Chapter 430
Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Victor had already thrown the door open and strode out.
His bodyguard, baffled, quickly followed.
“Was someone just here?” Victor demanded coldly.
The bodyguard looked out at the vast, empty lawn. There wasn’t a soul in sight. Besides, the sun was scorching, and it was break time for the gardeners and landscapers at Lockridge Manor.
Who would be out here?
But the bodyguard was used to this. Over the years, Victor had become so obsessed with finding Theresa that he often thought he saw her in some corner nearby. In reality, every thorough search ended in yet another disappointment.
Still, since Victor was suspicious, the bodyguard didn’t argue.
“I’ll have them clear the area and conduct a full search of the manor grounds now p>
As he prepared to give the orders, just as he had done countless times before, Victor raised a hand to stop him.
Now that he was out of the car, he was gradually beginning to calm down. Theresa had been his prisoner here. She despised him, despised this place, and had tried to escape more than twenty times. She wouldn’t even return to Serenity City, so why would she ever come back here?
Yet, the moment that thought settled, another one rose to challenge it.
She loved him. Why wouldn’t she come back?
Theresa loved him deeply. The day she left, she had said she loved him. He couldn’t remember her exact words, but he remembered she said she loved him. If it hadn’t been for Evangeline’s meddling, persuading her to leave Serenity City, Theresa would never have gone.
Victor tried to recall Theresa’s words from that day, but he couldn’t remember them at all. He remembered every single thing she ever said to him, so how could he not remember this?
What terrified him even more was the realization that he was starting to forget what her face looked like.
“Impossible p>
“How can I not remember? How can it be blank p>
Under extreme stress, Victor’s breathing became ragged, his eyes turning bloodshot. His temples throbbed, and a sharp, overwhelming pain tore through his head.
The bodyguard at his side noticed something was wrong. Seeing Victor’s violent emotional state, he knew instantly what was happening.
Victor’s condition had relapsed.
For years, Victor had been diagnosed with a severe delusional disorder. The illness caused auditory and visual hallucinations, leading to intense emotional instability, which was exacerbated by his chronic insomnia. It was an open secret among many at The Lockridges, but no one dared speak of it. The last person who called Victor sick and demanded he relinquish his position as head of the family now had a three-meter-high gravestone.
The bodyguard expertly pulled a vial of medication from his pocket and offered it to Victor.
This time, however, Victor didn’t even glance at the medicine. He grabbed the bodyguard by the throat, his eyes crimson. “Where is she? Where’s Tessa p>
“You’re the one who convinced Tessa to stay away from me, aren’t you?” “Jinian, you deserve to die p>
With those words, Victor slowly tightened his grip.
“Mr. Lockridge, it’s me… it’s me p>
Veins bulged on the bodyguard’s neck as he squeezed out the words.
Victor ignored him, his eyes growing redder as if about to bleed, and he slowly lifted the man higher. The bodyguard’s feet left the grounds breathing becoming thin and shallow. He instinctively wanted to struggle, but his last sliver of clarity kicked in.
“Tran quil izer,” he gasped, pointing at his own pocket and forcing out the word
toward the driver, who was frozen in terror.
The driver finally snapped out of it
and, trembling with fear, fumbled in the bodyguard’s pocket for the small
emergency kit He shakily
assembled the syringe, aiming for Victor’s neck. But just as the needle
pierced the skin, Victor reacted.
“You’re looking to die p>
Victor raised a hand to strike the driver, but at that moment, the tranquilizer took effect. He swayed unsteadily, staggered twice, and then collapsed.