Niamh stared at the WhatsApp message, speechless. Honestly, working for. Jonathan must be a nightmare–no wonder Prescott always seemed stressed.
She half–joked to herself, “Maybe when my company finally makes it big, I should poach Prescott as my assistant.”
But then she remembered the kind of salary Jonathan could afford to pay. Realistically, she was nowhere near that level yet.
Truth be told, attending The Thomas Group’s centennial gala had never been in Niamh’s plans, even though Jonathan had given her a heads–up well in advance. This was exactly why, before their divorce, she had been so adamant about not accepting any Thomas Group shares. The moment she became a shareholder, she’d inevitably get tangled up in their affairs, one way or another.
Still, the last thing she wanted was to get Prescott into trouble at work. With a resigned sigh, Niamh gathered her things and headed downstairs.
Outside, an imperial blue Bentley gleamed under the weight of the night, standing out like a sapphire beneath the streetlights.
Niamh paused in surprise.
But then, considering that Prescott often drove Jonathan’s car, it actually made sense for him to be here tonight as well.
She pulled open the passenger side door. “Sorry about this, Prescott. I know it’s a hassle to come all the way out here for me-”
She stopped short. The man behind the wheel wasn’t Prescott at all.
“Jonathan?” Niamh’s eyes widened in shock.
Jonathan shot her a cool, indifferent glance. “Buckle up,” he said, his tone flat.
ว
“Oh. Right…” Niamh fumbled with her seatbelt, her mind racing. She could‘ sworn Jonathan’s message specifically said Prescott would come pick her up–so why was Jonathan himself here?
It made no sense. Tonight was the Thomas Group’s hundredth anniversary celebration. Shouldn’t Jonathan be at the gala, playing host and running the show? Why on earth would he leave all that behind to come act as her chauffeur?
Especially considering she was just a minor shareholder–nothing close to anyone important in the company’s grand scheme of things.
20:30 11
Chapter 413
No matter how she tried, Niamh just couldn’t figure out what Jonathan was doing here. Surely it wasn’t just because he wanted to see her?
She gave a little shrug and smirked at the silly thought.
They’d barely driven a few blocks when, out of nowhere, someone darted in front of the car. Jonathan reacted instantly, slamming on the brakes. The Bentley screeched to a halt, but the figure collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Niamh’s eyes flew wide open.
Was this… some kind of scam?
Jonathan frowned and, in sync with Niamh, jumped out of the car.
As they hurried to the front, Niamh called out first, “Are you alright? I don’t think we actually hit you…”
She bent down, ready to check for injuries. In that instant, the stranger whipped a knife from inside his jacket and plunged it straight into Jonathan’s abdomen as he instinctively shielded Niamh.
“Jonathan!” Niamh screamed. She barely managed to catch him as he collapsed, blood pouring from the wound, soaking both their clothes in seconds.
Jonathan was drenched in sweat, his face contorted with pain, and he was already fading in and out of consciousness.
“Jonathan, stay with me! Stay with me!” Niamh cried, her hands pressing desperately against the wound to slow the bleeding. She barely registered whether the attacker had fled; saving Jonathan was all that mattered.
She dialed emergency services, her hands shaking. The dispatcher’s voice on the other end was brisk: the ambulances were all out, and only one could make it to them–but it would take at least fifteen minutes. Roadwork and gridlock were choking the entire route.
Without hesitating, Niamh hung up, wrestled Jonathan into the passenger seat, and slid behind the wheel. She floored the accelerator, racing Jonathan’s Bentley through the city toward the nearest hospital.
Meanwhile, back at The Thomas Group’s grand ballroom, a ripple of unease began to spread. First the Thomases, then other guests, started to realize something was off.
Where had Jonathan gone?
This was the company’s centennial celebration, and Jonathan had been there just
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Chapter 413
moments ago. Now, he’d vanished–without a trace, and for far too long.
20:31
“What’s going on with Jonathan?”
