Chapter 117: Doing Something for Those Innocent Souls
Just when Raylee thought he was about to end her life with a single shot, that she would meet her end right here, Jeremiah aimed his gun at the flash drive, pulling the trigger.
Bang! Bang! The explosive sound of a gunshot rang out. The noise caused Raylee’s left ear to go deaf, and she couldn’t hear anything from it. She watched, wide-eyed, as the flash drive was shot to smithereens.
Layla was also greatly shocked, but having experienced much more in life before, she didn’t react much. After the gunshot had stopped echoing, she said irritably, “Jeremiah, can you stop resorting to pulling out your gun at every turn? You gave me quite a scare. I initially thought you were going to kill Ray-Ray. If that were the case, you’d be done for. Dad wouldn’t have let you off the hook.”
“She’s nothing but a lowly adopted daughter from the Goodridge family. Why would I fear her?”
Jeremiah stared at the shattered flash drive, his dark eyes flashing with lethal fury. Just a moment ago, he had seriously contemplated shooting Raylee. Had it not been for the last shred of sanity holding him back, this woman would have already been a corpse!
It took a good while before Raylee regained her composure. She clutched her pounding heart, took a deep breath, and then spoke in a calm tone.
“Mr. Lorimer, my forehead is right here. How did you miss? It seems you don’t dare to do anything to me, huh? Is that all you’ve got, overlord of the East Aplothian region?”
The provocative tone, the dismissive look, made Jeremiah so furious that the muscles in his face were trembling. He shot Raylee a dark look, coldly snorting, “No woman has ever dared to threaten me! How long do you think you can survive? In my eyes, you’re already a corpse!”
“Ray-Ray, my brother is furious. It’s best not to provoke him further. Let’s all communicate properly and speak calmly,” Layla advised.
“Ms. Layla, do you really think that if I submit to him, my life would be spared?” The sinister reflection in Raylee’s eyes spoke volumes. “Or are you suggesting that you have the power to protect my life? If not, I’d appreciate it if you’d shut up. After all, my kindness is insignificant in the face of extreme evil.”
A look of concern was etched on Layla’s face as she turned to Jeremiah and said, “Jeremiah, please spare Ray-Ray. She threatened you only to save her own life. There’s no need to make things difficult for a helpless woman. You two should just break off the engagement, and after that, act as if you don’t know each other. Everyone can just stay in their own lanes.”
“Spare her?” Jeremiah spoke with audacious arrogance. “Only over my dead body!”
Raylee frowned, wondering why her life was so fraught with hardships. First, she was sent to prison for four years, and then, while in jail, she was targeted by a lunatic. And now, this same lunatic was persistently hounding her, refusing to let her go. It seemed she had no way to escape.
Since there was no escape, she decided to give up. She continued to speak calmly.
“Surely, you didn’t think that by destroying the flash drive, the criminal evidence would just disappear, did you, Mr. Lorimer?”
“I know you have a backup. If you dare, go ahead and release it. Let’s see who dies first, you or me?”
Jeremiah’s voice grew louder and louder until it was almost a roar in the end. A hint of ruthless bloodthirstiness flashed across his handsome face. Raylee was not afraid of him. Her eyes radiated a steadfast gaze as she bravely met his stare.
She teased with a smirk, “I didn’t just back up the evidence, Mr. Lorimer. My life is in your hands. How could I not make good use of these hard-earned criminal records? Starting from today, if I disappear for more than a day, all the information stored in that flash drive will automatically be disseminated to various major media outlets. Of course, this includes the foreign media. I believe the Lorimer family can manipulate everything domestically, but when it comes to international matters, that’s not necessarily the case. When the time comes, the whole world will see your true colors, Mr. Lorimer. No need for thanks. I guess I’m just accumulating some good karma on your behalf, doing something good for those innocent souls who lost their lives at your hands.”
As her words trailed off, Jeremiah reached out, gripping Raylee’s neck firmly. He carried an intense and terrifying aura around him. His dark eyes radiated an ominous intent, his gaze so chilling it felt as if he could tear Raylee apart right there and then.
Raylee gripped his wrist tightly, attempting to make him let go of her. Yet, her feeble strength was undoubtedly like an egg striking a rock when confronted with him. Jeremiah’s grip on her tightened, growing increasingly stronger. The suffocating sensation of breathlessness caused her face to flush red.
Raylee let out a pained groan. It felt as though her lungs were tightly bound by a rope that was slowly constricting. As her oxygen supply dwindled, she found herself unable to exhale. Her vision grew spotty and as if she was looking through a foggy haze, leaving only the blurry outline of Jeremiah swaying before her eyes.
At that moment, she knew she was just a step away from death. It felt as though the Grim Reaper was already standing guard beside her, waiting. While on the brink of losing consciousness, she saw Layla desperately shaking Jeremiah’s arm.