Chapter 791

Only then did Cedrick spare a few glances at the steamed buns in Nico’s hands.

She was so angry just a while ago. Did she really allow Nico to sneak me some food?

“What was her reaction when you took the buns?”

Nico pondered for a moment before replying, “Well, she didn’t react in any particular way. I grabbed two steamed buns when they hadn’t started eating yet. Cedrick, please have some. You still need the energy to get your wife back.”

Cedrick finally accepted the buns, realizing that now was not a good time for him to be mad at Gwendolyn.

As Cedrick was having breakfast, Nico walked over to the stream and ran his fingers through the clear water. Breathing in the fresh air of the forest, he asked, “Cedrick, what’s your plan now? When are we bringing Gwendolyn back with us?”

Sitting on the rock like a king on his throne, Cedrick lowered his gaze and contemplated for a while. He thought of the note given to him by Joe, which contained clues provided by Joe, guiding him to investigate Charles’ whereabouts.

Joe clearly knew where Gwendolyn was, and he had deliberately lured Cedrick to where she was.

If Cedrick’s guesses were correct, Joe should make his move within the next two days.

Cedrick issued a firm command, “Prepare ten helicopters, assemble a special forces team, and ensure all firearms are ready. Inform Swain to establish a hiding spot in the nearby mountains and encircle this area. Also, conduct a thorough check for any other individuals hiding in the vicinity. If anyone attempts to sneak up the mountain, do not alert them. Allow them to pass unnoticed. Gwendolyn’s safety is the utmost priority for all personnel when the situation demands.”

Nico nodded. “Understood.”

Having arranged all that, Cedrick was ready to return to the cottage.

Knowing how much Gwendolyn disliked the smell of smoke on him, he asked Nico, “Sniff me. Do I still smell of smoke?”

Nico leaned closer and sniffed the collar of his shirt. “I’m not that sensitive to smoke, so I’m not sure, but I think the smell is gone.”

Cedrick frowned in annoyance when Nico got too close for his liking. Lifting his hand, he slapped the latter’s head away.

“Stay away.”

Wincing in pain, Nico rubbed his forehead. “Should I ask Swain to bring us some spare clothes? Who knows how many days we will be staying here? We should have some change of clothes.”

“That works.” Cedrick agreed with the plan. He sat back down on the rock, thinking of returning later so that Gwendolyn wouldn’t smell the smoke on him and give him another scolding.

Cedrick and Nico returned to the courtyard just before lunchtime.

Cedrick donned a crisp white shirt paired with a dark gray coat, which accentuated his imposing and dominant presence as he walked.

On the other hand, Nico looked gallant and heroic in his camouflage jacket, military boots, and pants, which added to his commanding aura.

As they strolled along the country path, their striking appearances resembled that of magazine cover models.

However, there was no sign of Gwendolyn in the house by the time they returned. Megan was the only one there.

They found out from Megan that Gwendolyn had gone to the field to pluck vegetables with Charles.

Cedrick’s expression darkened considerably as he quickly headed to where Gwendolyn was.

Upon reaching the field, Cedrick saw two figures plucking vegetables from a distance.

Despite not being very close physically, Gwendolyn and Charles appeared to be engaged in a friendly conversation, exchanging laughter. The atmosphere around them was harmonious and pleasant.

Jealousy instantly surged through Cedrick’s veins, and Nico could almost immediately feel the cold and chilling aura emanating from him.

Tactfully, Nico took the initiative to approach Charles and say, “Charles, can you come over for a moment? I have something to say to you.”

Charles paused in his tracks and turned around slowly, sparing Nico and Cedrick a quick glance.

“Sure, I’ll come after I finish plucking the vegetables,” he replied.

Cedrick’s expression grew even darker when he heard that.

Nico swiftly leaped into the field and pulled Charles away. “It’s urgent. You need to come with me immediately. Someone else can handle your work, and you can’t pluck vegetables that don’t belong to you!” he said, his words carrying a subtle undertone.

Charles grimaced in pain as Nico forcefully dragged him away, for the latter’s movements had reignited the pain of his injuries all over his body. Weak from the excruciating pain, he could only allow Nico to take him away.

