My private museum was robbed. Just as the security system was about to apprehend the intruder, my wife, my personal bodyguard, threw herself in front of the thief. “Elias, I grew up with Julian. I can’t just watch him die.” Isla fought off a hundred guards, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, but she didn’t yield an inch. Soon, a sharp shard of porcelain from a shattered vase was pressed against my neck. I looked at her, and my heart felt like it was being physically torn in two. I was the one who had pulled her back from the brink of death. I was the one who had hired the world’s top trainers to teach her how to fight. But now, the wolf I had raised with my own hands had turned on me. I pointed to her heart and said, word by word, “Isla. Today, either he dies, or you do.” 1 Isla’s expression didn’t flicker. She looked at me, her eyes filled with a chilling resolve. “Elias, if I want Julian to walk out of here today, no one can stop me.” She was right. With her skills, no one here was her match. The only difference was that before, those skills were meant to protect me. Now, they were being used to protect another man. I clenched my fists and gave my security chief a subtle look. Several guards immediately circled around, cornering Julian. The sharp crack of breaking bones pierced the air. “Julian!” Isla shrieked, whipping her head around. Her eyes widened in terror. “Who told you to touch him?” Julian’s face was a mask of blood, his arms hanging limply at his sides. “Isla, save me,” he rasped. “I don’t want to die here.” In a flash, the porcelain shard bit into my skin. Isla’s eyes were bloodshot, her hand trembling as she held the makeshift weapon. “Elias, you forced my hand,” she snarled. “Everyone, listen up! If anyone moves, your precious Mr. Vance dies. Now! Clear a path!” I took a deep breath, a bitter smile twisting my lips. I never would have imagined that the woman I had poured my entire heart into would become the blade pointed at my own throat. Seeing me held hostage, my men froze, not daring to move. I glanced at Isla. She was coiled like a spring, strands of hair plastered to her forehead with sweat, but her gaze never left Julian. “This is the first time you’ve ever disobeyed me,” I said, my voice low. “If I refuse to let him go today, will you kill me yourself?” Her expression faltered for a fraction of a second, but the pressure on my neck only increased. Blood trickled down my skin. She dragged me to the car waiting at the entrance. Only after she saw Julian helped safely inside did she finally relax, her tone softening. “Elias, you don’t care about these things. With your resources, you’ll make it all back in no time. Julian is different. He’s like me. We’ve had hard lives. He was forced into this.” Such a noble excuse. My throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton. I couldn't speak. All the love, all the kindness I had shown her, had become a colossal joke. Just as Isla was about to get into the car, someone seized the opportunity and tackled her, wrapping their arms around her in a death grip. “Mr. Vance, get back! I’ve got her!” I rolled away, gasping for air. Isla’s fighting skills were brutally effective. In the blink of an eye, she had the guard in a chokehold from behind, delivering two vicious elbow strikes to his ribs. Blood sprayed from his mouth, but she didn’t even flinch. But then, a shout came from the car. “Isla, look out!” She spun around just in time to see another guard’s knife slice across both of her legs. Deep gashes opened up, blood pouring out. Gritting her teeth, she kicked the man away and scrambled into the car. As the engine roared to life, she rolled down the window. Her voice was cold, devoid of any emotion. “Elias, you saved my life once. These two cuts… consider them my repayment. From now on, we’re even.” 2 I still remember the first time I saw Isla. She was wearing rags, and her legs were a mess of infected, ulcerated sores. There was barely an inch of healthy skin visible. I was just passing through that impoverished mountain village, but she had crawled into the middle of the road with her last ounce of strength, clinging to my leg. “Sir, please, I’m begging you, take me with you,” she had pleaded. An old, withered man had chased after her. Seeing my car, he had scoffed. “This one’s not going to last much longer anyway. Can’t even sell her. If you want her, three hundred bucks and she’s yours.” He wasn’t wrong. When I brought her back, she was suffering from multiple organ failure. The doctors gave her less than a day to live. I searched everywhere for a cure, finally finding a reclusive traditional doctor who gave me a powerful, ancient formula. “This medicine is aggressive,” the old doctor had warned me, “but it’s the only thing that can keep her alive. Remember, she must take it every single day, without fail.” I never forgot his words. I personally supervised her medication every day. When she finally recovered, she knelt before me, stubborn and proud, determined to prove her worth. She threw herself into combat training, and the day she returned, she smiled at me and said, “Elias, you used to protect