When the man heard them approaching, he turned back to look. Out of desperation, he forced himself to stand and glared viciously at Emery. Reaching into the pocket of his suit, he took out a plastic bottle.
Before we could react, he quickly opened the bottle and threw its contents toward Emery’s face. “Die, you b*tches!”
Emery covered me and ducked, but her heel was trapped by a crack on the payment, causing her leg to buckle. Losing our balance, both of us fell backward together.
At that exact moment, I could see traces of liquid streaking through the air. After which, Emery threw herself around to protect me from it.
“Be careful!
“Argh!”
As the liquid hit her back, Emery’s grimacing expression struck me to the core.
“Emery!” She collapsed into my arms with her face reddened from the excruciating pain.
When the man realized his job was done, he dropped the bottle and fled immediately.
The bodyguards rushed over, carried Emery away, and provided me cover to leave the place. Naturally, a police report had also been made.
At the hospital, the doctor’s initial diagnosis was that she had been burned by sulfuric acid. The large swathe of skin on her back that was burned would likely not be able to grow back.
Ashton was the first to call. At that moment, I was sitting at the entrance of the operating theater oblivious to the ringing of my phone. It wasn’t until the bodyguard reminded me of it that I answered the call.
“Why did you take so long to pick up?” Ashton sounded exasperated. Despite not seeing him in person, I could still feel how concerned he was.
“I’m sorry, Emery is still in the operating theater. I was just feeling too anxious about her,” I replied in a dejected tone.
It was natural for girls to enjoy flaunting their bodies. Emery had a good figure with flawless skin. Hence, she loved wearing revealing outfits that expose her shoulders and back. But now, she would never get to wear her favorite clothes anymore. Life is just too cruel to her.
The more frightening thought was that the man was actually aiming for her face. What sort of bad blood between them would cause him to commit such a heinous attack?
On the other side of my worries was my fear. I was afraid that I was the cause of the incident and also afraid that I had burdened someone else before my death.
“Scarlett.” Ashton’s tone suddenly changed. Its steadiness emanated a power that was able to calm my heart. “Believe me, it has nothing to do with you. That man isn’t one of Armond’s.”
The moment he read my mind, the tears that I had been holding back gushed out instantly. Holding my phone tightly, I cried like a child.
Ashton didn’t say another word until I managed to calm down. I heard his deep voice over the line again. “John and the Moore family’s men will arrive soon. Try and recall exactly what happened and explain it to them quickly. It will make it easier for them to catch the perpetrator. Can you do that?”
I gritted my teeth. “Yes.”
When the men arrived, I began to carefully recount what had just happened.
I had learned my lesson from previous mistakes where we allowed our enemies to succeed because we didn’t seize the initiative. This time, I wasn’t going to allow the perpetrator to go off scot-free.
Emery was mostly someone genial despite the occasional temper tantrum. Furthermore, the Moore family didn’t have many enemies. Hence, one could count with one hand the suspects that hated Emery so much that they wanted to disfigure her.
“Letty!”
Just when I was describing the attacker, John arrived at the operating theater. After scrutinizing me for injuries, he heaved a sigh of relief when he found none.
Shortly after, Cameron and Zachary rushed over. After briefly explaining to them what happened, Zachary took charge and ordered all the Moore family bodyguards to capture the perpetrator.
Four hours later, Emery was moved to a normal ward.
She was already awake. But due to the injuries on her back, she could only lie on her side with the support of some equipment.
“Why are you here?” Emery was never close to Zachary. Hence, she resented the fact that she had to face them in her miserable condition.
“There’s no need to be edgy, we’re family after all.” Zachary’s expression was both solemn and authoritative. When he saw Emery turn pale, he softened his tone with a sigh. “You and I have never been good at following instructions. To have married someone I never knew and start a family, it shows that both of us are inherently free spirits. Hence, we should be treasuring and looking out for one another instead. Do you plan to never acknowledge me as your bother for the rest of your life?”
