Ch. 1441..1450
Always Been Yours Chapter 1441-“Mr. Gulliver and Old Mr. Gulliver, these are gifts for you.” “Timothy, you even brought gifts for us? Oh, you shouldn’t have.” Although Figario’s words were filled with rejection, the smile on his face grew wider at the sight of Timothy bearing presents..
Next to him, Reggie and Annalise also gave him a checkmark in their minds. Since the two had been staying in the family’s old house all year round, Christmas was the only time they got to get together with Sabrina and her parents. However, this year, other than getting together with their son and granddaughter, Reggie and Annalise had another purpose: to see Sabrina’s boyfriend for themselves.
Of course, Timothy keenly sensed Reggie and Annalise’s scrutiny. Although he was still slightly nervous, he was far calmer than when he first visited the Gullivers.
So, Sabrina’s grandparents were highly satisfied by his performance as they kept ticking things off their list while they observed the talented, well-spoken, gentle-looking, and courteous man in front of them.
Since Annalise knew about Timothy’s leg injury in the past, she even glanced at his legs. However, the concern she had in her heart when she heard the news dissipated after she saw Timothy’s legs looking completely fine.
After the impromptu gift-giving ceremony, Melina warmly urged Timothy to take a seat. Just then, Reggie took the initiative to ask Timothy, “I heard that you would be going abroad after Christmas. Is it true?”
“Yes, I plan to further my studies abroad. I want to pick up advanced technology from their curriculum and incorporate it into our company’s technology when I return. This will facilitate us to develop better products in the future. Timothy nodded, not hiding his ambitions.
On the other hand, Annalise was somewhat worried as she listened to Timothy’s statement. “Still, it will take you some time until you finish your study abroad, right?” “Yes. It will take about two years, Timothy answered truthfully..
Melina also couldn’t help but frown when she heard his reply. Timothy and Sabrina have just started dating. Yet, I can’t believe they will need to go through a long-distance relationship in their early dating stage.
Therefore, she asked, feeling slightly worrisome, “Two years is quite a while, even though it’s not too long. What are your thoughts about this?” Although she was being subtle with her question, Timothy could still read between the lines.
It was just that before he could respond, Sabrina beat him to it and answered in his stead, Timothy has already discussed this with me. I plan to stay in Xerthania and help him supervise the company while he is away. Then, I will fly over to meet him when I’m on my weekend break.”
Timothy nodded in agreement. “I will also return during my breaks.” The elders of the Gullivers were delighted when they heard their decision. While they were chatting, the chef in the kitchen was finally done with the Christmas Eve dinner preparation.
With that, the group migrated over to the dining room. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves during the dinner. As Reggie still didn’t know how Timothy generated his wealth, he began to ask him a few questions. “Timothy, you are only in your early 20s, yet your net worth has reached a million. Judging from this, you are indeed doing better than your peers. So, tell me how did you start your business?”
Timothy didn’t have any intention of hiding his past from Reggie, so he replied truthfully. “I happened to be lucky. I developed a product with my friends, and its worth was recognized by Sawyer Group, making our company the recipient of venture capital.”
Reggie got somewhat emotional after he listened to Timothy’s story. “As expected, the current era is a good time for entrepreneurs. Starting a business wasn’t this simple back in my days. That immediately brought him down. memory lane as he recounted his past to an avid audience.
Even though Figario and Yaromir had listened to the same story once a year, they still paid close attention to it. As Timothy listened, he was also attentively caring for the two elders and Yaromir while they chatted.
Melina and Annalise, who had been sneaking discrete glances at him, took note of these details. Their satisfaction with Timothy was practically through the roof at this point.
“Good job, Sabrina. This boyfriend of yours truly is a keeper, Annalise praised Sabrina. Melina also affirmed Annalise’s statement with a firm nod of her own.
Timothy drank a lot of wine with the elders of the Gullivers that evening. Later, Sabrina lugged the utterly inebriated Timothy into the guest room.
At the same time, Tessa accompanied Stefania and Tobias in staying up all night to await the arrival of Christmas Day in the Sawyer Residence.
Since the men, especially Nicholas and Kieran, had imbibed in quite a bit earlier, they had gone upstairs to rest. Remus had also retired for the night as he wasn’t a spring chicken any longer..
Even so, the atmosphere in the living room was boisterous despite their absence. “Mommy, look! That man is so funny.” Gregory snuggled into Tessa’s arms as he pointed at the Christmas Gala skit on TV and giggled uncontrollably.
Like Gregory, Tessa was also amused by the skit. Each and every minute passed by amidst their laughter and banter. Gregory, who was energetic at first, eventually started to tire out.
When Tessa noticed this, she simply allowed him to snuggle in her arms and sleep. Likewise, Gordon was already out like a light in Stefania’s embrace.
It wasn’t until the clock stroked past dawn that they were ready to return to their respective rooms. Tessa rose to her feet as she carefully carried Gregory, wary of jostling him awake. Then, she bid Stefania and Tobias goodbye, whispering, “Mom and Dad, don’t stay up too late.”
“You should get some rest as well.” Stefania nodded in response and left with Gordon in her arms.
