Template placeholder with Chapter 285

Chapter 285:

Wyatt’s words left Amelia pondering. Up until now, she had been convinced Jaxton had simply bought off the two bodyguards, never guessing that something larger had been at play.

“You’re still not going to talk?” Barrie demanded, frustration blazing in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on the kneeling men.

Silence greeted his anger; neither of the two men uttered a word, no matter how furious Barrie became. Wyatt watched from the side, the faintest trace of mockery in his gaze. Barrie, meanwhile, looked as though he carried a heavy weight of regret.

“You idiots! Mr. Stewart handed you a lifeline, and you tossed it aside. Haven’t you heard the Stewart Group is already setting up big plans for Stone Village?” Barrie snapped.

The moment Stone Village was mentioned, both men perked up, hope flashing across their faces. However, Wyatt’s next order crushed it instantly.

“Release a statement. There won’t be any more development for Stone Village. The road project is canceled,” Wyatt said.

“No! Please don’t!” The two men’s desperation spilled out in shaky voices. “Mr. Stewart, we’ll talk. We’ll tell you everything p>

“I gave you your chance before, but you wasted it,” Wyatt interjected, raising his hand before they could finish.

Barrie picked up on Wyatt’s cue and nodded at the nearby bodyguards, who quickly stepped forward to haul the two men away. Utter regret filled them as they realized what they had done. Desperate to change Wyatt’s mind, they pleaded, but their words were cut off as tape silenced them. All that was left for them was despair as they were shoved into the waiting car.

𝘛𝘩𝗼𝘶sаn𝘥ѕ 𝗈𝗳 𝘳𝗲а𝗱𝖾r𝘀 o𝘯 ѕ.𝖼𝗼𝗺

With the engine rumbling to life, Barrie couldn’t help but say to the two men, “How could you have been so foolish? Mr. Stewart was ready to help, but you put your trust in the wrong people p>

The car soon faded into the distance. Amelia remained silent, watching until it was gone, then turned to Wyatt.

Only now did she grasp that Colton, not Jaxton, had been pulling the strings behind those men. Most of the Stewart Group’s bodyguards had grown up with little, and these two came from Stone Village, a place plagued by poverty and cut off from the rest of the world by impassable roads. The Stewart Group had promised to bring a new road to the village this year. But because of the bodyguards’ actions, Wyatt scrapped the plan for good.

Finding Colton’s involvement sent a chill through Amelia. After Wyatt laid out the whole story, she muttered, “Has Colton lost his mind p>

Before, she had thought Colton’s meddling in the Stewart Group’s affairs was just about giving the Mills Group the upper hand. But now, Amelia found herself at a loss when it came to Colton’s true intentions.

“Hiram is already digging up answers for me. No matter what Colton plans, I promise he’ll live to regret what he did,” Wyatt said with a fierce look in his eyes. Everyone involved in this matter would face his fury—everyone except Ricky.

The conversation was suddenly interrupted by a car engine roaring somewhere nearby. Drawn by the noise, Amelia watched as Davin stepped out of the car. Then the bodyguards dragged Jaxton from the trunk like discarded luggage. The journey from Nectarbrook to Kretol had stretched over four hundred kilometers, with Jaxton shoved into the trunk for the whole ride. The ordeal had left him unconscious.

Thrown to the ground by the bodyguards, Jaxton awoke as pain shot through his thigh. The first thing he saw was Wyatt and Amelia sitting nearby. How he wished he could pass out again!

“Mr. Stewart, you have to believe me. Ricky was behind everything. I swear I had nothing to do with it…” Jaxton said, scrambling to shift the blame before Wyatt even spoke.

Wyatt’s icy gaze never wavered. He asked in a voice barely above a whisper, “Which hand did you lay on her p>

That simple question sent a chill through everyone nearby. Jaxton shook with fear, Wyatt’s quiet words slicing deeper than a shout.

Daring only a brief glance at Amelia, Jaxton crawled a few inches closer to her. He reached out but quickly stopped himself as Wyatt’s warning echoed in his mind. “Amelia, you and I have grown up together. I’m begging you to let me off this time p>

“What did you just call her?” Wyatt’s voice was sharp as he interrupted before Amelia could respond.

Although his eyes were filled with hatred, Jaxton forced a flattering smile. “Nothing happened between us, Mr. Stewart. Please forgive me. I realize my mistake now p>

Wyatt refused to let the question drop. “That isn’t what I asked p>

With his whole body shaking, Jaxton felt the situation grow more hopeless as Amelia said, “He touched me with both hands p>

Wyatt’s command was chilling. “Then destroy both of his hands p>

“Yes, sir!” Barrie replied immediately, drawing a dagger from his pocket and stepping toward Jaxton.

The sight of the dagger made Jaxton scramble backward, but Barrie closed the distance without missing a beat.

“Amelia, you bitch! I—No! Ah p>