LM
CHAPTERS 1021 - 1026
1021
Jason said, “Madam Eliot, thank you for your cooperation! Please come with me now. Let’s sort out the information and record your statement.”
Hannah did not want to leave. She looked straight at Nathaniel, hoping that Nathaniel could at least give her assurance. Then, she could be a little relieved.
However…
Nathaniel didn’t even look at her. He turned around and walked away in a dignified manner. From the beginning to the end, Nathaniel didn’t even say a word to her.
Looking at Nathaniel’s back, Hannah clenched her fists. She didn’t feel any pain even when her nails pierced into the flesh of her palms.
Nathaniel Cooper!
Hannah yelled out silently in her heart. If she didn’t successfully take revenge on Nathaniel, Hannah vowed to kill herself.
……..
At the Century Hotel.
In order to give Brother Lucas an unforgettable birthday, Janell Joy had been preparing for it since Victor and his family returned to Jiangbei two weeks ago.
She booked a luxurious suite as the venue for Brother Lucas's birthday celebration. She also ordered a gigantic themed cake to commemorate Brother Lucas's 30th birthday. The cake had 30 tiers in total!
Besides that, Janell Joy also hired a professional band and spent two weeks composing a song for Brother Lucas. She thought of every idea to make the birthday celebration as memorable as possible. She had dug out some information about him.
In the past, Brother Lucas had never celebrated his birthday properly. Perhaps, Brother Lucas might not remember his own birthday.
For Janell Joy’s birthday every year, her family would rush home to celebrate her birthday no matter where they were. Every year, she would receive plenty of birthday gifts.
Compared to Brother Lucas, Janell Joy had such a wonderful time growing up.
But it didn’t matter now. She wasn’t in Brother Lucas's life in the past, but she would never be absent from Brother Lucas's future.
Janell Joy vowed to shower Brother Lucas with love from now on. She vowed to ensure he had a wonderful, sweet, and loving life with her in the future.
There was still half an hour until six o’clock, which meant that she still had to wait for another half an hour to meet Brother Lucas. Although it was only half an hour left she felt that time passed really slowly.
She hoped that Brother Lucas would come soon so that she could tell him what she just wanted to say to him on the phone earlier. She wanted to let him know that from now on, he would never be alone anymore.
Thump! Thump!
Just as she was thinking of Brother Lucas, there was a knock on the door.
Did Brother Lucas come early?
Thinking that it might be him, Janell Joy suddenly jumped up from the chair and rushed to open the door. However, when the door opened, it was a waiter who stood at the door.
Janell Joy’s bright smile suddenly disappeared. She looked at the waiter in front of her irritably and asked what he wanted.
The waiter said, “Excuse me, are you Miss Carter?”
Janell Joy nodded and asked, “Is there anything I can do for you?"
The man pointed to the dining cart next to him and said politely, “As you are a big spender at our hotel, you are entitled to several free gifts as a token of our gratitude. I have specially brought them over here to you, Miss Carter.”
“Oh… then push them in and leave it somewhere.” Janell Joy couldn’t care less about these gifts.
When she opened the door and saw that it was not Brother Lucas, she was already disappointed, so how could she have the mood to accept gifts?
She turned around and sat back in her chair. She continued sitting there, thinking about her Brother Lucas. She didn’t care what the waiter was doing next to her.
“How annoying! Why would you send gifts all of a sudden now? You got me excited for nothing!” Janell Joy murmured in her heart.
Sending gifts… all of a sudden?
Thinking of this, something flashed through Janell Joy’s mind, but she didn’t care about it too much. She lost her train of thoughts in an instant.
Perhaps it was because she was disappointed, or perhaps she didn’t remember the strange thing that flashed through her mind just now. Suddenly, she felt a little agitated.
If she had known that she would be so irritated, she should not have driven Jacky Ball away. It would be nice to have him stay with her to chat for a while.
“Waiter, leave the things as they are and you can go out now,” Janell Joy said.
This was a private room, and it came with butler services. Janell Joy didn’t want the waiter here to ruin the atmosphere. She wanted to wait for Brother Lucas alone.
The waiter did not respond, and that strange feeling flashed through Janell Joy’s mind again. This time, she became alert.
“Oh no!” She screamed in her heart.
The waiter walked with a firm and steady pace, which was completely different from other waiters who would bustle about politely. It seemed like he was skilled at martial arts.
As she thought about how this waiter might be an undercover enemy, Janell Joy quickly looked back, but just as she turned her head, she smelled something odd.
She couldn’t figure out what the scent was. She only saw the man grinning at her. Soon, she lost consciousness and she fainted.