Always Been Yours Chapter 1442-The following day, Tessa woke up to discover Nicholas sitting and flipping through a book as he quietly waited for her. She leaned over, hugged his waist, and murmured sleepily, “Why are you still staying in bed even after you have woken up?”
“I hardly ever get the chance to take a break from work, so I just want to spend more time with you now that I don’t have to go to the office.”
As Nicholas spoke, he placed the book in his hand down and took Tessa in his arms. “What about you? Do you want to get up now? Or do you want to stay in bed for a while?”
“Get up, of course. After all, today is officially the first day of the Christmas holidays and the actual Christmas Day. We still have to pay Old Master Sawyer a visit and wish him well today.”
Although she had already met Remus yesterday, today was different, for it was the actual Christmas Day. Since the company was having a Christmas break, Nicholas didn’t have to leave for work for the next few days.
During the holidays, the couple practically spent all their time together every day. As a result, Tessa felt even more reluctant to leave, especially as the day for her departure gradually approached. Gregory also found himself having a hard time parting with her as the date of her departure drew closer.
As they hung out in the living room this evening, Gregory seized the opportunity and moved closer to Tessa’s side. Once he was close enough, he began to whine, “Mommy, I want to follow you back to Vienna.”
As he pleaded, he acted cute by blinking his big, dewy eyes. Tessa already had a hard time refusing Gregory usually, let alone seeing him looking sol adorable.
Hence, left with no choice, Tessa could only turn to Nicholas for help. Gregory noticed her reaction. Of course, he knew he had to get Nicholas’ consent if he wanted to follow Tessa to Vienna.
Therefore, he swiftly shifted his target and darted toward Nicholas. Then, he softly pleaded as he sought permission from Nicholas, ‘Daddy, can I follow Mommy back to Vienna?”
“No, you can’t.” Nicholas practically rejected him without any thought.
Gregory was stunned by that swift rejection. So, he instantly furrowed his brows and pouted unhappily. “Why can’t I go? I want to follow Mommy. Besides, I can take care of Mommy when I’m there. Daddy, just let me go, please.”
The little guy even started pestering Nicholas toward the end of his sentence. Unfortunately, Nicholas remained indifferent to his begging. Gregory was both frustrated and anxious when he realized this. His little cheeks even reddened with anger.
“Meanie Daddy, you’re just jealous that I get to spend some alone time with Mommy. That’s why you said no to me following Mommy to Vienna!” he huffed in displeasure.
He even glared at Nicholas condemningly, attempting to goad Nicholas into giving his consent. Regardless, Nicholas had long figured him out. Therefore, he snorted, “I can spend some alone time with her at any time if I want to.”
Nicholas’ words instantaneously shut Gregory up. While Gregory was still at a loss for words, Nicholas’ glacial voice rang out once more. “The reason why you aren’t allowed to follow is that you are currently studying in Xerthania. Moreover, Mommy will start getting busy after she goes abroad. She has to take care of you if you follow, which will distract her, making her even more tired. Do you want her to be tired?”
Gregory quickly shook his head. “No, I don’t want Mommy to get tired.” “In that case, stop misbehaving and just stay at home with me.” Nicholas curled his lips in satisfaction. Gregory was highly disappointed when he was forced to stay in Xerthania; thus, he was unable to follow Tessa to Vienna.
Since Nicholas was resolute in his decision, Gregory had no choice but to give up, no matter how badly he wished to follow Tessa. He didn’t want to make things difficult for her.
Rather, it was Tessa who couldn’t bear to see the little guy becoming so dejected as he wallowed in sadness.
Hence, she leaned forward, pulled Gregory into her arms, and comforted him, “Although you can’t follow me, I promise I will video call you and visit you when I’m free.”
“Mommy, you have to video call me every day. okay?” Gregory hugged Tessa’s neck as he nestled into her embrace. Tessa reassured him with a nod.
Even so, the little guy still despised the idea of parting with her. Thus, he planned to spend more time with Tessa these few days. Because of this, Gregory became even more clingy the next two days.
During the day, he would follow Tessa around like a lost puppy. He even urged Tessa to sleep with him during the night. For that reason, the infighting between Nicholas and Gregory never once stopped.
Tessa, sandwiched between the two of them, found the situation both utterly humorous yet annoying at the same time. The same scene was replaying once more as the two once again got into yet another quarrel.
“Meanie Daddy, you have spent so many nights with Mommy. It should be my turn tonight.” Gregory stood there and glared at Nicholas with his cheeks puffed up in anger.
Nicholas was highly annoyed when he saw -Gregory acting this way. Finally, he wrapped his arms around Tessa as he intoned glacially, “She is my wife. Go find yourself a wife if you want someone to sleep with you at night.”
Always Been Yours Chapter 1443-“I don’t want a wife! I only want Mommy!” Greg rebutted without hesitation and launched a coquettish attack on Tessa.
“Mommy…” he whined in pity and his voice was filled with grievance, making it harder for her to refuse him. She looked left and right and, in the end, decisively decided, “Okay, let’s sleep together.”
At the same time, Susan was sitting on the couch in a five-star hotel, looking as if she was in a bad mood while on a call. Her father, Rorion, was at the other end of the line.
