Seeing that, I strode forward, following the route that Nora had told me in advance. Only the fourth floor of Armond’s villa was occupied at that moment. Nonetheless, it was exceptionally challenging to locate the stairway leading downstairs because the place was humungous. He might have possibly built it that way on purpose to make it difficult for people to find the staircase.
Remembering what Nora told me, I managed to locate the exit and quickly headed downstairs to the living room.
I was stunned to see several hundred policemen besieging the villa. Right then, I also noticed Ashton in their midst.
It had been a few days since I last saw him. That man stuck out like a sore thumb in the crowd, wearing a dark-colored trench coat, looking as dapper as ever.
I was taken aback for a moment until our gazes were fixated on each other. A fuzzy feeling arose in me, and I ran toward him without the slightest hesitation.
Oh, how I’ve missed him and longed for his embrace these days. My overwhelming emotions fueled me to dash toward him relentlessly like waves hitting the shore.
Simultaneously, he was darting across the room to me. Nothing else mattered at that moment besides falling into his arms and hugging him tightly with my head buried in his chest.
The reunion made me tear up. “I thought I’ll never be able to see you again in this lifetime. I thought I’ll have to face everything on my own this time. I thought you’ll never come. I…”
“Silly girl!” He assured me in a low voice while hugging me, “How could I let you face this alone? Not now and never will.”
Resting in his arms, my body started to warm up as I calmed down. I could feel my heart beating normally again with him beside me, and that felt good. I felt like I owned the whole world only when he’s around.
Moments later, he said gently, “Let’s get this mess sorted.”
I nodded in agreement. After all, the main priority was to settle the matters at hand.
At that moment, the policemen had the entire villa surrounded. The person-in-charged consulted Ashton, “Mr. Fuller, should we barge in?”
Ashton nodded and ordered, “Locate Armond at once while controlling the rest. Try to keep the site as it is and reduce any possible damage to the least.”
“Noted!”
Subsequently, the troop entered the villa. I reminded them, “Armond’s pets are on the third floor. Beware, they are mostly venomous snakes and scorpions.”
The leader of the troop acknowledged, “Thanks for the reminder, Mrs. Fuller.”
Meanwhile, I remained outside of the villa with Ashton. His composure piqued my curiosity. “When did you return? It takes at least four hours to get from A City to K City.”
He stared at me and replied, “Before Holden came here with you, he sent me a message. To be honest, Armond wouldn’t call you here for nothing. If he failed to get the sandalwood box, it’s expected of him to detain you. Moreover, the Murphys are anxious to obtain the contract. Hence, it’s a necessary step for him to look for you.”
“So, you came back as soon as you got the message?”
He nodded. “When Holden has gotten full knowledge of the situation in the villa, I brought in the police. With Holden’s help, Armond will definitely go to jail.”
Nodding my head, I continued asking, “How did the investigation go in A City? Did you manage to find some solid evidence? Did they confess?”
“Yes, they’ve confessed. Joseph will follow up with the rest.”
This chapter was finally closed.
Earlier, Armond fell unconscious after getting hit by Nora. Hence, the raid was conducted successfully, where items found included numerous Class 1 protected wildlife species and weapons.
Charged with a crime, Armond was taken away directly. On the other hand, the others at the villa were required to record their affidavits before being released. As for the Murphys, they were all affected because of what Armond did.
The less-than-ideal stock market plunged even further, resulting in a severe crash. In the end, Armond was held in police custody.
After a tiring night, I woke up to a loving Ashton next to me.
He looked me in the eyes and curled his lips. “You’re up?”
I nodded as I let out a coquettish smile unknowingly. Snuggling in his embrace, I said with a hoarse voice, “I dreamt of you last night and thought that you’ve left for a business trip. I was thinking to myself how disappointed I’d be if I couldn’t see you when I woke up. Thankfully, you’re here with me, and this makes me glad.”
He chuckled. “You can come with me on all of my business trips in the future. It’s always a real bummer when I don’t see you the moment I open my eyes in the morning and when my arms hug nothing at night.”
I buried my face against his chest. “Now that Armond’s case is settled, isn’t Rachel taking care of everything in A City? You can now remain here instead of traveling to A City and Moranta. Oh, by the way, Nick is getting married soon.”