It was dark. The darkness was endless. It was as if there was no source of light at all. It felt like the world had collapsed.
“No! No! No! Brother Lucas, save me!” Janell Joy wanted to shout, but she couldn’t make a sound. She could only raise her hands to hold her head tightly and shrink into a ball. She was as helpless as a weak infant.
She had been terrified of the dark her whole life. It was a nightmare she could never escape. It was the root of her inner demons. She had never been able to get out of that trauma and phobia.
Janell Joy held her head tightly in her arms and curled up in the dark corner. The horrible memories of the past attacked her like a tide. She heard the voices of the kidnappers. It had been more than ten years, but it echoed so loudly in her ears right now.
She heard someone yell, “Edwin Carter cares about this child. As long as the child is in our hands, we won’t have to be afraid that Edwin will not step back.” Another person spoke, “Break one of her legs. Even if he managed to save her, seeing the injury will still make him regret it for the rest of his life.”
“We were given an order that we cannot go too far. If we hurt her enough to make Edwin regret it for the rest of his life, we will win anyway!” Another man said.
The discussion about hurting her grew louder and louder.
On a normal day, Janell Joy would not be able to recall this dark memory that clearly. But at this moment, her memory of being kidnapped was so clear in her mind.
“Brother Lucas.”
At that time, when she was at her most helpless moment, Brother Lucas came by her side like Superman and rescued her from the darkness on his own.
This time, she fell into the darkness again. Could Brother Lucas still arrive in time? Could he still be her hero like before?
She thought that Brother Lucas would definitely come to save her, but the fear in her heart did not decrease at all. The darkness was still there, so she was still extremely terrified.
1022
Janell Joy did not know when will this darkness end. She could only wait for her destined hero to come and save her in time.
She hoped that her hero would come to her soon and rescue her from this dark and frightening prison.
Bang!
The door swung open, and again, there was light illuminating the dark room.
Janell Joy suddenly raised her head and said instinctively, “Brother Lucas...”
However, the person who appeared in front of her was not Brother Lucas whom she had been looking forward to, but.. She couldn’t believe what was in front of her eyes. She muttered incredulously, “Andrew?”
How could it be him?
Why was he here?
Just as Janell Joy’s mind was still in chaos, Andrew Carter had already walked to her side quickly. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.
“Janell.”
Andrew shouted her name, and his voice was so nervous that it trembled. One could only imagine how worried he was about her safety
“Janell… Janell....”
He held her tightly and called her name out, it was as if he was pouring out all the emotions suppressed in his heart.
“Why are you here?”
Janell Joy raised her head slightly and looked at Andrew, who was holding her tightly. Her voice was also trembling, it was obvious that she had not recovered from the traumatic experience.
Seeing her disappointed eyes, Andrew's heart was filled with bitterness, but he answered calmly, “I just received some information, so I came here immediately. It’s just a coincidence, don’t think too much.”
Besides having Edwin Carter and Nathaniel arranging people to stay by Janell Joy’s side, Andrew also sent his men to protect her. He was only worried that she would find out about this, that was why he asked his men to be more cautious.
It was precisely because his men were hiding in the dark that they accidentally found that Janell Joy was attacked, as the enemies slipped through the protection from Blake White and Nathaniel’s menu. It was also because his people were the first to find out that Janell Joy had been attacked, so that he could be the first one to know about this. That was also why he could arrive earlier than Nathaniel to save her.
For a long time, he had always known that her life was more important than his own. In order to protect her, he was constantly working hard behind the scenes.
However, she had never seen his efforts, nor did she realize that he was silently protecting her. She had been avoiding him as if he was a curse.
“Thank…” As soon as Janell Joy uttered the word “thank”, Andrew held her even tighter and said in a low voice, “I’m doing this on my own accord, I don’t need you to thank me.”
He didn’t need her gratitude, because he knew that he couldn’t ignore her and wanted her to have a good life, even if she would never be his for the rest of her life.
There were a lot of things that Andrew couldn’t say to Janell Joy, so he could only suppress all his emotions once again. He could only let his love for her be hidden in the depths of his heart forever..
“I.” Janell Joy still wanted to say something, but Andrew held her in his arms with greater strength. He said, “No need to say anything. Let me get you out of here first.”
“Okay.” Janell Joy nodded.
Even if she was disappointed, and even if she had not recovered her strength, she agreed with Andrew's plan.
“Young Master Carter, my master invited Miss Carter, not you. Do you think this is a place where you can come and go as you wish?”
As soon as the two turned around, they saw a few strong men standing at the door. The strong men blocked their way, and one of them spoke out clearly.
