#THE_LAST_MINUTE_GROOM_S3
©Sir_Zach
EPISODE 45
After Jeslyn left Brian’s room, she was supposed to head out of the mansion but heard a loud noise coming from the room a few steps away. Curious, she went in that direction and met the door slightly opened. Inside, someone was coughing and whimpering very badly. From the voice, it was Nancy!
Jeslyn pushed the door open and barged in. The room was nice but not as good as Brian’s. The bed had a white screen that separated it from view.
“Death… Crawler– ahem! ahem!!” she coughed a few more times.
The humanity in Jeslyn didn’t allow her to ignore the desperate situation so she hurried forward and pulled the screen apart.
Jeslyn was taken aback by what she saw. Lying before her on the white bed, was a pale looking Nancy in a white nightdress. Her trembling hand was holding a white handkerchief to her blood stained lips. The white handkerchief was red with blood stains.
Her eyes roamed the room for a moment and saw shards of glasses scattered around the corners of the room and her cell phone was also on the floor.
From what she was seeing, she could tell that the woman’s phone fell and she broke the glasses to get someone’s attention.
“Y–you… wha… ahem!”
“You– what is– you are unwell?” Jeslyn’s brain couldn’t function for a moment, prompting her to ask a stupid question.
“You shouldn’t be here. Brian is in the room before this… leave!”
Jeslyn’s mind snapped. People like Nancy h@ťě to be seen in their weak state and it gets worse if they are shown pity.
Jeslyn cleared her throat and her face turned serious. “I’m sure God sent me here, you can’t die until I take my revenge on you.”
Although she said that, her heart was aching. She moved closer to the woman and took the handkerchief from her, then went into the bathroom and returned with a bowl of warm water and disinfectant, with a white towel. Although the woman was forcing herself to stop coughing, she couldn’t help it.
Because Jeslyn took away her bloody handkerchief, she covered her mouth with her hands to avoid getting blood on the bed.
Jeslyn hurried over and cleaned Nancy up and asked, “Is there something that stops the coughing and bleeding?”
Nancy pointed at her dressing table, “The drawer…”
Jeslyn didn’t let her finish before rushing over, opened the drawer and brought out the pack, containing a syringe that came with a needle, and a thumb–sized vial with clear liquid in it.
“Give me a shot.” Nancy said. Her forehead was filled with beads of sweat and she looked tired with her eyes finding it difficult to stay open.
“I don’t know how to,” Jeslyn hurried to the bed with the things in hand. She didn’t know what to do.
“There’s a thin wire…” she stretched her trembling finger to the drawer again.
“Oh, I saw it.” Jeslyn rushed to get the transparent wire and with Nancy’s direction, she tied it around her upper arm, then opened the sealed pack and drew the liquid into the syringe before disinfection where she saw a vein in her arm and gave her a shot.
After Jeslyn successfully concluded the process of injecting her, it took about five more minutes before Nancy stopped coughing blood and fell asleep.
Jeslyn helped the woman get under the sheets before she went to get the cleaning tools and swept the glasses off the floor. By the time she was done washing the blood away from the handkerchief and cleaning any traces of blood from the room, one hour had sped past.
Soon, Nightcrawler came into the room and was alarmed to see Jeslyn sitting on a couch and pressing her phone. The guy immediately rushed to the bed and parted the screen to see his Boss sleeping soundly. To be sure, he felt for her breath. Not until he felt the calmness in her pulse did he relax. He went to Jeslyn who was watching him like an alien and asked in a deep and unfriendly tone.
“What are you doing here?!”
“How do you take care of your Boss? Had God not thrown me here and something happened to her, I’m sure you guys would have blamed my brother and I for her misfortune.” she snorted and continued pressing her phone.
The big guy shifted his gaze from Jeslyn to the white screen before he went to check the drawer. Seeing that the medication there was missing, he checked the waste bin in the room and saw the used things in there, including the tissues she used to clean blood. The guy raised some of the tissues and saw the large amount of blood that had left his boss’ body and his eyes teared up. Without a word said, he went to Jeslyn and knelt on one knee with his hand cupped in a fist.
