Chapter 686

His cold face instantly became gloomy. Walking up to her, he looked at her and said, “Yes, I’m beating him up. What are you going to do about it?”

“….Sylvia stuttered. Then, she threw herself into his arms and tried to constrict his arms by wrapping her arms around him. She looked up to him and said, “odell, | won’t let you hit him!”

Odell stood still, allowing her to hold him tightly. His lips and eyes curled as he chuckled, “Just you alone?” Sylvia increased her strength. She refused to surrender and shouted defiantly, “Yes, me alone! As long as I’m breathing, | won’t let you hit him!

The moment the words fell, both her arms were wrenched away with a greater force. Sylvia was shocked. She tried to grab him again but the man caught her by the waist. She found herself being lifted up and pinned under the man’s arm.

She was then carried closer to Thomas and forced to watch him land a kick on Thomas with his foot that was encased in a leather shoe.

Thomas curled up in pain, but his eyes remained fixed on Sylvia. His eyes were bloodshot as he weakly cried out, “Leave me alone…” Sylvia cried, “Odell, stop! Stop! I’m sorry, | shouldn’t have said that to you, please let him go!” However, the more she begged, the harder he kicked. He continued until Thomas had been knocked out.

Sylvia broke down into tears and cried out, “Odell, stop it! He’s your brother. You’re going to kill him!” The man furrowed his brows tightly and retracted his leg.

Sylvia wanted to check on Thomas but Odell tightened his arms around her.

She started pounding on his back

Odell grunted. He glanced at the unconscious Thomas on the floor before taking Sylvia out of the room In the living room, he saw the two bodyguards that he had stationed in the building and he said, “Take him to the hospital. Make sure he doesn’t die.” “Yes, sir!” The two bodyguards immediately ran upstairs. Sylvia was relieved by his words and she stopped pounding his back. However, her eyes remained reddish as she stared at him.

Oxfell noticed the look of resentment that she had in her eyes. He bellowed, “Wait!”

The bodyguards (ruze and turned around.

His eyes were glued to Sylvia as he said, “When he’s done with the treatment, bring him back and lock him up. If he tries to escape, break his legs.” Since his brother loved playing all these tricks and the woman in his arms refused to believe him, he might as well lock his brother up until he died! “Yes, sir!”

The two bodyguards then ran up the stairs. “Odell, this is ridiculous!” Sylvia pounded his back again as she cursed him, “You’re insane, you’re an *sshole!”

Odell grinned and said menacingly, “Scold me again and I’ll make sure he dies in this place.” Sylvia shut her mouth up immediately and stopped pounding him.

Her face remained flushed but she was a lot more obedient than before. Odell grunted and carried her out of the house. The two bodyguards were very quick. As Sylvia was being shoved into the car, the bodyguards had already carried Thomas into another car. Sylvia wanted to have a look by sticking her head out of the window but Odell pushed her back inside. As she glared at him, he narrowed his eyes at her, Sylvia angrily withdrew her gaze and sat quietly. The car sped down the driveway and the scenery outside the window passed by rapidly. The man in the driver’s seat remained cold as he kept his eyes glued to the road and did not engage in a conversation with her. On one hand, she was worried about Thomas while on the other, she also resented him so much. There was no way she would want to talk to him.

Chapter 687 When the car stopped in front of her place, Sylvia unfastened her seat belt and moved to leave the car.

“Don’t let me catch you there again, or | will really destroy him,” he said as he shot a gloomy gaze at her. Sylvia’s eyes shifted slightly before she got out of the car and ran into her house.

That night, Sylvia could not sleep at all. She rolled around on her bed as she struggled to sleep. It was not until midnight that she finally received a text back from Sherry.

“Syl, | found out that Thomas was admitted into a private hospital in the suburbs. He’s a little weakened, dehydrated and has some superficial injuries, but nothing serious. He was discharged this evening.”

Sylvia breathed a sigh of relief. However, the thought of Thomas being imprisoned again made her heart sink She had to come up with a way to save him and take him away from Westchester. After another hour of struggling to sleep, she got up to approach the window and had a peek at Odell’s house.

She made sure his lights had been switched off before she snuck out of the house.

Two hours later, she arrived at Thomas’ villa again. This time around, she skipped the main entrance and the side entrance, which she had tried earlier that day, and went straight to the inconspicuous wall. She had brought Isabel here before when she had lived here with Aunt Tonya and the kids.

The walls were not very high and there were some rocks that she could step on at the side. It was inconspicuous enough for her to avoid the bodyguards.

She easily climbed over the wall and realized that there was no one around. She arched her back and tiptoed along the wall to the front of the house.

The bodyguards had been stationed at the front, so Sylvia climbed into the house through the window and made her way to Thomas’ room.

The door was unlocked, so she opened it quietly.

The lights were on inside and she saw Thomas’ thin figure sitting by the window, seemingly lost in thought. His thin face added to his melancholic look.

Sylvia snuck inside and closed the door.

Thomas heard the sound at the door and turned around to find Sylvia there. His gaze shifted as he furrowed his brows and said, “What are you doing here at this hour? Shouldn’t you be at

home now?” “I’m here to save you,” said Sylvia as she went up to him and held his hand.

