed with terror, began to sob uncontrollably, gasping for air.
Zoe didn’t spare them another glance. She turned and walked away. Yet, with every step she took, her legs trembled. Her heart felt as if it were being squeezed in a vise. The oxygen in her lungs was depleted, leaving her dizzy and lightheaded.
She truly hadn’t expected it. Simon had actually saved her, even going so far as to push Peyton aside. Her mind was far too chaotic, so jumbled that she couldn’t string a single thought together.
Frowning, Miles placed a light, respectful hand on her shoulder, careful not to overstep. But he could sense her desperation. "I’ll take you to the hospital to see him."
Zoe swallowed hard to moisten her parched throat and nodded. Her expression was more agonizing than if she were crying. "Thank you, President Yates."
Miles paused for a moment but ultimately said nothing. Once they were in the car, he handed her a tissue. "Wipe your face."
Simon’s blood was still on her cheek. Zoe numbly wiped it off while looking in the mirror. If his blood had splashed all the way onto her face, just how deep was the wound? How much pain was he in? The more she thought about it, the more unbearable it felt. She didn’t say a single word for the entire drive.
They couldn’t reach them midway and didn’t know exactly which hospital they had gone to. It wasn’t until she got Shane’s number from Linden that they finally found their way there. By the time they arrived, nearly an hour had passed.
Simon’s wound had already been treated. Thankfully, there was no major damage to the bone, but the flesh wound was incredibly deep. It was over ten centimeters long, required more than twenty stitches, and had caused significant blood loss.
When Zoe got there, Simon had already been transferred to a private ward. She walked up to the door, just about to step inside, but through the glass window, she saw the scene inside. Simon’s flawless face was pale as he leaned against the headboard. Peyton was weeping, throwing herself into his arms and hugging him tightly around his waist. "Simon, if anything had happened to you just now, I wouldn’t want to live anymore!"
Seeing this scene, Zoe abruptly spun around and leaned against the wall. She subconsciously recoiled, wanting to escape the sight.
Miles glanced into the room, his eyes flickering slightly. His deep gaze then settled on her face. "You’re not going in?"
Zoe shook her head, feeling utterly drained. It was exactly as she had suspected. "They don’t necessarily need me here." Peyton had a problem with her, and Simon... would he even want to see her?
Miles frowned. It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand this complicated dynamic. The woman inside clearly had a very close relationship with Simon. He had once heard Jules Yates mention that Zoe and her husband had a mediocre relationship, but now, looking at the situation... there were clearly other factors at play.
He turned to look at Zoe, who had already walked over to the window in the corridor. The woman’s fragile frame looked as though a strong gust of wind could knock her over. Yet, she stood her ground, exuding a quiet resilience—a stubborn refusal to concede or bow her head. For some reason, this made him feel a faint, inexplicable discomfort in his chest. It was incredibly stifling.
Zoe stood by the window, letting the cold wind blow against her until her cheeks were nearly numb. Only then did she pull out her phone and dial a number. It took a moment for the call to connect.
A deep voice answered, "Miss Lancaster?"
Zoe swallowed hard. "Leo Ford, I have about three hundred thousand in all my accounts combined right now. Can I ask you to be my lawyer? I want to sue someone." Not wanting to put him in a difficult position, she quickly added in a serious tone, "I know you charge at least a few million per case. I can owe you the rest and pay you back later. But of course, if it’s too much trouble, I understand."
She was willing to empty her accounts to hire a lawyer for this lawsuit. Riley Lancaster, she was going to hold her accountable to the very bitter end!