“It’s almost Christmas, Susan. You’ve been abroad long enough without having a chance to take revenge. I don’t think there’ll be any chance soon, so why don’t you return and spend Christmas with me? We can figure out how to deal with Tessa together.”
He hoped his daughter would return to spend Christmas with him, but her mind was only filled with revenge. “I’m not going back! I’m sure I’ll be able to find at chance to strike back after lying in wait for sol long.”
After she finished speaking, she hung up the phone. Her beautiful face turned grim, and she gritted her teeth as she hissed, “Tessa!”
As soon as Susan hung up, she heard a knock on the door. So, she composed herself and stood up to open the door, only to see Jason standing outside.
She frowned and demanded impatiently. “Why are you here?” She had asked Jason to keep an eye on Tessa because she wanted the latest updates on that despicable woman. That way, she could find an opportunity to take action against her..
However, Jason was unfazed by her terrible attitude. He merely followed her into the living room, stood straight beside her, and reported, “A servant of the Sawyers told me that Tessa would be going abroad in a few days. I think this is our chance to make a move.”
Susan was instantly excited upon hearing this. “Do you know when specifically?” she asked eagerly, but she immediately calmed down the next second. ‘Wait, Nicholas will most definitely follow her if she’s going abroad. I don’t think it’s wise to take action at this time.”
“Don’t worry. Nicholas will not be accompanying her abroad this time.” Jason smiled and dispelled Susan’s concerns. Susan was overjoyed to hear this. “Perfect! Get our men ready. I don’t want any more accidents this time!”
Jason nodded and left the room to make the necessary arrangements. However, Susan was still uneasy after experiencing so many failures. Just then, she recalled the recent internal struggle in the Sawyer Group and immediately. contacted Zachary and his brothers.
Zachary and his two brothers arrived in a private room at an upscale club that evening. They were sitting on the couch, whispering to each other “Zachary, did you find out who arranged a meeting with us?” Felix looked over and asked.
Zachary shook his head but intoned gravely, “Whoever it is, if they are willing to join forces with us to deal with Nicholas, then they are an ally.”
Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, a cold voice sounded in the room. “You’re right. We are allies as long as our enemy is the same person.” Susan sauntered into the room with Jason.
Still, she was smart enough to alter her face, so even if they saw her appearance, they wouldn’t be able to link her to the crime. That was the same for Jason. The three brothers looked stunned when they saw the pair. Clearly, they did not expect the person who invited them to be a woman.
At this moment, Susan sat down with Jason on the couch and went straight to the point, saying, “I know you have a grudge against Nicholas. However, your father is now in prison, thanks to him. So, I can provide human resources to help you deal with him.”
They looked at each other in silence after hearing that. They were obviously quite tempted to accept the offer but did not think that it would be that simple. Thus, Felix asked, “What are your conditions?”
Susan did not respond immediately. Instead, she accepted the red wine Jason handed her, took a sip, and drawled, “There’s no rush. Listen to my plan before deciding anything.”
“What plan?” Calvin pressed anxiously. Susan curled her lips into a cold smirk as she said, “Being the Sawyers, you should be well aware that Nicholas’ weakness is his wife, Tessa.” She paused for a moment, and her gloomy gaze swept across the faces of the brothers. They were not stupid and almost immediately understood what this woman meant. “Nicholas highly values this woman, so capturing her is difficult.”
Always Been Yours Chapter 1444-Felix frowned slightly as he felt that the plan had a minimal chance of succeeding. However, Susan was not surprised by his reaction and continued, “It is precisely because he values her so highly that as long as we capture her and use her as a bargaining chip, he will definitely release your father. You don’t have to worry about manpower. I can provide them.”
The three brothers became more convinced and tempted after hearing her proposal. Nonetheless, Zachary and Felix still erred on the cautious side. After all, it would be great if this plan actually succeeded. But if it failed, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Susan saw the hesitation in their expressions and deliberately incited them, “What’s the matter? I’ve offered such good conditions, and yet you’re still cowering before Nicholas’ might? None of you have the guts to confront him for such an injustice? Ugh, it’s no wonder that you were tricked by him and lost half of your assets.”
This remark undoubtedly reminded them of the incident where they were played fools by Nicholas. Calvin, being the most explosive of the three, immediately fell for her ploy, hook, line, and sinker as he blurted, “Zachary, I don’t think there’s anything to hesitate about. This is such a good opportunity. We have to make him pay. Otherwise, he will take us for easy targets. Moreover, Nicholas was the one who broke his promise first.”
Zachary remained silent, but he had already decided in his heart. He raised his eyes, stared at Susan, and asked seriously, “How do you plan on executing this scheme?”
Tessa was oblivious to the danger looming before her as she was busy with something else. She only had a few days left before she had to fly abroad. Her departure date was right after Halloween.
Today, she remembered something and contacted Timothy, “I will leave for Vienna soon. So, I want to go up the mountain to pay tribute to mother tomorrow.”
The next day, Timothy arrived early at the Dynasty Gardens to pick up his sister. Nicholas initially planned on joining them, but Gordon and Greg caught a slight cold. So, he could only stay home to care for the two children.
Greg was very disappointed about this. He had not seen his grandmother yet. As Tessa and Timothy were just about to leave, he grabbed Tessa’s hand and said, ‘Mommy, can you say hello to grandma for me and tell her that I will visit her when I get better?”
“Okay, Mommy will pass on your message.” Tessa gently ruffled the black hair on his head as her heart warmed at his attentiveness. Nicholas also asked Tessa to ask for a leave of absence from her mother-in-law. Of course, she naturally agreed. Soon, she and Timothy set off. But, unbeknownst to them, two black vans were following them from a distance.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, Timothy took the initiative to carry the things for Tessa. They chatted as they climbed up the hill and soon arrived at the top. Shortly after, they found their way to their mother’s tombstone.
“Mom, we’re here to see you.” The brother and sister greeted in unison, gazing affectionately at the photo on the tombstone.
A woman, who looked similar to Tessa in the photo, was smiling with extraordinary gentleness. The two siblings had a tacit understanding of what to do as one started arranging the offerings while the other started cleaning up without needing a verbal discussion. After everything was done, they stood in front of the tombstone and talked about what had happened in the past year.
“Mom, I got married last year, and now you have two grandchildren. But today, they caught at cold, so I didn’t dare bring them over. My husband’s name is Nicholas, the most. handsome man in the city, and he’s taking care of the children at home today, so he also couldn’t visit you this time.
But don’t worry, when the kids get better, I’ll bring them here again, Tessa said after she was done saying her prayers. Timothy also prayed alongside Tessa. He only started talking to his mother after Tessa had finished with her tale.
“Mom, I found a girlfriend who treats me well, and Tessa likes her too.” The two siblings recounted the ups and downs they had experienced the past year for a long time before finally ending the visit. On the way back, Timothy made sure to support his sister as they went down the mountain.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, two black vans rushed out from the side and blocked their way. The next second, the car doors opened, and about a dozen strong men jumped out, shouting at them. Tessa and Timothy’s faces changed drastically when they saw these people.
“Who are you people? What do you want?” Timothy instinctively shielded his sister behind him. His expression turned cold, and his whole body tensed as he looked at the black-clad men. surrounding them.
Always Been Yours Chapter 1445-However, no one paid attention to him. Instead, the leader of the black-clad men ordered his subordinates, “Capture her.”
Everyone rushed toward the siblings the moment the order was heard. Timothy pulled his sister without hesitation and ran toward the top of the mountain. Alas, as soon as they turned around, they saw that there were also black-clad men behind them, who had appeared from nowhere.
Just as those men behind them were about to catch up with them, a group of bodyguards who were secretly following the Reinhart siblings suddenly appeared and immediately engaged in a fight with the black-clad men. These bodyguards were all top-notch fighters hired by Nicholas. Hence, they could easily fight off ten people at once.
However, this was not a one-on-one situation. Moreover, the number of black-clad men exceeded those of the bodyguards. Just as expected, protecting the siblings became ant increasingly difficult task. Timothy also realized that something was wrong and gritted his teeth as he hissed, ‘T’ll help fight them off. Escape and contact Nicholas.”
He let go of Tessa’s hand without hesitation and went to help the bodyguards. Tessa was distraught, but she knew that this was not the time for her to be afraid. She turned around and ran, but the black-clad men noticed her and immediately ran toward her.
On the other side, Timothy, who was engaged in a battle, turned to see if his sister had successfully escaped, only to see that she was being dragged away into a car by two men. “Tessa ”
The bodyguards also noticed the situation and tried to come to her rescue, but they could not break free from the other black-clad men. In the end, they could only watch helplessly as Tessa was taken away. Timothy glared in fury in the direction where the car left.
The bodyguards remained calm and immediately took out their communication devices to contact Nicholas, who was enraged upon learning that Tessa had been kidnapped. He quickly led his men to the foot of the mountain and informed Edward to call the police.
When Timothy saw Nicholas finally arrive at the scene and get out of the car, he limped toward Nicholas; he had been kicked in the leg during the fight. His expression turned cold when he saw Timothy limping and asked, “What happened?”
“I have no idea. These people came out of nowhere after we finished paying our respects. and came down the mountain. But it does seem like their target was Tessa all along.”
Timothy briefly recounted what had happened earlier and added, “The bodyguards went after them after they took my sister away.”
Nicholas listened carefully and he already had some guesses as to who was pulling the strings in his mind, but he did not say anything. Instead, he looked at Timothy’s injured leg and instructed, “Edward, have someone take him to the hospital.”
Unfortunately, Timothy did not want to go as he feared for his sister’s safety. Nicholas noticed his expression and said lowly, “Don’t worry. I’m here now. You can rest easy. Go to the hospital. You wouldn’t want to worry Tessa when she returns, would you?”
Then, he turned and immediately got back into the car with Edward, hoping he could catch up with the bodyguards.
On the other hand, Zachary and his brothers had been anxiously waiting for good news. Finally, the phone on the table rang, and they eagerly answered the call.
Susan’s cold voice was heard over the phone. “We’ve captured Tessa, but we’re being followed by Nicholas’ bodyguards, so we can’t meet up now. Let’s reschedule for one hour later.”
“Okay, we’ll meet in one hour.” Zachary nodded in agreement. After the call ended, the three brothers waited for another hour before rushing to the designated meeting place with their men. They planned to use Tessa as leverage in a trade with Nicholas.
Yet, Susan did not show up at the designated place even after a long time. They began to feel uneasy at this turn of events.
“Zachary, what if that woman took Tessa and ran away?” Felix voiced his suspicion. Zachary couldn’t help but feel wary. So, he gave in to his doubts and tried calling Susan, but the call could not go through.
“Sorry, the number you dialed is no longer in service.” As soon as he heard that, he realized that she had tricked them. “Damn it! F*ck! We’ve been played!” He snarled and hung up the phone in a fit of fury.
Always Been Yours Chapter 1446-Calvin and Felix were struck dumb for a good while before their expression twisted into nasty scowls as they finally understood what had happened. Then, they immediately sent people to search for Susan, but after several hours, they still hadn’t received any news.
“Damn it, how could that woman just disappear into thin air? How is it possible that we can’t find any information?!” Calvin kicked the tea table in front of him in anger. His two other brothers also had unpleasant expressions.
“I had a feeling that something was off about that woman from the beginning. Then, she appeared out of nowhere and offered to help us deal with Nicholas. Now, it seems that my intuition was right,” Felix said, trying to sound like he had known this would happen all along.
Zachary’s eyes were as cold as ice as he growled, “Now, the problem is not about finding that woman anymore. It’s about the fact that Tessa has been kidnapped. Nicholas will surely be able to pinpoint that we were involved in this sooner or later, but Tessa is not in our hands. Do you think he will believe us if we tell him that?”
The two brothers’ bodies stiffened upon hearing that, and they felt a sense of fear from the bottom of their hearts. They knew how Nicholas adored Tessa. So, they could not imagine what would happen to them the moment he found out that they had collaborated with others to kidnap her, and on top of that, they had lost her whereabouts.
Meanwhile, Nicholas indeed found out about Zachary and his brothers’ involvement in Tessa’s kidnap based on the clues provided by his bodyguards. He arrived at their temporary villa with an air of hostility, looking like the King of Hell about to drag them through the gallows himself. The brothers could not help but feel their throats tighten as their bodies tensed when they saw Nicholas barging in.
Nicholas’ sharp gaze swept over the three brothers’ faces like a blade as he questioned coldly. “Where is my wife?”
The three brothers exchanged a subtle glance with each other, intending to play dumb. But Nicholas saw through their intentions before they could speak.
“Don’t you dare play dumb with me,” he sneered in a dangerous tone. “Do you think I came here without evidence? I’ll ask again. Where is my wife?” Nicholas seemed to be squeezing out the last sentence from between his teeth.
The three felt a chill down their spine, and it was at that moment that they knew that any denial was useless. So, they chose to confess, “She’s not in our hands either. We were also deceived,”
“Deceived? But you were the ones who kidnapped her. So, how could she not be in your hands?!” Nicholas was so furious with the half- *ssed answer that he took a step forward and roughly grabbed Zachary’s collar.
Zachary looked at the angry man in front of him, and his face paled with fear. The same went for Calvin and Felix; they were genuinely scared for their lives and didn’t dare to lie. They immediately told Nicholas about Susan and her plot.
“There was a woman who came to us and said she could help us save our father. However, she told us you would compromise if we kidnapped Tessa,”
Nicholas clenched his fists tightly as soon as he heard Tessa’s name and gritted his teeth. “Who is that woman? What’s her name? Tell me everything.” He shoved Zachary away.
Zachary didn’t dare pull anything funny and immediately revealed the information he had learned. “The woman’s name is Diana, and I have her photo here.”
Zachary took out his phone, feeling extremely lucky that he had been cautious. Nicholas took a quick look at the photo and handed the phone to Edward. “I want all the information on this woman within ten minutes.” Edward immediately went to contact their sources to investigate.
The wait was torturous and even more so when Edward returned in a hurry with a grave expression in less than ten minutes. “I had our intelligence team use all their abilities to investigate, but we couldn’t find this person.”
The three brothers’ faces changed instantly. They could not believe what they had just heard and exclaimed, “How is this possible?”
“How dare you lie to me?!” Nicholas glared at the three men furiously. His fists clenched, and his veins bulged. Then, in the next second, he attacked the three brothers in a fit of rage. The three brothers were used to living a pampered life, so they were almost unilaterally beaten into a pulp by the enraged man.
Edward was worried that it would lead to severe consequences when he looked at the three men curled up on the ground and quickly stepped forward to hold Nicholas back.
Always Been Yours Chapter 1447-“President Sawyer, we’ll have a chance to take care of these three people afterward. The most important thing now is to think of a way to locate Mistress.” His words jolted Nicholas out of his irrational state and he finally calmed down.
In the meantime, the Tessa whom they were so worried about had been brought to the mountain in the suburbs. This was a very barren mountain that was surrounded by rocks everywhere.
After they took her away, she was knocked out, and they carried her over their shoulders like she was a sack of potatoes. A short while later, they reached the top of the mountain, where the men in black woke her up violently with icy, cold water.
Tessa was riddled with fear at the sight of these unknown men surrounding her after she blinked into awareness, especially after she realized that she was placed next to a cliff. Her eyes filled with terror as her teeth chattered in fright.
But very quickly, she tightened her jaw and forced herself to remain calm. “Who are you, and why did you abduct me?” “You don’t have to know who we are. All you need to know is that we need you to die.”
She was horrified by his apathetic words as she turned sideways to look at the cliff behind her, which was dark and bottomless. She couldn’t even see the end of it at all.
Even so, she knew that the chances of survival were zero if she fell from here. The thought of that made her rattle with fear because she didn’t want her life to end yet.
At the same time, besides fear, she also started feeling dubious. Who are they, and why do they want me dead? she wondered. No matter who they are, I have to get through the crisis at hand.
With that thought in mind, she put up a strong front, straightened her back, and started negotiating with the kidnappers, “I know all of you are merely carrying out orders, and you. know very well who I am. If you’re going to kill me for money, I can offer you money in exchange for my life, too, and we can speak about the amount. In addition, if anything should happen to me, my husband would never let you off,” she said, observing the kidnappers around her.
Although there wasn’t any light and the men had covered their faces, she still noticed some clues from the details. All of them are foreigners!
When she realized this, she became even more confused because she couldn’t figure out which foreigner would harbor such intense hatred for her that they would even cross borders just to kill her.
The more she tried to analyze the situation, the more anxious she became, but she continued to put on a composed face. “Also, everything you’ve done already broke the laws of the country. However, if you stop where you are now, I can consider not pursuing the matter.”
The men sniggered as they all knew that she was deliberately stalling for time. “Stop wasting your efforts. If you think that you can drag the time until your husband arrives, you can’t be more wrong than that.”
“What do you mean by that?” She couldn’t conceal the panic in her eyes as she started trembling because of the overwhelming fear that had engulfed her..
However, that man had no intention of explaining himself and simply said emotionlessly, “Our employer has told us to capture you and not let you speak to avoid any unexpected situations. So, you can go to hell now.”
While he spoke, he stepped closer and closer to Tessa. Her eyes never strayed from this unknown man’s form, so she could watch his every move intently, and her heart shuddered more with every step he took
It was then and there that she was completely taken over by fear and wanted to step back out of reflex, but it was a cliff behind her, and she had nowhere to retreat. Right then, the man stopped in front of her, and the pupils of her eyes shrank when she stared at the big and tall man in front of her as he extended his arms.
“Wait a minute!” she shrieked and successfully. stopped the man in his tracks. He frowned as he demanded, “What’s the problem now?”
“Even if you’re going to kill me, at least let me know why I’m dying. I’m really curious about who is this person that despised me so strongly that they would hunt me down in a different country.”
Even though she really wanted to find out the mastermind behind this, she knew that the possibility of finding out wasn’t very big.
Even though she seemed to be stalling for time when in fact, she was using the corners of her eyes to observe the surroundings below the cliff the entire time. She knew that she couldn’t escape her fate today, so now all she could do was try to save herself. At least, she should stay alive until Nicholas arrived.
The man didn’t know what she was planning, so he sneered derisively as he mercilessly watched the woman who still refused to give up and kept stalling for time, even toward the end of her life.
Always Been Yours Chapter 1448-“I’ve told you that nothing you do will work. Today is the day you go to hell, but if you really want to know anything, you can check with Hades once you breathe your last breath.”
After he said that, he approached Tessa again and gave her a hard shove. She couldn’t fight back. Still, she widened her eyes at that man as though she wanted to remember his face.
This cliff was with slopes, and she collided with everything that came her way after she fell off. In addition, the sky was dark, and she was blanketed by the darkness after her very violent descent. Finally, all that was left were the sounds of muffled grunts, but soon, even that sound died out.
To the kidnapper, he had no doubts that Tessa would be turned into a vegetable even if she didn’t die from this fall, and he considered this their mission accomplished.
“Let’s go,” he said, turned around and left. Unbeknownst to him, although Tessa was undoubtedly injured, she still fought to live. While she was rolling down, she still tried her best to grab the things around her. She was also very fortunate because there were a lot of trees growing around the area where she tumbled.
In order to survive, she gritted her teeth as she endured the pain assailing her and tried to roll in a different direction. Finally, after several attempts, she managed to hook her legs to a branch that was as thick as her arm to stop herself from rolling further.
Nevertheless, she didn’t relax and frantically looked around. Under the moonlight, she saw where she had stopped, and it was a perilous spot.
Of all times, the branch that she had used to hook her legs around started to crack, and her face turned stark white. If the branch broke, she would continue to roll down, and she had no idea what was waiting for her beneath this cliff. There was a high chance she would die if she plummeted from such heights.
Thus, she didn’t dare to relax and kept scanning the area repeatedly, hoping to find a spot to support her weight.
At the same time, she kept mumbling to encourage herself, “I’ve promised Nicholas that we’ll grow old together. And there’s also Gordon. He’s still a baby and needs me the most right now. So, don’t be afraid, Tessa, You can survive this.”
