Chapter 53 âMs. Angie, have you forgotten me already? I sacrificed a hand for you, you know! I was so sad about that too!â Asher blocked Angieâs way with his remaining hand, staring fixedly at her with a mixture of derision and anger.
His accusing gaze made Angie feel cold all over.
âAsher Walter, is it? Evidently, you want to lose your other hand as well, donât you?â
âBitch, please. You have some nerve, talking all high and mighty like that; youâre nothing underneath all your fancy trappings. Do you really think youâre still a princess on a throne? Nonsense! Grab her, boys. Today Iâm going to get some payback for that missing hand of mine!â
Asherâs eyes kindled with pleasure at the thought of finally being able to exact his revenge. He gestured, and several men grabbed hold of Angie, holding her fast.
âWhat are you doing? Let go of me! Let me go!â Angie had never dreamed that she would encounter an enemy upon going out today and was thrown into a panic.
She still wanted to marry into the Quincy family; she could not afford to lose a hand! That was unthinkable!
Frightened, she struggled furiously, but Asherâs men held onto her firmly and dragged her toward the back of the bar.
âWhere are you taking me? Let go of me now! Help!â Angie shrieked, dropping her dignity entirely. However, all the onlookers were watching the drama unfold with great entertainment; none of them cared about her fate. Even those who had previously championed her as Imperiaâs charitable princess merely watched, smirking with derision as she was hauled off.
At this point, Angie was overcome with terror. She could not allow herself to be ruined by these worthless bastards!
Just as she was about to be dragged to the back door of the bar, she suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure. Immediately she screamed, âMadeline!â
Madeline had only just stepped into the bar with Albert when she heard someone shrieking her name. She turned to see who it was, only to discover that it was Angie.
How serendipitous!
âWhatâs going on, Ms. Angie? Have you inadvertently offended someone?â
Madeline walked over to where Angie was with a faint smile that could charm the birds off the trees.
âMadeline, help me please! Iâll owe you a favor if you do!â Angie pleaded, her eyes never leaving Madelineâs face. She knew she was embarrassing herself, but this woman, whom she detested so much, was her only hope of escaping this horrible situation!
âMs. Madeline, this is a personal grudge we need to settle between ourselves. Iâm asking you, please, donât get involved.â Before Madeline could reply to Angie, Asher spoke up.
Madeline dropped her gaze to the stump of Asherâs missing hand. With a sigh of regret, she murmured, âMs. Angie, Iâm very sorry, but Mr. Walterâs not under the jurisdiction of the Charity Association any longer. Iâm afraid I canât help you!â She gave Angie an embarrassed, awkward look.
Asher took this as permission to proceed and pulled Angie toward the back door.
âY...youâre both in cahoots? Madeline, youâll pay for this!â Angieâs shrieks echoed through the bar, as jarring to the ear as an off-
key instrument.
Madelineâs expression darkened immediately. She took a step forward and rested her hand on Angieâs shoulder for a moment.
âAngie Grant, youâre as stupid as ever. Have you forgotten my name is also Madeline? You stole that other Madelineâs husband and children. You even caused her death. Do you really think sheâd lift a finger to save you?â
âYou...youâre Madeline?â Angieâs world immediately turned upside down! What on earth did Madeline mean by those cryptic words?
Was she actually her sister, Madeline Grant?
That Madeline had been dead for ages; what was this woman talking about? How could her sister Madeline come back from the dead? It was impossible!
Madeline paid no further heed to Angie, despite Asherâs men dragging her out the back door of the bar. âKeep an eye on things.
Donât let them kill her; we still have unfinished business between us!â She instructed Albert quietly, watching the back door swing shut.
âYes, Ms. Madeline.â Albert acknowledged his orders, then threaded his way around the milling crowd and went out the back door as well.
Madeline seated herself at the VIP cardholdersâ area and ordered some cocktails from the hostesses. She was in an expansively good mood. Even though the bar and its surroundings grated on her nerves a little, she did occasionally enjoy watching people hustling and bustling about. It was a reminder that she was still very much alive and able to appreciate the material pleasures of this world.
A message notification suddenly beeped on her phone. She checked it immediately; she was quite sure it was from that young rascal, Thomas.
As expected, Thomas had indeed sent a message!
âMommy dearest, your beloved sonâs been kidnapped today!â
âYouâre sure of this?â Madeline sent back immediately.
âHee hee, of course Iâm sure. I was the one who came up with the kidnapping scheme in the first place!â
Madeline was momentarily bereft of speech. Now she knew beyond doubt that her young punk of a son had a hand in the matter.
In fact, ever since Thomas visited the Quincy household and left it so hurriedly, she had known he was probably responsible for most of the affair.
Of course, this did not stop her from carrying out her revenge! That was why she had burned down the Grant residence and deliberately let Bruno get away unharmed.
Thomas messaged again, âMommy, donât be angry, ok? Your little angelâs already made 10 million dollars today!
You have no idea how wealthy my scumbag of a daddy is. I really hope I can inherit his money soon!â
Madeline sent back a reply. âErr...good luck with that.â
âI wonât disappoint you, Mommy!â Thomas replied.
Madeline stared at the chat log and rubbed her forehead helplessly.
It was a waste of time to worry about young Thomas. It was a good day if the little devil didnât find someone to fleece; she had to thank her lucky stars when that happened!
âMs. Grant, I was under the impression youâd hurt yourself, yet youâre still visiting a bar?â A low, attractive voice came from just above Madelineâs head. Involuntarily, she looked up, straight into Noahâs face, half-concealed in the shadows.
She had been too engrossed in returning Thomasâs messages and was completely unaware that someone had come up beside her. She did not know if Noah had seen her conversation with Thomas either...
Madeline had a moment of uneasiness, but it soon passed. Instead, she deliberately allowed an expression of worry to appear on her face.
âMr. Quincy, thereâs something you probably should know. The love of your life has been waylaid by a bunch of ruffians and hustled into the back room. You should go and rescue her before itâs too late!â
Noah made no move to depart despite what Madeline had told him. Instead, he sat down opposite her. âDo you really want me to go to her rescue?â
âOf course!â
âStop pretending already. Youâre rejoicing at Angieâs misfortune, arenât you?â Noah sounded oddly relaxed even as he said this. It was as if he was discussing someone elseâs affairs rather than his own. In fact, he made it sound as if it was none of his business at all.
This was something entirely unexpected, as far as Madeline was concerned. Angieâs reputation might have been ruined, but she had been Noahâs one and only beloved for quite a few years. How could he just sit there and disassociate himself from the matter?
âVery well then, since it appears I canât hide the truth from you, Iâll come right out and say it. You deserve someone better, Mr. Quincy.â
The momentary flicker of puzzlement in Madelineâs eyes did not escape Noah. Like the proverbial spark that started a prairie fire, that flicker set something in motion, even though he was not aware of it then. âSomeone better like yourself, perhaps?â He asked blandly.
âIt may be night time right now, Mr. Quincy, but you really shouldnât dream so much!â
Related posts: