Chapter 278: The sudden intrusion

Words : 1257 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

Chapter 278: The sudden intrusion Oliver’s body crashed against the edge of the coffee table. A sickening thud echoed through the room as the corner struck the back of his head. A sharp pain exploded in his skull, and the world around him began to spin. Blood trickled from his nape, seeping into his collar as he grimaced and shut his eyes tightly, trying to stay conscious through the searing pain. Standing tall, Hugo looked down at him like a man victorious. "You have no power now," he said coldly. "No evidence. No leverage. No one believes in you anymore. You can’t put me in jail this time." He took a step back, wrapping his arm protectively around Susan. "You are finished, Oliver. I got everything I wanted. My revenge is complete." He smiled triumphantly. "And now, I’m disappearing. You’ll never find us. But I hope you live long enough to feel every ounce of guilt. Every second of shame. I hope your own regrets tear you apart, piece by piece." And with that final blow, Hugo and Susan walked away, leaving Oliver bleeding, broken, and trapped in the ruins of everything he had once built. Just as Hugo and Susan reached for the door, ready to make their escape, a wall of tall, imposing figures appeared on the doorstep, blocking their way. Without a word, the men in black suits shoved them backward forcefully, driving them back into the room. Hugo stumbled and lost his balance, collapsing on the floor. Susan let out a startled cry, her eyes wide with panic. "Where do you think you are going?" a broad-shouldered man in a sleek black suit stepped inside with slow, deliberate steps. He pulled off his dark sunglasses and tucked them into his pocket, revealing cold, penetrating eyes. "After everything you have done, did you really believe you could run from the consequences?" All the color drained from Hugo’s face. He recognized the man instantly—Gustave, Augustine’s ever-present shadow, the one who followed him everywhere like an extension of his will. But what was he doing here? And how had he managed to find him? Panic surged within Hugo, though he quickly masked it. Despite the storm raging in his mind, he forced himself to act clueless, feigning ignorance as if he had never seen Gustave before. "Who-Who are you?" Hugo stammered, rising to his feet as his gaze flicked anxiously between the strangers now flooding the house. The entire room seemed to shrink around them. In the center of the formation, Gustave stood with effortless command. He didn’t answer immediately. He simply stared, his lips twitching into a sneer. "Who am I?" he repeated coolly. "You don’t need to know that. Just understand this—I’m here to make you pay." And with no further warning, Gustave struck, his fist crashing against Hugo’s face, sending him sprawling across the floor yet again with a grunt of pain. Hugo groaned, clutching his jaw as he writhed in shock. Susan screamed, stumbling back, both hands flying to her mouth in horror. Hugo looked up, blood pooling in his mouth. "How did I wrong you?" he gasped, dazed. "I don’t even know who you are. You’ve got the wrong person—this is a mistake." But Oliver, still slumped in pain nearby, watched with wide eyes. As the recognition dawned on him, his lips curled into a sly smile. Since Gustave was here, Oliver believed Augustine had used his resources to track down those who tried to hurt Anne. It was a revenge. "You made a fatal mistake," Gustave said, ignoring Hugo’s words. He turned to the silent men behind him and gave a short nod. "Take him. You know what to do." "No—wait," Hugo’s voice cracked with panic as the men in black advanced on him. He scrambled backward across the floor, desperation in his eyes. "At least tell me why. What did I do to deserve this? I don’t even know you." He continued to feign ignorance, hoping it would buy him a little more time. He knew his men were on their way and would arrive shortly to extract him and Susan. All he needed was a few more minutes, just enough to stall. Once they got there, he would strike back with brutal force and eliminate everyone in his way. Gustave raised a hand, stopping the others mid-step. Then he walked forward slowly. "You hurt someone you had no business touching," he said, his voice deadly calm. "You messed with someone precious to my boss. You lied, you schemed, and you let her suffer for years. You even tried to kill her." He paused just a breath away from Hugo’s face. "And you thought you could walk away? You thought wrong." Hugo’s complexion turned ghostly white as a surge of panic gripped him. His thoughts raced in a frenzy, trying to piece together how Augustine could have uncovered the truth. The kidnapping of Raya had been executed with absolute secrecy. Only three people in the world, Hugo himself, Susan, and Oliver, knew about it. Even the police believed it had been a genuine abduction. But it was a fake kidnapping aimed at abandoning Raya. The plan had been flawless, carefully constructed, and clean. So, how the hell had Augustine figured it out? A cold sweat broke out on Hugo’s forehead. He had always viewed Augustine just as another businessman trying to make his mark, a discarded son of the Beaumont empire, a man with a company too small to matter, a name too faded to carry weight in the city’s real power circles. Hugo had not expected Augustine to have the power or resources to meddle in deep affairs. But now, surrounded by highly trained men who had tracked him down with precision, Hugo felt a gnawing sense of dread. Had he underestimated Augustine? ’No... no, this can’t be real,’ he told himself, clinging to denial even as fear crept into his bones. ’This has to be a mistake, a misunderstanding.’ But despite his inner protest, the unease twisted tighter in his gut. The confidence he once had begun to crack. And the look in Gustave’s eyes made one thing painfully clear: Augustine wasn’t an ordinary man. He was a man with reach, secrets, and power. But he still thought to stick to his earlier plan. "I don’t know who you are talking about," Hugo said, shaking his head in desperation. His gaze moved past the door, searching for any sign of his men. But still, there was none. "Just let me go, please," he pleaded. "I can give you anything you want—money, property. Just name your price. I swear, I’ll disappear. You’ll never see me or Susan again." His hands were slightly raised in surrender, eyes darting from Gustave to the men surrounding them, searching for the smallest opening to escape. But his plea was cut through by Oliver’s sharp, cold voice. "He is here for revenge." Oliver sneered, satisfaction blooming in his chest as he leaned forward slightly, blood still staining his collar. "He is here on behalf of my daughter... Raya." Oliver’s gaze locked on Hugo, a flicker of vindication in his tired eyes. "You won’t get away this time. Augustine loves his wife more than anything in this world. And for what you did to her, he’ll go to any length to make you pay." He pointed his slightly trembling finger at Hugo. "You, your lover, and that daughter you manipulated your way into the Granet family with...you are all finished."

Chapter 278: The sudden intrusion

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