Chapter 258: Ticking Clock
Yunice struggled slightly against the leather strap binding her wrists behind her back, but even that small movement was caught by Paul.
He said, “Don’t bother. I won’t let you escape.”
Yunice stared at him, as if he were crazy, and said coldly, “What the hell do you want?”
Paul’s eyes wandered from the floor to her face. With a suggestive grin, he said, “What do you think I can’t do right now?”
Yunice didn’t answer, but her eyes remained fixed on him.
Paul leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, shortening the distance between them. “I’m just curious,” he began, “what do you like about the cripple anyway? I understood before. You had no identity, no status, no reputation. It made sense to settle for someone equally pathetic. But now you’ve become Carl’s daughter. You have the standing to be my equal. Why don’t you come back to me? Why do you still marry Wyatt Cooper? Are you trying to spite me?”
Yunice let out a soft laugh, more amused than angry at his twisted logic. She looked up at him, her tone full of contempt. “You think you’re worth my petty annoyance? I’m not after you because you’re not worth it. I’m just not into you. Simple as that. And it’s not because I met Wyatt. I’ve never been into you.”
The false sense of superiority Paul had clung to shattered in an instant. Humiliated, he grabbed her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. Through clenched teeth, he said, “Do you even remember your situation right now?”
Yunice sneered. “So what? I’m just a piece of bait. If you do anything to me, Wyatt and Carl will have every reason to destroy you. If my life can take down the entire Powell family, I’d call that a win.”
Paul’s fingers tightened, anger twisting his expression. He released them with a shove, gritting his teeth. “Do you think Wyatt really cares about you?”
He leaned back in his chair and shrugged lazily. “I don’t have to do anything today. I’ll just keep you locked up for two hours, and we’ll see what Wyatt does.” He grinned, dripping with sarcasm.
Yunice’s expression changed. The hours… The wedding banquet will be over by then. No one will wait for me that long.
She tried to struggle again, but the leather strap only dug deeper into her skin. It tightened with every movement, offering no relief. Paul sat across from her and waited stubbornly.
Twenty minutes later, Paul received a phone call from his father, Jensen. He hung up impatiently. The phone rang again. Then a third time, fourth, and fifth. Finally, fed up, Paul answered. Jensen’s voice was shaking with panic. “You useless brat, where the hell are you?”
Something was wrong with Jensen’s tone. Paul was about to answer when Wyatt’s cold, authoritative voice came through the phone. “You have three minutes to show me Yunice’s condition.”
Before Paul could say anything, a bloodcurdling scream ripped through the phone. There was a mechanical whirring in the background, like a chainsaw. For all the resentment he harbored toward his father, Paul’s heart clenched at the sound. But he tried to play it cool. “Three minutes? That’s not a lot. If you happen to see something unpleasant, Yunice might end up blaming you for not being considerate enough.”
The words had barely left his mouth when another agonized scream rang out. “Paul Powell, do you want to kill your own father? Wyatt! Wyatt!”
Jensen’s cries shook Paul to his core. He couldn’t keep up the act anymore. Swallowing hard, he murmured, “Wait.”
He only spoke again when he heard Jensen’s ragged breathing. Lowering his voice, Paul said, “I was just bluffing. Yunice isn’t with me. I haven’t seen her. But she sent me a message about an hour ago saying she wanted to meet. I can send it to you. Believe it or not, it’s your call.” He took a screenshot of the message and sent it to Wyatt.
Whether it was because of his own limitations or because Paul’s device was shielded, the signal wasn’t coming through. Jordan shook his head.
Meanwhile, Freya was already leading a team to the address mentioned in the message, searching for Yunice. Paul, on the other hand, ended the call without a second thought, ignoring whatever had happened to Jensen.
Wyatt looked at the disconnected call, calm but deadly. His eyes went back to Jensen, strapped tightly to a machine table, his legs spread and suspended over a massive rotating blade.