Chapter 930

After what felt like an eternity, the car slammed to a halt. Felicia dragged Leonie out

of the vehicle, and the guards hauled Dorian out behind her.

"Who's in charge here? I brought the money. Where is my daughter?"

Mrs. Everhart's voice rang clear through the air. Her mother had really come.

Felicia beamed with twisted delight.

"Looks like Dorian brought me a massive payday after all. Since you kept your word, Mrs. Everhart, you'll get your daughter back. Relax. But before we make the exchange, my men need to verify the cash."

Leonie was still blindfolded, completely blind to the standoff in front of her.

Mrs. Everhart maintained her composure. Seeing her daughter safe and sound beside Felicia, a massive wave of relief washed over her.

But when she saw the mangled, barely recognizable man they dragged out behind her, her expression darkened.

That escort was the reason Leonie had been abducted in the first place. If it weren't for her daughter, she would never have paid fifty million for a piece of trash.

Hearing her mother's voice, Leonie cried out, "Mom!"

Before she could say another word, Felicia's guards clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Keep your mouth shut. Once we verify the goods, you're free to go."

Mrs. Everhart stood silently as Felicia's men cracked open the briefcases. Neatly stacked rows of hundred-dollar bills lined the cases.

To make up the difference, Mrs. Everhart had even brought gold bars. The guards signaled to Felicia, and she laughed in sheer triumph.

"You really are a woman of business, Mrs. Everhart. Don't worry. I'll return her to you without a scratch."

She was just about to order her men to hand over Leonie and Dorian when the piercing wail of sirens shattered the air.

One of Felicia's lookouts sprinted toward her in a sheer panic.

"Boss, it's a raid! The cops are swarming the perimeter!"

Felicia stared at Mrs. Everhart in utter disbelief. Her face twisted into a mask of pure, homicidal rage.

"You thought I was joking?! You think I'm a pushover?! I told you no cops! If you wanted her dead, you should have just said so!"

Mrs. Everhart threw her hands up, panic seizing her chest. "I didn't! I swear to God I didn't call them!"

Felicia snatched a handgun from one of her guards, racked the slide, and leveled it straight at Leonie.

Mrs. Everhart's heart stopped in sheer terror. They were only a few feet apart. Seeing the gun pointed at her daughter, she launched herself forward.

But Dorian was faster. With a final surge of adrenaline, he threw his broken body over Leonie.

Gunshots cracked through the air. Dorian took the brunt of the fire, collapsing into a pool of blood. Felicia froze. She had aimed for Leonie; she never intended to kill Dorian.

But one of the bullets had struck Dorian directly in the head. It was a fatal shot. No surgeon in the world could save him now.

In the hail of bullets, Dorian took every hit, shielding Leonie until his final breath. Desperate to protect her daughter, Mrs. Everhart threw herself into the crossfire.

A bullet tore straight through her chest. She crumpled to the concrete.

A massive perimeter of police

officers converged on the scene. By

the time Mr: Everhart rushed

'e

through the blockade his wife was already gone. Leonie clutched Dorian and her mother's lifeless bodies, screaming in absolute agony.

Layne froze in shock. He had supported his father's decision to call the police, and this was the cost. He slapped himself brutally, tears streaming down his face.

Leonie was entirely broken. Mr. Everhart saw his wife-the woman he had loyed since they were young lying lifeless on the ground. It was as if lightning had struck hing His fegs gave out, and he collapsed, unable to stand.

"Mom! This is my fault! Please don't die! It's all my fault!"

The sky broke open, and a torrential downpour began. The heavy rain washed over the concrete, mixing with the pooling blood. Leonie knelt in a sea of crimson, but her mother' would never open her eyes again.

Mr. Everhart crawled through the mud to his wife. He pulled her from his daughter's arms, clutching her to his chest, and let out a guttural, soul-tearing scream.

The proud, older man wept like a shattered child in the pouring rain.

The police swarmed the remaining thugs, but Felicia had vanished into the chaos.

"Get an ambulance! Call a doctor!"

Leonie screamed into the storm, entirely out of her mind.