Thomas did not stand up. “I can’t leave. Go back, and don’t let Odell find out you’re here.” “Il know how to get us out of here without being noticed. It’s not too late. Come on, follow me,” said Sylvia as she tried to tug him out of the chair.

Thomas remained seated.

Sylvia exerted more strength to tug him out of the chair. She managed to get Thomas up but she had overestimated her strength and accidentally caused him to knock a vase off the table that was next to him.

The vase fell and shattered on the floor.

The noise sounded extremely clear in the quiet night and seemed to echo throughout the entire villa

Horrified, Sylvia immediately got up and hid behind the curtains.

As expected, a bodyguard came in a few seconds later and scanned the room. He asked,” Second Master, what happened to the vase?”

Thomas was already back in his seat when the bodyguard came in. He looked at the bodyguard coldly and said, “I smashed it because | was angry.” The bodyguard gave an awkward chuckle. “It’s late. Please get some rest.”

The bodyguard’ then closed the door and left.

The room returned to silence after a while, Thomas looked in the direction of the curtains and said with a smile, “He’s gone. You can come out now.”

Chapter 688 Sylvia came out from behind the curtains and went to his side.

She grabbed his hand again and said seriously, “Thomas, please leave with me now. Believe me, | can get you out of here.” Calmly, he stared into her eyes and asked, “Then after that, what next?” “I’ll take you away from Westchester. As long as you leave the city, Odell won’t be able to lay his hands on you anymore.” “What about you? Will you be leaving with me?”

Sylvia was stunned. She began to avoid his scorching gaze and said in a small voice, “I can’t leave. | have to be here to take care of Isabel and Liam.”

“Then leaving does not mean anything to me,” Thomas said with a chuckle. “I’d rather be locked up here by Odell. At least I’d still be able to see you.”

“No! Odell is unpredictable, he might break your legs tomorrow or beat you up the day after.”

“As long as | can see you, | don’t mind being crippled,” he said to her with a gentle smile. Sylvia felt a sinking feeling in her heart. Him trying to console her only made her feel worse. “Thomas, it’s not worth it. I’m not worth going through all of this. It’s more important for you to take care of yourself.” “To me, being with you is the most important thing.”

For a moment, Sylvia choked up. It was true that he had promised to be with him but she could not just leave her kids because of him either.

As she pondered the quandary she was in, he continued, “Sylvia, why don’t you bring Aunt Tonya, Isabel and Liam along and we could all leave this place together?”

“Huh?” Sylvia was shocked by his suggestion.

He looked at her and whispered, “If you really want me out of here, and if | could get out, would you be willing to bring them along and leave with me?” Sylvia pursed her lips, her mind in a whirl. The terms in the divorce papers had clearly stated that she was not allowed to take the kids away from Westchester without his permission. “Like you said, Odell is unpredictable. If you continue to stay here, I’m afraid that he might eventually hurt you. | have some assets abroad, and the environment there is just as good as Westchester. It’ll be a good place for the kids to grow up too.”

Sylvia was still feeling torn. She had really never considered the option of leaving Westchester with her kids. “Thomas, 1…”

Thomas siniled, “It’s okay. Just think about it first. When you’ve finally made up your mind, it

still won’t be too late to take me out of here.” Sylvia frowned. She had snuck into the villa in the middle of the night to save him and she could not guarantee that it would go smoothly again next time. After considering it for a while, she sighed and said, “Fine.” Odell was indeed an unpredictable person. At times, he could even be said to be crazy. If he was capable of torturing his own brother in this way, there was a high chance that he might do worse to her in the future. Thomas was right to be concerned for her.

The two kids needed a healthy environment to grow up as well, not an environment where their parents would engage in constant conflicts. Sylvia said, “Thomas, | promise you that when | manage to get you out of here, I’ll bring Isabel, Liam and Aunt Tonya along and we will leave Westchester together.” Thomas grinned. “Great.” This time, he stood up by himself without Sylvia’s help. Sylvia then pulled him along by his hand to walk to the door. Her movements were unhurried. Instead, she opened the door very slightly to check the situation outside. After the coast was clear, she quietly led Thomas out of the door.

They moved along the wall and headed towards the stairs.

She glanced at the bodyguards who were standing at the entrance before she held her breath and walked down together with Thomas.

Finally, they arrived at the window that she had used to climb into the house earlier.

Chapter 689

The window was the same as it had been when Sylvia had climbed in. She popped her head to look both ways before she climbed out.

Then, she turned around and reached out to Thomas, saying, “Thomas, come on. I’ve got you.” Thomas’ eyes shifted for a bit before he said, “Okay.”

Clasping her hand, he stepped onto the window sill before he pushed himself out of the window in one movement. Sylvia immediately pulled him along by the hand as she led him back to where she had come from. Just as she was about to lead Thomas into some shady bushes, a bright light suddenly came on.

The strong light blinded Sylvia for a moment.

By the time her eyes had adapted to the light, she noticed a group of men ahead of her in the bushes. More than a dozen bodyguards in uniforms stood in front

of her, forming a barricade.

