It had only been a little over a month since Jessie last came home, yet she immediately noticed many unfamiliar housekeepers in the house.
“Who are you? No outsiders are allowed inside without Ms. Anna’s order.” A housekeeper blocked Jessie at the doorway.
Jessie grew increasingly certain that something was very wrong with the Hickman family.
“I’m the eldest daughter of the Hickman family. Do I really need a few housekeepers‘ permission to enter my own house? Get out of my way!”
However, the housekeeper didn’t budge an inch. Instead, several black–suited bodyguards stepped out from behind her.
“Ms. Anna said no one is allowed in.”
Alisha tugged at Jessie’s arm and lowered her voice. “Jessie, something feels off in this house. I already texted Zane when we arrived. Maybe we should wait for him to get here.”
The more these people tried to stop her, the stronger Jessie’s sense of unease grew.
“Jessie, save me!” Liliana’s desperate words kept echoing in her mind.
At the time of the call, Jessie didn’t believe Liliana was truly in danger. But now, the situation looked far more serious than she had imagined.
“Alisha, I’m afraid if we keep waiting, someone inside might get hurt.”
Alisha let out a helpless sigh. As she raised her hand, the bodyguards behind them swarmed
forward.
To protect Jessie, Zane had arranged for several professionally trained bodyguards to travel with her. Within moments, the Hickman family’s men were subdued with hardly any effort.
Jessie shoved open the door and rushed inside, heading straight upstairs. Inside, Phillip and Liliana lay on the bed. The room reeked of an unpleasant stench.
Phillip’s eyes were shut tight. Only Liliana struggled to stay conscious as she waited for Jessie.
“What on earth happened to you two? Where’s Anna?”
Phillip and Liliana were known for being meticulous and tidy. Yet now, they looked disheveled
and broken.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down Liliana’s face.
“Jessie, Anna is a monster. She’s trying to kill your father and me. We were wrong
about
everything. I never imagined Anna to be this kind of person. I trusted her all these years, and I was wrong! Jessie, please save us.”
Standing behind Jessie, Alisha looked at the scene with zero sympathy.
She let out a cold snort. “Are you actually asking for Jessie’s help just because you’re getting abused? Where were you all before? How pathetic. The minute you’re in trouble, you go crying to your biological daughter. Funny how you didn’t care about her before.”
Liliana bit her lip in shame. “J–Jessie, I’m sorry. We failed you.”
Given the state they were in, Jessie didn’t kick them while they were down.
“Save the apologies for later. Let’s get you two out of here first. Alisha, help me. Take the right side.”
Although reluctant, Alisha moved to assist her.
Just as they were about to lift Liliana, she suddenly stared past Jessie in terror and struggled to say, “J–Jessie, watch out…”
But even with Liliana’s warning, Jessie was still struck hard from behind. Her vision went black, and she collapsed to the ground.
When she came to, she found herself tied to a chair.
Brandon was sitting nearby in his wheelchair, his expression now twisted with a cold, dangerous edge.
“Brandon, what the hell are you doing?” Jessie snapped.
“Jessie, you once promised me you’d be with me for the rest of your life. How could you lie to me? And now, you even want to marry Zane! He’s the one who crippled me. How can you possibly be with him?”
Jessie shivered slightly at the look on Brandon’s face. “You betrayed me first, Brandon. Let me go now before Zane finds out and things spiral completely out of control.”
Brandon sneered, “Jessie, I went through so much trouble to trick you here. How could I possibly let you go?”
