She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 281

Loyce’s hands were stained with blood, but her gaze remained as cold as ice. She watched impassively as the man crumpled to the ground, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and disbelief, staring at her until his last breath left him.

Kicking the body aside, Loyce shouldered the sniper rifle. She closed one eye, peering through the scope, and adjusted her aim on the surgical suite's window. A colorful pinwheel nearby spun in the gentle breeze, and as it slowly came to a halt, she narrowed her eyes and squeezed the trigger.

In the next instant, a spray of blood erupted from Antonio's temple as he was still trying to rally the neutral parties, painting himself as the tragic son who had lost his father. The blood splattered across Hank’s face. Antonio’s pitiable expression froze as his body dropped lifelessly to the floor, blood pooling around him.

The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.

Hank reacted fastest, diving for cover, his mind reeling in confusion. He knew, with chilling certainty, that bullet was meant for his head. Why had it struck Antonio instead?

In the midst of the crisis, guards rushed in, shouting, “Those bastards are storming the entrance, fighting like they’ve got nothing to lose!”

The matter of Laurence and Antonio was instantly sidelined as everyone mobilized to repel the attack.

High up in the tower, Loyce had already spotted the bikers approaching the villa's entrance. She swiveled the sniper rifle, aimed at the intruders, and with narrowed eyes, pulled the trigger again.

The bikers, who had apparently struck a deal with Antonio, were gunned down the moment they breached the entrance. Their leader, seeing the ambush, cursed, “Damn it, it's a trap! Pull back!”

By the time Hank and his men reached the gate, they only saw the attackers retreating. His men were baffled. “What the hell is going on?”

Hank’s head snapped up, his gaze locking onto the tower. “Get up there and check it out,” he commanded.

When Hank and his men stormed the tower, all they found was the still-warm body of a sniper. Shell casings littered the concrete floor, glinting coldly in the setting sun. He knelt, his fingertips brushing against a casing—it was still slightly warm.

“Just left,” Hank frowned. “Search the entire estate! Turn it upside down!”

...

Meanwhile, Loyce had already followed a pre-planned route to the woods at the edge of the estate. A pretty young woman was waiting for her—the same one who had been present during the Onyx Tiger assassination at the Sovereign Casino.

“A sniper? How could there be a sniper? I have men covering a three-mile radius!” Laurence slammed his hand on the bedframe, shaking the IV stand. “Where's Hank?! Where is he?!”

Although Laurence greatly admired his chosen successor, they had an agreement: no matter what evils Antonio committed, his life was to be spared. He was, after all, Laurence’s only bloodline. Could Hank have changed his mind?

Laurence’s mind was in turmoil. Frail from the surgery, his emotions got the better of him, and he soon found himself unable to speak, merely mumbling, “Get... get ‘SaintHealer’.”

The consultant immediately signaled Hank's men, then turned to Laurence. “When you had no pulse, everyone thought you had faked your death. Antonio believed it was a conspiracy between ‘SaintHealer’ and Hank, so he locked ‘SaintHealer’ in her bedroom. We'll go get her right now.”

However, the men leaving the medical suite to find Loyce ran straight into Hank, who was heading there from her bedroom.

“‘SaintHealer’ isn't in her room,” Hank said. “The window is wide open.”

The consultant pictured Loyce’s small frame. “That room's on the third floor. Did she just jump?”