Chapter 429

The masked man's piercing blue eyes raked over Evelyn's body. His pulse quickened, throat bobbing visibly as he swallowed hard. Seizing his momentary distraction, Evelyn twisted away from the gun barrel and sprang to her feet.

Bang!

The bullet whizzed past her shoulder.

In one fluid motion, Evelyn pivoted behind him, locking her arm around his neck in a chokehold. "Where's Nathan?" she demanded through gritted teeth.

The masked man gasped something unintelligible. With a sharp strike to his pressure point, Evelyn rendered him unconscious. She snatched his firearm and sprinted deeper into the compound.

Meanwhile, Nathan had already neutralized three attackers. Their writhing bodies littered the floor, clutching gunshot wounds. As he disarmed the fourth assailant with a brutal kick, his once-pristine suit hung in tatters. Sweat glistened on his brow, blood trickling from multiple lacerations across his arms and back. The disheveled appearance only accentuated his dangerous aura.

"Who sent you?" Nathan growled, grinding his heel into the man's hand.

When the man remained silent, Nathan delivered a vicious kick that sent him coughing blood. Pressing the gun barrel to the man's temple, Nathan hissed, "Last chance."

The man squeezed his eyes shut, embracing death.

Bang!

Nathan whirled toward the gunshot's origin. A masked attacker collapsed behind him, knife clattering to the ground. His eyes widened at the shooter.

Evelyn stood trembling, the pistol shaking violently in her grasp even after the body hit the floor.

'I just took a life... But it was him or Nathan. I had no choice.'

"Zoe!" Nathan rushed to her. The gun clattered as she collapsed into his arms, forcing a weak smile. "Nathan...I'm not a monster, am I?"

Nathan crushed her against his chest, voice raw. "What the hell were you thinking coming back here?"

Evelyn met his gaze. "I couldn't leave you to face this alone."

Nathan's breath hitched. He cradled her closer, pressing a desperate kiss to her hair. The thought of losing her paralyzed him.

Hidden in the shadows, Rosalind signaled retreat. "Police incoming. Secure the virus." A subordinate handed her a syringe. Her gaze lingered on Nathan, heart fracturing anew.

Twenty years of devotion. Childhood dreams of becoming his bride. All shattered because he'd chosen Evelyn.

Rosalind's eyes burned with venom as she loaded a special bullet - its tip glistening with a single drop of lethal virus. Dominic's warning echoed in her mind: one skin contact meant certain death. Even protective gloves couldn't stop this enhanced strain.

Her hands shook as she took aim. "You should have loved me, Nathan," she whispered.

Nathan's instincts flared. He spotted the laser sight a heartbeat too late. Whirling, he shielded Evelyn with his body as the shot rang out.