Janell Joy had not yet completely recovered from her fear. When she heard the strange voice, she trembled with fear and instinctively hid in Andrew's arms.
She looked like a helpless child. Andrew felt so much pain in his heart when he saw her like this. He patted her back gently and said softly, “Don’t be afraid, Janell!”
However, Andrew's comfort did not help at all, because Janell Joy’s body seemed to tremble more violently in his arms.
D*mn it!
This group of punks actually frightened their beloved Janell so significantly, they needed to pay for it!
What exactly did they do to her before he arrived?
Andrew patted Janell Joy on the back gently, but he looked at the enemy coldly and fiercely like a sharp knife. If looks could kill, Andrew's eyes had already slaughtered this group of strong men in front of him into pieces.
He raised his hand gently and covered Janell Joy’s ears, staring coldly at the person who spoke in front of them. He said in a mellow voice, “Since you know our family, then get away from us.”
His voice was cold, and his stern tone shocked some of these strong men who were ready to attack. Everyone looked at each other, and no one had the courage to step forward.
“Get out of my way and I can forgive you for what happened today.” Andrew looked at the strong men and said again.
Andrew rushed here from his meeting, so he didn’t bring anyone with him. If he wanted to deal with so many of these strong men, he knew he couldn’t fight them off alone.
“Young Master Carter, we know what you’ve done. We’ve caught the treasure of the Carter family, and how dare you speak about forgiveness?”
As they heard the man speak, the group of men who blocked the door made way for the man to come to the front. Andrew had never seen this man in person before, but he had seen his photos. This could be considered a very familiar person to him.
He was a famous person in Country A that was deprived of the right to be the President a few years ago and was exiled from Coast City because of a crime he committed. He was the second son of the Cooper family, Solomon Cooper.
Solomon was Nathaniel’s half-brother and they shared the same father. The reason why he was deprived of the right to be President back then had something to do with Nathaniel too. It was clear why he ordered these men to kidnap Janell Joy.
Just as Solomon was staring at Andrew and sizing him up, Andrew also had a clear view of him.
Solomon was wearing a cheap-looking jacket, and his cuffs were badly worn and dirty. It seemed that he had not been living well throughout these years.
He was framed by Nathaniel and had been in a bad situation over the years. That was why Solomon went for desperate measures. He was so desperate that he decided to attack the Carter family despite knowing their influential power.
Solomon wanted to kidnap Janell Joy to threaten Nathaniel, so that he could get what he wanted from him. However, Solomon was wrong. Janell Joy was not officially Nathaniel’s woman yet. She was a precious member of the Carter family, Edwin's daughter, and the woman Andrew wanted to protect.
Andrew chuckled. “So it’s the Second Young Master Cooper.”
Having his identity revealed, Solomon froze for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. He sneered and said, “Young Master Carter, we only invited Miss Carter for tea today. We won’t hurt her. Why do you have to be here?”
1023
“Spare me the nonsense. Would you set free the hostage?” In everything that he did, Andrew had picked up one of his father, Edwin's, signature moves, which was to settle matters as soon as possible.
He learned to settle matters efficiently and effectively. He would get negotiations out of the way and never delay the matter unnecessarily.
However, one thing was very clear. As long as he was here today, no one could touch even a strand of Janell Joy’s hair.
Solomon ruffled through his unkempt hair, and his legs were noticeably trembling as he spoke, “Young Master Carter, calm down. I’ve told you that I was just inviting Miss Carter for tea, mean no harm”
Andrew glanced at him coldly. “Get your people out of my way!”
Solomon suddenly laughed. “Young Master Carter, are you joking?”
Andrew didn’t say anything.
Solomon added, “You’re already here, how can my people let you go? If you leave, can we still live?”
Although the Carter family would not abuse their power, those who dared to provoke them would definitely have no good results. Andrew subconsciously held Janell Joy tightly in his arms and narrowed his eyes. He glanced at the person in front of him again and quickly scanned through this group of people.
Solomon sneered and said, “Then you can stay here with your sister.”
After that, he waved his hand and the group of strong men behind him rushed at Andrew immediately. These people were actually just a group of gangsters that would do all kinds of crimes.
Andrew's domineering attitude could intimidate them for a while, but with their master’s orders, they would regain their courage.
Several burly men rushed forward. Andrew kicked them away furiously because he had to protect Janell Joy. Under the furious attack of the group of people, it didn’t take long for him to be at a disadvantage.
The situation was very dangerous, but Andrew responded calmly. He knew that if things went on like this, their lives would be in danger.
He took a few steps back with Janell Joy still in his arms and asked her to stand in the corner. “Janell, listen, don’t be afraid, I’ll take you out of here later.”
