Chapter 438 - 445: Ambushed
For two consecutive days, Gina Lopez hadn’t returned home. Emily Lopez was growing increasingly anxious, while James Brown’s mood had settled into calm. He had originally thought that returning to the city would allow him to live a peaceful life—get married, enjoy domestic bliss—but it seemed this romantic life wasn’t going well. It was evident that such an easygoing lifestyle would be out of reach.
Knowing that Gina Lopez wouldn’t be coming home tonight either, James Brown decided he wouldn’t bother returning either. Although Emily Lopez was charming, she wasn’t his wife after all. Things had become so complicated with Gina already, and he certainly didn’t want any ambiguous entanglement with Emily Lopez.
It had been a long time since his last visit to a bar, but tonight James Brown found himself stepping into one again. Drinking a bit to unwind seemed like a good choice.
If James wanted company, a quick phone call would still summon several familiar faces—Helen Wilson, Sarah Utah—but tonight, James simply wanted to drink alone.
"Sir, here’s your drink!" It was still early, and the bar was relatively empty. A waiter came over with a tray, which held a bottle of white liquor, a glass, and several small dishes of dried snacks.
James nodded. The waiter placed the tray down on the table—a routine action that seemed perfectly normal. But suddenly, James’s instincts screamed at him. His body reacted instantly, leaning swiftly back. His sharp eyes caught a flash of cold steel heading straight for his chest.
It was a dagger—short blade, short handle, but alarmingly sharp. The strike aimed directly at James’s vital chest area, executed swiftly and with full force. If that dagger hit, James knew it would mean the end of his life.
His abrupt lean backward had bought him precious time. Behind him sat the booth’s backrest, leaving no room to retreat further. But his hand shot out, targeting the waiter’s wrist in a split-second move.
The waiter’s hand flicked, as agile as a serpent, redirecting the dagger’s trajectory with spine-chilling precision, and lunged at James again. Before the dagger could reach him, however, the waiter retreated abruptly—because a solid tabletop was hurtling straight at him.