Chapter 98: The Hero Behind the Curtain

Everyone in the room froze instantly, shocked into immobility.

Dust and splinters settled slowly in the sudden silence.

Through the broken doorway, backlit by the garden lanterns behind him, a figure stepped inside with deliberate, unhurried movements.

His hands remained casually in his pockets as though he were simply entering a restaurant rather than a hostage situation.

Wade’s eyes swept across the room with cold precision, taking in every detail in a fraction of a second.

The positions of all four men. The gun. The blood on Ana’s face and Yeager’s battered form. Andrew’s trembling hand still holding the pen above the contract. The angles. The distances. The threats.

Then, despite everything, despite the violence and fear saturating the room, Wade smiled.

It was a cold smile, dangerous and predatory, the smile of someone who had just found prey rather than walked into a trap.

"I heard there was a business deal going on back here," he said conversationally, his voice casual and almost friendly, as though commenting on the weather.

"I got curious about what kind of business requires such privacy during an engagement party."

He took another step forward into the room, still moving with that same unhurried confidence. His smile widened slightly, but his eyes remained ice-cold, calculating, measuring.

"So I thought to myself, ’Wade, you should probably join this meeting. It sounds interesting.’"

Complete silence filled the cottage. Nobody moved. Nobody even seemed to breathe.

The fat man’s cigar had stopped halfway to his lips, frozen in mid-motion. The bodyguards’ all froze in their place.

Ana stared at Wade with wide eyes, hope and terror warring on her face. Andrew looked like he might collapse from shock and relief.

Wade’s gaze finally settled on the man holding the gun to Ana’s head. His smile never wavered, but something in his expression shifted—became darker, more dangerous, more focused.

"You know," he said quietly, his voice dropping to a tone that somehow seemed more threatening than any shout could be, "I really, really hate it when people point guns at my friends. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves. Makes me very... irritable."

The temperature in the room seemed to plummet. The casual friendliness in Wade’s voice had vanished completely, replaced by something cold and deadly that made even the armed bodyguards shift uncomfortably.

Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. The tension was so thick it felt suffocating.

Andrew’s eyes widened in shock. Yeager froze on the floor. Even the leader looked confused. Ana blinked, whispering almost inaudibly, "...Wade."

Hearing her voice, Wade turned toward her. There was no panic, no fear—he simply smiled. That one reassuring smile made Ana’s trembling heart settle. For some reason, the moment he appeared, she wasn’t afraid anymore.

"Kill him!" one of the thugs roared. Immediately, two men rushed toward Wade.

"STOP!" Wade suddenly shouted. His calm voice echoed through the cottage, and the men halted instinctively.

"I’ve already told my sister," Wade said coolly. "If I don’t return within ten minutes... bring everyone here."

The room fell silent. The leader’s confident expression cracked. "What?" His mind raced—Ashridge... everyone here belonged to Ashridge tonight. If people came searching, they were finished.

But before anyone could react, the thug holding the gun ignored the warning and lunged toward Wade.

"Idiot." Wade sighed.

Bang! His kick landed squarely on the man’s wrist. The pistol flew across the room, skidding over the wooden floor. The gunman screamed in pain.

Seeing this, the remaining two immediately abandoned Yeager and charged together. The first swung a heavy punch.

Wade tilted his head—the fist missed by inches. He answered with one punch of his own. CRACK! Blood splattered as the man’s nose broke instantly.

The second thug roared and charged. Wade blocked the incoming punch with one arm. Without even looking, he grabbed an antique crystal vase from the nearby table. SMASH! The vase shattered over the man’s head. The thug collapsed unconscious.

The leader’s cigar slipped from his fingers. "Who... who are you? How dare you interfere with me!"

Wade slowly dusted the broken glass from his sleeve, then looked at him with complete indifference. "Do you even know where you are? You came here personally? How stupid."

The leader frowned. "What?"

Wade leaned slightly forward.

"You’re threatening the family that’s hosting the Ashridge engagement tonight. You really don’t value your life."

The man’s face turned pale. Instinctively, his eyes flickered toward Yeager for a split second—so quickly that no ordinary person would notice. But Wade noticed. His eyes narrowed slightly. Interesting...

Just then, one of the injured thugs silently crawled across the floor. His fingers reached the pistol. Click. He grabbed it. In one swift motion, he pointed it directly at Ana.

Everything happened within seconds. Yeager struggled to stand.

"Miss Bose!" Ana instinctively turned. The cold muzzle was already aimed between her eyes.

Before anyone could react—Whoosh! An antique brass table lamp flew across the room. BANG! The lamp smashed directly into the thug’s temple.

The pistol slipped from his hand. Before it even touched the floor, Wade had already reached him. A sharp kick landed on the thug’s chest, and he rolled across the room.

Wade bent down, picked up the gun, then calmly aimed it at the leader. The room became deathly silent.

"You seem to enjoy threatening people with guns." Wade smiled. The leader swallowed nervously.

