Falling For My Ex's Uncle - Chapter 241: Chapter 241

"Laurel, are you listening?" Marvin raised his voice slightly.
"I'm listening." I pressed my dry lips together, sat up straight, and poured myself a glass of water.
"Laurel, are you okay?"
"I'm fine." I forced a bitter smile, my voice calm, devoid of any emotion.
It was as if, in this moment, I could accept all the pain of separation and death without hesitation.
Because I knew that the living had to keep going. I wasn't the only one who had lost loved ones.
Life was about learning to face loss, betrayal, and the wounds that came with them.
Perhaps only when death arrived could all burdens and restraints be lifted.
But right now, I had to live. And I had to live well.
Not just for myself but for the child I was carrying. For the ones who had died—Angela, and my mother.
I had to seek justice for them.
To some people, human lives were nothing more than numbers, insignificant and disposable. But to me, they were everything.
I took a deep gulp of water, biting my lip as Marvin's voice came through the phone again.
"Laurel, what exactly are you planning to do?"
I frowned slightly, a faint smile tugging at my lips. I let out a soft sigh. "Relax, I'm not going to kill anyone."
My voice was quiet, but every word hammered against my heart.
In the silence, I could almost hear the echo of gunshots. Closing my eyes, all I saw was crimson red.
"Laurel, we've found some leads on the people who kidnapped you," Marvin said, his tone colder than before.
"Have you ever thought about who might want you dead? You were kidnapped twice in one week. You're lucky to have made it back alive. Next time, you might not be so fortunate."
I let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Are you hoping there will be a next time?"
"Do you really not have any suspects?" Marvin sighed in frustration.
"Based on the bullets we recovered at the scene, the gunmen were most likely part of a professional assassination group. Laurel, maybe you should divorce your so-called husband."
"You think he's the one bringing all this trouble to me?" I asked.
"Then what? When have you ever been this unlucky?" Marvin's voice carried a trace of anger.
"I thought your so-called husband was supposed to be your shield. Instead, he's become your burden."
"Burden?" My grip on the glass trembled slightly.
"No, those people weren't trying to kill Alex." I took a deep breath, furrowing my brows as I spoke each word clearly. "Their real target was me."
"That's impossible. Why would they want you dead?"
"Because of who I am."
Marvin went silent for a moment. "The Parks family wants you dead? Have they lost their minds? You're Maddox's biological daughter."
"Don't overthink it. I still believe this is the Herrera family's internal conflict. They just named your so-called husband as the heir, and the moment he steps out, he gets kidnapped? The mastermind must be someone from the Herrera family."
"At first, I suspected the Herrera family too, but something doesn't add up. Their timing is off. Why would they attack the moment we left the Herrera Manor?"
"What's the issue? No matter who the heir is, if it's not them, they'd want to get rid of the competition. They must have planned this in advance.
"They even set up roadblocks to prevent passing cars from interfering. They wanted to stage an accident, but things didn't go as planned, and you two managed to escape."
Marvin's voice grew colder. "They ran out of time. If they had killed both of you on the spot, they wouldn't have made it out unscathed. Their only option was to take you first."
Doubt clouded my mind. "Then why didn't they just kill us once we were taken?"
"I haven't figured that part out yet. Laurel, stop overthinking this. I didn't want you returning to the Parks family before, but right now, your so-called husband can't even protect you. If you go back to the Parks family, no one will dare touch you."
"I understand." I set down my glass, the cuts on my hand stinging slightly.
Marvin cleared his throat lightly. "It's late. Get some rest. Take a few days off at home—I'll handle things at the hotel."
After hanging up, I lay back down, closing my eyes. My thoughts were a chaotic mess.
I forced myself to stop thinking and started counting sheep. By the time I reached a thousand, sleep finally crept in.
About twenty minutes later, I drifted off.
The next morning, I was startled awake by the sound of the doorbell ringing urgently.
Outside, I heard Sophina's groggy complaint. "Who the hell is knocking this early in the morning?"
Wrapping a blanket around myself, I got up and walked out.
I saw Gideon standing at the door on the surveillance screen, his face laced with anxiety.
"Let him in. He's... my classmate," I paused for a second. "Let him wait in the living room. I'll freshen up and come out soon."
With that, I turned around and walked into my room.
Ten minutes later, when I stepped out, I found Gideon staring straight at me.
"What's wrong?" I looked at him in confusion. He had seemed in such a rush earlier, yet now he wasn't saying a word.
"You married Mr. Herrera? And you were kidnapped?" His voice was urgent, his expression full of panic.
I froze for a moment. It made sense that he knew about the marriage, but as for the kidnapping—while the police were still investigating, there was no way they would make that information public. That meant...
"Did Mr. Yeats tell you?" I studied Gideon carefully.
Gideon gave me an odd look, his face turning cold. "Why didn't you tell us you were marrying Mr. Herrera?"
"We planned to hold ceremonies in both places. It wouldn't have been convenient for family here to travel to Newton City." I furrowed my brows slightly, but before I could finish, Gideon cut me off.
"Do you even know what's happening? Mr. Herrera has sent out people to track down the kidnappers. And he's given a kill order."
I stared at him in shock. "A kill order?"
Gideon narrowed his eyes, disbelief flashing across his face. He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Do you really have no idea who you married?
"Do you even know what kind of man Mr. Herrera is? Whether he's dangerous or not, you haven't even figured that out, yet you still had the guts to marry him?"
He hesitated for a second before patting my shoulder, then chuckled as he explained, "A kill order means if they resist, they're taken out immediately."
"Killing people comes with the death penalty," I said flatly. Then, as if it was nothing, I instructed Sophina to bring him a cup of coffee.
"At worst, they'll call it a gang fight. A few decades in prison, tops." Gideon shrugged, his eyes flashing with sarcasm.
"Do you think anyone following Mr. Herrera is a saint? These people aren't exactly law-abiding citizens.
"You didn't marry him just to get back at Austin Herrera, did you? Do you even realize you've just traded one mess for an even bigger one?"