“I.” Janell Joy was still afraid and wanted to grab Andrew, but she knew she needed to step back. At this time, she couldn’t be of any help, therefore, she couldn’t be a burden.
“Janell, don’t be afraid!” Seeing her pale face, Andrew felt distressed and the anger in his heart was rising rapidly.
On this day, it was his mission to make these people pay for their crimes. Sensing that the man behind was about to attack him, Andrew turned around, threw a quick punch, and hit his left eye violently.
Andrew's punch was fierce and heavy. The man that was hit wobbled and he fell to the ground loudly.
Seeing that their companion at the forefront was defeated, the people who were waiting behind were stunned, and then they began to attack like madmen.
The opponents’ attack was getting more and more aggressive. Without Janell Joy holding on to Andrew, he also attacked them back bravely. He could knock down anyone who tried to attack him.
For a long time, no one could get closer to Janell Joy. However, the group of people did not give up, and they became more and more furious.
Gradually, the group of 20 men lost their strength and stepped back. The room was not spacious, and everyone was groaning and shouting. The scene was extremely chaotic.
“Janell..” After fighting them off, Andrew looked back at Janell Joy who was at the corner of the room. He raised his lips slightly and smiled at her so that she could feel better. He had knocked down so many men, but there was still one person standing on the other side, and it was none other than Solomon, who had been watching by the side coldly and quietly.
Seeing that his men were defeated and that Andrew was about to win, Solomon laughed coldly and used his trump card.
He slowly raised the tiny pistol in his hand and pulled the trigger. With the loud sound of a gunshot, the bullet whistled through the air and plummeted into Andrew's abdomen.
Bang!
There came another gunshot, and the bullet quickly flew towards Janell Joy. In an instant, Andrew did not think much, and his body instinctively moved slightly towards Janell Joy as he blocked the deadly bullet for her.
As the bullet passed through his abdomen, fresh, red blood sprayed out..
The gunshot shocked Janell Joy, who had been traumatized into a daze earlier. She suddenly opened her eyes widely and saw that Andrew was about to collapse beside her. She rushed over and caught his weak body. “Brother.”
When it came to such critical moments, a person’s first reactions would be the most authentic. Janell Joy cried out “brother” immediately, which indirectly meant that she truly acknowledged Andrew as her brother deep down.
Andrew was her brother and had always been. Just because he once did something despicable, she hated him and did not want to be on good terms with him since then.
“Brother, don’t be afraid, hold on!” She held him, but because he was much heavier and larger than she was, and because Andrew had lost all his strength, he collapsed lifelessly and she couldn’t hold on to him.
However, she gritted her teeth and stood up, slowly helping him lay on the ground. “Brother.. don’t be afraid. Everything will be okay. It will be fine..”
Janell Joy bit her lip and tore off his shirt. She quickly covered his wound and stopped the bleeding for him. “You have to hold on! You must hold on!”
“Young Master Carter, Miss Carter, I just wanted to invite you to have a cup of tea. Does it have to end this way?”
Solomon played with the pistol in his hand and continued, “You may be quick with your defensive skills, but could you be faster than my bullets?” He turned the pistol and pointed it at Janell Joy’s head.
“Young Master Carter, what will happen if I shoot this girl’s head in one shot?”
“Solomon Coop..” Andrew wanted to speak, but his voice was too soft for Solomon to hear clearly.
He could not help but get closer, “Young Master Carter , what do you want to say? Speak louder. What happened to your smug demeanor?”
However, just as Solomon approached Andrew, Andrew suddenly sat up. He gritted his teeth and used his remaining strength to punch Solomon on the head and he passed out.
“Brother..” Because of his swift actions, he bled even more, and soon his white shirt was stained red. Janell Joy was so worried that she almost cried aloud.
“Janell..” Andrew smiled weakly and tried to reach out to touch her delicate face. “Thank you for calling me Brother.”
Although he did not want to be her brother, he felt that it was good enough to hear her call him that from the bottom of.her heart. He protected her for more than ten years, and now, he could see that she was worried about him.
That was enough, and that was what he told himself. The Carter family had raised him for more than ten years, giving him the best life and everything he wanted. It was reasonable for him to repay them in this way.
1024
“Andrew, don’t say anything. Stop speaking. As long as you stay alive, I will listen to you from now on! I’ll listen to whatever you say!” Janell Joy shouted at him fiercely.
As long as he could stay alive, calling him Brother was the least she could do. She would even trade her life for his.
“Janell..” Andrew muttered.
“Don’t move,” she replied softly.
