Chapter 79: Wrong Person?
Paige remained silent, looking at him, surprisingly calm.
Olivia had been listening outside the door and couldn’t hold back any longer. She rushed in and knelt down in fear. “Mr. Gustin, please don’t do this. Miss didn’t run away. If you disable her legs like this, her life will be ruined.”
Enrico’s face darkened at the interruption.
Jaden quickly intervened, pulling Olivia away. “Olivia, what are you doing? Get out! I haven’t punished you yet for having someone impersonate you and lure away the bodyguard.”
“What?” Olivia looked confused, but she was too preoccupied at the moment to care. She resisted Jaden’s pull, kneeling on the ground and pleading, “Mr. Gustin, if you must cripple someone, cripple me. Spare Miss, please spare her… Please, spare her!”
Enrico listened, his eyes deeply fixed on Paige. He wondered why there were always people willing to risk everything for her. What was it about her that drew everyone to her side? He didn’t like it. He wanted her to belong to him alone.
Paige listened to Olivia’s pleas, her face expressionless as she stared at Enrico, unwavering.
Enrico lifted her chin with the bone crusher, forcing her to look at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I want to see clearly how terrifying you really are,” Paige replied calmly.
Hearing this, Enrico chuckled softly. “Paige, I’m not terrifying. I’ll take care of you for the rest of your life.”
He opened the bone crusher in his hand and slowly encircled her knee with it.
Paige sat quietly, showing no signs of fear or resistance.
Instead, it was Olivia who pleaded desperately, her voice hoarse from crying.
After encircling her knee, Enrico looked up at her and reached out to grasp the back of her neck, leaning in to kiss her soft lips. “Don’t be afraid. It’ll be over quickly.”
Paige gazed calmly at him. As Enrico began tightening the bone crusher, she spoke again, “I want to say one last thing.”
“Speak,” Enrico replied, continuing to twist the bone crusher, tightening it around her knee. Paige could feel her knee bone being squeezed tighter and tighter.
“Bring my suitcase in,” she said steadily.
“Jaden,” Enrico commanded, twisting the device another notch.
Paige’s hand on her lap tightened suddenly. She didn’t cry out in pain, but her face turned visibly pale. She forced herself to keep staring at Enrico’s sharp face, remembering when he saved her and also when he was cruel.
She gritted her teeth and endured as Enrico tightened the device, crushing her bone more fiercely.
Enrico glanced down, his gaze falling on her hand instinctively clutching the wheelchair’s armrest, the veins on her fair hand prominent.
She was in pain… his grip involuntarily loosened. Realizing what he’d done, he grew even more irritated.
Jaden hurried back from the car with a brown suitcase, placing it on the floor in the living room and opening it.
Inside were not clothes for running away, but books. A whole box of books, all related to law.
Enrico’s gaze fell heavily on the box full of books, freezing in place.
“Books? How the hell did you plan to run away with a whole damn box of books?” His voice had turned harsh.
Paige sat upright, a cold sweat trickling down her forehead. She couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh at his accusation. “If that’s what you insist on believing, then I have nothing to say.”
Enrico’s hand, poised over her knee, hesitated. He scrutinized her intently.
Footsteps approached from outside.
A bodyguard entered. “Mr. Gustin, the person we mistook was just here for tourism. We checked her background and questioned her. She has no connection to Miss Paige.”
Though she didn’t fully understand the situation, Paige pieced together enough. Enrico had never trusted her, suspecting she orchestrated someone to dress like Olivia to draw attention and then escaped with Olivia.
Enrico gritted his teeth. “So, you’re saying… we got the wrong person?”
“Yes.” The bodyguard looked extremely flustered, not daring to tell the whole truth. “We’ve also verified the school incident. Miss Paige was just there for some legal studies matters, picking up books on her way back. They only exchanged a few words before you arrived.”
So, it was all a misunderstanding? Enrico fell silent. His success wasn’t just due to his skill; it was also because of his keen judgment. He had never misjudged anyone before, but this time…
The atmosphere grew awkward.
Suddenly, Paige chuckled coldly, glancing down at the bone crusher on her leg.
Enrico withdrew his hand immediately, looking uncertain and at a loss for what to do next, completely devoid of the aggressive demeanor from moments ago.
After a tense moment, Enrico abruptly stood up, kicking Jaden beside him with a furious expression. “You idiot! You dare come here and complain without thoroughly investigating!”
Jaden toppled over, didn’t dare protest. He quickly got up from the floor, retreated to the side, and apologized, “I’m sorry, boss.”
“Get out!”
“Yes.” Jaden hurriedly ushered the bodyguards and escorted Olivia out.
In the living room, only Enrico and Paige remained. Enrico stood there, looking down at her pale face… He had truly hurt her.
Paige calmly looked at him. “You can continue. That way, I owe you less.”
Was she mocking him? Since she hadn’t run away, how could he possibly bring himself to cripple her leg? Uncomfortably clearing his throat, Enrico leaned in to remove the bone crusher from her knee, which was already bruised.
Frowning, he looked at her. “Jaden failed in his duties and caused trouble for you. I’ll have him beaten later.”
At her words, Paige felt like laughing. She looked into Enrico’s eyes and said indifferently, “There’s no need. You can naturally do whatever you want. I’m not angry.”
Sitting in the wheelchair, she slowly lowered her eyes, glancing at her bruised knee and said no more.
Enrico reached out to touch her. Paige immediately stood up from the wheelchair, avoiding his touch, and said calmly, “Mr. Gustin, may I go upstairs to study?”
Paige lowered her head to him, turned and walked away, covering a box of books and carrying them upstairs.
…
The study was quiet.
The light was on, Paige was sitting in front of the desk reading, she had to make up the legal course as quickly as possible.
Occasionally, she reached out to rub her aching knee.
Paige had always been good at school since she was a child. She never forgets what she reads, flipping through the textbook page by page, remembering every bit of it, whether it was the focus or not.
“Knock, knock.”
Paige glanced at the time and thought Olivia came to invite her to dinner, saying without looking up, “Olivia, I won’t have dinner.”Text content © NôvelDrama.Org.
The door was opened by someone from the outside.
Paige couldn’t help but look up, a transparent jar was placed on her book.
The jar was full of peppermint candy.
“For you.” Enrico’s deep magnetic voice fell from above her head.
A jar of colorful macarons was put on her “Criminal Law” book.
The next second, a jar… of diamonds.
Paige looked closely and confirmed that the jar was really full of diamonds. Some were big, some were small, and they hadn’t been polished yet, but they still shone brightly when put together. It was the first time she had seen a full jar of diamonds.
Paige looked up and saw Enrico standing in front of her. He was still wearing that dark shirt, but without the daytime chill, holding two jars in his arms, protecting them with one hand, and continuing to place them on the table for her.
One jar contained women’s watches.
One jar contained car keys.