Romance

Joshua walked out with a dark expression, issuing orders to Ophelia as he went. "No matter what it takes, bring Lexi to me."

Ophelia did not dare waste a second and sprinted out immediately. Joshua tore toward the kidnapping site in a military jeep. The moment the abandoned port came into view, he froze.

Members of the engineering unit stood at the entrance, all looking helpless. The moment Joshua arrived, Henry Holmes hurried over.

"Has Lexi arrived yet? The kidnappers planted three timed bombs, each with its own timer. We cannot tell which one is real. In the entire city, Lexi is the only one who can disarm this type of device."

At the mention of Lexi's name, a cold glint flashed through Joshua's eyes. He immediately grabbed his phone and called Ophelia. "Where on earth is Lexi? If anything happens to my parents because of her, she'll pay for it."

Ophelia's panicked voice came thr

Joshua clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and slammed his fist into the ground. "Save my mother first."

At his command, four engineers rushed forward. It took all four of them nearly ten minutes to defuse one of the bombs.

The moment Eleanor stood, the remaining two bombs detonated. Joshua's eyes widened in horror as Benjamin was blown apart, his body rendered unrecognizable in an instant.

Eleanor, without protective gear, was hurled back by the blast, crashing violently against the hull of a derelict ship.

Joshua scrambled toward her, hands shaking as he pulled Eleanor into his arms. "Mom."

She opened her eyes slowly, but the warmth and affection that had once been there were gone, replaced by endless resentment. "You're the one who killed your father."

Joshua froze, shaking his head in desperation.

"No, it wasn't like that. It was Lexi. If she hadn't hidden herself, I could 

Joshua grabbed Lexi's wrist hard. "Lexi, you didn't get the relic, so you tried to get back at Mel. You had her kidnapped and beaten, didn't you?"

Lexi looked at him and felt nothing but bitter irony. "Joshua, I was dragged back here by your people. How exactly would I have found the chance to kidnap Melissa and have her beaten?"

Joshua froze for a moment, about to respond, when Melissa staggered into the room. Her face was swollen, clear handprints standing out on her cheeks. "Joshua, don't blame Lexi. I shouldn't have fought with her over the relic."

As she spoke, Melissa reached up as if to remove the relic from her neck.

Joshua immediately stopped her, his voice full of concern. "Someone as vicious as Lexi does not deserve to wear something so sacred."

He then shot a look toward the doorway, signaling the housekeeper.

"Lexi Shaw, since you refused to admit fault again and again, you're grounded. Stay in the basement until you admit you were wrong."

Lexi stared at him in disbelief. "Are you locking me up?"

The Lowes had a notorious tradition of punishing wrongdoers with leather whips. It was merciless. Joshua's expression was cold. "If you did something wrong, you deserve the consequences."

Lexi let out a hollow, self-mocking laugh. "My biggest mistake was marrying you."

Joshua stiffened, then his gaze turned even colder. "Add ten more lashes. Without my permission, no one is allowed to let her out."

Lexi was quickly dragged to the basement. The moment she kneeled down, a sharp, piercing pain shot through her knees. The mat she kneeled on was lined with sharp tacks, each one driving pain into her knees.

The housekeeper held the long whip, looking at her with reluctance. "Mrs. Lowe, please forgive me. This is all Commander Lowe's order."

As soon as he finished speaking, the whip came down hard on Lexi's back. One strike after another, until her skin split open and her back was torn apart, soaked in blood.

When the final lash landed, Lexi collapsed facedown on the floor, her body drenched in red.

The doors of the basement slowly opened. Melissa walked in at an unhurried pace. When she saw Lexi lying there, a smug smile curved her lips.

"Lexi, I already pleaded with Joshua for you. You can leave now." 

At that moment, the pager in Lexi's pocket vibrated. It was a message from her lawyer.

"Ms. Shaw, your divorce from Commander Lowe has been finalized. The paperwork has been sent for delivery. Please watch out for it."

Lexi finally let out a breath of relief. She was free at last. With great effort, she pushed herself up from the floor and looked at Melissa, whose face was still full of smug satisfaction.

"Melissa, I will wait and see your karma catch up with you."

With that, she limped away. After leaving the basement, she went straight back to her room to pack her things. She packed her suitcase and took one last look at the house built on lies before walking away

As she reached the front gate, a sedan pulled up and stopped in front of her. A man with a chiseled face in a sedan rolled the window down.

"Lexi, I am here to fulfill our agreement."

···

At the military district headquarters, Joshua sat on the couch as the soldiers escorted a man inside.

"Commander Lowe, this is the main suspect who kidnapped Ms. Lowe."

Joshua stared at the man with a vicious look. "How much did Lexi pay you to make you bold enough to kidnap Mel?"

The man looked utterly confused. "Who is Lexi?"

A flicker of doubt crossed Joshua's eyes. At that moment, the desk phone rang. It was the police.

"Commander Lowe, this is the Major Crimes Unit. Your parents have been kidnapped, and three time bombs have been planted on them. Right now, only Lexi can disarm them. You need to get her here immediately."

Joshua froze. The secretary, Ophelia Hayes, spoke up urgently. "But Commander Lowe, Mrs. Lowe can no longer see colors."

Joshua ignored what he said and immediately sent people to find Lexi. But every report came back the same.

Lexi had completely vanished from Galoria.


Joshua walked out with a dark expression, issuing orders to Ophelia as he went. "No matter what it takes, bring Lexi to me."

Ophelia did not dare waste a second and sprinted out immediately. Joshua tore toward the kidnapping site in a military jeep. The moment the abandoned port came into view, he froze.

Members of the engineering unit stood at the entrance, all looking helpless. The moment Joshua arrived, Henry Holmes hurried over.

"Has Lexi arrived yet? The kidnappers planted three timed bombs, each with its own timer. We cannot tell which one is real. In the entire city, Lexi is the only one who can disarm this type of device."

At the mention of Lexi's name, a cold glint flashed through Joshua's eyes. He immediately grabbed his phone and called Ophelia. "Where on earth is Lexi? If anything happens to my parents because of her, she'll pay for it."

Ophelia's panicked voice came through the phone. "The housekeeper said Mrs. Lowe went home to grab something and hasn't returned sinc

Chapter 9