Chapter 364


    Just as he was about to reach ra, a gunshot echoed from behind, and the man fell to the ground.


    Blood flowed down the man’s spine, pooling on the ground.


    Ian immediately covered ra''s eyes, whispering soothingly, "It’s okay. It''s all over now. Let''s get


    out of here." He scooped ra into his arms and gave Dawson a few quick instructions before they


    left.


    ra, who had just been in a standoff with the kidnapper, nowy limp and weak in Ian''s embrace.


    Her icy little hands clutched at his shirt fiercely, and her teeth were still chattering. Her wet eyes


    stared intently into Ian’s, her voice frail, "Ian, how''s Katherine?"


    Ian leaned down and kissed her lips gently, his voice warm, "She had to get a few stitches in her


    back, but she''s going to be okay, don''t worry."


    ra gazed into Ian''s eyes. They were so simr to Brodie''s. She murmured softly, "You know, a


    woman''s instinct in the face of danger is to scream, but Katherine just charged forward. Don''t you


    find that strange?"


    Ian looked down at her. "You think she''s in love with my dad?"


    "It''s not just a simple crush. It''s love deep in her bones. That''s why she had rushed in so fearlessly.


    If you were in danger, I''d do the same."


    "But Dad always said his dalliances were just for show, that he never slept with any other woman."


    "That doesn''t stop other women from falling for him. Teo was a legend in his day, handsome and


    debonair. He must''ve been the dream of countless women, and there must''ve been some history


    between him and Katherine, even if he doesn''t realize it."


    Ian''s eyes darkened slightly. He remembered words Brodie had once shared – about his mother


    being betrayed by a scoundrel and pursued by enemies. Whether that jerk was his father or


    someone else was a question that needed answering.


    ra was shaken and took a long time to calm down. She drifted into a heavy sleep once they got


    back home.


    When Ian descended the stairs, Dawson and a few others were waiting for him in the living room.


    "Mr. Hayes, the guy infiltrated the hotel disguised as a waiter. He took advantage of the moment


    Attorney ra went to the restroom to abduct her. But he''s dead now. We can''t find out who was


    behind it."


    Ian''s dark eyes deepened. "With me and the bodyguards there, he couldn''t have hurt ra. Why


    did the SWAT team need to fire?"


    Dawson replied, "The shot wasn''t from the SWAT team. Someone was lying in wait on the opposite


    rooftop. By the time the shot rang out and the SWAT team got there, the shooter was gone."


    Hearing this, Ian''s expression grew colder. From the falling chandelier to ra''s abduction to the


    silencing of the kidnapper – it was all meticulously nned.


    Their target wasn''t ra. It was him. Put another way, it was the entire Hayes family.


    Who could harbor such a deep grudge against the Hayes family to weave such a web over


    decades?


    The gravity of the situation weighed on Ian. The enemy knew ra was his Achilles'' heel, meaning


    she would be in danger again. He had to get her away from here as soon as possible.


    Elsewhere.


    When Katherine woke up the next morning, she saw Brodie sitting by her bedside, his face etched


    with exhaustion. She touched his hand with a heart full of sympathy. Her voice sounded husky as


    she said, "Brodie, I''ve been a burden to you for so many years."


    Brodie offered a gentle smile. "Mom, don''t talk like that. I''m your son. Taking care of you is what I''m


    supposed to do."


    "Brodie," Katherine grasped her son''s hand, whispering softly, "I think I used to know Teo."Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.