My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Take Him Back - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Desperate plea

“Erica?” Nicholas echoed with curiosity. “You mean Dylan’s cousin?”

“Yes,” Ava confirmed with a nod. “She came to the office this morning and threatened me. She believes I am responsible for Gianna’s misery.”

“I see. This is getting quite interesting.” Nicholas’s face darkened with contemplation. The more he learned, the more confused he grew. He was unsure how Gianna’s alleged assault was connected to Ava, or if it was just someone else’s deliberate ploy to frame her.

Nicholas’s resolve hardened. He would get to the bottom of what really happened with Gianna and who was responsible for this. It was the only way to save Ava from public outrage.

“I’ll find out who is really responsible for this,” he promised. His gaze held hers firmly, conveying the weight of his words. He believed whoever had been targeting Ava wouldn’t stop spreading lies about her. He had to stop it before it escalated further, putting Ava in more danger.

While Ava was talking to Nicholas, Dylan sat in the private room of the exclusive club, looking coldly at the five women kneeling before him. Their bodies trembled; heads bowed low.

His icy gaze swept over them. “Why did you attack my wife?” His cold and dangerous voice boomed inside the room, making the women tremble more and more. “Speak!” he barked, his patience wearing thin.

“Someone asked us to beat her,” one of them said, the words tumbling out nervously.

Dylan stiffened in his place, his piercing glare cutting through them like ice. “Who told you to beat her up?” he demanded, his voice growing sharper.

The women exchanged nervous glances before looking back at him. “We don’t know her,” one muttered. The others nodded quickly in agreement. “She was wearing a mask… we couldn’t see her face.”

But then one of them added hesitantly, “She was wearing an expensive blue diamond bracelet. And… she carried a Hermes handbag.”

Dylan’s eyes narrowed at the words ‘blue diamond bracelet.’ His doubts went straight to Erica, who fitted to the description. His features contorted in an uncontrollable fury.

He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his gallery, searching for a picture of Erica. When he finally found it, he thrust the phone forward, showing them the photo.

“Is she the one?” he asked.

All the five women squinted at the image, uncertain at first. “Have a closer look.” He zoomed in, emphasizing the bracelet adorning Erica’s wrist. “Are you sure you have seen this bracelet?”

The recognition dawned on them. “Yes,” they exclaimed in unison. “It’s the same bracelet we saw her wearing.”

Dylan clasped the phone tighter, seething with fury. His cold, emotionless gaze turned to Justin, who had been standing beside the sofa silently.

“You know what you should do with them,” Dylan said in a commanding tone.

“I won’t disappoint you, sir,” Justin replied resolutely, already stepping forward to deal with the women.

As Dylan rose from the plush sofa, the room burst into a cacophony of pleas.

They all shouted in unison, “Please let us go, Mr. Brooks. We told you everything we knew.”

“You dared to hurt my wife,” Dylan grumbled, “and now you can’t escape the consequences.”

“We didn’t know she was your wife!” another one stammered, desperately trying to explain. “Please, forgive us. We swear we won’t do anything like this again.”

“I don’t care,” Dylan snapped. “Because of you, she is in pain, hospitalized. Now, you’ll go through the same pain.”

Dylan strode out of the room, not caring about their cries. His anger was like a storm brewing inside him, but his expression remained eerily calm as he made his way to his car. The moment he slid into the driver’s seat, he pulled out his phone and dialed quickly.

The line connected almost immediately, and Dylan didn’t waste a second to issue a command, “Bring Erica home, and make sure she doesn’t leave her room.”

“Miss has just arrived home.” The voice on the other end was thick and gruff.

Dylan gripped the steering wheel tightly. “Good,” he muttered. “Take her phone away. I’ll be there soon.” Ending the call, He slammed the car into gear, speeding toward the Brooks family house.

Erica quickly packed her belongings, nervous energy coursing through her. The information that Dylan had caught the women who attacked Ava sent her nerves spiraling out of control. Although she had made sure to conceal her identity, she was still scared that Dylan would find out about her involvement.

She decided to leave the town for the time being and would return when things were settled down.

Finishing the packing quickly, she hurried out of the room with the suitcase in her hand, but the guards stepped in and blocked her path. They stood firm, their expressions unreadable, and Erica’s anxiety flared into frustration.

“What is it? Move aside,” she demanded.

“Sorry, Miss, you are not allowed to leave the house,” one of the guards said calmly.

Erica’s features contorted in rage. “Who do you think you are to stop me?” she snapped, her loud voice bouncing back from the walls. “I have a flight in two hours. Leave my way. If I miss the flight, you’ll regret this.”

The man in the black suit remained impassive. “We can’t let you leave the house, Miss,” he repeated in a flat tone. “Please return to your room.”

Erica’s patience snapped. “Your job is to guard the property, not harass the people living in this house!” she snapped. “For this insolence, I’ll make sure you lose your job.”

“We are only following the orders.” The second guard, equally unruffled, stepped forward and smoothly took her suitcase and her handbag from her. “Please cooperate.”

“Hey! Give that back!” Erica shouted, lunging forward to take her bag, but the guard held it out of reach.

“Please return to your room,” the first guard said, ushering her into the room.

“Leave me alone.” Erica tried to resist, but their combined strength was undeniable. She found herself pushed into her room, the door swiftly closing behind her with a decisive click.

“Hey, you morons. Open the door.” She pounded on the door, but all she heard was the sound of footsteps receding.

The guards left, locking her in her own room. Her fists clenched as she stared at the locked door. She was trapped there. All she could do was seethe in anger.

Then the realization hit her like a punch to the gut— Dylan had already learned that she was behind the attack on Ava. Cold sweat prickled her skin.

She had taken every precaution, hidden her identity, and made sure no one could link her directly to the assault. But Dylan still found out about it faster than she could have ever imagined. She sagged on the bed, fear gripping her heart as she wondered what Dylan would do with her.