Chapter 451
451
451
Tyler and his team rushed into the room at the sound of gunfire, immediately tackling the would–be assassin before he could escape . The weapon was confiscated on the spot.
Caitlin and Sebastian hurried to Zeke’s side and found him lying in a pool of blood, his arm hit, staining the marble floor bright red.
“Zeke… Zeke…” Caitlin crouched down, her voice trembling with panic.
Sebastian stared at the man bleeding before him, his expression unreadable. He hadn’t expected Zeke to leap in and take the bullet–for both him and Caitlin.
He quickly gave orders to secure the area and called for an ambulance.
The room was in chaos. When the shot rang out, Simon had shielded Molly instinctively. Benjamin had rushed toward Wendy, but lost control of his momentum and slammed directly into her.
Wendy was knocked flat to the ground, pinned beneath him.
Sebastian’s security personnel began restoring order. Once the guests learned the attacker had been captured, they slowly emerged from
hiding.
People were shocked to find that the injured man was none other than Zeke, CEO of SY Capital Partners. No one could figure out why an attempt on his life had occurred during a celebration.
Sebastian addressed the crowd to calm their nerves, and for those wishing to leave, he arranged for escorts out of the venue.
The gunshot had echoed into the adjacent Aurelia Room, where Zora’s assistant hurried back to inform her of the incident.
Zora was stunned to hear Zeke had been shot. Why Zeke?
Ximena, who had also been at the XEG celebration, immediately bolted upon hearing Zeke’s name.
“Mom! Where are you going?” Zora called after her, but Ximena didn’t respond. She just ran.
Zora’s stomach churned. Her mother had visibly panicked at the mere mention of Zeke. Could it really be…? Had there been some illicit affair between them?
Ximena arrived at The Marquis Room, breathless, just in time to see Zeke lying on the ground, his arm soaked in blood.
Her knees buckled. Tears welled up in her eyes.
She wanted to scream his name-“Son!“–but couldn’t. Not here, not in front of everyone. So she stood there, trembling, her heart breaking,
Simon had already wrapped Zeke’s arm with makeshift bandages. When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics carefully lifted him onto a
stretcher.
“I’ll ride with him to the hospital!” Simon announced, his hands still covered in blood as he ran alongside the gurney.
Ximena watched her son being taken away, pain twisting her face. But she didn’t follow them. Instead, she turned to Caitlin.
“What happened, Caitlin?”
“There was an intruder at the party. Zeke was accidentally shot during the attack.”
451
“ Is he badly hurt?”
“He was shot in the arm. We’ll know more once we get to the hospital.”
tot
Caitlin quickly addressed the remaining guests. “I’m very sorry, everyone. Due to this unexpected incident, tonight’s celebration will end here. I hope we can meet again under better circumstances.”
She and Sebastian left for the hospital, with Ximena following behind. Molly also decided to tag along,
As the crowd thinned, Wendy–still sprawled on the floor–snapped angrily, “Are you planning to keep lying on top of me forever ? ”
Benjamin, dazed, quickly scrambled off her. “I was trying to save you!”
“Save me? You nearly killed me!” Wendy shoved him aside and stood up, rubbing her aching head. She glared at him like he was a walking
disaster.
Benjamin rolled his eyes. “Hey, have you lost weight recently? Who told you to slim down?”
He’d noticed right away. She looked noticeably leaner.
Wendy glared. “None of your damn business!”
“…Fine.” Benjamin muttered.
Wendy didn’t want to spend another second near him. She turned to leave, but as Benjamin instinctively reached out to stop her, his hand accidentally grabbed her dress.
*Riiip-*
There was an audible tear. A sudden chill hit Wendy’s legs.
She looked down.
Her brand–new dress had been torn, revealing the most mortifying sight–her cartoon–print underwear, starring none other than SpongeBob
SquarePants.
“Aaaaaaah!”
Wendy let out a shriek. Benjamin froze, stunned at the unexpected revelation.
SpongeBob? On her butt? It was so ridiculous he couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Wendy’s face flushed deep red. She yanked a tablecloth to cover herself and glared at him with tears in her eyes.
“ You pervert! You disgusting jerk!”
She was mortified. Thank God most people had already left , or she’d never show her face again.
Realizing he’d gone too far, Benjamin rushed to help, quickly taking off his jacket and wrapping it around her waist.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!”
But the jacket didn’t fully cover her. Benjamin grabbed her tablecloth to help conceal her properly. “Come upstairs with me! I’ve got a
room. I’ll have someone bring you a change of clothes.”
Wendy had no choice. She glared at him but followed him upstairs. Every time she crossed paths with Benjamin, something catastrophic
2/3
451
happened.
At the hospital, Zeke was rushed into emergency surgery.
Caitlin, Sebastian, and Ximena arrived shortly after. They found Simon waiting outside the OR .
“ How is he?” Caitlin asked.
“He’s in surgery. Try not to worry too much,” Simon replied.
Caitlin nodded. “We’ll stay here. Go clean yourself up.”
“Alright.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much,” Ximena said, bowing her head.
Simon left. Ximena sat down by the OR doors, her heart heavy. Caitlin stayed by her side.
Sebastian, needing to handle follow–up matters, left after ensuring Caitlin had security with her.
A phone call came in. Caitlin walked over to the window to take it.
Not long after, Zora arrived, having tracked down her mother. She found Ximena sitting outside the operating room, pale and dazed .
“Mom! What are you doing here? Why did you come?”
“Don’t ask. Just go back , ” Ximena replied, visibly shaken.
“Why can’t I ask? I know it’s Zeke in there, isn’t it? But why are you here, waiting for him like this? What is he to you? A boy toy? An old flame? Did you two have some dirty little secret?”
Smack!
The sound echoed as Ximena slapped her daughter across the face.
Zora reeled back, stunned, clutching her cheek.
“You hit me?! You’re siding with some outsider over your own daughter?” she screamed.
A