Chapter 1Protect Him? Then Face Me

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.”

* * *

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.”