“Thank you, Miss!”
Jeslyn, who wasn’t expecting that, got a fright when he approached her without making a sound. Slowly, her racing heart relaxed.
“Don’t thank me, I didn’t do it for nothing.”
“Wh@ťěver your reason, I will be sure to fulfill it. Even though you ask for my life.”
“Hey, don’t be so dramatic. I’m not your Boss who derives joy in ki||ing people.” she rolled her eyes.
Nightwalker glanced at her but said nothing else.
After a long while of silence, Jeslyn looked at the man who was still kneeling and asked, “I heard my mother was tortured and forced to jump down an eight–story building. who among you did that?”
“We tortured your mother but didn’t start the fire that made her jump.”
Jeslyn didn’t doubt him because he looked very honest.
“So you are one of those who tortured her…” she nodded, then asked again. “How do you intend to compensate me?”
The big guy remained silent with his head down. He wasn’t the one who tortured her, but wouldn’t betray his brothers.
“You don’t want to speak? Fine. when your Boss wakes up, I’ll ask her for a hand.” With that said, Jeslyn ignored the guy and continued with what she was doing.
…
Nancy stirred awake after five hours. From behind the screen, she could see Nightcrawler kneeling. She couldn’t see what was in front of him because he had a big build that blocked her view. She parted the screen and called, “Crawler?” Her voice came out low and dry.
“You’re finally awake. I thought I’d have to wait much longer.”
Jeslyn spoke simultaneously, Nightcrawler got to his feet and bowed, “Boss!”
Jeslyn got up and walked to the bed. She placed a palm on Nancy’s forehead and nodded with satisfaction, “You’re fine now.”
Nightcrawler and Nancy’s gazes were fixed on Jeslyn as she did what pleased her. After she was satisfied, Nancy finally asked, “What are you doing here?”
“Huh?… You don’t remember what happened hours back?”
Nancy’s mind was still muddled. She sat up and rested her back on the headboard. A moment later, she spoke. “Why did you save me? You h@ťě me, don’t you?”
“Of course, I can’t allow you to die just yet because you owe me a lot.”
“What do you want as compensation?”
“I heard my mother was tortured; was it him?” she glanced at Nightcrawler who was standing behind her.
“You don’t expect me to answer that, right?” Nancy threw back a question.
“Wouldn’t that make you a more horrible person? Anyway, what I want is simple. Whoever tortured my mother, sever the person’s hand!”
Nancy’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before turning away, “It’s not possible.”
“It is possible, just say you won’t do it,” she stared intently at her.
Nancy ignored her statement. “Ask for something else.”
“Surely. Your life cannot be worth such a miserable condition…” She took a seat on the sofa and continued. “You talked about Ani the other day. What’s your proof that she’s from the Half–heart?”
Nancy adjusted her sitting position and looked at Nightcrawler, then gave a faint nod. Nightcrawler went out and a few minutes later, he returned with a magazine and handed it to Jeslyn.
She accepted it with a skeptical look on her face but decided to open it. The first page was blank and the second page had only one word, ‘SECRET’ written on it.
The third page had a picture of a masked woman with red lipstick. She was wearing a black dress and was dominantly sitting on a magnificent red throne that reminded her of the dream where she saw Brian getting sacrificed.
Above the woman’s introduction, which was written beside her picture, was a title, ‘Doyenne.’
Reading further, Jeslyn found out she’s the Eldest Miss of the Zhu family.
Jeslyn frowned slightly. The Zhu family rings a bell, so she asks, “Which of the Zhu family is Doyenne from?”
“She’s your grandaunt, your grandmother’s older sister.”
“What?!” Jeslyn exclaimed, but Nancy ignored her.
Jeslyn flattened her lips with a frown. What is this about? Believing she might not get an answer from Nancy anymore, she continued reading.
When she opened the next page, her fingers shook and the book almost fell. Those damned people made her the next in line!