The blood from Andrew's wound was still pouring out endlessly, but Janell Joy could not stop it no matter how hard she tried. She could only watch as his face got paler and paler, and his breathing was getting weaker and weaker.
No! No! No!
She couldn’t let anything happen to him! He must be fine!
“Janell ..”
“Don’t worry, hold on for a little longer, I’ll get some help right away.”
Janell Joy touched Andrew's pocket, looking for his phone to call for help. Unfortunately, the phone had run out of battery.
“D*mn it!”
Janell Joy was so frustrated that she cursed. It felt like endless bad luck!
She couldn’t call for help, and no one was coming to save them. Therefore, she needed to find a way to save them. She must find a way to stabilize Andrew's critical condition.
Janell Joy had no way to remove the bullet from Andrew's body, so she must find a way to stop the bleeding of his wound and keep him warm.
Janell Joy had participated in the rescue work at the disaster area before and she was skilled at basic first-aid measures. She immediately took off her thick coat and wrapped it around him. Then, she used his shirt to stop the bleeding
When she was done, Andrew's eyelids were gradually closing, as his strength had dwindled completely.
“Don’t fall asleep, talk to me, okay?” Janell Joy knew that she must not let an injured person fall asleep, because once they lose consciousness, the likelihood of them not waking up ever again was very high.
“Janell..” Andrew called her name. His voice was softer than ever before. He had never called her name so softly.
Blood still kept flowing out, hence his consciousness was getting more and more blurred. It felt like his life was also slowly fading away.
“I’m here, I’m listening. Just tell me what you want to say.” Janell Joy held his hand tightly because she feared that if she let go, he would disappear from her side.
He called her name again, “Janell...”
Janell Joy nodded and answered, “Tell me!”
“I was born into a very ordinary family. Although my family was ordinary, I still had a good life.. Until my parents passed away in an accident and left me alone in this world.”
Because of his injury, Andrew spoke very slowly, and with every word he said, he had to pause for a while. Janell Joy was very patient, and she listened quietly to Andrew speak.
After saying a sentence, he paused for a long time before proceeding to the next, “After my parents left this world, my relatives didn’t bother coming to look for me. In a short period of time, I was ridiculed by all kinds of people. It was those relatives of mine that made me understand that society is very realistic. Without money, everything is impossible.”
“Brother.” Hearing this, Janell Joy felt so much sorrow. The regret in her heart was getting stronger and stronger. Why had she been so stubborn and disobedient in the past?
Janell Joy had never learned about Andrew's past before. She only knew that Andrew was brought to the Carter family by her father’s assistant. She didn’t know anything else about him at all.
If only she had shown more interest in understanding a little more about him, just a little bit more, perhaps he wouldn’t have been so lonely all these years.
He added, “When Uncle Hal brought me to Dad, I knew that Dad was a very powerful person. I seized the opportunity and took the initiative to address him as “Father’. I want him to keep me, because I didn’t want to be looked down by anyone anymore.”
Janell Joy did not answer him, but she subconsciously held Andrew's hand tighter. She was holding him tightly, trying to give him some strength and to comfort him.
“In fact, I have always known that I am an outsider. I was born into a poor family, so I may not deserve to be in the Carter family. Hence, I decided to work hard at all times. I tried my best to be a good son and a good brother..” Andrew used whatever was left of his strength to speak these words.
“No, no, that’s not true. You are not an outsider. You are our family. You are irreplaceable!” Andrew was her brother. He had always been her brother. Why had Janell Joy been so stupid in the past? Why did she not treat him as her brother?
If Janell Joy had only treated him better as a brother and called him ‘Brother’ more frequently, perhaps Andrew would not have had those misleading thoughts about her.
He added, “When I came into a family that was very excellent in every aspect, I instantly felt like I was inferior in every way”
Janell Joy retorted, “No, it’s not what you think. You are excellent too! You are better than most people. It’s just that you don’t know it!.”
He shook his head and said, “The Carter family gave me too much, but I can only give back so little..”
Janell Joy said, “Why would you think so? You are a member of the Carter family, We depend on each other. Nobody owes anyone in this family.”
In Janell Joy’s opinion, there were actually a few things that the Carter family had given to Andrew. Besides a comfortable life, a good learning environment, and a loving family, the Carter family did not give Andrew anything else.
The reason why he was good in his studies was because he worked harder than all the other children. He was hardworking and determined.
How could he not be good enough? He achieved so much, and he was much better than most of the people in the world.
In Janell Joy’s view, Andrew had always been excellent, but she was just not willing to admit it.
There was another important reason why Janell Joy didn’t want to acknowledge Andrew as her brother. It was because when Andrew arrived at the Carter family, he was only a child that was a few years older than her.
