REBORN FOR REVENGE

Chapter 2 SHUT UP IF YOU WANT TO LIVE

"Ah—" Emma gasped, instinctively crossing her arms over her chest.

Was she being attacked? Even in her current state, someone wanted to harm her?

"D-don't touch me! I'm the fiancée of the Thompson Group's Second Young Master!" Although she loathed Christopher to the core, she had no choice but to use his name to intimidate the man.

As soon as Emma spoke, the man's actions paused.

"Christopher's fiancée?" James's eyes flickered with a cold glint that Emma couldn't see in the dim light, but she noticed his hesitation.

It seemed he knew Christopher, so she quickly warned in a low voice, "That's right! If you know his name, you should know that as the future daughter-in-law of the Thompson Family, I'm not someone you can mess with! But if you leave now, I'll pretend nothing happened."

Just as she finished speaking, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway outside.

"Strange, I saw him come to this floor..."

"He must be hiding in one of the cabins. Search each one!"

The people outside were moving quickly, and it sounded like they were about to reach her cabin.

So, he wasn't here to attack her, but was a fugitive on the run? The man's arms, braced on either side of her head, were strong and muscular, clearly trained. Plus, with a knife at her throat, he could end her life at any moment.

The thought struck her, and for her own safety, Emma gritted her teeth and offered, "I can help you hide from those people outside and treat your injuries, but you have to promise not to harm me!"

She knew she couldn't escape from him, so she might as well cooperate. As expected, her words softened the man's fierce demeanor slightly.

"You better do as you say, or... I won't care whose fiancée you are." His eyes flashed with a dangerous glint.

Emma couldn't see his face clearly, but she could feel the air around them grow tense. This man was dangerous!

The footsteps were already at the cabin door. With no time to hide him, Emma made a bold move, flipping their positions so he was beneath her. She then started making suggestive noises, moving her hips convincingly.

The man realized what she was doing to help him escape but was still taken aback, feeling a bit awkward. This woman, with her face covered in red blotches, didn't seem like someone who had been with a man before, yet she was surprisingly convincing!

The next moment, the cabin door was kicked open. Emma, like a startled deer, let out a small scream and clung tightly to the man's neck.

The people outside, illuminated by the hallway light, saw two intertwined bodies. The woman beneath had skin as pale as snow, with dark hair spread like seaweed on the pillow. Even from the back, the scene was quite suggestive.

However, when the woman turned her head, revealing her blotchy face, the man outside felt repulsed and closed the door in disgust.

"Is James in there?" another person asked.

"No, just a couple fooling around. Let's go!"

As the door closed, Emma let out a long sigh of relief. Soon, the footsteps faded away, and those people left this deck of the ship.

"You did well," the man said, though his tone lacked any praise. He didn't even glance at her as he sat up to tend to his wounds. Through the light filtering in from the curtain, Emma saw the injury on his side.

He was wounded at the waist, and after wiping away the blood with his shirt, Emma could clearly see a bullet lodged there. A gunshot wound!

Thanks to the amulet on his chest, the bullet only went halfway into his flesh. Otherwise, it would have pierced right through him!

Despite such a serious injury, he remained calm, and even when he saw the red spots on her face, he showed no sign of disgust or fear. This indicated a strong and complex inner character. Who exactly was this man?

Just as Emma was wondering, she saw him bite down on his shirt and forcibly extract the bullet himself! Blood gushed out like a broken dam.

"Are you crazy?!" Driven by her medical instincts, even though this man didn't seem like a good person, Emma quickly got up, put on her clothes, and fetched a medical kit from her suitcase. Under his curious gaze, she explained, "I'm a doctor."

He didn't speak but allowed her to stop the bleeding. Luckily for him, her medical kit was well-stocked, including hemostatic medicine. Even so, it took Emma a good half hour to stop the bleeding.

"Done," she said, just as the man's large hand gripped her chin, lifting her face.

Her face was smaller than his palm, but her eyes were unusually large, sparkling like two crystals. Unfortunately, the red spots made her face look ugly and frightening. He never judged people by their looks, and this interesting, unique girl was actually his disabled brother's fiancée?

"How old are you? What's your name? Where do you live?" he asked, as if conducting an interrogation.

Emma didn't want to engage further, so she kept her gaze down and lips tightly shut, only saying, "They're gone. You should leave too!"

"Not willing to talk?" he asked.

Emma gritted her teeth, determined not to reveal her identity to someone so dangerous.

The man chuckled softly, "Do you know who I am?"

"I don't want to know! Just go!" Emma urged.

"Alright." The man reached out and snatched the necklace from her neck. The necklace wasn't important, but the ring hanging from it was her mother's!

"Give it back!" Emma reached out to grab it, but he was much taller, and even when she jumped, she couldn't reach it.

He watched her jump like a playful kitten for a while before finally speaking, "This cruise is headed to Inspireville. It seems you're going there. Once you arrive, find me at Dreamy Palace, and I'll return it to you." As he spoke, he suddenly reached out, and Emma felt a sharp blow to her neck.

Then everything went black. She collapsed into the man's arms, losing consciousness. When she awoke, the cruise ship had already docked. She sat up abruptly, realizing the man was nowhere to be found. Emma quickly checked herself, relieved to find he hadn't harmed her.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a dagger that gleamed coldly. She plucked a strand of hair and blew it onto the blade, watching as it split in two effortlessly. A sly smile curved her lips. She charged for her services, and this seemingly ordinary dagger was worth a fortune, able to cut through iron like butter.

When the man had struck her neck, she knew she couldn't fight back, so she stealthily swiped the dagger from his pocket. Not a bad trade. As for finding him at Dreamy Palace? No, she had too much to do in this life to waste time on a dangerous stranger. Her priority was avenging herself and her mother.

Emma tucked the dagger away, catching a glimpse of herself in the room's mirror. Her face was covered in terrifying red blotches. She took out a medicine kit from her suitcase and began treating herself without hesitation. Detoxifying would take months and require expensive herbs. Having just returned from the countryside with nothing, she could only use the herbs she had to start removing the toxins.

Her master had warned her that her beauty would bring trouble, advising her to hide her true appearance until she was secure. She followed his advice, but it led to betrayal by Emily, Mia, and her new husband, who conspired to kill her on the operating table. This time, she would live differently—restore her beauty, strengthen herself, and never be manipulated again!

As the ship docked, Emma left the cabin, pulling her suitcase through the lingering scent of blood.

Inspireville, she was back. Those who wronged her in the past would pay a thousandfold.

As Emma disembarked, the Wilson family's butler waited anxiously at the port. "Where is she? Why hasn't she come out yet? Have any of you seen a girl with red blotches on her face?" he asked, turning to his men. They shook their heads.

Emma overheard him as she walked by. It seemed her stepmother had already figured her out, even knowing about her facial blemishes.

She smirked and approached...