Without a moment’s hesitation, Jareth dered with a voice rasping with raw emotion,


    “I won’t choose, I want them both!”


    “Ha! Jareth, you’re aiming for the moon, aren’t you?” Gary’s boisterousughter echoed through the room as he turned to Lily, who was standing defiantly on the dais. “Lily, you sure hit the jackpot sticking with your boss. Look at him, ready to take you as his mistress!”


    “You bastard! You maniac! Go to hell! Shut your damn mouth!” Lily’s eyes zed with fury as she screamed at Gary, “Come at me if you want a fight! Leave her out of this!”


    “Watch your step!” Jackson struck the back of her head with the butt of his gun.


    ‘Tsk tsk, what a spitfire, Gary clucked his tongue, while shaking his head.


    The pain was overwhelming, but it did nothing to quench the fire in Lily’s eyes. She shouted to Jareth, “Boss! Don’t worry about me, get Mari out! You must save her!”


    “I want them both!” Jareth’s eyes darkened with a fierce determination as he repeated his resolve.


    “Jareth, you’ve had more than enough already. Don’t be greedy. There’s no such thing as having your cake and eating it too in this world.”


    Gary’s smile was mocking, and his eyes were glinting with the cruelty of a starving wolf. “I can’t have two arms, so how can you have two women? That would be so unfair to me, wouldn’t it?”


    “Just let them go, and I’ll agree to anything you want.”


    Jareth refused to back down. “Money, shares, the Fairhaven Group, it’s all yours!”


    “You see, this could’ve been easy if you’d just cooperated sooner. Unfortunately, it’s toote now.”


    Gary’s smile vanished as he pressed a button on the remote.


    Immediately, a hole opened in the bottom of the ss tank and water began to gush in!


    Mari was kneeling inside, and within seconds, the rising water had covered her shins!


    Feeling his heart was pierced by a sword, Jareth roared and mmed against the ss tank, even trying to hack at it with a knife, but it was all in vain.


    “Don’t bother, this tank was custom–made for her. Bulletproof ss, imprable, andpletely sealed,” Gary taunted, reveling in Jareth’s desperation.


    “Gary, I will kill you!” Jareth charged, reckless of the consequences.


    Gary quickly grabbed his gun and fired three shots; the bullets exploded at Jareth’s feet!


    “Sir! Don’t go over there!” Lily cried; her heart was pounding with fear.


    Jareth gasped for air; as, his gaze returned to the tank, he felt his heart hammered in his chest.


    The water had now risen above Mari’s thighs.


    “This tank will be full in ten minutes. And a person can drown in three, especially one who’s unconscious andcks the will to survive. Ms. Mari will probably go even faster.”


    Gary pointed his gun at Jareth, while shaking with insaneughter. “Honestly, I was hoping you’d choose Lily. I really want to see Mari drown in this beautiful tank I’ve prepared. That would be such a sight, wouldn’t it? Hal


    As the water <b>level </b>rose to Mari’s chest, time seemed to stand still for Jareth; he pounded on the ss, calling out his beloved’s name.


    He couldn’t make the choice.


    If <b>dying </b>could save these innocent women, he would dly embrace death. But to sacrifice one to save the other was a choice he couldn’t bear to make.


    Suddenly, a muffled explosion came from below and shook the building.


    One of Gary’s men burst in, “Sir! The cops have surrounded the building! They’reing in!”


    “What’s to fear? We’ve got plenty of firepower, grenades even. They won’t breach us easily.”


    Gary could still muster a smile, but his amusement was short–lived because Jareth, fueled by grief and anger, picked up the gun Jackson had dropped and started shooting!


    One bullet hit Gary’s thigh, another knocked the gun from his hand. Gary fell to his knees in agony. As he reached for his weapon, Jareth was already upon him, firing another round into his shoulder.


    With thest bullet ready, Jareth aimed at Gary’s forehead.


    But unexpectedly, the tank started up again, leading the the water level to rise, threatening to engulf the girl’s neck!


    <b>“</b>Stop it, make it stop!” Jareth’s voice was a ragged scream, teetering on the edge of despair.


    “Stop? It won’t stop. I never nned to stop. I was just messing with you.”


    Gary panted heavily, with a sinister and evil smirk on his face, “I never intended to live, and my n was to drag you down along with the one you love most to the grave.


    But your little maid didn’t die in vain. If it weren’t for her buying some time, that Abernathy girl would’ve been gone minutes ago.”


