The Ex and Her Riches novel (Gwendolyn and Maverick)

Gwendolyn gave a careless wave of her hand. “It’s nothing.”

“The trade-off has been set for ten o’clock tomorrow morning, so you’ll have to be patient for a little longer. Mr.

Wendell demanded thirty billion to agree to meet with Mr. Jenson in person.”

“He finally caved. At least everything I’ve gone through these past few days hasn’t been in vain. Bind me tightly

tomorrow. If you don’t, I’m afraid I won’t be able to restrain myself from tearing him into a million pieces.” Her

expression darkened as she spoke. How dare he harm innocent babies. Even if I were to stab his body a thousand

times, I’d still think he deserved it!

Over on Broadbay Hill, the thick canopy of trees obstructed the view of the sky and blocked out any light. The air

was so hot and humid that it almost felt suffocating.

Hamish’s bodyguards brought Gwendolyn to the mountain range before it was even dawn.

As they started preparing for Cedrick’s arrival, they left her, all trussed up, on a bare bed frame inside a shabby

wooden cabin. Sweat mingled with dust ran down her face. Propped against the headboard, she had her eyes

closed, looking drained and weary.

Meanwhile, Jasper stood silently on one side and occasionally glanced at the watch on his wrist.

It was almost time.

Two coughs sounded, some rustling, then heavy footsteps approached.

“Hahaha! Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Kron. Sure enough, now that we finally meet, I can see you’re no

ordinary person indeed.”

No one walked through the door. Instead, a big, protruding belly first came into view, then a fierce-looking face

wearing a sinister smile.

After Channing heard that remark, his lips twitched. He had no idea what to say in response. “I can’t compare to

you, Mr. Wendell. You’re truly… just like everything I’ve heard about you. You’re known far and wide.”

In truth, the fat man before him was nothing like the intelligent Mr. Wendell in the rumors.

The man walked over and extended a hand politely. “Hamish Wendell.”

At that moment, there was a knock on the wooden door.

“Who is it?” Channing’s guard went up instinctively.

Quintrell, who had been sitting across from him, stood up and explained in a light tone, “Oh, I forgot to tell you that

Mr. Wendell has set up an ambush nearby to prevent anything from interrupting the trade-off. That’s just someone

here to report to me on the progress.”

The expression on Channing’s face froze, and he asked solemnly, “I see you’re a man of action, Mr. Wendell. What

sort of ambush is it?”

As he spoke, he shot Jasper a look out of the corner of his eye. I hope Mr. Jenson hears this and plans some

preemptive measures.

His question elicited a cackle from Hamish. “Nothing much. I’ve set up ambushes at the foot of the mountain and at

the top. My subordinates have done a very thorough job.”

Channing gasped quietly, thinking that they could all meet their end that day if they were unlucky.

The clock’s second hand ticked away steadily, moving to point toward the top of the dial.

At ten o’clock sharp, they heard the sound of a car engine outside, followed by a deep, firm voice saying, “The

thirty billion is inside the car. I’ve delivered it on the dot. The documents for my resignation from the Federal

Bureau of Investigation have also been prepared and will be submitted today. Hence, please keep your end of the

deal.”

Cedrick stood in front of the wooden cabin and surveyed his surroundings.

It would make sense to hear the sound of insects buzzing and birds chirping while on the mountain. However, he

noticed there was no other sound at all when he spoke. That could only mean that there were many people in the

vicinity.

Inside the cabin, Hamish stretched his plump hands toward Gwendolyn with a greedy look in his eyes. “Did you hear

that? Your husband is here. Do you think he’d like to see me and you—”

Seeing that his hand was about to touch Gwendolyn, Jasper grabbed him by his wrist and interrupted, “Mr. Wendell,

we should get down to business.”

Hamish clicked his tongue impatiently and was about to fly into a temper when he inadvertently caught sight of

Gwendolyn with her eyes tightly shut. Her eyelashes were trembling slightly. Pushing Jasper away, he pulled her up

forcefully. “Playing dead, are you? Come on. Go out and see that husband of yours!”

He gripped the rope tying Gwendolyn’s wrists together as he spoke and dragged her out of the cabin.

Cackling wildly, he said, “Look at your wife, Cedrick! Look at how filthy she has become after being kidnapped for a

few days. How can she be worthy of you? Why don’t you give her to my subordinates?”

