Chapter 454 It''s Me
Colby could imagine who came here. He was a bit surprised that they would actually be here so
soon. He then took out a dagger and said to his men, "Tie her up!"
Maria was once again bound tightly using ropes.
Afterwards, she was carried to the yard outside and tied to a tree. Several guns were being pointed
at her all at the same time.
Soon, the gate of the yard swung open. James, Lawrence, and a toon of policemen arrived.
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The moment James saw Maria, it seemed that his breath had been taken away. Fury overcame his
head, and all reason left his brain.
He unlocked the safety of his gun and was about to rush in. However, Lawrence stopped him.
"Calm down, James. They have weapons."
With a murderous gaze, James locked eyes with Colby. "Let her go, and I might give you a chance
to walk out of this alive!"
Colby grinned mischievously. "Who are you trying to fool, James? You can save her life, but there''s
only one way you can do that!"
"Tell me!" James clenched his fists when he saw Maria''s swollen face.
"I want you to kneel before me and apologize. After that, give me five billion dors and send me
abroad!" This was the only way he could walk out of this dilemma alive.
''Why does he ask James to kneel before him? Is he deliberately trying to trample on his dignity?''
The second those words reached Lawrence''s ears, he believed that Colby had a death wish.
"I''ll give you five billion dors and send you abroad, just let her go," replied James.
Colby sped Maria''s chin and forcefully raised her face for everyone to see. In a daze, she
opened her eyes and looked at James. Slowly, the corners of her mouth formed a smile.
His heart ached when he saw how badly beaten she was, and he couldn''t hide how much it hurt
him.
Noticing that he felt sorry for her, Maria smiled more brightly for him. It was so worth it to see James
being worried about her like this.
Colby pressed the cold dagger against Maria''s face and said, "Put down your weapons, or I''ll ruin
her face!"
The armed men at the gate didn''t move, angering Colby further.
Maria felt the scathing pain on her cheek. The dagger had grazed her right cheek, and she felt the
blood dripping from her wound.
Beads of blood and sweat dripped down her cheeks, and the sight of it made James furious. "Stop!"
he growled. He immediately threw down his weapon to the ground.
Realizing that Colby was serious, everyone else dropped their weapon too.
Gasping for breath, Maria said, "Lawrence, James, it''s okay if I die. As long as Rosa and Colby can
be brought to justice, I''ll die without regret."
"Maria!" James couldn''t bring himself to ept her words. "Even if you don''t care about yourself,
please think about the people you''ll leave behind!"
''The people I''ll leave behind...'' Maria understood what he meant. ''Is he talking about him and Bob?''
"As long as you''re there to take care of him, I won''t have to worry." After all, Bob had his father, and
his two godfathers, Lawrence and Ethan. There was really no need for her to worry about him.
Colby didn''t want to continue listening to their melodrama. Once more, he put the dagger before
Maria''s face and said to James, "Call your people and have them prepare the money. Now!"
James took out his phone and exchanged nces with Lawrence. Afterwards, he said to the person
on the phone, "Prepare five billion dors and send it to... " Colby and Maria didn''t hear the rest of
his phone call because they were too far away.
Before long, James looked at Colby and nodded. Within seconds, Maria heard a deafening noise
and a loud scream that almost broke her eardrums.
Everyone averted their gaze, save for Maria. She was still staring intently at James.
It turned out that he had hurled his phone at Colby''s face. "Argh!" Colby bellowed.
At the same time, James and Lawrence quickly picked up their weapons and rushed in to subdue
Colby.
The men that Lawrence had brought fired at will at the bandits who were still watching the scene
unfolding behind them. After the exchange of gunshots, Colby''s men had been arrested. Countless
policemen rushed in, searching every corner of this ce thoroughly.
Colby knelt before James, half of his face sticking to the ground. James stomped on his face with
his leather shoe until his face was distorted by pain. Despite his pleas of mercy, James didn''t seem
to feel sympathy for him.
"Give me the whip!" hemanded.
Whoosh! The whip struck Colby''s body, and the deafening sound of his screaming must''ve been
heard hundreds of meters from its origin.
Colby was beaten until his head was almost split open. Seemingly unsatisfied with the torture he
had inflicted, James grabbed the dagger that Colby had used against Maria and used it on Colby.
One after another, he mercilessly shed his face until it waspletely unrecognizable.
With help from a few others, Lawrence finally managed to hold James back from his rampage.
"James, that''s enough! The most important thing we need to do right now is to get Maria to the
hospital!"
''Maria...'' The mention of her name brought James back to sanity, and he finally let go of Colby
before he could end his life.
While James was carrying Maria in his arms, she looked at him, hoping to say something. But in the
end, she just closed her eyes and rested.
"Mia? Mia, don''t sleep!" James carried her towards the car and drove to the nearest hospital as fast
as possible.
But Maria couldn''t hear his voice. It seemed as though she had fallen into aa.
Soon, the news that Colby and Rosa had been arrested and put to jail was broadcasted in every
news station. Later, they were convicted for attempted murder, intentional injury, kidnapping, and
ckmail. For all the crimes they hadmitted, they were sentenced to death by hanging.
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Since theirst encounter, Maria hadn''t dreamed of Arthur anymore. This time, she fell into a long
dream, and it was Bob that she dreamt of. He was holding another child''s hand, and this child was
calling her "Mom" as well.
Maria wasn''t sure whether the child was a boy or a girl because she couldn''t see it clearly.
Bob''s voice rang in her ears. "Mommy...Mommy... Mommy!"
He kept calling out to her as if he was chanting a sutra.
But then, a fierce voice made him stop. "If you dare call her again, I''m going to toss you out!"
Bob stopped abruptly. Maria couldn''t tell if it was because he was frightened, or maybe something
else. But the fact was that he did fall silent for a long time.
However, he started calling out to her again. "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy... It''s time to get up."
James was rendered speechless.
Bob had been here for thirty minutes. Ever since he arrived, he had been sitting on the bed and
calling out to his mother while holding an Ultraman action figure.
Another half hour had passed, but he was still trying to get her to wake up.
At this point, James got up and got his son a ss of water. "Are you thirsty?"
The little boy took the ss and drank the contents. Afterwards, he picked up his Ultraman and
proceeded with what he was doing earlier. "Mommy, it''s me, Bob!"
If he could make things appear out of thin air, James could really use a pair of earplugs right now.
"Boston, if you keep disturbing your mother''s sleep, I''m sending you back to Lawrence''s ce!"
Bob looked at him, and then looked at Maria. "Mommy will be sad if she doesn''t see me when she
wakes up," he argued.
"You mother will be delighted if she won''t see a naughty boy like you," said James.