"W-Wait..."

Bang! The bullet struck the wall—barely five inches from the leader’s left ear. Stone fragments exploded beside his face.

He screamed.

Before he could breathe—Bang! Another shot. This time, five inches from his right ear.

The leader’s entire body shook violently. Sweat poured down his forehead. The remaining thugs didn’t dare move. Andrew stood frozen—he had never seen someone handle a firearm with such terrifying precision. Even Yeager couldn’t hide the surprise flashing across his eyes.

Ana quietly walked behind Wade. Almost unconsciously, she stood where she felt safest. Behind him.

Only then did Wade glance toward Yeager. His left eye was swollen, his lip was split open, and bruises covered his face. He had clearly taken quite a beating. Wade stared at him for another second before saying calmly, "Call the police."

For the briefest moment, something dark flashed inside Yeager’s eyes—anger, hatred, frustration. But it disappeared just as quickly. He lowered his head.

"...Yes."

Andrew finally rushed toward Ana. He hugged her tightly.

"Ana! My child... are you alright?" Ana nodded, tears finally falling. "I’m okay, Dad..."

Andrew looked at the blood running down her forehead. His hands trembled as he hurriedly pressed his handkerchief against the wound. His eyes turned red. "Call the police!" he shouted toward Yeager.

"Tell them to come through the back gate!"

There should be no hindrance with Eleanor’s ceremony."

Yeager immediately made the call.

Meanwhile, Wade never lowered the gun. He kept all three men cornered. One thug clutched his stomach, another held his bleeding head, and the leader was almost too frightened to breathe. Wade looked straight into his eyes. "Who sent you?"

The leader forced himself to calm down. "No one. I wanted the land. That’s all."

Wade narrowed his eyes. His expression remained unreadable. Liar.

Andrew completely lost his temper. "You’ll rot in prison! I’ll personally make sure of it! How dare you touch my daughter!" He looked around frantically before spotting a first-aid box inside the cabinet. His shaking hands reached for it.

Before he could open it, Wade gently took it from him. "I’ll do it." Without hesitation, he handed Andrew the pistol. Andrew looked surprised. "You know how to use it?"

"I’ll manage." He pointed it toward the criminals with surprisingly steady hands. At this moment, he wasn’t Chairman Bose. He was simply a father.

Wade knelt in front of Ana. He opened the antiseptic bottle. "This might sting." Ana nodded quietly. "It’s okay." The disinfectant touched the wound. Ana hissed. Wade’s voice became noticeably softer. "Just bear with it." She kept staring at him instead of the wound, then nodded obediently.

A minute later, he carefully placed a small bandage over her forehead. "There. Done." He smiled. Relief washed over Ana. Before she realized it, a tear escaped. Wade gently wiped it away with his thumb. "No need to cry now."

Ana smiled through watery eyes. "...Okay." She didn’t look away. Neither did he. Only after a few seconds, they both smiled.

Across the room, Yeager silently watched everything. His bruised face revealed nothing, but his clenched fists spoke otherwise.

Wade closed the first-aid box and walked over to hand it to Yeager. Yeager accepted it. "...Thank you, Mr. Wilson." Wade simply nodded.

Soon, police sirens echoed outside. Within minutes, the criminals were handcuffed and dragged away. Yeager accompanied the officers to give his statement. Since he had been injured, he would visit the hospital afterward.

Andrew turned toward Wade. His eyes were filled with gratitude. He grabbed Wade’s hand firmly. "Mr. Wilson... if you hadn’t arrived today... I don’t know what would’ve happened. Thank you. Truly. If you ever need anything from me... anything at all... just ask."

Wade smiled genuinely. "There’s really no need. You’re family to Mindy. Helping you doesn’t deserve a thank you."

Andrew looked at him for a long moment, then nodded gratefully.

Ana stepped forward. "...Thank you." Wade smiled. "Come on. Let’s make you presentable. It’s your cousin’s engagement. You shouldn’t miss it." Ana nodded.

Five minutes later, Andrew returned to the main mansion. Wade waited quietly outside the washroom. Soon, Ana emerged. She had changed into another dress, her makeup had been fixed, and only the tiny bandage hidden beneath her curls remained.

The two walked back toward the ballroom together. Neither spoke for several minutes. Then suddenly, Wade chuckled. "So... ’Foul Fatso?’ That’s the best insult you could come up with?"

Ana’s eyes widened. "You heard that?" Wade nodded. "Every word."

Ana buried her face in embarrassment. "I was terrified! I couldn’t think of anything else! It just... came out!" Then she burst into laughter. "But... it suited him."

Wade couldn’t help laughing too. "It actually did." Ana laughed even harder.

For the first time since the nightmare began, the fear disappeared completely from her shoulders. As the lights of the ballroom came into view once again, neither of them noticed that tonight had quietly changed something between them.

Not love.

Not yet.

But trust... sometimes, was where every beautiful story truly began.