While she murmured under her breath, she carefully wriggled and grabbed onto a thick branch, but before she could even feel slightly elated, the branch that she was holding onto could no longer carry her weight and broke off with a loud crack.
She was caught off guard and could only yelp in shock before she started tumbling. downward once more, and her eyes were filled with despair as she gaped helplessly at the trees that were getting farther and farther away from her. Am I going to die here today? No, I can’t die! Nicholas will find me as long as I keep holding on!
Once again, her survival instincts took over, and thanks to Lady Luck, before she could figure out a way to grab onto a branch, she fell right into a bush that stopped her from tumbling and even succeeded in carrying her entire weight.
She heaved a sigh of relief at the abrupt stop. Nonetheless, she immediately started to check out her situation when she realized, to her horror, that her circumstances now were far more dangerous than before. She became stock-still due to terror and didn’t dare to move a muscle. Alas, it was also difficult for her not to move as every inch of her body was screaming in agony, even breathing hurt. Since it was so dark, she couldn’t see anything, but she could feel warm liquid flowing down her forehead, coupled with the thick scent of iron in the air.
She knew that it was her own blood she was smelling, and the blood trickled down her cheekbones, but she didn’t even have the energy left to lift her hand and wipe it off.
Tessa had no idea how long had passed, but every single second was torture. She was cold, and the bush was prickly as it stabbed into her wounds, aggravating her injuries further. Eventually, she started to feel dizzy, perhaps from the excessive blood loss, and her vision started to blur. Gradually, her eyelids felt like lead as they kept falling over her eyes.
“Don’t sleep… Don’t sleep…” she chanted softly and bit deeply into her lower lip in an attempt to stay awake with pain. Unfortunately, it wasn’t helpful since that pain was nothing compared to the wounds that she had suffered on her way down.
Still, she kept trying because she was afraid. that she would never wake up again if she fell asleep now. Alas, she couldn’t stop the physiological reaction of her body despite her extreme reluctance to pass out. Soon, she utterly lost consciousness, and hopelessness engulfed her heart right before her eyes slid shut.
Under the moonlight, the woman appeared like a broken doll lying quietly among the bushes. There was blood around her, and the rise and fall of her chest from her breathing were getting weaker.
Meanwhile, Nicholas contacted the police and finally found where Tessa was. They hastily went to the foot of the mountain to search for her and happened to bump into the kidnappers who were just descending the mountain.
Always Been Yours Chapter 1449- I Can’t Wait That Long
The kidnappers had also seen Nicholas, and they froze in their tracks as their faces became ghastly pale.
Before they could react, the bodyguards who were protecting Tessa earlier recognized them and shouted, "Boss, they're the ones who took Madam away!"
A murderous air exploded out of Nicholas. "Get them!"
At that exact moment, the men he brought with him immediately reacted and fought with the kidnappers. Of course, the other party wouldn't go down just like that. They refused to be caught without a fight.
Earlier, they ended the fight with the bodyguards in a draw because of their numbers, but this time, Nicholas had brought all the men he could bring with him just to search for Tessa.
The end spoke for itself when the bodyguards captured the kidnappers on the spot, and one of them had the pleasure of dragging their leader to Nicholas.
Nicholas glowered at him icily and demanded coldly, "Where's my wife?"
The reckless leader merely smirked and deliberately provoked Nicholas, saying, "Your wife? I pushed her off the cliff. If you get to the top of the mountain now, maybe you can still find her body."
A shiver ran down Nicholas' spine when he heard that, and he fixed his dark eyes at the leader as he hissed through gritted teeth, "If anything untoward happens to my wife, I'll make your life worse than death itself!"
After he threatened the other man, he bolted toward the top like a madman, and Edward quickly instructed the others to take the kidnappers away upon seeing that. Then, he contacted the police and rescue team before going after Nicholas.
A few minutes later, they reached the cliff, and without the need for Nicholas to give them any instructions, Edward immediately told the men to start searching under the cliff.
"Madam!"
They shouted while searching for Tessa, but it was quiet all around except for the sounds they were making, and they didn't receive any answer to their calls.
Nicholas stood on the top of the cliff and felt his heart wrenching in indescribable pain, and his hands were shaking from fear. Just then, he saw that someone from the search team was coming up, and he rushed to them.
"How was it? Did you find her?"
"We didn't find Madam, but we found a small piece of fabric from her clothes," his man answered and showed him a small piece of cloth.
Nicholas snatched the cloth out of his hand and saw that it was indeed a fabric from Tessa's clothes. He was sure because he had personally picked her outfit this morning. He clutched the cloth in his hand tightly as his body trembled.
"I'm sure you didn't look carefully. Otherwise, why can't you find her? I'm going to look for her myself. She's probably waiting for me to save her," he said and wanted to dash down the cliff.
Edward's face paled, and he blocked Nicholas' path with his quick reflexes. "President Sawyer, calm down!"
"Get lost!"
Nicholas grimly shoved him aside. Edward didn't expect such violent resistance, so he staggered a couple of steps away. When he noticed that Nicholas was about to jump off the cliff, he lunged forward without hesitation, grabbed him from behind, and dragged him backward.