Before them was Odell, sitting elegantly on a dark leather chair.

The lights were bright enough for Sylvia to spot the

frosty look on Odell’s face with just one glance.

Her face turned pale as she stuttered, “Odell, I… | was just taking him out for some fresh air.”

Odell ignored her excuse as he was more preoccupied with looking at their joined hands.

Sylvia nervously pulled her hand back and explained,” Odell, Thomas has nothing to do with this. | was the one who dragged him out forcefully. He didn’t even want to leave.”

Odell continued to ignore her. Instead, he looked at Thomas.

Thomas met his gaze. He stepped forward, stood before Sylvia and said to his brother, “Odell, Sylvia was just trying to save me, there’s nothing between us. Let her go and you can do whatever you want to me.”

Odell shot him an icy cold gaze. “I don’t need you to remind me of that.”

Two of the bodyguards went over to Sylvia’s side.

Sylvia was no match for two big strong men so she was easily caught and dragged over to Odell’s side. Left without any more options, she shouted to Thomas,” Thomas! Go back inside! Go hide in your room!” Thomas lips curved into a smile as he looked at her.“ Don’t worry, Odell won’t kill me just yet.”

Odell chuckled. “Break his arms.”

He sounded nonchalant, as though the action of breaking Thomas’ arms were as common as slaughtering a chicken for dinner.

Thomas furrowed his brows. Sylvia screamed, “No! Thomas, run!”

The bodyguards were quick. As soon as Sylvia shouted , they caught hold of Thomas and pushed him to the ground with both his hands laid out in front.

At the same time, another bodyguard raised a baseball bat into the air. With wide eyes, Sylvia screamed, “NO!”

The bodyguards were startled by her scream and instinctively paused. They looked to Odell, as if requesting for further instructions.

In desperation, Sylvia cried out to Odell, “Odell, | was wrong! | shouldn’t have come here! | shouldn’t have disobeyed you. Just do whatever you want to me! Please let Thomas go!”

Odell’s face remained cold as he ignored her.

Sylvia gritted her teeth tightly and added, “I’ll sleep with you, twice or how many times you want—” “Go on.”

His cold words suddenly cut into her pleas.

Before she could react, a loud thunk sounded as the bodyguard swung the bat onto Thomas’ left hand.

Chapter 690

Even the clear sound of bones breaking could be heard.

Thomas screamed in pain, until even the veins on his face bulged out.

Sylvia’s eyes widened in shock.

Her leg had been intentionally broken before, so she knew how it felt as the bone broke.

He had to be in excruciating pain. On top of that, Thomas was a pianist. The blow on his hand would not only hurt him physically, it would also hurt his future.

However, that was not the end as the bodyguard raised the bat again and aimed for the right hand.

Sylvia’s eyes turned red as she continued to scream,“ Odell! Stop! Please make them stop, or I’ll die in front of you!”

Her shout caused the bodyguards to stop again and they looked to Odell for further instructions.

Odell’s gaze clouded over, but after a moment of silence, he said, “Continue.”

The bodyguard raised the bat once more.

Suddenly, there was a scream of pain.

Sylvia had bitten the arm of the bodyguard who had been holding on to her. The pain forced him to release Sylvia as he staggered backwards in pain.

Sylvia ran as soon as she had broken free. However, she did not head towards Odell or Thomas , but to a lake 20 meters away. She had no idea how deep the lake was but she jumped in without hesitation.

Splash!

The sound of the splash rang out over the quiet lake and everything went silent afterwards.

Immediately, the man seated on the leather chair bolted up and dashed towards the lake.

As though he was an arrow that had been let loose, he ran to the lake and jumped in without a second thought.

After being pushed into the lake by Tara once, Sylvia had been afraid of water. However, after that incident, she had learned how to swim to prevent it from happening again.

She would never have thought that she would have to jump into the lake again, much less voluntarily. As soon as she dived in, the oppressive feeling of not being able to breathe assaulted her from all directions.

Isabel and Liam’s faces flashed in her mind as she struggled. She tried to swim upwards but she knew if she did, Odell would never spare Thomas. On the brink of complete suffocation, a dark figure appeared from behind her and grabbed her by the waist.

Sylvia could not see his face yet she could feel that he was strong, so strong that he could easily drag her out of the water.

Soon, she had been brought to shore. Feeling weak, she spat water out of her mouth as she curled up and shivered while laying on the ground. As her vision began to clear up, she saw the man squat down before her.

He was soaked to the skin and his hair was dripping wet. However, this did not affect his handsome looks nor the terrifyingly intimidating look on his face.

Sylvia was so terrified of him that she shrank back.

Odell cupped her face to stop her from squirming away. Almost gritting his teeth, he spat out, “You jumped because of him? You were willing to abandon Isabel and Liam because of HIM?!”

Sylvia’s teeth chattered. “You… You forced me…” Tears flowed from her eyes as soon as those words left her mouth. The tear tracks on her face looked crystal clear under the bright lights, making her wet little face look weak and pitiful.

Odell’s fist clenched tightly.