Originally, there was only one child in the Carter family, and that was Janell Joy. Suddenly, there was another little boy in the family. She always felt that her status would be threatened, thus she always rejected him.
No matter how much she rejected him, she couldn’t discredit his determination and abilities. That was a fact that nobody could change.
“I’ve been working hard so that the Carter family would like me. I’ve studied hard and graduated at the top of the class in university. I’ve worked hard to help with Dad’s burdens at work… I’ve been working hard all the time, but no matter how hard I tried, I can’t change your impression of me in your heart” Andrew continued to speak, and his voice became weaker.
“Brother, I’m sorry! I’m sorry! It is all my fault!” Janell Joy cried out ‘Brother’ loudly. She had never been willing to call him that for so many years. Her tears poured out like a flood.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have treated you that way. I shouldn’t have lost my temper. It’s all my fault. But let’s not talk about these depressing things. Come on, keep it together. I’ll take you away from here, okay?”
1025
“Janell, there’s no need…. Andrew tried his best to put on a bright smile. “This is good enough.” He wanted to die for her so that significant mark in her life.
That was good enough for him!
Andrew decided that he should sacrifice himself for her. This was what Nathaniel had done many years ago, and Andrew wanted Janell Joy to know that he could do the same for her too.
That year, Nathaniel almost lost his life for her. The incident had been imprinted in her mind for more than a decade.
This time, Andrew also wanted to be selfish. He decided to use his death to make Janell Joy remember him in such a cruel way. Even if he had to die young, this would make her remember him forever, and that was enough for him.
He felt that it was worth it. In all of his years doing business, perhaps this was the most profitable deal he had made.
Janell Joy burst into tears, “Shut up! Don’t speak nonsense. I don’t want anything to happen to you. If anything happens to you, I won’t forgive you for the rest of my life. Hold on. I’ll carry you away right now.”
“Janell..” Andrew wanted to ask her not to cry, but he didn’t have the strength to do so. He didn’t want to see her cry. He did not wish to see her tears. All he wanted was to see her smile. He loved her!
Andrew thought of taking her by force and claiming her as his own, but her brilliant smile assured him that he loved her bright smile the most.
Janell Joy loved to smile. When she smiled, she stood out in the crowd. Andrew enjoyed it when Janell Joy was the centre of attention. She was the jewel of a crown!
If he forced Janell Joy to stay with him, he would never get to see her smile again, a smile that glowed from within her. And that was not what he wanted to see.
Andrew couldn’t tie her down by his side, but he could make her remember him. He wanted to use this cruel way to make Janell Joy remember him forever!
“I’ll carry you!” Janell Joy wanted to take him to the hospital to save him. She couldn’t let anything happen to him.
“Janell..” Andrew still wanted to say something, but from the corners of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of a person getting up from the ground. Andrew was so alarmed that his eyes widened. “Janell, watch out..”
The person who had stood up was none other than Solomon Cooper, whom Andrew had knocked out earlier.
Solomon stood up again, holding the pistol he had shot Andrew with. Andrew wanted to get up and beat Solomon down again, but he no longer had the strength to move. All he could do was to move his lips to warn Janell Joy of the imminent danger, asking her to watch out.
Solomon was the son of a President, and he was a potential candidate to be the next President. But later, he was forced to relinquish his position because of Nathaniel. He was even exiled after the entire fiasco and had no proper residence to seek refuge.
Suddenly, he changed from being the successor of the President to something close to a homeless beggar. Solomon couldn’t endure such a significant shift in lifestyle, so he had been planning to return and get rid of Nathaniel.
Solomon had been waiting for a few years to get the chance. Hence, he could not allow Andrew and Janell Joy from the Carter family to ruin his elaborate plan.
Solomon raised his gun and laughed crazily. “How dare you spoil my plans, go to hell!”
When Janell Joy heard Andrew's warning, she turned back and saw that Solomon was aiming his gun at her head.
D*mn it!
She was too careless and focused on Andrew's injury. She didn’t expect that this person could get up.
Bang!
It was a gunshot
The sound of the gun made Janell Joy tremble for a moment, but she subconsciously held Andrew tight. However, after the gunshot, Janell Joy did not feel any pain, as if the gunshot was just an illusion.
Janell Joy looked up slightly and saw that blood flowed out between Solomon’s eyebrows. His eyes widened, and he fell to the ground lifelessly.
After Solomon fell, Janell Joy looked around carefully. Thus, she saw that there was a person who stood behind Solomon. It was a tall, strong, elegant, and good-looking man. The light was behind him.
