Lorne''s gaze was locked onto Noe, full of hope and desperation. He was convinced she would


    make the right choice.


    However, Noe stood her ground, her expression calm and unwavering.


    "I disagree," she said, her voice steady and clear. "Your threats won''t work on me."


    Lorne was bbergasted.


    "Why? Don''t you care about what ra thinks? This is about her mother! It''s impossible! I''ve


    checked everything myself. You''ve used your connections to clean out the rats in ra''sb. She


    gets her meals delivered from your diner every day. You can''t possibly be indifferent to her well-


    being! How can you be so heartless? How can you disregard ra''s feelings? Do you really want


    her mom gone?"


    Lorne''s eyes were burning with fury, his demeanor verging on the edge of madness. He was


    battered and bruised, having injected himself with several doses of a potent drug just to keep


    himself going after taking Lavinia away.


    He had made all the preparations, only for them toe crashing down upon hearing Noe''s


    refusal.


    Lorne was on the brink of copse.


    After extensive investigation, Lorne was certain that Noe cared deeply for ra, perhaps even


    more than for her own brothers in the Schnabel family. She shouldn''t have rejected him!


    "Or is it because you have a thing for Palmer? He''s just a man! I can''t understand it! You''d forsake


    your own sister for a stranger?"


    ra, seizing Noe''s hand, fixed her gaze on Lorne. "What nonsense are you spouting? Stop


    trying to intimidate my sister with your so-called noble speech, Lorne. You''vepletely lost it!


    Hasn''t my mom been good to you?"


    "Good? She wouldn''t even share her shares with me! Just because I''m not a blood-born


    Richardson. But neither is Bowie!”


    Lavinia''s older brother and his wife, having no children of their own, adopted Lorne and Bowie due


    to a twist of fate, who have always been regarded as their own by the Richardson family.


    ra retorted with a sneer, "Oh, that really shows yourck of abilities. Even I got a share in the


    Schnabel family."


    Lorne''s eyes widened in shock. "Are you mocking me? Are you not afraid I''ll kill your mom?"


    ra coolly pulled out her phone. "Hello, police officer, this man here kidnapped my mom."


    Lorne hadn''t expected ra to actually call the cops!


    On the way there, ra had forced herself to stay calm, strategizing with Jacob to go straight to the


    authorities.


    Lorne''s scheme was nothing more than a ploy to use ra to pressure Noe, and he surely


    wouldn''t dare to risk Lavinia''s life.


    Noe slightly tilted her chin up. "Look behind you."


    Lorne turned abruptly, only to find a tall figure in a trench coat standing atop a nearby building, his


    gun aimed straight at Lorne''s head!


    "Palmer? How did he get here!"


    Seeing Palmer, Lorne panicked. He had miscalcted; he had thought Palmer didn''t care about


    Noe at all. The Schnabels and the Pocks were tied by business, not by feelings.


    Facing Palmer''s icy gun and cold stare, Lorne felt as if his blood had turned to ice.


    Noe spoke calmly, "Oh, I brought a gun too. You''ve heard about my shooting skills, haven''t you,


    Lorne?"


    On the border, there wasn''t a soul who hadn''t heard of Wise Fool''s legendary marksmanship!


    With an expressionless face, Noe pulled the trigger, and the silencer-equipped bullet flew, striking


    Lorne''s thigh!


    "Ah! You''re insane! If you touch me, I''ll make sure Lavinia dies with me! I''ll take her down with me!"


    As Lorne lunged towards Lavinia, ra rushed to embrace her mother.


    The chair toppled under theirbined weight with a loud crash, and Lavinia slowly came to, her


    eyes meeting ra''s.


    "Ms. ra? What are you doing here?"


    Tears streaked down ra''s face. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"


    Shaking her head, Lavinia felt the warmth of ra''s embrace, something so familiar yet so distant.


    That face, had she seen it somewhere before? It reminded her of her own reflection every morning.


    Another bullet from Noended, this time in Lorne''s arm!


    "Don''t kill me. Garrick will never let you go. I know too many of his secrets..."


    "I don''t need to hear them from you."


    "If you kill me, the Richardson family won''t let the Schnabels off either!"


    Noe looked down at him. "Your actions today ensure that neither the Schnabels nor the


    Richardsons would spare you."


    "No! You can''t kill me!" As Lorne spoke, he searched for an opportunity to escape.


    Noe''s gaze fell on the nearby corridor, where the sniper was aiming- the rooftop on this side! In


    terms of trajectory, the targeted person was none other than ra!


    "Watch out, ra!"


    Lorne bellowed, "I''ll kill you all! I''ve had a sniper ready all along, ha!"


    But before hisughter could fade, a bullet fired from the opposite direction pierced Lorne''s heart,


    and almost simultaneously, took down the opposing sniper with a thud.


    In the ensuing chaos, ra''s cries echoed.


    In a moment of grave danger, Lavinia shielded ra with her own body. The bullet went through her


    shoulder, blood seeping out and staining her clothes red.


    ra, panic-stricken, tried to staunch the bleeding with her hands.


    "Why? Why did you do this? You''re so frail. Why save me!"


    Noe moved closer, quickly untying the ropes that bound Lavinia, checking her wounds with a


    practiced eye before gently pressing on her shoulder. "I''ll call an ambnce."


    "Mr. Pock''s already downstairs. The ambnce and the cops should be here any minute."


    As Jacob reached the hotel lobby, he remembered his promise to Lucian not to meet with Lavinia,


    worried that seeing her might cause undue stress.


    ra and Jacob took different paths as the sound of sirens began to fill the air below.


    ra was inconsble, tears streaming down her face. "Noe, she''s going to be okay, right? I... I


    just found my mom. I can''t lose her now..."


    Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Don''t worry, she''s going to be fine. The chair took some of the bullet''s impact, lessening the force."


    As Noe spoke, she was already performing first aid, trying to stop the bleeding.


    Weak and trembling, Lavinia gently caressed ra''s face, her expression filled with love and


    tenderness. Lavinia couldn''t ce who ra was exactly; this child seemed to have no direct ties to


    her.


    "Maybe it''s just instinct? The thought of something happening to you right in front of me... it hurts so


    much, I''d rather die myself, as long as you''re safe."


    After saying these words, Lavinia passed out, a content smile on her lips.


    ra was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe, wondering why the ambnce was taking so


    long to arrive; time seemed to drag endlessly.


    Noe looked down, gently patting ra''s back.


    "ra, she might have forgotten everything, but she never forgot to love you. Don''t worry, you won''t


    be without a mom. Trust me."