    At that moment, the water in the ss tank had reached its peak.


    Mari floated in the water; her beautiful face was a sickly pale, and her hair was swaying like seaweed; it was <b>a </b>heartbreakingly haunting sight.


    Roaring, Jareth grabbed a gun and fired at the ss tank.


    The magazine emptied, but the ss remained unscathed.


    And then, Gary shakily got to his feet and pointed the gun at the back of his own head.


    “Go join your granddad and your <b>dad</b>, you little wolf pup!”


    Bang!


    A gunshot rang out.


    The person who fell was Gary himself.


    SWAT teams burst into the aquatic center; twoser rounds hit the bulletproof ss tank, shattering it instantly, and water gushed out like a flood.


    In the rescue, two officers lost their lives in the explosion.


    It turned out that Gary, ostensibly a senior executive of the Fairhaven Group, had been in cahoots with international criminal syndicates, and had been smuggling arms for years; the fact that he held stockpiled heavy weaponry greatlyplicated the rescue.


    The body–cam Jareth wore recorded this brutal battle.


    It was for this reason that Aaron had prepared more advanced weaponry to break the tank and sessfully rescue the hostage.


    When Mari was rushed to the ICU, her heartbeat was faint and she was hanging by a thread.


    Having nearly drowned and having been beaten, she suffered organ damage, and her prognosis was grim,


    Members of both the Ashbourne and Abernathy families who could make it were there, crowding the hallway. outside the ICU.


    Hamilton was ovee with grief, with tears streaming down his face; supported by Frederic and Murray, he was on the verge of copse.


    Waiting with him were the two wives of the Ashbourne family, then Arnold, Nydia and Jason; only Aviana was


    absent for she was abroad.


    Suri was inconsble, as if her own daughter was on the brink of death.


    Jareth was seriously injured; he should have been in the hospital to recover, but he was not.


    Instead, he went with Aaron to the police station, in order to cooperate with the investigation and to identify the body. Not just for Mari’s kidnapping, but also for his grandfather’s and Lily’s death.


    The entire Fairhaven Group was in turmoil.


    If he fell, the Fairhaven Group would truly be done for.


    Evadne and Thaddeus didn’t go to the hospital, but stayed in the police station’s lobby, without even drinking water, they’ve waited for a day <b>and </b>night.


    During this time, Thaddeus took care of things for Jareth; he shouldered all the burdens of the Fairhaven Group, dealing with the impact on the Fairhaven Group from the outside world, stabilizing public opinion and the media; thanks to his help. the situation was somewhat alleviated.


    Evadne wasn’t idle either, she called her older and younger brothers and Elvis, instructing them to get prepared for dealing with the five scoundrels, including Alston and their families.


    “Evadne, dad knows about Mari’s situation too!”


    Cassius‘ voice wasden with sorrow, “Dad said, if Mr. Fairhaven needs anything, just say the word, and if the Fairhaven Group can’t hold on, he will definitely lend a hand.


    Also, dad <b>asked </b>how his future daughter–inw is doing. Has Mari woken up?”


    “Ha, at a time like this, Emeric is still joking.”


    Evadne rubbed her eyes, which were swollen from crying, “Tell Emeric to rest easy; that’s not his daughter–inw, but Jareth’s wife. He should look elsewhere. Mari hasn’t woken up yet, but she will pull through.”


    “Chasel and I have already bought our tickets, and we’re boarding in two hours. He said long–term submersion can damage the brain; as he’s a neurologist, he wants toe back and check on Mari<b>.</b>”


    Thanks, Chasel.”


    “Evadne, don’t be sad, everything will get better.”


    After Thaddeus finished his work, he returned to Evadne’s side; enveloping the little crier in his arms, he softly patted her andforted her in a gentle voice:


    “Did you talk to Cassius?”


    “Yeah,” she responded <b>weakly</b><b>; </b>her tears soaked his shirt.


    12:35


    “It’s all over, it’s all <b>past</b>.” Thaddeus‘ voice choked up a little, <b>as </b>he held <b>back </b>from mentioning anything more sorrowful.


    Then, heavy footsteps approached.


    Evadne and Thaddeus both looked back, and their hearts skipped a beat.


    The man before them had a look of destion in his deep, shattered and profound eyes; his hair was now gray at the temples, as if frosted with grief.


    “Jareth.” Thaddeus felt a sharp pain in his chest, and his tears started welling up.


    There’s <b>a </b>saying about overnight graying of hair.


    It turned out it’s true.


    12:35