The Thompsons took Bella and Steven away while the police
apprehended the hitmen.
The scene was horrifically bloody.
Only Justin stood frozen, his hand holding the gun. The scuffle with the hitmen did not even mess up
his hair. Yet, Justin felt more
drained than when he was fighting on the battlefield,
âMr. Salvador.â
Ralph led two police officers to Justin and glanced at the gun in his hand, his eyes unreadable. âPlease
come with us for further investigation, Mr. Salvador.â
âHey! Whatâs the meaning of this?â
lan came to his employerâs defense, his face flushed. âMr. Salvador
grabbed the gun from the killer. I hope youâre not assuming that Mr.
Salvador pulled the trigger. If Mr. Salvador hadnât stepped in, Ms.
Bella couldâveâ¦â
âEnough, lan.â Justin stopped lan and faced Ralph. âAlright. Iâll go with.
you.â
âPlease donât take this the wrong way, Mr. Salvador. Weâre not listing
you as a suspect. We have procedures to follow in police work. We
are hoping you could help us with our investigation.â
Ralph murmured in an unusually nice tone, âMy sister will be
cooperating in the investigation too. She is rather emotional and
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requires medical attention now. Iâll collect her statement tomorrow.â
The thought of Bella sucked the air out of Justin. âCaptain Thompson,
can I check on Bella? Iâm worried about her.â
In other circumstances, Ralph would have rejected him.
However, Justin saved Bella from the jaws of danger. Ralph could not be so cruel as to turn down
Justinâs lowly request.
The air was thick with tension in the hospital.
Steven was in surgery to get stitches for his cuts.
The gash on his left shoulder was deep, and a slight mistake on the
operating table could cost him his arm.
Bella wanted to perform surgery on Steven, but Asher and Drew
stopped her.
Not in the best state of mind and health, Bella likely would not last
the whole surgery.
âDonât worry, Bella. I sought out the best surgeons in the city.
Whatever it takes, they will do their best to save Steveâs left arm.â
Asher hugged Bellaâs trembling body and consoled her.
âItâs all my fault. I am the reason why Steve is in surgery now.â Guilt
overwhelmed Bella. Her eyes welled up.
âDonât say that, Bella. No one expected this to happen.â It distressed
Drew to see Bella upset.
A flurry of footsteps ensued.
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âBella!â
Axel and Declan, who had been missing in action for a while, heard
the news and made their way over from the other end of the corridor.
Apart from Ralph, who was on the way, all the Thompson brothers
were present.
There was no doubt that these brothers wanted to be there for their
sister when it mattered.
âDeclan!â Drewâs eyes lit up at the sight of Declan.
It was no secret in the Thompson family that Drew and Declan were
the closest growing up.
Their affinity might have something to do with sharing their motherâs
last name.
Axel pouted at the contrasting treatment between the brothers.
Declan nodded at Drew before rushing to Bellaâs side.
âBella? Iâm here, Bella.â
Bella lifted her pale face and narrowed her swollen eyes at Declan, her lips quivering. âYouâre back,
Declan. I screwed up⦠I screwed up big timeâ¦â
Declan swallowed hard, his heart grieving. He held his sisterâs cold hands. âItâs okay, Bella. Donât be
scared. Itâs okay that you screwed up. My only fear is that you wonât tell me when something is wrong. I
will always have your back.â