Chapter 629

Chapter 629:

His eyes widened in shock, and he gasped, clutching at his throat as if the air had been stolen from his lungs. A strangled sound escaped his lips, and he staggered, looking down in horror.

A card, thin, sharp, and deadly, had pierced his throat, embedded so deeply that it was almost fully lodged within his flesh. Blood began to seep out, staining the collar of his shirt a dark red.

Zane’s life force rapidly dwindled, his hands clawing at his throat as he collapsed to the floor, his body convulsing in a final, desperate attempt to draw breath. “Please… help me…”

His gaze, filled with despair, locked onto Ashton, his hand weakly reaching out for salvation.

Ashton, jolted from his initial shock, moved to intervene. However, before he could reach Zane, the latter’s body jerked violently and then fell unnervingly still.

“Someone get an ambulance, now!” Rayden barked across the room.

Ashton dismissed the idea with a grave shake of his head. “No need. Remember, I’m a doctor. It’s too late. Zane’s beyond help.”

The starkness of Ashton’s words hung in the air, leaving a heavy silence.

Ashton’s attention was drawn to the card around Zane’s neck—an unmistakable signature. He quickly scanned the surroundings.

Just outside, Red Jack stood nonchalantly against a tree, his gaze mockingly fixed on the scene unfolding inside. When their eyes met, Red Jack’s smirk only deepened; he cheekily waved, flaunting his audacity.

Enraged by the brazen murder and the blatant provocation, Ashton released his grip on Alisha, who was still clinging to his side, and bolted from the room, fueled by a surge of fury.

As Ashton burst through the doorway, Red Jack took off with deceptive slowness, his escape seeming almost languid. Unwavering, Ashton gave chase, doggedly pursuing Red Jack across the sprawling grounds of Carter Manor, through miles of winding paths, until they reached an isolated copse of trees.

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At the edge of the woods, Red Jack paused and turned to face Ashton, a smirk of satisfaction curling at his lips. “You know, I used to think you only excelled in bursts of speed, but your endurance is commendable too. Looks like I wouldn’t stand a chance in a head-on fight with you.”

Ashton’s response was cool and distant, his eyes sharp and calculating.

“You led me here with a purpose. Out with it. What are you really after?”

Adopting an expression of mock hurt, Red Jack lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Why the suspicious glare? Didn’t you enjoy the little surprise I arranged? Maybe I should just give up now, huh?”

Ashton shot back sharply, “Surprise? Watching you murder the only lead I had was quite the ‘surprise,’ indeed.”

Disappointment clouded Red Jack’s features momentarily. “You think your witness just stumbled into exposure that quickly?”

Grasping the implication, Ashton replied, “So, the card wasn’t left behind unintentionally—it was a deliberate act. You sent Zane to fetch it and unwittingly expose his betrayal to us.”

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