"President Sawyer, you can't go just like this. It's too dangerous."
"Edward, I'm ordering you to release me!" Nicholas snarled with a tightened jaw and tried to shake him off.
However, Edward clung to him tightly and tried to persuade him, "I know you're worried about Mistress now, but you don't have any safety equipment with you. So, even if you find Mistress, you can't bring her out of the cliff at all."
The raging Nicholas became a little calmer at his words, and he added, "Let's wait for the search and rescue team to arrive with their safety equipment, and if you want to go down, I'll join you in the search."
Although Nicholas knew that Edward was doing all this for his safety, his nerves were in tatters, and he honestly couldn't care less for all those trivial things. So, he slipped out of Edward's hold. Then, he snatched the rope from a man next to them and tied it around his waist.
"I can't wait that long. Don't worry. I'm going to be all right. Just don't let go of the rope," he said and disappeared under the cliff.
Edward was aware that he couldn't stop him no matter what he did after seeing Nicholas' reaction. So, he instructed the men around him, "Hold the rope steady. If anything happens to President Sawyer, not even all of your deaths can make up for it! Got it?"
"Yes!"
Always Been Yours Chapter 1450- Tessa Is Found
The men did as Edward instructed while he frantically searched for another rope and went after Nicholas instead of standing around.
Meanwhile, Nicholas carefully descended the cliff, looking for Tessa and shouting her name as he went.
"Tessa!"
Even though he knew that the likelihood of getting an answer wasn't high, he wasn't going to give up, and just like that, he searched for her by going down the cliff little by little until he discovered a clue on a big rock—two drops of blood.
Once he saw that, he quickly looked around.
At the same time, he instructed Edward to help him look around. "Tessa may have fallen from here because I found some blood here. Go and look over there. Let me know once you discover anything."
"Okay. Be careful, President Sawyer," Edward reminded and went in the other direction.
And so, both of them started searching along the trail of blood. Finally, Nicholas found Tessa lying motionless in the bushes and surrounded by blood stains. The sight was such a shock to him that he almost stopped breathing.
"Tessa…" he called out tremulously.
But there was no answer from her, and he staggered over with his heart pounding in fear.
Then, he broke into a run and shouted, "Edward, go up and get help down here! Quickly!"
Edward didn't even waste a single second as he had already started his way up the cliff. Once he was there, he was so relieved to see that the rescue team had arrived. Nonetheless, he knew that now wasn't the time as he scampered over, urging, "Hurry! Get down there now! President Sawyer has found her!"
The rescue team hastened their efforts as they made their way down with a stretcher.
About fifteen minutes later, they returned with the stretcher, Nicholas following closely behind.
After Nicholas landed at the top, he swiftly undid the rope around him and dashed to Tessa's side.
Her face was void of color as she lay on the stretcher, and he couldn't tell if her chest was still moving. Both of these combined threw him into a state of peril.
He was honestly terrified that she was no longer breathing, and his extended hand hung mid-air as he hesitated to place it on her.
Fortunately, her body was still warm. Thus, he let out a sigh of relief upon feeling the warmth of her hand.
Then, the doctor who came with the rescue team bolted to them, carrying a medical case.
At the sight of the doctor, Nicholas grabbed the poor woman and ordered, "I want her to be fine before we reach the hospital."
The doctor understood the gravity of the situation, so she didn't protest at his manhandling and merely nodded. Then, she placed the medical box down, planning to attend to Tessa's wounds.
However, when she started her examination, she couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
Although it was soft, Nicholas heard her clearly and asked in concern, "What happened?"
"Mrs. Sawyer may have tumbled down the cliff, but she didn't suffer any fractures. Most of her wounds are grazes, showing that she tried her best to reduce the velocity as she went," the doctor answered and started checking her hand.
This time, the doctor winced at the sight of Tessa's palms which were covered in injuries. They were an utter bloody mess. It looked as though her skin had practically been peeled off, which shocked everyone who saw it.
Nicholas saw it as well, and he felt his heart throb in pain as it filled with worry.
He knew better than anyone how important those hands were to Tessa, so he growled, "No matter what you do, you have to make sure her hands are going to be all right!"
At the same time, Edward had led the rescue team to Nicholas, who was now holding the unconscious Tessa in his arms.
"Hurry, unfold the stretcher," Edward urged the rescue team, and they immediately did as they were told.
Every muscle on Nicholas' face was rigid as he gently placed Tessa on the stretcher.
After she was secured, everyone started to lift her up the cliff with Nicholas at the side the entire time, reminding them endlessly, "Be careful. Hold her still."
Soon enough, they reached the top of the cliff without any accidents, and Nicholas rushed Tessa down the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, an ambulance was already there waiting for them.
When the medical staff saw that she was almost drenched with blood, they immediately rushed to transfer her into the ambulance before speeding to the hospital and rolling her into the ER.
Nicholas was by her side the entire time. It was Edward who caught sight of the blood on him and stepped forward to ask, "President Sawyer, Mistress will take some time in the ER. Do you want me to ask someone to bring a change of clothes?"