Janell Joy couldn’t see his face clearly, but as he stood there and as she looked at the way he walked, she already knew who he was.
Who else could it be other than her Brother Lucas?
She was waiting for him. She had been waiting for him for a long time, as if she had waited for millions of years. Finally, he was here.
Like many years ago, he came to her just in time and pulled her out of the dark vortex.
He was her Brother Lucas!
He strode to her side, held her in his arms, and hugged her tightly, “Janell...”
He called her name, but his voice was very hoarse, as if his throat had been polished by sandpaper.
“Brother Lucas, save my brother! Save my brother!” When Janell Joy saw Nathaniel, it was as if she had seen her savior. She cried more unscrupulously.
“Yes!” Nathaniel wanted to hold her tightly and kiss her hard. He wanted to console and comfort her, but there were more pressing matters at hand.
Andrew, who was lying on the ground, slowly closed his eyes, and tears flowed down from the corners of his eyes.
He wanted Janell Joy to accompany him until the last moment of his life alone, but that damned Nathaniel had arrived in time.
Nathaniel was like an obstacle that Andrew could never get rid of. He was like a speeding train that Andrew could never surpass. Nathaniel’s mere existence was infuriating to Andrew.
Perhaps it was fate, that Nathaniel would exist in this world, and that he would cross paths with the Carter family, and right after that, the universe would deliver Andrew into the arms of the Carter family too.
Andrew did not know what happened after that, as his brain had lost consciousness.
……….
At the People’s Hospital of Country A.
One hour passed, two hours passed, three hours passed… Twelve hours passed…
The indicator light at the door of the emergency ward was still blinking red, and the doctor was still operating in the operating room. Outside the emergency ward, two figures were waiting, but neither of them spoke a single word. The atmosphere was so silent that it was frightening.
Janell Joy curled up in the corner and did not eat, drink, nor talk. She even ignored her Brother Lucas, who was talking to her.
Time passed, and Andrew's condition in the operating room was still uncertain. She couldn’t do anything but just to wait patiently. It was the worst kind of feeling.
“Janell..” Nathaniel wanted to comfort her, but he didn’t know what to say. They were all silently waiting. They were hoping that the surgery would go smoothly, hoping that Andrew would be fine, hoping that Andrew would get better.
Deep down, they knew that the longer the surgery was, the lower the chance was for Andrew's survival.
“Janell..” Nathaniel pulled Janell Joy into his arms, but he didn’t say anything else. At this time, words did not matter. A warm hug was more powerful than anything he could say.
“Chairman… Chairman Carter.. you’re here!” Blake White’s trembling voice suddenly came from the outside of the corridor.
Janell Joy and Nathaniel turned around at the same time and saw Edwin Carter and several doctors in white coats walking toward them, striding elegantly.
“Dad?” Janell Joy couldn’t believe what she saw. How could her father come so soon?
“Yes,” Edwin nodded slightly and turned to the doctor. “Please go and take note of the situation there. No matter how critical the situation is, you must save him. I want him alive.”
1026
“Yes.” The doctors immediately worked on their respective tasks as fast as possible as soon as they heard Edwin's words.
They all knew that the Young Master of the Carter family was lying in the emergency room. If something happened to Andrew, their future would be bleak.
“Dad?” Janell Joy was very confused. If the group of doctors went in, wouldn’t it affect the operation?
What if…
Janell Joy didn’t want to be pessimistic. She knew she needed to believe in her father. She trusted that her father would not let anything happen to Andrew.
Her father was not very good at expressing his feelings. Edwin might not have said anything particularly endearing about Andrew throughout the years, but allowing Andrew to take charge of many businesses was Edwin's way of declaring his pride and recognition for his son.
“These doctors are the experts I brought from New York.” Edwin seemed to see through Janell Joy’s concern and commented casually as he walked to her side.
He was looking at her, and the more he looked at her, the more distressed he felt. He felt anger rising in his heart. His daughter’s usual rosy face always made her seem like she was full of youthful energy. She always looked adorable, and he didn’t want her to grow up so fast so that she could be by his side every day.
But…
At this moment, her face looked as pale as a sheet of paper. Her clear and bright eyes were red and swollen, and her face had fear painted all over it.
How could Edwin not be mad when his daughter looked like this? However, he was an introvert, so he didn’t show it no matter how angry he was.
He pulled Janell Joy into his arms slowly and said, “Janell.”
“Dad, I’m fine.” Janell Joy knew that her father was worried about her, but she was really fine. The focus was on Andrew.
“Dad, I was the one Solomon Cooper wanted to shoot. Brother took the bullet to save me. Dad, you must save him. We can’t let anything happen to him.”
