Nina Wynn struggled to get down, but Caleb Rhodes held her by the shoulders and forcefully carried her into the car.
He took out a small first-aid kit and tended to Nina Wynn’s wounds.
Throughout the process, Nina Wynn seed completely unresponsive, not even whimpering when he disinfected her wounds.
Though she remained silent, a sheen of sweat never left her forehead, soon drenching the fine hairs along her hairline.
After treating her hand, Caleb Rhodes wiped the sweat from her temples and said in a deep voice, "Tomorrow morning. By tomorrow morning at the latest, I’ll give you an answer you’ll be satisfied with, alright?"
Nina Wynn said nothing, rely reaching out to grip his clothing.
Her grip was surprisingly strong, as if she were trying to tear a hole in the fabric.
Her chest heaved, and she bit down hard on her lip. She was clearly in a bad state.
The cold darkness in Caleb Rhodes’s eyes deepened. He glanced at Willson Lawson at the wheel and said icily, "Get Dylan Collins over here. Now. I want to see him the mont I get back!"
Willson Lawson replied in a low voice, "Yes, sir. I’ll contact him imdiately!"
Then ca the muffled sound of a phone call.
Though the voice was hushed, fragnted sounds were still audible. The person on the other end of the line sounded panicked.
A mont later, Willson Lawson ended the call. "He’s on his way," he reported in a low voice.
Caleb Rhodes grunted softly in acknowledgnt, then pulled Nina Wynn closer, letting her rest her head on his shoulder.
Nina Wynn didn’t react. With her eyes closed, she simply leaned against Caleb Rhodes.
Her face was a frightful white. She looked utterly exhausted, so fragile it seed a single touch could shatter her.
After what felt like an eternity, she suddenly spoke. "They hit . Dragged sowhere deserted. They tore my clothes."
Her voice was small and soft, devoid of inflection, yet in the oppressive silence of the car, her words struck like a thunderclap, making one’s eardrums ache.
Though he had known all along what had happened, hearing her say it aloud still provoked a fury that made his eyes burn red.
His hand gripping Nina Wynn’s wrist trembled, a clear sign of the imnse effort it took to suppress his emotions.
Just then, Nina Wynn spoke again. "Uncle, I don’t know them. They don’t know . Why would they hurt ?"
Caleb Rhodes didn’t answer.
This was the first ti Nina Wynn had ever spoken of what they did to her. Her few, simple words were like two knives twisting in his heart, filling him with agony and regret.
’If only he’d noticed sothing was wrong sooner all those years ago, this never would have happened.’
’She had endured that unbearable existence for ten whole years.’
’And the masterminds behind it all were his own family. His own flesh and blood.’
After a long silence, he said in a heavy voice, "Nina, I will give you justice."
Nina Wynn closed her eyes. "I can’t forget, Caleb Rhodes," she whispered. "I can’t forget. So just let go. I want to die with them. That way, you won’t have to be torn."
The words had barely left her lips when Caleb Rhodes’s hand clamped down hard on her wrist.
His voice was cold and heavy, his eyes an abyss of inscrutable darkness. He enunciated each word, "Nina, I will never let you go."
Nina Wynn kept her eyes shut, her face a terrifying, bloodless white.
Softly, almost as if in a delirium, she murmured, "I will. I don’t want to live for too long. It’s too tiring."
Caleb Rhodes’s other hand clenched the car door.
He gripped it so tightly that the veins on the back of his hand bulged.
He was silent for a long ti before he finally said, slowly, "Don’t talk such nonsense. We’ll be ho soon. Get a good night’s sleep, and you’ll feel better tomorrow."
Nina Wynn opened her mouth, but no words ca out.
A deathly silence fell over the car once more.
After what felt like an eternity, they finally arrived at the courtyard house.
Caleb Rhodes carried Nina Wynn inside.
He cleaned and redressed her wounds, applied more ointnt, and finished by giving her a tetanus shot.
Nina Wynn looked completely drained and listless. She didn’t touch the water or milk Caleb Rhodes offered her, remaining silent as if her very soul had been wrenched from her body.
Caleb Rhodes watched her for a while before finally carrying her to her room.
He waited until she closed her eyes before he left.
Willson Lawson was waiting outside. The mont Caleb Rhodes erged, he said, "Dylan Collins has been waiting for two hours, Third Lord Master."
Caleb Rhodes’s expression was so cold it looked like it had been carved from ice. Without a word, he turned and headed for the study.
Inside the study, Dylan Collins had already been waiting for a very long ti.
This Elysian City kingpin, a man in his early forties, was impeccably dressed, carrying the refined air of a local magnate.
Were it not for the dense tattoos covering his exposed neck, anyone would have mistaken him for a scholar.
However, even this local kingpin, a man who navigated both legitimate and illicit circles with ease, scrambled to his feet the mont Caleb Rhodes entered. He bowed respectfully and asked, "How may I be of service, Third Lord Master?"
Caleb Rhodes nodded, his voice cold and heavy. "Sit."
The single word and casual gesture were steeped in cold dignity, radiating the intense pressure of a man in a position of absolute authority.
Dylan Collins hesitated, not daring to sit.
The man before him, Master Rhodes of the Rhodes Family, was a notoriously ruthless figure in The Capital Set.
His family status was eminent and his capabilities were second to none, but it was his thods that were truly terrifying.
At just eighteen, he took over a massive conglorate like the Nash Group and crushed his contemporary rivals so thoroughly they fled in terror. Rumor had it that under his control, the Nash Group had since grown several tis over.
Though he hadn’t spent much ti in Elysian City for the past two years, his influence had only grown. Within the city’s elite circles, there wasn’t a single person who didn’t walk on eggshells around him.
None of that mattered to Dylan Collins, however. The Capital Set had no shortage of wealthy n. What he truly feared was Caleb Rhodes’s viciousness.
Ten years ago, the kingpin of this district had been another man. That man had made the mistake of offending the Crown Prince who now stood before him, and overnight, his entire family of eighteen vanished without a trace. No one ever found out what happened.
As the one who rose to take his place, Dylan Collins knew fragnts of what had transpired, which was why he was utterly terrified of this Crown Prince.
Of course, his desire to curry favor with him was just as real.
He said fearfully, "Whatever you need, Third Lord Master, just say the word. I’ll make sure it’s taken care of for you, guaranteed."
Caleb Rhodes nodded, his tone deceptively polite. "Then I’ll be troubling you."
As he finished speaking, Willson Lawson entered.
He handed a set of photos to Dylan Collins. "These are the three n we’re looking for. They’re screenshots from a parking garage’s security footage, so they’re a bit blurry. See if you can find them by the end of the day."
Dylan Collins took them and studied them for a mont. "They look familiar," he said. "It shouldn’t be too difficult. I should be able to find them before nightfall."
He looked at Caleb Rhodes. "What does the Third Lord Master want with so common thugs?"
Just then, the door swung open.
Dylan Collins saw a young woman standing in the doorway.
The young woman was thin and frail, with delicate features and skin as fair as the finest Mutton Fat Jade.
She stood barefoot in the doorway, her gaze timidly fixed on Caleb Rhodes. "Uncle," she said, "I can’t sleep."
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