Chapter 1399
When There Is Nothing Left But Love
âGet to the point.â Ashtonâs patience was wearing thin.
Armond clapped his hands, and immediately, two men and a woman came forward at his signal. The
woman had a child in her hand, and she was being held hostage by the men on both of her sides.
Her face became clearer as she came closer. âAunt Sallyâ¦?â I mumbled as I scrutinized the womanâs
face under the faint light.
The woman made her way into the light and looked up at me. It was really herâthe second and last
heir of the Fuller family.
I saw Ashtonâs grip tighten around the arm of the chair when he saw Sally, but the expression on his
face remained unchanged. âWhat does she have to do with us? Sheâs already married to Jim, so sheâs
one of the Murphys.â
âHa!â A cold smirk played on Armondâs lips. âKudos to you for remaining as cool as a cucumber under
this situation, Ashton Fuller.â
With that said, Armond darted his gaze at his men and tilted his chin.
The bodyguards nodded and kicked Sally in the joints. She fell to her knees in pain, causing the baby
to start crying at the sudden jerk. The guards then took out their guns and pointed right at the
frightened woman who dared not move an inch.
My first reaction was to dash over, but Ashtonâs hand grabbed me firmly. He sat on the chair unmoved,
his mouth set in a grim line. I could not tell what he was thinking at that moment.
I was as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof. âWhat do you think youâre doing, Armond Murphy? Theyâre
your uncleâs wife and child, your family! Theyâre innocent!â
He must be crazy to do something this outrageous.
âMy family? Innocent?â Armond let out a deep chuckle as he turned to question me with a menacing
smile that quickly vanished. He soon resumed his cruel and cold face. âIâm innocent too. There are
thousands of bloodthirsty evildoers in the world, but your husband purposefully singled me out and
wants to hunt me down. Iâll admit that there are unsettled scores between our families, but the truth is
that the Murphys are no more than scapegoats of a misunderstanding between your husband and his
father. My whole family was torn apart because of that problem. Now, you tell me whoâs the innocent
one here.â
Armond was sounded self-possessed and concerted as he spoke, but his words surely hit their mark.
When he finally stopped talking, he sat back in the chair, digging his hands into his pocket. In a blink of
an eye, a pistol appeared in his hand, locked and loaded.
âLet the game begin,â he smirked, pointing his pistol around carelessly between Ashton and Sally.
âCome on out, Mr. Hall.â
As soon as he spoke, a ruffling sound came from somewhere. The sound of footsteps followed. A
manâs shadow elongated under the road lamp. It was Nathaniel.
From his calm demeanor, it was apparent that he had been here for a long time. Ashton and I had
simply not noticed him.
Now that I thought about it, it made total sense. Given the foolproof security on the island, there was no
way Nathaniel would not realize anything. Besides, it was not like he had completely let down his guard
toward Ashton. We had been here for a whole afternoon, so we have given Nathaniel ample time to
know what we were up to.
But Nathaniel did not seem to be coming towards us. âIt seems like Iâve underestimated you. I canât
believe you dare to return to the island on your own. What do you take the Hall family for?â
âWell, well,â Armond replied casually with a smug smile on the corner of his lips, âNathaniel Hall, I
respect you for your caliber. Since youâre a talented young man, Iâll give you one last chance. Apologize
now, and Iâll let you go.â
Nathaniel cocked his head and looked down at Armond, his eyes narrowing. âItâs time you change that
insolent attitude of yours,â he said, agitated.
Indeed, Armond should be watchful of his words as he was on the Hallsâ territory. It would be as easy
as breathing for the Hall family to annihilate Armond and his men.
Armond rested his hands on his lap as he leaned back against the chair. He stared into the space
blankly as he began talking to himself. âWhy do I feel as if Iâm getting the same patronizing vibe from
the two of you? What a disgusting pair of brothers.â He then turned toward his men and uttered, âWell?
What are yâall waiting for?â