From His Ex-Wife to the World's Most Sought-After Restorer (Jade and Hudson) novel Chapter 253

Amara lunged for the phone, her heel coming down hard on the shattered screen.

Glass crunching under her shoe, she made sure the device was completely destroyed.

Done, she turned to bolt for the exit.

Jade's arm was still screaming in pain, but she wasn't letting her go. She grabbed a nearby janitor's bucket and hurled it at Amara's back.

The bucket was half-full of stagnant water. It soaked Amara instantly, the stench of dirty water filling the small room as she let out a piercing shriek.

"Aah!"

"You b*tch! I'll kill you!"

Amara grabbed a metal dustpan, swinging it like a weapon. Jade reacted by swinging a broom, the handle hitting Amara's wrist with a sharp crack.

"Aah!"

Amara clutched her wrist as the pain hit.

Jade seized the opening, pressing the edge of her knife back against Amara's throat.

"Tell me! Where are you keeping Jewell?"

Amara glared at Jade, her eyes full of pure, unadulterated venom.

"I'm not telling you anything. Go ahead—kill me if you've got the guts!"

"You think I won't?"

Jade's eyes were rimmed with a terrifying, bloodshot red. She pressed the blade deeper into the skin of Amara's neck.

"You and Hudson have destroyed everything I ever cared about. I have nothing left. You think a murder charge scares me?"

She looked calm, but her entire body was vibrating with a cold sweat.

Was she afraid? Of course she was.

For twenty years, she'd been the perfect, obedient girl.

But everything she'd done lately was something she never would have dreamed of.

But what choice did she have?

The world had pushed her to the edge, and she'd had to push back.

No one else was going to be brave for her.

The blade was sharp; a bead of warm blood began to trickle down Amara's neck.

Amara finally broke. She realized Jade was truly desperate enough to end her right there.

"I'll take you! I'll take you! Just get the knife away from me!"

She was a survivor first; she hadn't worked this hard to die in a mall restroom.

If she died here, all her planning would be for nothing.

Jade eased the pressure slightly, moving the knife from Amara's throat to her lower back.

"We're going out the back. We're calling a cab."

A cornered animal is a dangerous thing; Amara saw the resolve in Jade's eyes and knew she didn't have a choice.

"Fine, fine... just... stop."

—

Hudson's jaw set into a hard line.

"Dad, I'll do anything else you ask, but don't even think about a divorce. If you push me on Jade, I don't know what I'll do."

Jade owed him a child.

And he owed Jade more than he could ever say.

They were bound together by too many debts and too much history. They were tethered for life.

"Hah."

Bert let out a cold, sharp laugh as he stood up to face his son.

"Hudson, I didn't raise you to be an idiot. Threats don't work on me. You'll do as I say, or the consequences won't be something you enjoy."

The air between them was thick with hostility.

The tension was a physical weight.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

A sudden vibration broke the silence.

Hudson pulled out his phone. Seeing it was Kevin, he stepped away from Bert to take the call.

"What is it?"

Kevin's voice was high with panic.

"Sir, our team following Amara just reported in. She and the Ma'am went into a mall together. When they came out, Amara was bleeding from the neck. They just got into a cab and are heading for the suburbs!"