Jacqueline walked down a street in Arcton, something in her gut telling her that she was being followed.

She kept glancing over her shoulder. Everything looked normal, but she couldn’t bring herself to trust anyone.

Fear crept in, and her palms grew damp with sweat.

Ever since she fled to Arcton, she had cut ties with the Jacobson family and turned into their enemy.

Their protection was no longer an option, which meant she couldn’t keep the bodyguards they had assigned to her.

But there was one exception-Peter Atkins. He might have been a bit of a fool, but he had a soft spot for Jacqueline.

Jacqueline knew how he felt about her, so she had brought him along when she fled to Arcton.

She said in a low voice, “Peter, I feel like someone is following us.”

Peter replied, “Don’t worry, Ms. Sanders. No matter what happens, I’ll protect you with my life.”

At six feet tall and packed with muscle, Peter had always made her feel safe back in Orkford. But now that she had escaped to Arcton, things were different.

After all, Stephen had already sent people to hunt her down, and James was too busy to care about her.

After getting into the car, Jacqueline said uneasily, “Peter, you might not be able to protect me from the Jacobson family’s men.”

Peter sat in the driver’s seat, starting the car.

Jacqueline urged him. “Hurry up and drive back to the villa. I think it’d be best if we lay low for now. I feel like the Jacobson family has already tracked me down.”

But before their white car could get far, a black pickup truck slammed into them, bringing them to a jarring stop.

Peter pulled out his gun. “Ms. Sanders, get down!”

With that, the sound of gunfire erupted.

Jacqueline’s legs nearly gave out from fear. She trembled as she lay low inside the car.

The thought that she might actually die here terrified her.

Bullets tore through the windows, leaving jagged holes. The sharp, metallic scent of blood filled the air.

Jacqueline cried out in terror. “Peter, are you hurt?”

Peter clutched his bleeding arm,

struggling to reply, “Ms. Sanderset

there are too many of them. We

might not make it out nov

Jacqueline’s face went pale. “Are they from the Jacobson family? Are they here to kill me?”

Before Peter could answer, someone smashed through the windshield with brute force.

Peter shouted, “Ms. Sanders, run! I’ll hold them off!”

Without hesitation, he threw himself into the fight.

Then, a fresh round of gunfire erupted.

Jacqueline shoved the car door open, kicked off her heels, and bolted.

Stephen had sent his mercenaries after Jacqueline. They had been trained

overseas for years and were experts.

Even though Peter was a highly trained bodyguard with exceptional combat skills, he was still outmatched.

Within moments, they took him down.

Peter had been shot in the thigh and left arm, blood spilling out of his wounds.

The leader of the mercenaries ordered, “Get him out of here and take care of his wounds. Don’t let him die.”

After a while, a blonde mercenary from Arcton dragged Jacqueline over. “I’ve got her.”

Jacqueline was kicking and struggling wildly. She yelled, “Let go of me! You bastards, let go!”

The mercenary leader slapped her hard. Blood immediately dripped from the corner of her mouth, and her cheek turned red.

He warned, “Shut up! If you make another sound, I’ll cut your tongue out!”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it was menacing and full of malice.

The slap left Jacqueline stunned, and his words sent a chill down her spine. She quickly fell silent and stopped fighting back.

The mercenaries didn’t kill her, so

that

Cant Stephen wasn’t planning

her yet. Their t

was

probably just to capture her.

The mercenaries tied her up and taped her mouth shut. After throwing a black canvas bag over her head, they roughly tossed her into the back of the pickup truck.

After what felt like an eternity of jostling, the truck finally came to a stop.