Cedrick gazed at Gwendolyn from afar. She looked weak and fragile, almost like a piece of paper pinched between

Hamish’s fingers. A pang shot through his heart as though a thorn had pierced him.

Even though he knew what Hamish said was untrue, his eyes reddened. It concealed the terrifyingly cold and hard

look in them.

“You’d better know what you’re talking about. I’ve brought what you wanted, so return her to me now,” he uttered,

practically squeezing the words out through gritted teeth.

Despite everything that was going on around him, his focus was solely on Gwendolyn’s frail figure. He seemed

worried she would disappear in the blink of an eye.

Wearing an amiable expression, Hamish replied, “Sure. I can give her to you. However, since we’ve had the chance

to meet today, let’s have some fun.”

“Okay,” Cedrick replied without hesitation.

“You’re agreeing to it just like that?” Instantly becoming excited, Hamish flicked his right hand and tossed a dagger

at Cedrick’s feet. “Rumor has it that you’re quite skilled, and nobody has ever been able to get as much as a

scratch on you. However, I think it’s possible if you do it yourself.”

Then, he broke into maniacal laughter. “What’s wrong? You can’t bring yourself to do it? As long as I see you bleed,

I’ll let your wife walk toward you.”

Cedrick bent down, slowly picked up the dagger, and unsheathed it. The blade glittered dangerously.

“Do it! Are you afraid? I heard that you love your wife as much as your own life, but it appears that’s not the case.

As it turns out, you don’t think her life is as important as yours.” Hamish looked disdainful. He was certain Cedrick

would not cut himself.

Cedrick stared at the sharp dagger, determination etched across his face. It seemed as though he was wondering

where to start.

He pointed the dagger at his wrist resolutely and drew it across his skin. Soon, droplets of blood began to fall onto

the dry leaves on the ground.

Gwendolyn’s breath caught in her throat, and she stared at him in bewilderment. He knows I’m just putting on an

act! What on earth is he doing? How dare he hurt himself? Is he asking for trouble?

In contrast to her shock and anguish, Hamish was grinning smugly. “Yes, that’s it. Go on.”

Even with his arm stained with blood, Cedrick remained expressionless as though he did not feel the pain. Taking

advantage of when Hamish was distracted, he swiftly threw the sharp dagger right at Hamish.

“Ahh!” Hamish let out a cry of pain, and his hand that had been holding Gwendolyn’s wrist started bleeding

profusely.

Without wasting a moment, Gwendolyn seized the opportunity to kick with all her might, knocking Hamish aside.

Using the force from the kick, she rolled once over the thick layer of dried leaves. When she got up, the rope

around her hands was gone.

Almost simultaneously, several people rushed out from behind the surrounding trees.

Moving lightly and gracefully, she sent them scattering in different directions with a few deft strikes. Then, she used

the rope to whip the attackers hard.

No one could get close to her.

In fact, several men in suits were practically incapable of retaliating and ended up lying motionless on the ground.

She breathed a sigh of relief after taking them down, and a wave of satisfaction washed over her. After holding in

my emotions for several days, I finally got revenge.

Behind her, Channing and his men quickly subdued Hamish’s subordinates, capturing every one of them in less than

fifteen minutes.

“Search the mountain. Root out everyone who’s still hiding,” Cedrick called out.

Numerous figures suddenly dispersed and disappeared into the woods.

Fraught with worry, Gwendolyn hurried over to him and examined his injury. She was so upset that her eyes were

brimming with tears. “Why did you listen to him? Why did you hurt yourself?”

Cedrick chuckled lightly, laughing it off. There was a tender look in his dark eyes as he replied, “I’m fine. It’s just a

tiny cut. I’ll explain it to you later, okay?”

His heart broke as he gazed at the dirty and disheveled woman before him. During these few days that I haven’t

seen her, I haven’t been able to sleep. She was forced to endure a terrible time in that basement, so I must do

something. At least by suffering a little, I can make up for what she went through the past few days. Only in that

way will I feel a little better.

Guessing what was running through his mind, she pinched his handsome face in displeasure. “If you want to suffer

so badly, I’ll give it to you good after we get back. I’ll make you endure the most unforgettable punishment.”