Chapter 430

Everything happened so fast that Scarlett barely had time to react. She hadn't expected Xavier to be so decisive and ruthless. The moment his hand closed over hers and pulled the trigger, she instinctively yanked her arm to the side, redirecting the compact pistol toward Cuthbert. The bullet missed Cuthbert's heart by inches and slammed into his arm instead. Xavier hadn't been bluffing—he had meant to kill him. Scarlett's grip tightened on the compact pistol, a shiver running through her. She had been one breath away from committing murder herself. Cuthbert stared at Xavier in disbelief, then let out a sharp, agonized scream. Xavier's fingers closed around Scarlett's hand again, his stance suggesting he intended to fire another shot. Scarlett shoved his arm away, quickly holstered the compact pistol, and stepped back, keeping her distance so he couldn't take it from her again. At that moment, footsteps pounded toward the room. Annabeth rushed to Cuthbert's side, eyes wide with s