Meanwhile, Gwendolyn paid them no heed. She focused her attention on selecting the well-grown vegetables, plucking them, and placing them into the basket.

Cedrick observed her for a while before treading over to her, his military boots stepping on the soft soil.

Upon reaching her side, he crouched down beside her to admire her attentive side profile as she focused on the task at hand.

Sensing his piercing gaze on her, she turned to meet his eyes.

“I see you’ve changed your clothes. This outfit suits you well,” Gwendolyn said gently with a faint smile on her face, as if she had completely forgotten how she had beaten him up earlier in the day.

Cedrick didn’t mind what happened in the morning, either. It’s normal to be beaten up by my own wife.

All is well as long as she doesn’t hate me.

“You have been observing me, haven’t you?”

Gwendolyn laughed. “You think too much of yourself. I have to be blind to not notice that you’re wearing a completely different color.”

Cedrick was speechless. Is it really that hard for her to admit she’s been paying attention to me?

However, he was not discouraged. As he helped Gwendolyn pluck one of the vegetables she had set her sights on and put it into her basket, he asked, “Gwenny, do you remember when I said that I have our marriage certificate last night?”

“Yes.”

He continued, “The marriage certificate is safely stored in a drawer at home, and I possess the only key. It’s tucked away in an inconspicuous spot alongside other essential documents I can’t entrust to others. Unfortunately, I cannot retrieve it at the moment. Can you please come with me? I will show you the proof you want.”

To his surprise, Gwendolyn snickered. “Why do you guys have the same lines? Charles said exactly what you said a few days ago. He insisted that I go with him, and when I refused, he stood in the yard all night.”

Cedrick’s expression froze.

Gwendolyn sighed, her expression serious as she spoke, “I don’t remember much, and everyone here is a stranger to me. If it weren’t for Charles, I wouldn’t even know my name is Gwendolyn Harris.

However, that doesn’t mean I’m naive. I don’t have any personal belongings like a phone or identification to prove who I am, and being in this remote mountainous area, I wonder how you managed to find me. Who revealed my location to you?”

She emphasized the last sentence, hinting at something.

Cedrick’s eyebrows furrowed as he suddenly grasped the implication of her words. It dawned on him that she was suspecting that someone had been secretly monitoring her and leaking her whereabouts.

“I’ll look into this matter. This place is too dangerous, surrounded by woods, making it an easy spot for criminals to hide. I’m genuinely concerned about your safety, and my priority is to get you out of here first.”

Only when he knew for sure that she was safe could he have the capacity to deal with Joe’s mischiefs.

Gwendolyn shook her head firmly. “I’m not leaving, and if I have to, I’ll take Megan with me. She must —”

Bang!

Before she could finish her sentence, a deafening gunshot that came from a sniper rifle suddenly echoed through the field.

“Watch out!”

Cedrick reacted swiftly, pulling Gwendolyn into his arms and rolling across the field with her.

The bullet grazed his arm, ripping through his gray coat and drawing a trickle of blood.

Gwendolyn stared at his arm, her pupils constricting. “You’re injured.”

Under such an emergency situation, she didn’t show any signs of embarrassment being in close proximity to an absolute stranger. Instead, she stared at the blood on Cedrick’s arm.

Cedrick was focusing his attention entirely on searching for the shooter, so he did not notice the change in her expression. Unfazed, he smiled nonchalantly and replied, “It’s just a scratch. It’s nothing serious.”

There weren’t any suitable places for them to hide in the vegetable field.

Luckily, there was a wheat field in front of the vegetable field which shielded them as they lay flat on their bellies.

The bullet was fired across the wheat field. Having sensed something amiss in advance, Cedrick was able to dodge in time and avoid being shot in his vital spot.

Shielding Gwendolyn with his own body, he could almost hear her thumping heartbeat.

However, Cedrick couldn’t be bothered to relish the moment under such circumstances. He quickly took his phone out from his pocket and called Nico.

“There’s a sniper in the mountains, firing from the two o’clock direction in the wheat field, approximately three hundred meters away in the forest. It appears there’s a potential hiding spot. Investigate it right away.”