me. From now on, it’s my turn to protect you.” And now? The heart I had offered her so freely was balanced against two cuts from a knife. I immediately used all my connections to lock down the news and sync intelligence with Interpol. But it wasn't long before an anonymous video appeared in my encrypted inbox. I opened it. The video showed Julian tending to the wounds on Isla’s legs. The gashes on her pale skin were gruesome. “Julian,” she was saying, her voice soft, “when you left the village, you promised you’d come back for me. I waited for seven years. I guess now… we’ve truly entrusted our lives to each other.” Then, ignoring the pain, she tilted her head up and kissed him. It was the first time I had ever seen her be so forward. I had always assumed her passivity in our intimate moments was due to past trauma. Seeing this, I finally understood. I clenched my fists, my body trembling with rage. It was a blatant provocation. But it was far from over. Julian was a master thief and a brilliant chameleon. If he could infiltrate my state-of-the-art private museum, he could easily erase his existence from the world. Recovering the stolen treasures and restoring my reputation in the art world would be nearly impossible. If he wanted to ruin me, then I would have to be ruthless. I assembled my intelligence team and launched a global manhunt. We soon traced him to Europe. My sister, who was studying abroad, helped me pinpoint his location: an ancient seaside manor. When I arrived, a small engagement ceremony was underway. When the woman in the white dress turned around, I knew it was Isla. Her face was serene, radiating a calm happiness. A waiter at the entrance stopped me. “Excuse me, sir. This is a private event. If you wish to observe, please be seated quietly.” I sneered. “An event? The bride-to-be is a married woman. I’m afraid your sacred grounds are about to be defiled.” The waiter looked bewildered. “That’s impossible. Are you saying their identification was forged?” 3 Before he could answer, I stormed in with my men and kicked over a cart laden with champagne glasses. The deafening crash shattered the romantic atmosphere. Isla rushed over, her eyes widening when she saw me. Her expression instantly twisted into one of pure hatred. “Elias! What do you want?” she screamed. “We’re even! I’ve run to the other side of the world, why can’t you just leave me alone?” I just smiled and, in fluent English, informed the guests of her marital status. The room erupted in gasps and whispers. “She cheated on her husband?” “This is the first time a scandal like this has happened at the manor. It’s a disgrace!” Isla’s face turned a deep, blotchy red. Julian stepped forward, his fists clenched. “Elias, this isn’t your territory. You’re a long way from home.” He glanced dismissively at the men behind me. “You brought this small crew to crash my party? I’ll give you three seconds to get out. Otherwise, I’ll make you lick every inch of this lawn clean.” I looked at him, my eyes cold. The last person who spoke to me like that was six feet under. I started towards him. Isla once again blocked my path, just as she had the first time we met. But this time, it wasn’t to beg for her life. It was to defy me. “Elias, this is between us. It has nothing to do with Julian. I promised I would convince him to return what he took. If it’s about the money, I can pay you back a portion of it myself.” “Do you really think I care about those things?” I said flatly. “Isla, your leg is injured. You can’t protect anyone today.” Julian’s voice dripped with contempt from behind her. “Has it ever occurred to you, Elias, that when Isla begged you for help, it was only because she had no other choice? She and I had a promise. I told her I would come back and marry her in style as soon as I made a name for myself.” I fiddled with the expensive watch on my wrist, silent for a moment. Then I ripped it off and hurled it at his face. “Don’t you dare presume to know my motives,” I snarled. He didn't react in time. He cried out as a line of blood and tears streamed from his eye. Isla’s lips tightened into a thin line, and she fell into a fighting stance. Every punch she threw was a vicious, whistling blur aimed at my head. My guards, trying to protect me, were taken down one by one. Finally, one of her punches connected, slamming into my jaw. I staggered back, a tooth flying out in a spray of blood. An invisible hand squeezed my heart, sending waves of pain through my chest. I looked at her—knuckles raw and bleeding, face smudged with dirt—and I smiled. “Five minutes. It took you a full five minutes to land a single punch on me. Have you gotten slower, or has your heart gotten softer?” I had run countless combat simulations with her. On average, it took her fifteen seconds to incapacitate a top-tier bodyguard. She had once boasted, “Elias, with me here, no one will ever touch a hair on your head.” Now, the force of her punch hadn't even been enough to knock me down. “Isla, I told you. I gave you your life. You are no longer of any value to me. It’s time I considered taking it back.”
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