Solomon Cooper?
Sure enough, it was that brat, Nathaniel Cooper who caused all of this!
Edwin's eyes darkened slightly, and he gently stroked Janell Joy’s head. “Janell, don’t worry. Andrew is part of our family. I won’t let anything happen to him.”
Janell Joy emphasized repeatedly, “He was injured because he wanted to protect me. If it wasn’t because of me, nothing would happen to him. I should be the one lying in the operating room.”
“I know.” Edwin's eyes became deeper, but his voice was still gentle. “Janell, don’t blame yourself. If it were you, you would also have made the same decision as your brother did.”
Edwin knew the personalities of these children he raised. Their tempers and temperaments were very clear to him. Although Janell Joy always complained about Andrew and never said good things about him, Edwin knew that she would be willing to take a bullet for Andrew.
Janell Joy was still worried. “But..”
Edwin rubbed her head and looked at her tenderly. “No more buts. When your Brother wakes up, he will not want to see you blaming yourself like this.’
Janell Joy bit her lip and said, “Dad, Brother, he really..”
Janell Joy couldn’t continue her question. She was afraid of hearing her father’s answer because her heart was still in a panic and helpless state.
Edwin said, “Janell, he will be fine. What you need to do now is to go home to take a bath and have a good sleep.”
If Jane Ronan could see Janell Joy’s current state, she would definitely be heartbroken. What Edwin didn’t want most in his life was to make his wife feel sad.
“No, I want to be here,” his daughter replied.
Andrew was still lying in the operating room. She could not sleep at all. She wanted to wait for Andrew to wake up from his surgery. Janell Joy was stubborn and Edwin knew that, therefore, he didn’t push further. He only held his daughter’s tighter so that she could rest on him for a while.
Patting Janell Joy’s back gently, Edwin looked at Nathaniel, who was behind her. Edwin felt furious at the very sight of him.
Nathaniel was standing there silently, like a pillar of salt, while an inferno of fury burned within Edwin's eyes. That brat, Nathaniel!
Edwin's daughter had been kidnapped because of Nathaniel. And his son was injured because of him. Yet, when Nathaniel saw Edwin, Nathaniel did not even bother to apologize.
Edwin frowned slightly. He was very unhappy with Nathaniel. He would never hand his daughter over to a person like this.
“Dad, did Mom and Little Precious come here too?” Janell Joy didn’t notice how her father looked at Nathaniel, and she thought of her mother and brother.
“They’re coming.” Edwin muttered lowly.
As they were in a hurry, Edwin took the doctors to the hospital first. His wife and youngest son were walking at their own pace, and it would take them a while more to arrive.
Edwin spoke to Janell Joy, but his eyes were still fixed on Nathaniel, who was still standing there without doing anything.
Not long later, Edwin suddenly pushed Janell Joy away. He then stepped forward and punched Nathaniel in the face. His punch was heavy and at full force.
Edwin's punch used up all his strength. When the punch landed on him, Nathaniel’s face swelled up immediately.
“Dad!”
Janell Joy was so frightened that she shouted and rushed over to stop Edwin, but Edwin moved faster and punched Nathaniel on the face again.
Nathaniel was punched twice in a row. His face was so swollen and blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. However, he still stood straight and didn’t dodge Edwin's attacks.
Nathaniel just stood very upright, facing Edwin with a yielding demeanor. No matter how Edwin hit him, he would not dodge his attacks and he would not go against him, and he would not explain himself either.
Edwin's anger reached its boiling point, and he wanted to punch Nathaniel again.
“Dad, stop hitting him!” When Edwin raised his fist again, Janell Joy’s petite body came in between two big men. She stood in front of Nathaniel.
“Dad, if you really don’t like him, then hit me. I caused all of his. This has nothing to do with Brother Lucas.”
“Nothing to do with him?” Edwin stopped his fist abruptly and asked in a gloomy tone.
Didn’t Solomon Cooper appear because of Nathaniel? Wasn’t Janell Joy kidnapped because of Nathaniel’s inability to protect Janell Joy?
Wasn’t Andrew lying on the operating table because of Solomon’s attack?
Everything was related to Nathaniel. Yet, his foolish daughter even said that this matter has nothing to do with Nathaniel and even wanted to bear his punishments.
Hearing Janell Joy’s words, Edwin seemed even angrier. He glared at Nathaniel, but it frightened Janell Joy so much that she trembled. “Dad, don’t hit him.”
“What’s so good about him? Why did you do this for him?” Edwin really couldn’t see why Nathaniel was worthy of his daughter’s protection.
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