The Double or more Life of the Fake Heiress (Mirabella)

Santos watched the scene unfold, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. He had to hand it to them; it was impressive how someone with such unusual resilience could still keep going in a situation like this.

What a shame, though. If Cian hadn't stepped in to save that student, Santos might have had a shot at getting out of here in one piece today.

With a smirk, Santos drew a gun from his belt, aiming it at Blaze, who was hanging in mid-air. "Don't waste your time. You're at the end of your rope, and either way, it's a dead end. I'll make it quick for him."

Just as he began to pull the trigger, a cold voice cut through the tension, "Quite the bravado."

In that moment, Santos felt a sharp pain in his wrist, and the gun clattered to the ground. He glanced down to see a gaping hole in his wrist, blood welling up almost immediately.

Instinctively, he clamped his other hand over the wound and quickly looked up to see where the voice had come from.

A tall figure stepped out from the second-floor balcony, his face hidden behind a black mask. His presence was intimidating, radiating a menacing energy that chilled anyone to their core.

It was then that Santos realized his men were all down, and those stationed outside were probably no better off...

His eyes narrowed in instinctive recognition of danger. With a quick glance at Mirabella, he vaulted over the broken railing, dropping down to the first floor.

James watched him, casually spinning a silenced pistol on his finger before pulling the trigger just as Santos landed.

The silent shot found its mark, hitting Santos squarely.

He let out a grunt, barely hesitating before rolling out of James's sight, ignoring his

wound as he sprinted toward the escape route he had planned.

James didn't bother chasing after

Instead, he hurried to Mirabella, reaching out to pull Blaze to safety. Blaze, completely shell-shocked, sat there helplessly after the rescue.

Ignoring Blaze's state, James turned his attention to Mirabella. But when he reached out to help her, she stopped him.

"Don't touch me," Mirabella rasped, her voice hoarse as her strength ebbed away, her fingers barely able to twitch.noveldrama

Santos hadn't just sent gunmen after her... Mirabella looked at James with difficulty, her words strained, "You can't touch me, the drug...'

The scent in the air was just a distraction; the real threat was the powder on her.

Even though she had some resistance to drugs, her foes had clearly spared no effort.

James took in Mirabella's pale face and the wound on her arm, his gaze darkening as he understood her warning.

He shrugged off his jacket, gently

into

draping it over her before lifting het his arms. As he glanced down, her eyes had already fluttered shut.

His grip tightened, a fierce resolve settling in his eyes.

He should never have let her go in alone. He should have taken care of the

outside threats and gone in with her.

At that moment, Curtis, having heard

?ne

the gunfire and explosions from outside, rushed into the mansion. Seeing James on the second floor,

he quickly made his way up.

As he saw Mirabella cradled in James's arms, Curtis felt his heart clench with

worry. "James, is Ms. Mirabella...?"