Mara Wainwright broke down in tears, sobbing uncontrollably. “Billy, it’s all my fault. I’m useless! I can’t help you with anything-I only drag you down!”
Billy hurriedly reassured her, “Young Mistress, don’t say that. When Madam passed away, she entrusted me with taking good care of you.”
Tap, tap, tap…
Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the room. Moments later, several men entered.
At the sight of them, Billy and Mara’s expressions darkened.
A man with small, sharp eyes stepped forward and sneered, “Have you thought about what I said? If Mara agrees to be with me, she’ll live a life of luxury.”
Mara Wainwright, upon seeing the man, immediately hid behind Billy.
This man was a local tyrant who had stumbled upon Mara Wainwright a few days earlier. Struck by her beauty, he decided he must have her as his woman-by force if necessary.
Billy stepped forward, his face cold and resolute. “Stop dreaming. My Young Mistress will never marry someone like you!”
Hearing this, the man’s face turned grim.
He snorted disdainfully. “Let me tell you something: whether you agree or not, Mara is mine today!”
With a wave of his hand, he commanded, “Take her!”
At his order, several burly men advanced toward Mara Wainwright.
Mara’s face turned pale as fear gripped her.
Billy, however, quickly stepped in front of her, shouting, “Don’t you dare! If you try to take her, I’ll fight you to the death!”
Furious at the interruption, the sharp-eyed man barked, “Old fool, you’re asking for death! Kill him! Let’s see who else dares to stand in my way!”
At his command, the burly men surrounded Billy and launched their attack.
Despite being a powerful warrior, Billy was already severely injured. Against so many opponents, he stood no chance.
With a loud crash, Billy was sent flying and landed heavily on the ground.
“Billy, are you okay?”
Mara Wainwright rushed to his side, her face etched with worry.
Billy struggled to his feet, his expression filled with rage. “I’ll fight you all to the end!”
With that, he charged at the attackers again.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The battle raged fiercely, but within moments, Billy was sent flying once more.
Blood sprayed from his mouth as he collapsed, unable to rise again.
“Billy!”
Mara screamed, rushing toward him, only to be grabbed by the burly men.
The sharp-eyed tyrant sneered at Billy’s fallen form. “You dare stand in my way? Foolish old man!”
Turning to Mara, his face lit with smug satisfaction. “Take her back to my house!”
At his command, the men dragged Mara Wainwright out of the room.
But just then, Chris arrived.
Seeing Mara being restrained, his face darkened with fury.
“Stripes,” Chris ordered coldly, “kill them.”
With a sharp sound, Stripes sprang into action.
His speed was incredible, and in an instant, he was upon the burly men.
Screams filled the air as one by one, they fell.
The sharp-eyed man froze in terror, his confidence shattered.
As Stripes turned his gaze toward him, the man panicked. “Help! Someone help me!”
He tried to flee, but Stripes was too fast.
With a single strike, Stripes’ sharp claws tore through the man’s back.
He collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
As the bodies of her captors littered the floor, Mara Wainwright lifted her head, her eyes filling with relief and joy when she saw Chris.
“Mr. Shelby!” she cried out.
Chris approached her, guilt written all over his face. “Mara, I’m sorry. I should never have left you.”
“Mr. Shelby…!” Overwhelmed, Mara threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
She couldn’t believe it-Chris had arrived just in time to save her. If not for him, her fate would have been unimaginable.
Watching her cry so heartbrokenly, Chris sighed softly.
“Ugh… cough, cough…”
A harsh coughing sound interrupted the moment.
“Billy!”
Mara rushed to Billy’s side, helping him sit up.
Billy, despite his pain, managed to stand and face Chris. “Thank you, Chris. Truly, thank you!”
Chris nodded and retrieved a healing pill from his storage ring. “Here, Billy, take this. It’ll help you recover.”
Billy accepted the pill with gratitude and swallowed it. His complexion improved noticeably, though it was clear full recovery would take time.
Chris glanced at the sharp-eyed man’s corpse and asked, “Who was that? Why was he troubling you?”
Mara explained, “Mr. Shelby, he was a local thug. Recently, he became infatuated with me and wanted to force me into marriage. When I refused, he came to take me by force.”
Chris nodded in understanding. Mara’s beauty was indeed striking-enough to drive a man like that to madness.
“This place isn’t safe anymore,” Chris said. “You should both come with me.”
He escorted Mara and Billy to an inn where they could rest safely.
As they talked, Chris learned about the Wainwright family.
The Wainwright family was one of the ten great families of Pinkshire, with its current head serving as the Grand Marshal of the Amerosia Empire-a position of immense power.
However, the family’s affairs were largely managed by Mrs. Wainwright, Joanne, while the family head remained uninvolved.
Chris assured Mara, “Don’t worry, Mara. I’ll make sure justice is served for you.”
Meanwhile, at the Wainwright family estate, Joanne, the elegant and commanding Mrs. Wainwright, sat in the grand hall.
“Is it done?” she asked, her voice calm yet authoritative.