A recent picture of her that Ani took on the day she attended some event was sitting there and smiling at her.
Reading the introduction, Jeslyn is said to be the heir and a descendant of the Zhu family. She immediately flipped to the next page and saw a picture of Alex, but it was crossed with a red ‘X’ mark.
The introduction read, ‘An apostate and an enemy to be ki||ed on sight.’
Jeslyn continued flipping through strange faces until she saw Ms. Alice’s picture. Unlike Alex, which was crossed, Ms. Alice’s own was marked. On the introduction read, ‘FREED.’
Flipping a few more chapters, she came across an exceptionally gorgeous lady, she was none other than a segzy Ani.
Her introduction says she’s among the top members with the highest credit in her record.
“Ani is a top member of the organization?” Jeslyn finally looked up from the book.
“She’s not just a top member, she’s the leader of the leading division in the organization. Before she was sent to your side, she unseated your mother’s friend as the top Analyzer, and that shot her to be just below you.”
Jeslyn opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish, not knowing what to say.
“You should find a way to get rid of her before she harms you. Ani is very competitive and wants to be the next Doyenne.”
“In other words, she would rather ki|| me than take me to the organization?”
“Yes. A little bird told me that the organization is unstable, right? Who knows, their Doyenne might be ki||ed and your life will be in danger.”
“How difficult is it to ki|| Ani?” Jeslyn asked.
“Why don’t you take the risk?” Nancy snorted. “Your mother can’t ki|| her, both in a gunfight and physical fight.”
“Let’s make a deal,” Jeslyn proposed.
Nancy glanced at her, “I can’t risk the lives of my men to ki|| your enemy.”
“Shouldn’t you be looking for ways to redeem yourself? I even saved you despite hating you so much,” Jeslyn rolled her eyes.
“You are asking for too much. Attacking Ani is the same as shaking half of the organization. Do you think you’re worth the sacrifice?”
“Your lifesaver should be worth more than this.”
“Jeslyn, are you blackmailing me?” Nancy narrowed her eyes.
Jeslyn nodded, “You can say that. God wanted you to do this as a means to redeem yourself. So why should I say no?”
“Do you know what it means to do that?”
“Yes. Sending some of your men to fight Ani would mean that it has weakened your power. You are afraid that your husband might attack you from the other end.”
“And you still want me to fulfill your wish?”
Jeslyn stayed silent for a moment. Then asked with a pout, “Why are you making it look like I’m heartless than you are? I haven’t done a quarter of what you’ve done to people…”
“My enemies.”
“My mother wasn’t your enemy.”
“You think,” She shook her head. “If your husband suddenly has another woman whom you fear might combine forces with your husband to attack you, won’t you start a fight to prevent that?”
“Plum cannot do that.”
“What if…” she paused. “He does?”
“I’d divorce him and make him suffer. If the lady gets involved, I’ll give her a painful death… however, in your case, you didn’t wait to know whether my mother would take your side or support your husband to get rid of you, so you attacked first.”
Nancy stayed silent for a while. “You’re right. Maybe I shouldn’t have married him but rather tortured him… maybe I shouldn’t have made an enemy out of Alex,” She mumbled inaudibly.
Every intelligent person always has a flaw. Maybe this is her price to pay for being too smart, she sighed softly.
“I’ll send out men to take care of Ani on your behalf. After that, you won’t demand revenge from my men. They followed my orders to torture Alex, so I’ll take the responsibility.”
Jeslyn looked at Nightcrawler who had his head down before she replied, “Fine… before I leave, can you tell me one last thing?” when she saw that Nancy’s attention was on her, she continued, “Your sickness, what is it about?”
“Why do you want to know? I don’t need your pity.”
“Who cares about that? I just want to know when I should prepare a funeral dress. I want to appear as the most gorgeous guest to send you off…”
“Miss! That’s disrespectful!” Nightcrawler frowned.
Nancy raised her hand, “An honest enemy is better than a pretentious friend. Jeslyn is not wrong…”